A celebration of the Hofstra Law alumni who are serving, or have served, as judges on the local, state and federal levels for their exemplary service
Proceeds support a new Judicial Alumni Scholarship fund to benefit current and future Hofstra Law students
Monday, March 19, 2018
Hofstra University Club 225 Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY 11549
Hosted by Judge Gail Prudenti, Dean
Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP
Leeds Brown Law, P.C.
New York State Court Officers Association
Novick & Associates, PC
Rodman and Campbell, P.C.
Subin Associates, LLP
Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP
Welcome to our Distinguished Alumni on the Bench celebration!
Tonight’s honorees are truly exemplary. They have blazed trails as judges on the local, state and federal levels, and serve as leaders and role models in their local communities and in the legal profession.
We are proud to honor such a diverse and accomplished group of jurists, as well as to recognize our more than 100 alumni members of the Judiciary. On behalf of Hofstra University and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law, congratulations on receiving this honor, and thank you for joining us tonight.
I also want to thank our many sponsors for this evening’s event. Your support of the new Judicial Alumni Scholarship allows Hofstra Law to continue to prepare our students to become outstanding lawyers. Your participation in tonight’s reception is invaluable. Once again, I want to thank all of our honorees, sponsors and guests, and I hope you enjoy the evening!
Judge Gail Prudenti Dean
HON. JOHN M. CZYGIER, JR. ’74 was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1975. After serving as a Prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, he entered private practice and, for 25 years, concentrated in estate administration and estate litigation in the New York metropolitan area.
He is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association, where he served as Director, Chair of the Surrogate’s Court Committee and CoChair of the Bench Bar Committee. He is also a member and former Director of the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association. While in private practice, Judge Czygier served as a Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 Court Examiner for New York and Suffolk Counties, and was Counsel to the Public Administrator of Suffolk County.
On April 26, 2001, Judge Czygier was appointed Judge of the Surrogate’s Court of Suffolk County by Gov. George Pataki and was subsequently confirmed by the New York State Senate on May 8, 2001. In November 2001, he was elected to a 10-year term, and was re-elected in November 2011.
Judge Czygier is currently the only sitting Surrogate in New York State who is a Judicial Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. The College is a national organization of approximately 2,600 lawyers elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence and experience as trust and estate counselors.
Judge Czygier has served as a member of the Surrogate’s Court Advisory Committee to the Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts of the State of New York since his appointment in 1999 by Hon. Jonathan Lippman. In 2009, he was appointed to the Administrative Board for the Offices of the Public Administrator, where he now serves as Chair; and he was recently named Chairman of the Distinguished Alumni on the Bench at Hofstra Law.
HON. MARGUERITE A. GRAYS ’82 received her undergraduate degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra Law.
Justice Grays began her legal career as a Staff Attorney at Queens Legal Services, Corp., where she represented indigent clients in the local community. Thereafter, she worked as a Staff Attorney at 1115 Pre-Paid Legal Services. In 1987, her legal career path lead to the Unified Court System, where she held the positions of Law Assistant for New York City Civil Court Judge Albert J. Grant and, thereafter, Principal Law Clerk for New York State Supreme Court Justices Joscelyn E. Smith and Frederick D.R. Sampson.
In November 2000, Justice Grays was elected Judge of the New York City Civil Court, Queens County. She served in that capacity until her election in November 2002 to the New York State Supreme Court, Queens County, where she presently sits. In 2005, Justice Grays was selected as one of the first two Justices to preside over the Queens County Commercial Division, which was established in the fall of that year. Justice Grays is the Presiding Justice of the Queens County Commercial Division. In 2015, she was appointed as the Deputy Administrative Judge for Civil Matters, 11th Judicial District. In November 2016, she was re-elected for a second term to the New York State Supreme Court.
Justice Grays is Chairperson of the Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts of the Queens Supreme Court, Civil Term. She was also the first African-American President of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association.
