Prominent Trial Attorney Mark Lesko Will Join Firm
NEW YORK – Jan. 18, 2022 – Consistent with the global firm's 50-plus-year business culture of leading and finding its best opportunities by nimbly adapting to change, Greenberg Traurig, LLP continues its strategic expansion in the New York metropolitan area, and its adaptation to the "new normal," by opening in two locations on Long Island, in Bridgehampton and Garden City.
Greenberg Traurig is the first global law firm to establish a substantial presence on Long Island. Along with the firm’s midtown Manhattan office, recently relocated to One Vanderbilt, the state-of-the art tower standing next to Grand Central Terminal, and longstanding offices in Westchester County and New Jersey, Greenberg Traurig will now be the only BigLaw firm providing this range of global excellence and resources along with physical presence, competitive value, and unique options for clients and talent alike throughout the New York metropolitan area.
According to Richard A. Rosenbaum, Executive Chairman of Greenberg Traurig: “We just completed the most successful year in our history by every measure, with revenues above $2 billion for the first time, a substantial increase in profits, and a strong positive feeling across the firm. But it is no time to rest."
A group of renowned Long Island practitioners with deep local roots will be opening the two locations along with approximately 20 Greenberg Traurig lawyers, including several senior shareholders, who will be relocating there from Manhattan; together they will work closely with Rosenbaum to launch on Long Island. Mark Lesko, a well-known name in Long Island business, political and legal circles, and a seasoned trial attorney and white-collar litigator with extensive experience directing complex legal teams for large institutions, joins on Jan. 24, 2022. Lesko most recently served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice, National Security Division, Washington, D.C., and Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, as well as three-time elected Supervisor of the Town of Brookhaven (New York State’s second largest township with over 480,000 residents). Lesko also served as Vice President for Economic Development at Hofstra University and as the Executive Director of Accelerate Long Island, an organization formed by the region’s major research institutions to fund and mentor technology-based startup companies.
“I am thrilled to be joining Greenberg Traurig’s forward-thinking firm that understands shifting work habits and to be able to meet with clients in person at an office near their homes in Suffolk and Nassau County or, if needed, at premier locations in New York City and Washington D.C., as well as throughout our country and the world,” Lesko said. "I am convinced that this new model will allow us to best serve our clients and provide them with seamless access to the extraordinary legal team at Greenberg Traurig."
“Since we first expanded beyond Miami, across the United States and then the world, our mission has been the same," Rosenbaum added. "We find opportunities in change and provide our clients, wherever they are, with the best possible service and value by hiring talented attorneys with local roots and business and empowering them to work collaboratively across practices, cities, and continents on a world class global platform as one unified firm which respects and trusts its people.
“On Long Island, we see a huge and timely opportunity. Advancements in technology have led to substantial secular shifts, allowing key business decision-makers and attorneys who service them to work from anywhere they prefer, not only major metropolitan cities, but also, increasingly, suburbs, resort towns, second homes, and areas perhaps more favorable to their business. We believe these trends, accelerated by the pandemic, are here to stay.
“With the current expansion to Long Island, our five locations across the New York metropolitan area will now deliver a new kind of 'hybrid' model that will permit a better work-life experience for our attorneys and staff and greater convenience and value for our clients for the long term. We combine the benefits intrinsic to in-office work, such as camaraderie, collaboration, culture, innovation, and apprenticeship, with the flexibility and convenience to work-near-home. Additionally, our market professionals will have ready access to our state-of-the-art Manhattan office and its thoughtfully designed conference facility and visitors' workspaces."
The Long Island offices will focus on core firm practices and industries: Litigation, White Collar Defense & Special Investigations, Real Estate, Land Use, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Intellectual Property & Technology, Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity, Labor & Employment, Health Care, and more.
Co-managing shareholders of the Long Island offices are transactional and commercial litigation attorney Brian C. Doyle in Bridgehampton and commercial litigator John P. McEntee in Garden City, both former key partners at Long Island firm Farrell Fritz.
Bridgehampton Office
Along with Doyle and Lesko, David Gilmartin, Jr. will be joining the Bridgehampton office as a shareholder. Doyle handles litigation, real estate, and other transactions, and has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, where he received the Outstanding Prosecutor award in the East End Bureau.
“We are fortunate to join Greenberg Traurig’s premier global firm and be able to grow our business with top, innovative leaders in the legal profession throughout New York and the world, while enhancing our ability to compete locally; there is no competitor with these resources,” Doyle said.
Gilmartin’s practice focuses on land use, zoning, real estate, commercial matters, and related litigation. Gilmartin, a former Farrell Fritz partner, is a former Village Attorney for the Village of Sag Harbor and previously served as Southampton Town Attorney representing various municipal boards.
Garden City Office
In addition to McEntee, joining the Garden City office as shareholders are Kathryn C. Cole and James Miskiewicz. McEntee, who handles complex commercial litigation, served as President of the Nassau County Bar Association. He is a former Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County and former Assistant Deputy Attorney General with the New York State Organized Crime Task Force and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Molloy College.
“Greenberg Traurig’s decision to establish a substantial presence on Long Island is a validation of the vibrancy of the Long Island business community. The firm’s tremendous worldwide resources will allow us to deliver extraordinary service to clients regardless of where their needs arise,” McEntee said.
Cole, another former Farrell Fritz partner who enjoyed prestigious clerkships at each of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the New York Court of Appeals, began her career at Davis Polk. Cole, the first female President of the Federal Bar Association, EDNY Chapter, concentrates her litigation practice on complex commercial matters, including contract disputes, shareholder disputes, products liability claims, torts, internal investigations, and class actions. In today’s data-intensive world, Cole’s expertise in cyber and data related issues and her certification as an e-discovery specialist (CEDS), brings significant value to modern day litigation teams.
Miskiewicz, a highly experienced litigator, previously served as Deputy General Counsel of the Long Island Power Authority and in various positions in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, including Deputy Chief, Long Island Criminal Division, Central Islip and Acting Chief Organized Crime & Racketeering Sections, Brooklyn, NY. He joins Feb. 1, 2022.
Additional attorneys from Long Island and Greenberg Traurig attorneys relocating from Manhattan will be joining both offices and are expected to be named shortly.
The five Greenberg Traurig offices in the New York metropolitan area are located at: One Vanderbilt in Manhattan, White Plains in Westchester County, Garden City and Bridgehampton on Long Island, and Florham Park in New Jersey. Notably, Philip Sellinger, the founder and former Managing Shareholder of the New Jersey office, was recently named United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey and is now serving in that role.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,400 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Plus Certified. Web: www.gtlaw.com