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.

Attorney Irina Yadgarova focuses her practice on Trusts & Estates, Probate & Administration, Elder Law, and Real Estate. She is licensed to practice law in the courts of the State of New York, the State New Jersey, and the U.S. District Courts in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Ms. Yadgarova's practice encompasses all aspects of Estate Planning, Elder Law and Real Estate. She provides legal services to residents of New York and New Jersey and handles matters pertaining to Wills, Trusts & Estates and Long Term Care Planning. Prior to establishing her own practice, Ms. Yadgarova worked as a wealth management attorney at UBS Wealth Management. While at UBS, she counseled the business with regard to their high net worth clientele. Ms. Yadgarova obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, summa cum laude, from Yeshiva University and her Juris Doctor degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. While in law school, she acted as president of the Russian Speaking Law Students Alliance and wrote for the Cardozo Law Journal of Dispute Resolution. Ms. Yadgarova is a member of the New York State Bar Association and their Trusts & Estates Law section, the Queens County Bar Association, and the Russian Speaking Business Alliance Network. Ms. Yadgarova frequently lectures on Estate Planning and Advance Directives. Her articles on Estate Planning and Elder Law are often featured in community newspapers. She is fluent in Russian and resides in Queens, New York with her husband and three children.

Max Leifer has been practicing civil law since 1972 and is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Federal Court. He is a 32nd Degree Mason; a member of various religious and civil organizations, and is associated with numerous Bar Associations. He has a successful background in Social Security, Long-Term Disability, Union Benefits, and Personal Injury, both Plaintiff and Defendant. He is associated with other attorneys who specialize in criminal, trademark, malpractice, and commercial/real estate litigation. Due to successful trials, Max is a current member of the Million Dollar Club, which requires recoveries in excess of one million dollars. He has numerous cases reported in Jury Verdicts and has lectured on Social Security Disability and various conferences.

Since 1991 Tom Holman has held a Peer Reviewed Highest "AV" Rating (Very High to Preeminent) for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability –– from Martindale-Hubbell, a nationally recognized rating firm. He has been serving New Jersey and New York as a business fraud lawyer, in the courtroom and in arbitration, since the mid-1970s. He has been handling employment law matters that have required litigation, arbitration, mediation or negotiation since 1975. He has litigated or arbitrated cases involving disputes over interpretation of business and employment agreements, partnership disputes, business disputes, business fraud, class actions, employment fraud, securities and stock fraud, consumer fraud, declaratory judgments, emergency commercial litigation, federal and NY whistleblower protection litigation, noncompete litigation, preliminary and temporary restraining orders, and wrongful termination of franchisees or distributors, and violations of employee rights.

I have been working on personal injury law cases for over 30 years. I began working as a paralegal for my father, Frederick M. Wittenstein, Esq. in 1988. In 1995 I went to CUNY Law School and was admitted to practice in 1999. In 2000 the name of the firm was changed to Wittenstein & Wittenstein, Esqs as it is today. Now I work with a staff of wonderful paralegals and of-counsel attorneys to bring clients not only the best outcomes, but also the best experience possible during the process.

The Law Office of David Molot is a full service law firm that provides excellent representation throughout the state of New York and all throughout the US when representing immigration clientele before the Immigration Courts and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Attorney Leino has 44 years of legal experience, with 42 years as a sole practitioner. He knows both perspectives of a legal case, having represented plaintiffs (people who sue), as well as defendants (people who are sued) and their insurance companies; familiarity with the judicial perspective, having served numerous times as an arbitrator in state and federal courts for over ten years, deciding civil cases of up to $100,000 in value.

Michael Rose has spent his entire career representing accident victims. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and settled many claims resulting in tens of millions of dollars in recovery for clients. Many of these cases have resulted in seven-figure jury verdicts and settlements. During a recent six-month time span, Mr. Rose tried three cases; each independently resulted in a seven-figure jury verdict. In both 2010 and 2011 he was responsible for securing four of the top one hundred personal injury results in the State of New York for personal injury claims as reported by the New York Jury Verdict Reporter. In 2012 he was responsible for securing the largest jury verdict in the State of New York for Construction Site Accidents as reported by the New York Jury Verdict Reporter. This jury verdict was in excess of thirteen million dollars.

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.