Lance’s practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, arbitration, and complex litigation, with a special emphasis on crypto assets, securities fraud, antitrust, and commercial contracts. As a former assistant federal public defender in Puerto Rico and along the U.S.-Mexico border, Lance managed over 100 felony cases at a time, in addition to working on several appeals. This built on his federal district court clerkship with the Honorable Judge Andrew Carter, Jr. in the Southern District of New York. Before joining Dynamis, Lance ran large-scale complex, global litigation, arbitration and investigations at two prominent law firms in New York. He has significant expertise representing multinational corporations across banking, healthcare and telecommunications industries in internal and regulatory investigations involving the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws, sanctions, and racketeering and misrepresentation claims. He has an extensive background working with national regulatory bodies such as the DOJ, SEC, OFAC, and CFTC, as well local and state authorities, and even worked in-house at the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (Mexican Stock Exchange). In New York, for example, Lance oversaw cases involving well-known securities fraud claims valued at $203 million for Morgan Stanley, as well as a related DOJ investigation that resulted in a $2.6 billion settlement. Lance is completing both the MBA and Graduate Diploma in Compliance programs at the Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile and brings a critical global business lens and client-side perspective to every matter he handles. He regularly advises multinational companies and startups in Latin America on a range of legal and strategy topics related to compliance, risk mitigation and data privacy. He is a fluent Spanish speaker with a working proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese and has a deep understanding of Latin America legal practice and cross-border work, due to his professional experience in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Puerto Rico and working with clients in the UK, China and India.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

Mr. Zucker earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1976. After gaining experience as a personal injury lawyer and an assistant district attorney, he founded our personal injury law firm in 1984. Mr. Zucker has since earned several notable awards, including a selection to the 2015 and 2016 editions of New York Super Lawyers and the New York Law Journal Motor Vehicle Verdicts and Settlements Hall of Fame.

Leonard X. Gillespie is a practicing attorney serving Brooklyn, New York.

Providing debt relief for individual and business clients in the New York City area for more than three decades Gregory Messer, a principal in The Law Offices of Gregory M. Messer, has been practicing bankruptcy law for over 38 years. He represents business and consumer debtors and creditors in Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy matters. Mr. Messer has the legal acumen needed to handle even the most complex bankruptcy matters for consumers and companies. He frequently receives referrals from other attorneys and past clients who speak highly of his professional abilities. Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification since 1995, Mr. Messer has been a panel trustee for the Chapter 7 Trustee Panel for the Eastern and Southern districts of New York for 38 years. He has served as a Chapter 11 Trustee, Post Confirmation Trustee and Plan Administrator in various bankruptcy cases. Mr. Messer also served as a Mediator in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Asher White is a practicing lawyer in the state of New York.

Martin Garbus has a diverse practice that consists of individuals and companies involved in politics, media, entertainment, and the arts. His courtroom skills have earned him a distinguished reputation as a trial lawyer. Mr. Garbus is experienced in every aspect of litigation and trial, from jury selection to cross-examination to summation. He has argued cases throughout the country involving constitutional, criminal, copyright, and intellectual property law. He has appeared before the United States Supreme Court, as well as trial and appellate courts throughout the United States. He has argued and written briefs that have been submitted to the United States Supreme Court; a number of which have resulted in changes in the law on a nationwide basis, including one described by Justice William Brennan as "probably the most important due process case in the Twentieth Century." An international observer in foreign elections, he was selected by President Jimmy Carter to observe and report on the elections in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Mr. Garbus also participated in drafting several constitutions and foreign laws, including the Czechoslovak constitution. He also has been involved in prisoner exchange negotiations between governments. He is the author of six books and over 30 articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Mr. Garbus is featured in Shouting Fire, an award-winning documentary film about his life and career. He received the Fulbright Award for his work on International Human Rights in 2010. In 2014, University College Dublin's' Literary and Historical Society honored Mr. Garbus with the James Joyce Award for Excellence in Law, which is also the same year Trinity College awarded him for his human rights and free speech work. Mr. Garbus has also taught trial practice at Yale Law School and Constitutional law at Columbia. He has also taught classes in Beijing, China, and Prague, Czech Republic. He has lived and practiced in China and Italy as well as the United States. He authored six books and numerous articles that have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and numerous legal publications. Mr. Garbus has given hundreds of speeches on various aspects of law before Bar Associations, corporations, law schools, and on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and other television and radio networks. Martin Garbus’ devotion to ethics, justice, free speech, and the law has garnered enormous respect within the legal community, commercial and corporate sectors, and beyond. His numerous honors include designation in Who’s Who in America, a Profile in the New York Times, inclusion in Who’s Who in Best Lawyers in America, awards from his law school and college, and praise from his numerous high-profile clients.

A lawyer for more than 20 years, Michael H. Joseph can help you with your personal injury, commercial litigation, or criminal defense case. Mr. Joseph's offices in Manhattan and White Plains, NY, offer free consultations so that everyone has access to a lawyer. Michael H. Joseph grew up in Coop City in the Bronx and then moved to Long Island as a teenager. After law school, Mr. Joseph worked for a prominent personal injury firm in Manhattan while living in Kew Gardens, Queens. He eventually started his own legal practice that serves people throughout New York City and Westchester County. Mr. Joseph's sense of social justice is built on his family’s New York roots and his experiences in law school in New Orleans. As the descendent of railway workers who suffered tragic injuries working in the New York railroads, Mr. Joseph knows firsthand the pain and devastation that an injury can cause. While attending Tulane University Law School, Mr. Joseph participated in the criminal clinic to handle felony cases. During this time, he represented clients throughout New Orleans who could not afford legal representation. This experience revealed how poverty leads to systemic injustice for people with low incomes, and the kind of difference a committed attorney can make for people in these underserved communities. Michael H. Joseph is dedicated to helping the little guy. Whether you live in New York City or Westchester County, his law office can give you the legal assistance you need. He is an effective advocate in the courtroom, on appeal, at arbitrations, during mediations, and in administrative hearings. In addition to complimentary consultations, we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t pay us a dime unless we reach a favorable settlement or verdict.

Marcia Murphy Biondo is a practicing lawyer in the state of New York handling personal injury cases.

Brianna is an experienced litigator with expertise in high value, complex disputes involving antitrust, fraud, cryptoassets, unfair business practices, trade secrets, commercial contracts, real estate, partnerships, trusts and estates, fiduciary removal suits, and defamation. She has also spent a significant amount of time counseling private clients in more personal matters, including civil harassment restraining orders, tax planning, business formation, and other complex business areas. Brianna puts her years of studying the complexity and interrelationship of legal, social, and ethical issues to use throughout her practice and, therefore, brings a practical but personable approach to business and legal issues.