Warshaw Burstein LLP

Articles and News

03/10/2026

When Executive Pay Becomes an Unpaid Wage Claim — and the Damages Add Up Fast!

Partner Stephen Brodsky offers insight into executive compensation disputes and the risks they pose for private companies. In New York, clearly defining and documenting compensation arrangements is essential, as informal or loosely structured agreements can quickly create significant legal exposure in the event of a dispute.

03/02/2026

NYLJ Features Cummings, Filardo, Brodsky in "Attorneys 'On The Move'" Column

The New York Law Journal featured three partners in their most recent "Attorneys 'On The Move'" column.

02/25/2026

The Opening Shot — Lawsuit vs. Demand Letter. Why You Should Usually Sue First and Talk Later.

Stephen L. Brodsky, partner, examines the usual advice to start business disputes with a demand letter. He explains that, in most cases, it is more effective to file a lawsuit first. Demand letters can be useful in limited, low-risk situations, but starting with litigation often helps keep your leverage, protects assets and evidence, and puts the dispute under the court’s control right away.

Featured Attorneys

Ally Hack

Mr. Hack is a member of the firm’s real estate and litigation groups.
Meryl E. Wiener

Ms. Wiener advises financial institutions, investment managers and hedge funds on a broad range of regulatory, compliance, securities, registration, inspection, organizational and structural matters.
Slava Hazin

Mr. Hazin concentrates his practice in commercial and real estate litigation, including trial and appellate practice.
Peter Figdor

Mr. Figdor concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate and banking and finance.
Bruce H. Wiener

Mr. Wiener has been a practicing lawyer and litigator for over 45 years, and remains actively engaged in all aspects of real estate and general commercial litigation.
Marc A. Lavaia

Mr. Lavaia represents clients in a broad range of real estate and corporate transactions across industries. He counsels his clients on mergers, acquisitions and corporate formations, and oversees the expansion of established businesses.
Alan M. Pollack

Mr. Pollack is a partner in the firm's litigation department. His practice focuses on federal and state court commercial and civil litigation, including business disputes, partnership dissolutions, class and shareholder derivative actions, stock fraud and manipulation cases, wage and hour and labor and employment matters.
Robert P. Wittes

For more than 50 years Mr. Wittes has concentrated his practice on estate and trust planning and administration, using a variety of techniques to reduce estate and gift taxes and to assure that assets are transferred by his clients to their beneficiaries with minimal cost and delay.
Michael Zukerman

Mr. Zukerman practices real estate law, concentrating in the areas of real estate secured lending, from both the lender and the borrower side, and real estate development and acquisitions. He has experience in private offerings of securities with emphasis on real estate.
Harvey I. Krasner

Mr. Krasner has over 30 years of broad based experience in complex transactional real estate matters advising developers, owners and investors in all aspects of real estate transactions, including purchases, and sales and financing.
Felicia S. Ennis

Ms. Ennis has worked on cases involving discrimination, sexual harassment, breach of contract, retaliation, wage/hour laws, family medical leave laws, wrongful discharge, misappropriation of trades secrets, business/shareholder disputes and partnership dissolutions.
Martin S. Siegel

Mr. Siegel is a partner in our firm’s litigation department. He specializes in complex commercial, business, securities and bankruptcy litigations.
Allison Simmons Prouty

Ms. Simmons Prouty concentrates her practice in real estate law.
BoBi Ahn

Ms. Ahn specializes in immigration and nationality law and focuses on various corporate and employment related immigration issues and on strategic immigration planning for U.S. and international companies in connection with the international relocation of personnel coming into the U.S.
Grant R. Cornehls

Mr. Cornehls has broad experience representing clients in financial services and other industries in litigation, arbitration and regulatory investigations.
Kevin M. Hirson

Mr. Hirson has extensive experience representing developers, owners & investors in a wide variety of real estate transactions throughout the U.S. He represents clients in connection with the acquisition, sale, financing, leasing and licensing of real property and remains a corporate advisor to clients.
Russell W. Rosen

Mr. Rosen focuses his practice on complex commercial, real estate, partnership and corporate matters, including business litigation.
Chaya R. Shafran

Ms. Shafran has been involved in the practice of real estate law for over 35 years.
Patrick Calella

Patrick Calella practices in the firm’s real estate department negotiating and closing commercial real estate transactions on behalf of purchasers, sellers, joint venture participants, landlords, tenants, borrowers and lenders.
Peter L. Lese

Mr. Lese has focused his practice on trusts and estates law since 1988.
Thomas Filardo

Mr. Filardo represents clients in a wide variety of complex commercial matters as both a seasoned litigator and corporate advisor. He takes a hands-on, creative approach and enjoys developing practical strategies to achieve client objectives.
Sarah A. Steckler

Sarah A. Steckler is a partner in our Trusts and Estates Group.
Robert Fryd

Since joining the firm in 1981, Mr. Fryd has concentrated his practice on complex commercial litigation.
Marvin J. Fortgang

For the past 50 years, Mr. Fortgang has practiced real estate law, concentrating his practice in the areas of real estate secured lending and commercial leasing.
Steve R. Graber

Steve R. Graber is a partner in our Trusts and Estates Group and our Tax Group.
Frederick R. Cummings, Jr.

Mr. Cummings has in depth experience in a wide variety of corporate and business matters for individuals and both publicly and privately owned entities, ranging from start ups, to family held, to Fortune 500 clients, involving jurisdictions across the United States and around the world.
Marshall N. Lester

Mr. Lester has over 50 years experience in the corporate arena, concentrating primarily in the areas of joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions (both domestic and international), corporate finance and securities law matters.

The Knowledge and Skill to Meet Any Challenge