Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the continued expansion of its second largest office, with the addition of six lawyers in New York, including litigation partner Joshua Bernstein; real estate transactional partner Thomas Diorio; healthcare transactional partners Martin Monaco and William Weiner, and tax partner Ira Stechel, and of counsel Stefi George. Their collective experience enhances Akerman's litigation, real estate and tax practices, and the firm's strength in the energy, healthcare and hospitality sectors.
"We have assembled a highly skilled team of lawyers and business professionals in our New York office," said Steven Polivy, Akerman's New York Office Managing Partner. "We will continue to build capacity to advance our clients' business priorities locally and globally."
Joshua Bernstein, Partner
Joshua Bernstein is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and adds depth to Akerman's Hospitality Sector Team. He represents property owners, operators, developers, contractors and tenants in the hospitality and restaurant space. His practice is dedicated to assisting clients in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate level, as well as in arbitration and mediation proceedings in the U.S. and abroad. Bernstein has handled a broad array of disputes, including those involving the acquisition and development of real estate, the operation and management of hotels, complex real estate and hospitality financing, commercial leases and construction. Many of his cases helped shaped the law regarding the termination of hotel management and operations contracts.
Thomas Diorio, Partner
Thomas Diorio is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group and enhances Akerman's growing Energy Sector Team. He brings years of experience in a full range of commercial real estate transactions and energy projects. He represents investors, lenders and developers in connection with the acquisition, sale, development, leasing and financing of office buildings, shopping centers, hotels, warehouses, mixed-use properties and U.S. ports. His experience in energy project development and financing includes real estate support to biomass energy plants, landfill gas-to-energy plants, waste-to-energy plants, solar facilities. He also assists real estate clients in the areas of tax credit investments and economic development incentives.
Martin Monaco, Partner
Monaco is a partner in the Healthcare Practice Group. He represents for-profit and non-profit organizations health care providers in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate, governance, regulatory and tax matters. His clients include hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory surgery centers, medical device companies, specialty pharmacies, single and multi-specialty medical practices and private and public foundations. In addition, Monaco focuses on non-profit tax issues, providing advice on private inurement, private benefit, and excess benefit transactions, as well as unrelated business income taxation, joint ventures and conflicts of interest. He currently serves as chair of the Tax and Accounting Interest Group for the American Bar Association Health Law Section.
William Weiner, Partner
William Weiner is a partner in the Healthcare Practice Group. He focuses his practice on healthcare transactions, representing physicians and group practices, as well as private equity firms and other privately-held companies, in the sale, merger and acquisition of practices, divestitures and joint ventures. He provides a wide array of services for physicians and their practices, including advice on billing and reimbursement, corporate governance, medical staff and regulatory issues, licensing and credentialing, government audits, HIPAA and privacy matters. He also counsels owners and operators of traumatic brain injury centers, nursing homes, federally qualified health centers, and large physician hospital organizations. Weiner serves on the board of directors of Catholic Social Services Youth Services Board Committee for Saint Gabriel's System in Audubon, Pennsylvania.
Ira Stechel, Partner
Ira Stechel is a partner in the Tax Practice Group. His practice is focused on tax planning, tax controversy and employee benefits. With more than 40 years of experience handling a multitude of tax issues, he represents a wide range of clients, including corporations, partnerships and individuals. Stechel has significant experience structuring tax efficient transactions and representing taxpayers involved in tax disputes and controversies before various taxing authorities. He is an advisory board member of Bloomberg BNA Tax Management Inc. and has authored two tax treatises that are widely used by tax professionals. He also has contributed numerous articles to the Journal of Taxation, the Tax Management Real Estate Journal, and other leading professional publications.
Stefi George, Of Counsel
Stefi George is of counsel in the Tax Practice Group. She represents corporations and individuals in all areas of tax law and tax planning. She regularly represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Department of Taxation and in U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She also has experience with corporate acquisitions and other corporate transactions on behalf of lending institutions and other private companies.
Akerman's New York office continues to grow rapidly, now reaching 100 lawyers and business professionals. Nationally, the firm has attracted 50 new partners since January, including key additions in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, among other U.S. markets.
About Akerman LLP
Akerman LLP is a leading transactions and trial law firm known for core strengths in middle market M&A, within the financial services and real estate industries, and for a diverse Latin America practice. With more than 650 lawyers and government affairs professionals and a network of 24 offices, it is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The American Lawyer (2016). Akerman also is ranked among the top 60 law firms for diversity in The American Lawyer's Diversity Scorecard (2016).