Arthur Schwartz is a Principal Attorney at Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys. Mr. Schwartz has been representing unions, workers, and Lower Manhattan community residents for over 32 years. He is widely recognized as one of New York City’s top labor and employment lawyers.

Nicole Brenecki is a native-born New Yorker who, following an extensive overseas education, returned to practice law in her place of birth. Fluent in English, German, and Polish, Ms. Brenecki’s distinctive global experiences allow her to fully understand and appreciate the unique needs of her clients with the ability to explain the intricacies of New York law in multiple languages. Ms. Brenecki obtained her Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School in 2017. At Brooklyn Law, Ms. Brenecki was awarded the prestigious Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest Fellowship and in 2018, she co-founded an organization that was instrumental in the repeal of the New York City Cabaret Law by Mayor Bill DeBlasio. Prior to obtaining her Juris Doctorate, Ms. Brenecki received a Master’s Degree in Law at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw and a Diploma in American Law at Center for American Law Studies at the University of Warsaw in 2013. Nicole has extensive experience working for both Plaintiffs and Defendants and specializes in Personal Injury and Labor Law, as well as Employment and Wage Law, in which she heads the firm’s practice. In only her second year of full-time practice, Nicole was named a “Super Lawyer – Rising Star,” a distinction awarded to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in each state for her excellence as a litigator, in 2021. In 2022, she was honored with the “Super Lawyer – Rising Star” award again, followed by the “Top 10 under 40” Award for New York Personal Injury Attorneys, as well as the Lawyers of Distinction Award. Ms. Brenecki is admitted to practice law in the state of New York, as well as before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.

Kent Gross is a practicing lawyer in the state of New York. Mr. Gross received his J.D. from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law.

Josh is an intellectual property attorney with more than 25 years of experience counseling large corporations, small businesses, start-ups and individuals in the development, protection, enforcement and defense of their patent, trademark, trade dress and copyright assets. Josh prides himself on bringing a practical, business-oriented approach to all types of patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright or unfair competition issues for his clients.

Chiddy Onyia is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur, operator, and senior legal executive with more than 15 years of in-house and law firm experience. A three-time General Counsel, she has advised high-growth startups, health systems, medical device companies, manufacturers, payors, physician groups, and health insurance companies. Her practice includes healthcare law, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, strategic transactions, market expansion, commercial contracting, data licensing, digital health, data privacy, and platform risk. Known for translating legal strategy into business outcomes, Ms. Onyia serves as a trusted advisor to boards, founders, and executive teams navigating growth, risk, and transformation. Ms. Onyia previously provided General Counsel services to healthcare and technology companies at GenCo Legal and held legal leadership roles with Alma and Quartet Health, two late-stage, venture-backed digital health companies. At Quartet, she led legal and commercial operations for the acquisition of Innovatel, managed deal structure, diligence, and negotiations, and supported a $60 million Series D fundraising round. At Alma, she led national payer negotiations with Optum, UnitedHealth, and Cigna and helped guide the legal, strategic, and regulatory aspects of a $130 million Series D raise. She also built legal, compliance, and HR functions to support expansion across all 50 states. Earlier in her career, Ms. Onyia served as commercial counsel for NYU Langone Medical Center and NYC Health + Hospitals, advising on enterprise contracting, compliance, procurement, population health, and major strategic transactions. She holds a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, is licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and completed an Executive MBA at INSEAD. She is also the founder of IgniteHer Inc., an organization dedicated to women’s leadership, financial literacy, career development, and mentorship. To discuss how Ms. Onyia can assist with healthcare, corporate, compliance, or strategic legal matters, call 212-739-0611 or complete her online contact form.

Shira Laskin, Esq. focuses her practice on family law. Her passion for justice drives her client-centered practice where she handles sophisticated matters with experience and confidence. Ms. Laskin has extensive experience in Divorce, Custody, Visitation, Domestic Violence, Pre and Post-Nuptial Agreements, Separation Agreements, Grandparent Rights, Same Sex Rights, Uncontested Divorces, Family Offenses and many other facets of family law. A graduate of New York University and New York Law School, Ms. Laskin is an accomplished writer with published work in print and featured in NYCLA's New York County Lawyer newspaper.

Kimberly’s practice focuses on complex litigation, white-collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, and arbitration. Kimberly has experience representing individuals and companies in criminal and regulatory enforcement investigations, including on allegations of financial and securities fraud, anti-corruption violations (FCPA, FCA, AKS), sanctions violations, insurance fraud, healthcare fraud, and tax fraud. Kimberly has defended clients before federal and state prosecutors and regulators, including the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, state Attorney General and District Attorney offices. Kimberly has experience in both federal and state court proceedings at the trial and appellate levels. She has represented clients against claims of financial and securities fraud, trade secret misappropriation, global products liability, employment, and cooperation in SEC monitorship and receivership proceedings. Kimberly has also assisted clients with internal investigations, compliance and monitoring, oversight, and crisis management. Prior to joining Dynamis LLP, Kimberly was a white-collar criminal defense and government investigations associate at a mid-size law firm and a litigation associate at a prominent New York law firm. Kimberly received her J.D. from Fordham Law School, where she was the recipient of the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award magna cum laude. While at Fordham, Kimberly served as a Notes and Articles Editor for the Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal; participated in the Securities Litigation and Arbitration Clinic; and was an LLM Legal Writing Teaching Assistant, for the Honorable Gerald Lebovits. Kimberly was also a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Keith E. Lynott in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Essex County. Kimberly is currently on the Associate Board of Urban Pathways, Inc. a non-profit organization in New York that specializes in assisting the homeless.

Leslie Akst earned her B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College in 1973. She graduated from Princeton University with an M.A. in Psychology in 1975, and from Fordham Law School with a J.D. in 1978 where she was also a member of the Law Review. As a member of the Fordham Law Review, she published an article on the New York Art Market. Mrs. Akst is admitted to the New York State and Federal Bars. Before joining Akst & Akst, she clerked for the Surrogate of New York County. Upon joining Akst & Akst, she acted as a closing counsel for Chemical Bank’s residential mortgage department for four years where she represented the bank in numerous mortgage closings.

George Akst received his B.A. in Economics from Boston University in 1972. He attended The Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands in 1973 and received his J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1976 where he was a member of the Urban Law Journal. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1977 and is admitted to practice in the New York Federal Courts and US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He has been a Member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1984 where he has spoken on numerous topics, including visas for artists, athletes, and entertainers. He is a member of the Union Internationale Des Avocats, the Paris based International Bar Association, where he has spoken on such various issues as U.S. visa investment opportunities and human trafficking. Mr. Akst is a former Adjunct Professor of Business and Real Estate Law, at both Long Island University and at the Borough of Manhattan Community College from 1979-1981.