Firm represents LI bank in complex financing transaction

Egan & Golden LLP represented a prominent Long Island  financial institution in the closing and purchase of a large municipal financing portfolio. The complex transaction involved the negotiation, structure and closing of the acquisition of a $5 million mortgage, which is secured by over 58 acres of land, and the assignment of an Installment Land Purchase Agreement. Justine Tocci, Esq. represented the client in the transaction. Egan & Golden LLP has extensive experience in representing corporations and financial institutions in all aspects of complex corporate and financial transactions.

Firm Lawyers Attend Federal Bar Council Reception

Firm partner Brian T. Egan, Senior Counsel Eugene L. Wishod, and Associate Christopher Bianco attended a reception hosted by the Federal Bar Council at the Alfonse M. D’Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip to honor retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael L. Orenstein for his dedicated service to the Court.  Over 85 members of the bench and bar attended the event, including 18 judges and three family members.  All enjoyed the heartfelt remarks shared by Judge Orenstein.  Wishod is a member of the Council’s Central Islip U.S. Courthouse Committee which organizes the reception every year. 

Pictured below is photograph at the event (L - R, Bianco, Egan, Wishod).



Egan & Golden, LLP at Federal Bar Council Central Islip Federal Courthouse Reception (L to R, C Bianco, B Egan, E Wishod)



Egan appointed to Judicial Screening Committee

The Suffolk County Bar Association announced new appointments to the Bar's Judicial Screening Committee. Brian T. Egan, Partner at Egan & Golden, LLP, has been named to the Judicial Screening Committee that will review candidates for the election or appointment to judicial office. 

The screening committee reviews and considers the qualifications of candidates for District Attorney of Suffolk County, Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the County Court, Surrogate of Suffolk County, Judge of the Family Court, Judge of the District Court and Justices of the Town and Village Courts within Suffolk County.

Mr. Egan practices in the fields of litigation, municipal law and commercial law. He currently serves as the Village Attorney for the Incorporated Village of Patchogue and is active in civic affairs.

Egan & Golden attorneys judge 2010 Youth Court Mock Trial Competition

Egan & Golden attorneys, Erin B. Kowtna and Michael P. Gippetti, served as judges of the 8th Annual Mock Trial Competition held on March 4, 2010. The competition judged high school students representing five area Youth Court teams: Brookhaven, East Hampton, Southampton, Huntington and Riverhead towns in two separate Mock Trials.

Ms. Kowtna and Mr. Gippetti judged the students on Opening Statements, Direct Examination and Cross Examination presented by the students in two separate mock trials Ms. Kowtna has been actively involved in the Southampton Youth Court program since September 2008. Ms. Kowtna along with the program director, Ms. Karen Hurst, and fellow attorney, Mr. Kevin Gilvary, instruct the students on the skills necessary for a trial attorney: developing an overall theme stated clearly in opening and closing statements, the art of direct and cross examination of witnesses and recommending a suitable disposition to the jury.

Youth Court is a voluntary alternative to the criminal justice system for young people who have committed a non-violent crime or offense. The youth pleads guilty and appears for a sentence hearing before a jury of his or her peers. The goal of the Youth Court program is Restorative Justice, to remedy the harm caused by the youth’s actions and to provide dispositions aimed at providing the youth community based involvement to reduce further incidence and prevent the escalation of such behavior. The ultimate goal is to have the offender become a viable member of the community.

Ms. Kowtna, who did not judge the Southampton Youth Court members due to her involvement in the program, is pleased to announce that the Southampton Youth Court received 1st Place in the Competition for the Second Year in a row. Ms. Kowtna stated, “The students’ victory is the direct result of their hard work and dedication each week to this important program and the efforts and guidance of the program director, Ms. Karen Hurst.”

Firm Partner Teaches Receivership Class at Bar Association

Egan & Golden partner Brian T. Egan was selected to teach a class to lawyers on the use and appointment of Receivers. Attorneys seeking fiduciary appointments must comply with the educational training requirements set forth in Part 36 Rules of the Chief Judge, and Mr. Egan was an instructor at the Suffolk Academy of Law's "RULES & GUIDELINES FOR RECEIVERS" which satisfied the requirements for receivership appointment eligibility. Mr. Egan has been appointed by the Supreme Court to serve as a Referee and Receiver in a wide variety of complex commercial disputes.

Egan & Golden Represents Village of Patchogue in Artspace Project

As reported in the Long Island Business News, work will soon begin on the Artspace Patchogue Lofts in the Village of Patchogue. Artspace is an affordable housing project that will provide 45 loft-style live/work apartments for artists in a new five story, 103,000 square foot building. Egan & Golden attorney Justine Tocci served as lead counsel to the Village of Patchogue on the transaction, which involved the negotiation and closing of 30 year PILOT agreements, multiple real estate transfers to assemble the parcels, and over $15 million in private and municipal financing. Before joining Egan & Golden, Ms. Tocci was with the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, Special Litigation Unit. Egan & Golden, LLP has extensive experience representing municipalities and public officials throughout Long Island.

