Twenty veterans of the bankruptcy bar were honored when the NJSBA Bankruptcy Law Section held its annual dinner on Dec. 11. The event was held at The Palace at Somerset Park.
Here's a look at the honorees, including the most veteran who began practicing in 1953. To see more photographs of the event, click here.
Robert H. Altshuler, Esq.
Robert has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1966. He is a graduate of both Cornell University and Cornell Law School. Robert manages his own firm in Wayne, New Jersey, focusing his practice in the areas of bankruptcy, commercial litigation, divorce and real estate.
David L. Bruck, Esq.
David has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1968. He is a graduate of Tufts University and Rutgers University School of Law. David is
a partner at Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP. His practice focuses primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, reorganization and insolvency,
representing debtors and other stakeholders in out of court arrangements, restructurings, state court receiverships and Chapter 11 bankruptcy
proceedings. David is also a past president of the Association of the Federal Bar for the State of New Jersey, and an approved mediator
for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey.
James J. Capone Jr., Esq.
James received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, and his JD and MBA in Accounting from Rutgers University. An Army
veteran, James has been licensed to practice law in New Jersey since 1968. He has been a professor at Kean University for many years,
where, among other things, he has served as chairperson of the Department of Accounting and was selected as the 2001-2002 Teacher
of the Year by the Accounting Society. He has an office in Hackettstown, where his areas of practice include bankruptcy, family law and real estate law.
Edward A. Dreskin, Esq.
Edward has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1960. He is a graduate of Seton Hall Law School and is a partner at the firm of Dreskin &
Dreskin in Newark. Edward practices in the area of bankruptcy and real estate law.
Michael R. Griffinger, Esq.
Michael has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. A graduate of Cornell University, Columbia Law School and Columbia Business
School, Michael currently serves as the Director of the Commercial and Criminal Litigation Group at Gibbons. His practice is primarily focused
on sophisticated corporate and commercial disputes, securities litigation and antitrust matters. He is a Fellow of the American College of
Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Bar Foundation. Michael has successfully guided numerous
organizations, including a publicly traded company that ran a national hotel chain; New Jersey’s second largest bus line; and the first New
Jersey casino to successfully come through a Chapter 11 proceeding. He was awarded the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Medal of
Honor in 2013 and was most recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2018 Best Lawyers guide in seven categories.
William S. Katchen, Esq.
William has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and his JD from
Seton Hall University School of Law. He is currently at The Law Office of William S. Katchen LLP and formerly a partner at Lowenstein Sandler
and Duane Morris. In 1991, William was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, and in 1992-93 was the chair of the
Bankruptcy Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. William focuses his practice on bankruptcy reorganization, debtor/creditor litigation, and secured party representation.
Jonathan J. Kohn, Esq.
Jonathan has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1964. He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College and his JD from Columbia University. He currently practices bankruptcy and commercial law at Rothbard, Rothbard, Kohn & Kellar, in the city of his birth,
Newark. He has long served as a Chapter 7 panel trustee and is an active member of the New Jersey Bankruptcy Trustee’s Association and
the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees.
Yale I. Lazris, Esq.
Yale has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1963. He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and his JD from University of Pennsylvania Law School. Yale is Senior Counsel at Mandelbaum Salsburg, specializing in bankruptcy and creditors rights, and
commercial and corporate litigation. Yale is a member of the Essex County and New Jersey State Bar Associations.
Theodore J. Liscinski, Esq.
Theodore has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1967. He is a graduate of University of Houston and Seton Hall University Law
School. He is a partner at Lanfrit, Liscinski & Rosenwasser, P.C. His areas of practice are bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and business/corporate.
Stanley W. Low, Esq.
After graduating Boston University Law School in 1963, Stanley served as a law clerk for the late Honorable Sol Schulman, Superior Court of
New Jersey. Prior to focusing on bankruptcy, he spent many years of service under nine different mayors. As part of his law practice, he was the attorney for the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment for Union County, and the Township of West New York,. His involvement
with bankruptcy originated as a result of his membership in the Commercial Law League of America. For many years, Low & Low, LLC’s
focus has been on personal bankruptcy. He is proud that his son, Russell L. Low, has been his partner for 20 years.