Justice Grays is also a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Queens County Bar Association, the New York City Supreme Court Justices Association, the New York State Supreme Court Justices Association, and the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association.
HON. JACK L. LIBERT ’74 was elected as Justice of the Supreme Court in 2015.
From 1978-1984, Judge Libert served as Counsel to the Nassau County Board of Supervisors (which later became the County Legislature). As Counsel, he was the chief legal advisor to the legislative body of Nassau County and the liaison between the legislature, the County Executive and the administrative arms of the County Government.
From 1992-2002, Judge Libert worked for Benjamin Development Company, beginning as General Counsel and then becoming CEO of its Real Estate Division. He oversaw all legal affairs, including real estate acquisitions and offerings, litigation, labor matters, regulatory issues, and taxation. During that time, he also served as Deputy Village Attorney for the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook.
Judge Libert was elected Trustee of the Incorporated Village of Woodsburgh in 1987 and was then elected Mayor in 1989.
From 1993-2005, Judge Libert served on the Town of Oyster Bay Board of Zoning Appeals. In 1997, he became Chairman of that Board and served in that capacity until 2005. At that time, he left the Board of Zoning Appeals to become Commissioner of Planning and Development of the Town of Oyster Bay (through 2008) and then Commissioner of the Town’s Department of Public Works, where he served until his retirement from public service to return full time to law practice.
Judge Libert was a founding Partner in the law firm of D’Amato, Forchelli, Libert, Schwartz and Mineo. After leaving to work first in private industry and then government service, he rejoined the firm as Counsel in 2010 and became a Partner again in 2012.
Judge Libert is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association. He graduated Hofstra Law in 1974, having attained his undergraduate degree from Hofstra University in 1971.
HON. SALLIE MANZANET-DANIELS ’88 was born and raised in New York City and is a product of New York City public schools. She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 1985. She is a graduate from Hofstra Law, Class of 1988, where she attended on a full scholarship.
In 1988, Justice Manzanet-Daniels began her legal career with The Legal Aid Society in the Bronx as a criminal defense practitioner. Thereafter, she served as Principal Law Clerk for three years, respectively, to both Justice Frank Torres in Bronx Supreme Court, Criminal Term, and to Justice Luis A. Gonzalez, Administrative Judge for the 12th Judicial District.
In November 1999, Justice Manzanet-Daniels was elected as Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Bronx County, and in November 2001, she was elected and received a Gubernatorial Citation for becoming, at the age of 37, the youngest Justice of Hispanic heritage ever elected to the New York State Supreme Court.
In September 2009, Gov. David Paterson ’83 appointed Justice Manzanet-Daniels to the Appellate Division, First Department, thereby making her the first Latina in any Department in the history of that Court.
Last, but certainly not least, Justice Manzanet-Daniels is the proud mother of a beautiful daughter, Taina, and in 2006 re-married New York’s former Secretary of State, Randy A. Daniels.
HON. ANDREA PHOENIX ’89 was elected to the Nassau County District Court in 2006 and was reelected in 2012. Previously, Judge Phoenix was an attorney concentrating on Family Law matters and was an active member of the New York State Law Guardian Panel. Judge Phoenix was appointed to preside over the Treatment Court and the Mental Health Court. As an Acting County Court Judge, Judge Phoenix adjudicates both misdemeanor and felony matters. Judge Phoenix serves on the Unified Court System Family Violence Task Force and the Nassau County Family Court Children’s Center Advisory Committee.
Judge Phoenix received her undergraduate degree from Hampton University and her graduate degree from The Ohio State University. She earned her law degree from Hofstra University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Law Digest. At graduation, she received the Service to the Law School Award. She has remained involved in alumni activities and was recently appointed to the Law School’s Leadership Committee.
