GARY H. FRIEDENBERG

(October 15, 1940 – January 4, 2022)

Mr. Carruba is the head of commercial landlord/tenant practice group and a member of the litigation practice group.

For almost twenty years Mr. Carruba has represented owners and tenants of commercial real property in all aspects of the landlord/tenant relationship including summary nonpayment and holdover proceedings, complex lease litigation, Yellowstone injunction applications and mechanic’s lien foreclosure actions. His clients include several large scale retail malls in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and New York City.

In addition to his extensive experience litigating on behalf of landlords, since joining the firm in 1997 Mr. Carruba has represented clients in the areas of commercial, real estate and municipal litigation in the State and Federal trial and appellate courts. He represents the Firm’s municipal clients in complex municipal litigation, Article 78 proceedings, civil rights litigation and legislative disputes. He also represents corporate clients in shareholder and contract disputes and handles a broad range of real estate litigation.

Mr. Macy is the Firm’s president, managing partner, and chair of the litigation practice.

After graduating from the Fordham University School of Law in 1983, Mr. Macy commenced his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the Nassau County District Attorney.  During his tenure with the District Attorney, he prosecuted a wide range of felony criminal cases.  Additionally, he conducted numerous Grand Jury investigations and served as lead prosecutor and investigator in what, at that time, was the largest prosecution of street narcotic sales in the history of Nassau County (Operation HUB). In 1988 he was admitted to the State Bar of Florida.

In 1988 Mr. Macy joined the Garden City based firm of Speno, Goldman, Goldberg, Corcoran & Steingart, P.C. as a partner.  While at Speno Goldman, he concentrated his practice in the fields of commercial litigation and criminal defense including such high profile matters as representing a Clinical Research Psychologist in the prosecution of federal civil rights claims after being falsely accused of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled patient; a  notable Black civil rights attorney against criminal charges; several doctors accused of sexual assault involving patients; a mother accursed of strangling to death her six year old daughter on Mother’s Day; the defense of a jewelry manufacturer against federal criminal charges involving an alleged multimillion dollar insurance fraud involving Lloyds of London; and, a nursing home operator involving charges of Medicaid Fraud.

In 1995, Mr. Macy joined the firm to head the litigation practice group.  During this time, he has concentrated his practice in matters of complex commercial litigation involving the representation of numerous businesses and governmental entities in a wide range of state and federal court actions.  He has successfully represented clients in matters and tried numerous actions before the federal and state courts including contractual disputes, land use claims, libel, civil rights and wireless telecommunications and has successfully argued numerous appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the First, Second and Third Appellate Departments.  Between, 2003 – 2007 Mr. Macy served as General Counsel to the Hempstead School District.  He has lectured before the New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations and served for five years as a member of the Board of Directors of the East Woods School in Oyster Bay, New York.

Mr. Macy resides in Huntington, New York with his wife, Mary.  His son Joseph is a graduate of Wake Forest University (2017) and the George Washington University School of Law (2022) and resides in Washington, D.C.  His daughter Misha is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross (2021) and resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lecturer:

• Collection and Enforcement of Money Judgments
• New York and Federal Pleading requirements and drafting
• Commercial Litigation Strategies
• Bridge-the-Gap

In April 2011, Ms. Napolitano joined Berkman Henoch as an Associate in the Litigation Department.  In January 2016, Ms. Napolitano was made a partner in the firm.  She represents the firm’s corporate and municipal clients in both federal and state court on such claims as Section 1983, Title VII, Fair Labor Standards Act, and ADA.  In September 2012, Ms. Napolitano was lead counsel on an eleven-week federal trial and successfully represented the County of Nassau and its employees in Matthew Prince v. County of Nassau et al.  She also successfully represented the County in the Second Circuit appeal brought by the same Plaintiff.  Ms. Napolitano served as the Attorney to the Incorporated Village of Muttontown’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

Prior to joining Berkman Henoch, Ms. Napolitano served in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office for eight (8) years.  In 2003, she joined the NCAO as a Deputy County Attorney in the General Litigation Bureau and was responsible for complex federal litigation including Section 1983, Title VII and ADA matters.  During her tenure with the office, she was promoted first to Deputy Bureau Chief and then to Bureau Chief of the General Litigation Bureau.  She oversaw a bureau with ten attorneys and two support staff.

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Napolitano had a successful career on Wall Street where she was a Vice President at a major investment banking firm responsible for originating new health care business which involved the new construction and/or renovation of existing facilities.  These projects were guaranteed through the FHA mortgage insurance program and financed with the issuance of tax-exempt revenue bonds.

Ms. Napolitano is admitted in New York State, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.  She is a member of the Federal Bar Council, Federal Bar Council/Central Islip Committee, Nassau County Bar Association, and Catholic Lawyer’s Association.  She was nominated and selected as a Super Lawyer in 2013, 2014, and 2015.  In May 2014, she was honored as a Top Women Attorney in the New York Metro Area in Civil Litigation Defense. In addition, in 2016 she was honored to be selected as one of the Outstanding Woman in the Law.

Ms. Napolitano received her BBA in Finance from Hofstra University and her J.D. from Touro Law, where she was a member of Touro’s Law Review.  She is married with four children.

Mr. Peterson concentrates on land use and counsels clients who include some of Long Island’s most prominent developers, on navigating the often complex governmental processes required to successfully develop their real estate projects.

Governmental/Political:

• Chairman and CEO of Nassau Downs OTB (1998-2001)
• Presiding Supervisor, Town of Hempstead (1993-1998)
• Supervisor, Town of Hempstead (1987-1993)
• Councilman, Town of Hempstead (1972-1987)
• 2nd Vice Chairman, Nassau County Republican Committee (2011-Present)
• Commissioner, New York State Board of Elections (2008-Present)

Honors:

• Endowed Scholarship, Hofstra University
• Community Service Award, Rough Rider District, Nassau County Council
• Leadership Award, Adjunct Faculty Association of Nassau Community College
• Legion of Merit, Long Island South Central Division of Kiwanis International
• Anton Kaiser Award, East Meadow Kiwanis
• Man of the Year, East Meadow Chamber of Commerce
• Criminal Justice Award, Former District Attorneys Association
• Marvin I. Bernstein Humanitarian Award, East Meadow Chamber of Commerce
• Man of the Year, East Meadow Soccer Club
• National Co-Chairman, 75th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide
• Outstanding Citizen Award, Nassau Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect
• Edwin F. Hoebich Award, St. John’s Law School
• Excellence in Public Service Award, Nassau County Medical Center
• Lifetime Achievement Award, East Meadow Civic Association
• Founder, East Meadow Community Pride Day
• Hon. William Gitelman Award, Nassau Lawyers’ Association