Harvey I. Marcus, Esq.
Harvey has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1964. He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and his JD from Rutgers University School of Law. Harvey is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and a past member of
the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Commercial Law League. He is a solo practitioner at the Law Offices of Harvey I. Marcus
and practices consumer bankruptcy law.
Frances S. Margolis, Esq.
Fran has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1953. She attended Rutgers University, New York University and Rutgers University School
of Law. Fran is Of Counsel to Tompkins, Mcguire, Wachenfeld & Barry and practices in the areas of bankruptcy, secured loan transactions,
corporate, business and commercial transactions, and residential real estate transactions. Fran is a Trustee and Member of the Essex County
Bar Association, a Trustee and Master of the New Jersey Bankruptcy Inn of Court, a Fellow of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation,
and in 1994 was the recipient of the Award for Achievement and Contributions to the Bar from Debtor-Creditor Section of the New Jersey
State Bar Association.
Robert S. Molnar, Esq.
Robert has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and his JD from Rutgers University School of Law. He is a solo practitioner in Wayne. His practice focuses primarily in the area of bankruptcy. He is a member
of the American Civil Liberties Union, American Bar Association among others.
David A. Nicolette Jr., Esq.
David has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. He received his undergraduate degree from St. Peter’s College and his JD from
Seton Hall University School of Law. He is a solo practitioner in Hackensack. His practice focuses on bankruptcy and estate law.
Robert P. Shapiro, Esq.
Robert has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1967. Robert is a graduate of New York University and The George Washington University
Law School. He is the managing partner at Shapiro, Croland, Reiser, Apfel & Di Iorio, LLP. His practice includes all aspects of business law,
including litigation and transactional matters. Robert is a past Chairman of the New Jersey Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Law Section, former
co-editor of the New Jersey State Newsletter of the Bankruptcy Section and a past Master of the New Jersey Bankruptcy Inn of Court.
Charles A. Stanziale Jr., Esq.
Charlie has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. He was, until very recently, a partner with McCarter & English, and prior to that with
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter and Schwartz, Tobia, Stanziale, Sedita & Campisano. Charlie received his undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University and his JD from University of Richmond School of Law. He was previously the assistant corporation counsel for the City of Newark and later served as municipal judge in Newark. Charlie previously served as the President of the Board of Trustees of Columbus Hospital. His practice focuses on commercial transactions, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and all aspects of bankruptcy law, including serving in many high profile bankruptcy cases as a Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 Trustee.
Joseph L. Steinberg, Esq.
Joseph has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1960. Joseph is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He is Of Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler. His practice focuses on banking law, as Joseph represents financial institutions in term, revolving, asset-based, and mortgage lending transactions, as well as in “workouts” within and outside formal insolvency proceedings.
Frank L. Vecchione, Esq.
Frank has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
and Seton Hall University School of Law, Frank is the Director of the Financial Restructuring and Creditors’ Rights group at Gibbons. A former
Chairman of the Debtor/Creditor Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Frank has spent the bulk of his career representing parties,
mainly debtors, in the restructuring of their financial affairs. At the same time, for 21 years, Frank was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall,
offering a course in debtor-creditor relations and bankruptcy. In 1991, Frank was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy.
In 1992, he was honored by Seton Hall Law School as the Outstanding Alumnus and in 1993, he was selected to Fellowship in the American
Bar Foundation.
Michael S. Waters, Esq.
Michael has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1965. He was admitted to the United States Supreme Court in 1970 and the State of
New York in 1984. Michael is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School. Michael is currently Of Counsel at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, where he focuses his practice on bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and antitrust.
Richard L. Zucker, Esq.
Richard has been practicing law in New Jersey since 1969. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College and his JD from
Boston University School of Law. Richard is a member of the Essex County and New Jersey State Bar Associations, and served as the Vice
Chair of the Ethics Committee in Essex County from 1986-89. Richard is Member at Lasser Hochman, LLC, where he focuses his practice on
creditors’ rights in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, business litigation and commercial real estate.