Get to know these top Long Island law partners

Long Island Business News, Jan 5, 2009 by Claude Solnik

David N. Altman

Partner

Brown & Altman

Altman isn't only one of the newest partners at his firm; he's at one of Long Island's newest firms. He teamed with fellow attorney Keith P. Brown in 2008 to found this law firm focusing on real estate. Altman previously was a partner at Smithtown-based DeBenedittis & Altman where he specialized in land use and commercial transactions. His clients have included major national corporations, such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T (Cingular), Nextel Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile Communications, 7-Eleven and Toronto Dominion Bank. He also was a partner and head of litigation at Amato & Associates in Garden City, and of counsel to Vincent J. Trimarco in Smithtown

Keith P. Brown

Co-Managing Partner

Brown & Altman

While many people were named partner in 2008 or early 2009, Brown co-founded a firm, focusing on commercial real estate law and litigation. Since launching in 2008, the firm has handled closings and obtained zoning approvals for its corporate clients including banks, retailers, gas station owners and shopping center developers. Prior to starting his own firm, Brown was partner and managing attorney at Garden City-based Amato & Associates, where he oversaw a staff of 18 lawyers. He previously was counsel in the litigation department at McMillan, Rather, Bennett & Rigano in Melville and an assistant New York state attorney general in the Litigation Bureau.

J. Timothy Shea Jr.

Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman

Shea begins 2009 as a partner in the firm's real estate group. Based in the Hauppauge office, he concentrates on commercial and residential real estate, including real estate transactions, land- use and zoning applications and litigation, and property litigation. He also has experience in criminal and civil litigation, having successfully prosecuted appeals before the New York State Court of Appeals and the Appellate Term, Second Department, and has litigated actions in the federal district courts and New York State Supreme Courts. He has represented such diverse companies as Lowe's Home Improvement, Pallets R Us, Fireworks by Grucci, Pinnacle Hotels and Bay Gas. Prior to entering private practice, Shea served as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County and then for five years as an assistant town attorney for the Town of Islip as director of law enforcement.

Deborah Franco

Cullen and Dykman

Franco, who joined the firm in 1993, became a partner at the start of 2009. She represents utilities and other energy clients in a variety of state regulatory, utility taxation and related matters. From 1997 through 1998 she served with the New Jersey Division of the Ratepayer Advocate, before returning to private practice at the firm. While with the Ratepayer Advocate, Ms. Franco represented the interests of residential, commercial and industrial gas, electric and telecommunications consumers, where she served as counsel in two major state utility-merger proceedings and various restructuring proceedings and task forces. She practices regularly before the New York State Public Service Commission and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Franco is chair of the Public Utility Law Committee Section of the New York State Bar Association.

Peter Armstrong Egan

Garfunkel, Wild & Travis

Egan, who works in the firm's Great Neck office, is a member of the firm's business, health care and tax practice groups advising clients on business, regulatory and transactional matters. His practice includes routine and complex business transactions, as well as regulatory and tax analysis on behalf of for-profit health care organizations, medical centers and other providers. He specializes in structuring joint ventures and advising clients on the formation of ambulatory surgery centers. Egan joined the firm in 2001 and is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association's Hospital and Health Law Committee.

B. Scott Higgins

Garfunkel, Wild & Travis

Higgins, who joined the firm in 2002, is a member of the firm's finance and real estate practice group, representing healthcare institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities and other healthcare and mental health organizations, academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations and for-profit organizations. He specializes in financing transactions, including tax-exempt and taxable bond financings and refinancings, secured and unsecured lending transactions and capital lease transactions. He is a member of the New York and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

Eve Green Koopersmith

Garfunkel, Wild & Travis

Koopersmith, who joined the firm in 1994, now heads the firm's discharge planning and elder law practice group and is a member of its compliance and white collar defense, health care and litigation and arbitration practice groups. Her practice includes discharge planning, elder law, guardianship proceedings, Medicaid planning, litigation on behalf of hospitals and nursing homes, general health care and regulatory matters and compliance issues for nursing homes and home health agencies. She also advises hospitals and other providers regarding the confidentiality of specially protected records such as HIV, alcohol/substance abuse and mental health.