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Practice Areas...
Wrobel & Schatz LLP is a full service business law firm dedicated to providing the finest high-quality representation, for a reasonable fee, to business clients in a wide-variety of commercial and financial litigation contexts. Our major areas of practice are dispute avoidance, corporate litigation, insurance litigation, employment law, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, and trial practice. To serve our clients, we are also experienced with and prepared to handle appeals and criminal problems.
Corporate Litigation
New York City is a business center for the world. Our general commercial practice reflects the diversity and sophistication of the City. This practice includes a full range of banking, securities and insurance matters, including class and derivative securities litigation, shareholder and corporate governance disputes, internal corporate investigations, shareholder appraisal proceedings, contract disputes, trademark and copyright disputes, and employment litigation.
Arbitration and ADR
New York City is a center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, and provides a wide variety of alternative forums to the State and Federal Court Systems. Many securities disputes are subject to mandatory arbitration before the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers, or the American Arbitration Association. Many commercial disputes are subject to arbitration under the rules of the AAA or UNCITRAL. In addition, even the courts of the city are involved in ADR initiatives; the Commercial Division of the New York Supreme Court and the local United States District Courts all have court-annexed mediation and arbitration programs. These forums present unique opportunities to resolve disputes cost-effectively, but only to those advocates who appreciate the substantial differences in procedure and proof involved. Our lawyers are experienced advocates in all arbitration and mediation forums. In addition, Mr. Schatz is a trained panel mediator for the New York State Supreme Court Commercial Division.
A lawyer who is afraid to try a case is a lawyer who cannot maximize the value or minimize the exposure to his client. Although most cases do settle, a willingness and ability to take a case to trial and verdict can make a substantial difference in the terms of any settlement. Our lawyers are experienced advocates who welcome the challenges of the courtroom, if our dispute cannot be resolved on acceptable terms prior to trial. Our partners teach and lecture students and other lawyers on trial practice and advocacy issues, as well as attending regular Continuing Legal Education courses to keep sharp and abreast of current developments.
Employment Law
Employment law is not as simple as it sounds, but involves a wide variety of contractual, statutory, and regulatory provisions. Our lawyers are experienced at negotiating employment and severance agreements and vindicating statutory and contractual rights of both employers and employees at administrative, state, and federal levels regarding a full panoply of employment law issues: restrictive covenants, discrimination, wrongful termination, and constructive discharge.
Construction and Real Estate Litigation
Few assets are as valued in New York City as real estate, or as needful of prompt court action when interests are threatened. We are experienced in all aspects of real estate and construction litigation, including the mechanisms available to preserve and protect real estate interests or security while a dispute is being resolved.
Insurance Litigation
No litigation practice can be complete without a thorough understanding of insurance principles and procedures. It is the rare case, in fact, that does not involve some insurance-related issues. Our lawyers have represented both insurers and insureds and are experienced in all phases of insurance litigation practice, including: insurance coverage disputes, subrogation disputes, and insurance defense.
Litigation is expensive and time consuming. No sensible business person litigates any issue unless absolutely necessary. Our lawyers can help you to avoid the threat of litigation from ever arising, and, if it does arise, to resolve the dispute before a lawsuit is filed. We take our roles as counselors at law seriously. Our dispute avoidance services include contract review and drafting, internal investigations, employment law compliance, and assisting you in responding to investigative and regulatory inquiries.
Appellate Practice
We are experienced advocates in all appellate forums in New York City, with particular experience in the Appellate Division, First Department and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Because the court system in New York State is unique - the Appellate Division is constitutionally empowered to review both the law and the facts - a strong appellate practice is a necessary adjunct to a superior commercial litigation practice.
Criminal Law
We are experienced advocates in State and Federal courts of criminal jurisdiction. Our criminal practice ranges from counseling corporations on criminal law and Federal Sentencing Guidelines questions to representing individual and corporate criminal defendants. In addition to two year's experience as the law clerk handling criminal cases for a Federal District Court Judge, Mr. Schatz has been appointed a Special Assistant District Attorney by the Kings County and New York County District Attorneys, and is a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panels for the Southern District of New York as well as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.