Judge Phoenix is a past president of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association, and the New York Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Notably, she was the first African-American president of all three organizations. The Judge is also affiliated with the Amistad Black Bar Association, the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court, the Jewish Lawyers Association of Nassau County, the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association, and the Nassau Community College Paralegal Advisory Committee. Judge Phoenix is an active member of the Nassau County Bar Association and serves on its WE CARE Advisory Board. In 2017, the WE CARE Board honored Judge Phoenix with its Stephen Gassman Award.
The Judge holds membership with Antioch Baptist Church of Hempstead, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Long Island Chapter, The Links, Incorporated. She is listed in Who’s Who in Black New York City.
HON. LOUIS A. SCARCELLA ’77 was sworn in as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York on May 16, 2014. At the time of his appointment, he was a Shareholder in the law firm of Farrell Fritz, P.C., where he was the Bankruptcy Practice Group Leader.
During his tenure at Farrell Fritz, he had a diverse restructuring and litigation practice representing debtor entities, secured creditors, creditors’ committees, equity interests, and parties seeking to purchase the assets of, or invest in, financially troubled companies. Before joining Farrell Fritz, Judge Scarcella was a partner in the law firm of Phillips Nizer LLP, where he served as Chair of the Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group.
Judge Scarcella has practiced Bankruptcy Law exclusively during his career in private practice and has written and lectured on both business and consumer bankruptcy topics. He is a contributing author to Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide and is an Adjunct Professor of Bankruptcy Law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. He is a member of the Federal Bar Council, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.
HON. JEFFREY S. SUNSHINE ’80 is an elected Supreme Court Justice and is the Supervising Judge for Matrimonial Matters, Supreme Court, Kings County, and Chair of the Chief Administrative Judge’s Matrimonial Practice Advisory and Rules Committee. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Advisors of the Center for Children, Families and the Law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1980.
A former President of the Brooklyn Bar Association, he served as Chair of the Family Law Section for over 10 years. He is a member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association and served as Chair of the New York State Bar Association Special Committee on Judicial Discipline from 1996-1998. He is also a member of numerous other Bar Associations.
As a practicing attorney, he was a member of the Grievance Committee for the Second and 11th Judicial Districts and presently serves on the OCA Statewide Family Violence Task Force and the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts.
In 2003, he received the Ecumenical Award from the Catholic Lawyers Guild, Kings County, and in 2005, the Brooklyn Bar Association’s highest award, the Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Science of Jurisprudence and Public Service. In 2009, he received the In the Trenches Award from the Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence. He was the sole recipient of the 2010 annual award of the New York Chapter of the American Academy — Matrimonial Lawyers. In 2015, he delivered the keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Family Law Section of the State Bar.
Over 110 of his decisions have been published, and he has presented over 100 lectures/panels throughout New York.
He is married to the Hon. Nancy T. Sunshine, Esq., the County Clerk — Kings County.
HON. SCOTT B. UGELL ’85 is Clarkstown Town Justice, first elected in 1991 when he was the youngest elected judge in modern Clarkstown Justice Court history. He is currently the Judge presiding over a special Domestic Violence Court and serves along with Family Court Judges and other local Judges and staff members. This special County Committee on Domestic Violence studies ways to improve the courts for those involved in domestic violence matters.
Judge Ugell graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1982 and Hofstra Law in 1985.
After graduating from Hofstra Law, Judge Ugell was a Deputy Town Attorney in the Town of Hempstead, the most densely populated Township in the State of New York. Thereafter, Judge Ugell was a Court Arbitrator in New York City Civil Courts and later became Assistant General Counsel to Pyramid Companies, the Syracuse, New York-based shopping mall developer and management company.
Judge Ugell currently practices law in New City, New York, where he focuses on Family and Matrimonial Law, real estate development, Bankruptcy Law, debtor and creditor rights, and general and construction litigation.