Firm wins Zoning Victory in Appellate Division

Egan & Golden partners Brian T. Egan and Karen Golden achieved a significant zoning victory in the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department. The Firm was hired to serve as Special Counsel to the Village Attorney for the Village of Poquott, NY to defend the Village's Zoning Board of Appeals in a challenge to a denial of a sideyard variance. The homeowners had sought to build a recreational dock that would extend into the waters of Port Jefferson Harbor from their waterfront property. Their application for a dock permit was denied by the Planning Board because the plans did not meet the minimum side yard setback requirements of the local zoning ordinance. The petitioners then sought to obtain area variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals which, after two public hearings, denied the application. The firm successfully defended the Village in the Supreme Court, and also defeated the challenge in the Appellate Division. The Firm succeeded in defending the denial based in large part on the broad discretion vested in Zoning Boards in considering applications for variances. A copy of the decision is here.

Firm Victorious in Appeal Reinstating Hearst Heir's $20 Million Lawsuit

Egan & Golden, LLP firm partners Brian T. Egan, Karen Golden and associate Justine Tocci succeeded in convincing the Appellate Division, Second Departmnet to reinstate a $20 million malpractice and fraud suit brought by a grandson of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst against the grandson's wife and the couple's lawyer.

After he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1989 at age 55, John Randolph Hearst Jr. contends, his wife, Barbara, with the help of the couple's lawyer, transferred $20 million worth of property and investments into her own name. The suit also named a trustee as a defendant.

The trial court had converted the defendants' motion to dismiss to a motion for summary judgment, which he granted. However, the lawsuit was reinstated last week by the Appellate Division. In its decision, the court found that the trial judge had misunderstood the burden of proof for undue influence claims, and that Hearst had established a prima facie case against the defendants.

A link to the coverge by the New York Law Journal is here.

Egan Appointed Patchogue Village Attorney

On April 7, 2008, Firm partner Brian T. Egan, Esq. was appointed by the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village of Patchogue as the Village Attorney. Egan will continue to serve as the Special Housing Prosecutor for the Village. Egan has previously served as Acting Village Attorney and Special Counsel to the Trustees.

Egan Judges Yale Trial Competition

Patchogue attorney Brian T. Egan, Esq. was invited by the Yale Mock Trial Association (YMTA) to serve as a judge at the 2008 American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Tournament held on February 16 and 17, 2008 at Yale University. The tournament is a highly competitive event, drawing teams from some of the best schools in the nation, including teams from the Ivy League. The top placing teams here will earn bids to compete at the AMTA National Tournaments and, most importantly, the National Championship Tournament. The tournament judges are selected from experienced trial attorneys and sitting judges. “It was an excellent experience to serve as a judge at Yale, and the caliber of the students’ preparation and trial work was very high” said Egan. Egan is a partner in the law firm of Egan & Golden, LLP, with offices in Patchogue and Wainscott, NY. http://www.egangolden.com/

Firm Lawyers Assume Chairs of Bar Association Committees

Egan & Golden, LLP lawyers have recently been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Suffolk County Bar Association to key committee leadership positions. Firm partner Brian T. Egan, Esq. has been appointed to a second term as Chairman of the bar association’s Professional Ethics and Civility Committee. Firm associate Justine Tocci, Esq. was appointed as Chairwoman of the Women and the Law Committee. Egan & Golden, LLP is committed to the highest principles of service to its clients, the courts and fellow members of the bar.
http://www.egangolden.com/

Firm Partner at White House St. Patrick’s Day Reception

Brian T. Egan, Esq. was invited by President Bush and the First Lady to attend their annual St. Patrick's Day Reception at the White House. "The senior Irish diplomatic corps and government officials from both the North and South of Ireland attended, as well as the various commissions involved in monitoring the peace process", said Egan. "It was an excellent occasion to informally discuss the progress of peace and to collectively reaffirm our respective nations' commitment to the peace process." Egan is the President of the Brehon Society of Suffolk County, an organization of lawyers and judges of Irish descent. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Irish American Republicans.
http://www.egangolden.com/

Firm takes leadership role at Republican National Convention

Firm partner, Brian T. Egan, who serves as the Executive Director of the New York State Committee of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) welcomed lawyers from across the country who attended the 2004 Republican National Convention. Egan gave the welcoming address at the Lawyers Reception held at the Bar Association of the City of New York. Attendees included White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, appointed by President Bush to succeed John Ashcroft as Attorney General, as well as Bush Cheney Campaign General Counsel Thomas Josefiak. Pictured addressing the reception is (left to right) Thomas Spencer, RNLA Vice-President of Field Operations, Egan, Grant Lally, RNLA New York State Committee Chair, and Wolfgang Pordzik, President and CEO of Deutsche Post World Net USA.
http://www.egangolden.com/