AWARD WINNERS

Insurance

PETER EGAN Partner & Practice Group Leader, Healthcare Nixon Peabody LLP

Peter Egan is the practice group leader of Nixon Peabody’s Healthcare practice, and also leads the firm’s Behavioral Health team, bringing cross-disciplinary skills to solve regulatory, M&A, investment, and supportive housing issues for our clients. Pete helps healthcare providers structure transactions to comply with federal and state fraud and abuse laws and regulatory issues.

His M&A experience also includes whole hospital mergers and affiliations, private equity transactions, and the purchase and sale of licensed facilities, such as nursing homes and ambulatory surgery centers. With considerable experience representing hospitals and medical centers on all types of corporate and regulatory matters, Pete provides strategic advice on physician alignment issues. Additionally, Pete and his team work with clients on compliance counseling advice, including investigating potential fraud and abuse matters.

RICHARD P. BYRNE

Senior Counsel | Hearing Officer

L’Abbate, Balkan, Colavita & Contini, LLP | NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation)

Richard P. Byrne, Esq., a native Long Islander, has been part of the local legal community since joining the firm of L'Abbate, Balkan, Colavita & Contini, LLP in 1985. Beginning his career as an Associate, he rose through the ranks to Partner, Equity Partner, and on to CoManaging Partner, a role he had for 18 years. His practice focused on complex matters in the areas of commercial insurance, construction law, professional liability, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. While maintaining the base of operations on Long Island, thanks to the trust and faith placed in him by his clients, Richard was asked to handle cases beyond the New York area, throughout the United States and overseas. In 2021, Richard took on the title of Senior Counsel at L'Abbate Balkan and presently devotes his efforts exclusively to serving as a Mediator and Arbitrator through NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation), an affiliation about to enter its 10th year. Throughout the course of his career, Richard has received a series of honors and recognitions from his peers as both a practicing attorney and a neutral; most recently, being voted one of the Top Three Mediators in the United States in the 2023 National Law Journal "Best Of" Survey.

Q&A

What/who inspired you to be on the path you’re on today?

I was inspired to become a lawyer by Joe Ortego and Kemp Hannon, during my college years. Joe lived across the street from my parents’ house, and I knew Kemp from working on his Senate campaigns. Fast forward 30 years later, and Joe and I are both partners at Nixon Peabody, and I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Kemp numerous times to discuss New York State healthcare issues.

Q&A

What/Who inspired you to be on the path you’re on today?

From a time when I was young, I recall being drawn to a career as an attorney and, frankly, never considered another path. I saw the role to be equal measures of history, study, hard work, strategy, and theater. And it is very satisfying now - after 40 years of practice - to know I did indeed choose the path for which I was best suited.

JOHN T. BAUER Office Managing Shareholder Littler Mendelson P.C.

John T. Bauer has more than 35 years of experience representing and advising employers in all aspects of labor and employment law.

John also has an active litigation practice, representing clients before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, as well as in arbitration proceedings.

Additionally, he regularly speaks to business groups on labor and employment law topics. He is also a member of Board of Directors, HIA-LI; Advisory Board, Island Harvest; New York State Bar Association; Suffolk County Bar Association; and Nassau County Bar Association

He has been recognized as The Best Lawyers in America, 2014-2023; Lawyer of the Year, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Long Island, The Best Lawyers in America, 20182019; and Top Labor and Employment Lawyers on Long Island, Long Island Business News, among others.

John received his J.D. from Albany Law School, 1986, and his B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1982, with honors.

Q&A

What has been your greatest achievement(s) within the past year?

My greatest achievement within the last year has been growing Littler’s Long Island office with the addition of 5 new attorneys, bringing our total attorney headcount to 18 (with 2 more new attorneys scheduled to join us in the Fall). This significant growth reflects the growing need for labor and employment law services by companies of all sizes in and around the Long Island area. When we opened Littler’s Long Island office in 2006, we had just two attorneys and an administrative assistant. We now have 18 attorneys (soon to be 20) and 4 administrative assistants in a thriving, diverse office, which provides us not only tremendous “boots” on the ground capability here on Long Island, but also the amazing resources of Littler—the largest labor and employment law firm in the country with over 50 offices and 1,000 attorneys nationwide. This all allows us to provide significant value to our clients as we work with them on solutions to their labor and employment law issues, whether it be complex class action litigation or dayto-day employment advice.

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

LABOR

AVROHOM GEFEN Partner

Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP

Partner Avrohom Gefen heads Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP’s Employment Law and Commercial Litigation practices and is a key member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution practice.

Avrohom focuses on commercial and employment litigation, with extensive litigation experience representing businesses and individuals in a wide array of matters before federal and state courts and administrative tribunals.

Avrohom also advises employers on a variety of topics, including drafting and revising employee handbooks, personnel policies, employee discipline, offers of employment, separation agreements, termination decisions, and compliance with federal, state and local statutes.

Avrohom has extensively written about and been interviewed in the press on business and employment matters.

Q&A

What has been your greatest achievement(s) within the past year?

With the constant flurry of new and revised laws and regulations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, VMM has become the “go-to” firm in matters of business and employment law compliance. Working at the forefront of a particularly complex legal landscape in constant flux, we've been able to help influence the interpretation and application of laws on Long Island on behalf of our clients, which is a series of achievements we're very proud of. We've also been called upon for our expertise by mainstream and legal trade press, from CBS to Bloomberg Law to the Herald, allowing us to help many other people navigate these choppy waters.

Member Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC

A problem solver of the highest order, Alyson Mathews, member at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, provides employers with experienced counsel and practical solutions on all aspects of labor and employment law with the goal of preventing litigation and resolving contentious issues at the pre-litigation stage. She advises private and public sector clients, school districts and municipalities.

Before joining Bond, Alyson spent 15 years at a full-service law firm. She rose quickly from associate, becoming one of five equity partners at age 36.

In 2022, in the course of her work she met the deputy managing member of Bond's Garden City office. Several case-related conversations led to larger discussions, leading to an offer of firm membership.

A Boston College and Brooklyn Law graduate, Alyson is active in the NYS Bar Labor & Employment Law Section and NYS Association of School Attorneys.

Q&A

What has been your greatest achievement(s) within the past year?

Last year, I made the unnerving decision to leave my previous law firm of 15 years of which I worked my way to the top and join Bond. I knew that my departure would be the best decision for my career, but it was difficult to leave a place in which I was settled. Throughout my life, I have taken advantage of opportunities that pushed me out of my comfort zone, including going to law school. While an English major at Boston College, I took an introductory law class. Had I not taken that class, I doubt that law school would have entered my mind. I could not envision myself in a career that did not involve reading and writing.

My work as an English major has set me up well to analyze cases and statutes. Every day brings opportunities to play with words, and I’m still finding new ways to challenge myself.

Having the courage to take the leap to join Bond is my greatest achievement because it will push me to progress further than I would have otherwise been able to go.