Judge Ugell is involved in many charitable and social organizations. He is Chairman of the Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland, a Board Member of the Jewish Federation of Rockland, a former Board Member of the JCC-Y, a member of the New City Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the New City Jewish Center, as well as a supporter of United Hospice of Rockland, Good Counsel, and many other worthy charitable organizations. He is a member of the New York State Bar, the Rockland County Bar Association, where is Co-Chair of the Bankruptcy Committee, and the Rockland County Magistrates Association, where he was a past President.
Judge Ugell lives in Bardonia, New York, with his two teenage daughters.
Hon. Valerie Alexander
Hon. Maxine S. Broderick
Hon. James Darcy
Hon. Andrew M. Engel
Hon. Scott Fairgrieve
Hon. Tricia M. Ferrell
Hon. Rhonda E. Fischer
Hon. Elizabeth McDonough
Hon. Joseph Girardi
Hon. Eileen J. Goggin
Hon. David Goodsell
Hon. Darlene D. Harris
Hon. William Hohauser
Hon. Douglas J. Lerose
Hon. David W. McAndrews
Hon. Martin J. Massell
Hon. Paul L. Meli
Hon. Ignatius L. Muscarella
Hon. Colin F. O'Donnell
Hon. Anthony W. Paradiso
Hon. Robert E. Pipia
Hon. Erica L. Prager
Hon. Scott H. Siller
Hon. Helen Voutsinas
Hon. Joy M. Watson
We join in honoring Hon. John M. Czygier, Jr '74, Hon. Marguerite A. Grays '82, Hon. Jack L. Libert '74, Hon. Sallie Manzanet-Daniels '88, Hon. Andrea Phoenix '89, Hon. Louis A. Scarcella '77, Hon. Jeffery S. Sunshine '80 and Hon. Scott B. Ugell '85
202 East Main Street, Suite 208
Huntington, New York 11743
Telephone: 631-547-0300
Facsimile: 631-547-0212
202 East Main Street, Suite 208
202 East Main Street, Suite 208
Huntington, New York 11743
Huntington, New York 11743
Telephone: 631-547-0300
Telephone: 631-547-0300
Facsimile: 631-547-0212
Facsimile: 631-547-0212
www.novicklawgroup.com
Honorable
Family & Friends
warmly congratulate Honorable Andrea Phoenix on the occasion of receiving the 2018 Distinguished Alumni on the Bench Award
Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Congratulations to our good friend
A well-deserved honor for a distinguished member of the Bench
The McDonough Family
to my very dear friend and esteemed colleague Honorable
Honorable Darlene D. Harris
Congratulations to Honorable Andrea
for the well-deserved honor of being selected as a Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
The Harris Law Firm
Sondra I. Harris, Esq. & Robert N. Lanson, Ph. D.
Miguel A. Alvarado ’98
Ralph Eric Amirata ’96
Linda Ashley ’81
Sy D. Attie ’75
Leonard B. Austin ’77
David J. Ayres ’93
Maryanne Trump Barry ’74
Dolores A. Battalia ’78
Robert Edward Beloten ’80
David Mark Birnbaum ’83
Mark D. Birnbaum ’77
Donald R. Blydenburgh ’79*
Robert G. Bogle ’82
James Borgia-Forster ’81
Steven William Brockett ’86
Eli B. Bruch ’05
Stephen A. Bucaria ’76
Pierce Fox Cohalan ’94
Dennis Michael Cohen ’96
Mark D. Cohen ’75
William J. Condon ’85
Joseph Covello ’79
John M. Czygier Jr. ’74
Abena Darkeh ’93
Michael Davis ’04
Thomas J. DeMayo ’73
Arthur Michael Diamond ’78
Bruna Louise DiBiase ’84
Frank D. Dikranis ’87
Rosaria Esperon ’80
Saralee P. Evans ’78
John J. Farley III ’73
Thomas Feinman ’75
David Lee Foster ’79
Patria Frias-Colon ’94
Robert Kenneth Fricke ’90
Darrell L Gavrin ’76
C. William Gaylor III ’06
Thomas Francis Gehret ’80
Carolyn W. Geller ’79
Joan M. Genchi ’80
Marilyn K. Genoa ’89
Jeffrey Gershuny ’01
Joel K. Gerstenblatt ’77
Jacob S. Gertsman ’96
Ilan David Gilbert ’82
Marguerite A. Grays ’82
Victor G. Grossman ’78
George F. Harkin ’88
Darlene D. Harris ’89
Marc I. Harrison ’87
Rachelle Lea Harz ’79
Douglas J. Hayden ’88
Neal M. Hendel ’76
Paula J. Hepner ’77
Ronald David Hollie ’75
Richard Ira Horowitz ’87
Nilda M. Horowitz ’83
Richard I. Horowitz ’87
Jonathan S. Kaiman ’88
Deborah Silverman Katz ’84
Richard S. Kestenbaum ’74
Linda Jean Kevins ’96
James D. Kiley ’97
David Jay Kirschner ’89
Corey E. Klein ’94
Jerald R. Klein ’74*
Susan Taylor Kluewer ’74
Howard Gerard Lane ’78
Richard H. Lazarus ’77
Lenard Leeds ’74
Richard Stephen Levchuck ’81
Barbara A. Levine ’83
Jack Libert ’74
Allen Joseph Littlefield ’93*
Steven I. Locke ’93
Susan Mishler Lubitz ’78
Barbara Lynaugh ’84
Alisa A. Mackston ’91
Barbara Manolakos Posner ’84
Sallie Manzanet-Daniels ’88
Ira H. Margulis ’75
Lee Alan Mayersohn ’81
Juan Manuel Merchan ’94
Denise Michta Molia ’84
Donna Marie Mills ’76
Karen Veronica Murphy ’81
Elizabeth M. Niemi ’97
Martin O’Connor ’73
John Pacht ’79
Anthony Louis Parga ’79
Anna Paula Pereira ’96
Danielle M. Peterson ’00
Andrea Carla Phoenix ’89
Robert E. Pipia ’92
Patricia A. Quigley ’97
William B. Rebolini ’83
Kenneth Riddett ’75
Robert A. Ringler ’92
Tammy Schwitz Robbins ’89
Mark J. Rogers ’80
Robert A. Ross ’83*
Samantha Ruiz Cohen ’91
Lea Ruskin ’83
Max Sayah ’74
Louis A. Scarcella ’77
Stella Speiser Schindler ’76
Kimberly Luana Schiro ’99
Jed Nahum Schulman ’79
Stacey Van Buren Selden ’79
Anthony S Senft Jr ’93
Paul H. Senzer ’80
Fred Seraphin ’86
Joseph M. Serkes ’76
Sandra Lynne Sgroi ’78
Rita Fishman Sheena ’80
Denise L. Sher ’78
Lisa Siano ’77
George Jay Silver ’83
Emily S. Sinnreich ’76
Andrew Simon Sislo ’78
Mary Hauser Smith ’77
Joyce Pinto Sparrow ’75
Joseph Patrick Spinola ’83
Norman St. George ’88
David B. Suna ’96
Jeffrey S. Sunshine ’80
Linda B. Tally ’82
Peter John Tober ’92
Rhonda Z. Tomlinson ’96
Georgia Anna Tschiember ’80
Scott B. Ugell ’85
Stephen L. Ukeiley ’96
Bushra Vahdat ’82
Michael A. Vass ’77
Julie Wachs ’79
Susan Bryan Wakshul ’76
Craig S. Walker ’01
Frances Wang ’02
James L. Warren ’73
Wendy P Wedderburn ’06
Gail A. Weilheimer ’95
Claire I. Weinberg ’75
Laura G. Weiss ’78
Kim Adair Wilson ’82
Hope Schwartz Zimmerman ’86
John F. Zoll ’91
*deceased
Thank You
Congratulations to our Distinguished Alumni on the Bench honorees and thank you to our sponsors for your generous support!