A chat with one of the country's most prominent personal injury attorneys

In this episode of Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar, Lee Bergstein and Cooper Knowlton sit down with Ira Leesfield, the founder and managing partner of Leesfield Scolaro, a personal injury firm with offices in Miami, Key West, South Beach and Central Florida. Mr. Leesfield is one of the most prominent personal injury attorneys in the country, who was nominated as "Lawyer of the Year" by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, after he obtained a $19.8 million verdict against Honda Corp., and selected as one of America’s Top Ten Trial Lawyers.&nbsp; During this conversation, Mr. Leesfield talks about how an eviction notice set him on the path to becoming a lawyer, his time in the Army and Justice Department, and how a chance meeting on a flight led him to personal injury work. He also chats about his friendships with the likes of Jimmy Buffett and President Bill Clinton, and talks about his time working in the Clinton Administration, where he was part of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets. Mr. Leesfield has led a fascinating life and we feel lucky to be able to share this conversation with all of you. We hope you give it a listen.

Ira Leesfield: Bringing Empathy to the Practice of Law

How a Stint in Litigation Led to a Career as a Transactional Real Estate Attorney 

In this episode of "Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar" Cooper Knowlton and Lee Bergstein chat with Shaun&nbsp;W.&nbsp;Pappas, a partner at Starr Associates LLP, who&nbsp;practices in the general real estate group with a focus on development and offering plans.&nbsp;During this conversation they chat about why Shaun decided to go to law school, why he started his career in litigation, and how he pivoted from litigation to real estate transactional work. Shaun also shares some valuable advice for aspiring law students, and for anyone interested in working in the world of New York real estate. It's a great conversation and we hope you give it a listen. Mr.&nbsp;Pappas&nbsp;works with developers, lenders and investors in the acquisition, sale, and financing of complex commercial, mixed-use, and luxury residential properties in New York. Mr.&nbsp;Pappas&nbsp;assists clients in all aspects of project development, including the preparation of offering plans, drafting declarations, the condominium creation process, negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, and the closing of title.&nbsp;In addition, Mr.&nbsp;Pappas&nbsp;collaborates with the project’s development team, including sales and marketing, architects and engineers, managing agents, and other general counsel to expeditiously move projects from inception through approval and ultimately to the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements as well as closings.&nbsp;

Shaun Pappas: New York Real Estate Attorney

Tom Hanley is a partner at Glaser Weil in Los Angeles and previously served as a peace negotiator for the conflict in Bosnia

Tom Hanley is a partner at Glaser Weil in Los Angeles, where he leads a transactional real estate practice advising investors, joint venture partners, lenders and developers in all aspects of purchases, sales, financings, lease agreements and joint ventures. In this episode, he chats with Lee and Cooper about his path to law school, his early struggles with ADD, his transition from litigation to transactional work, and growing a real estate practice in Los Angeles. Tom also discusses how he ended up serving as a peace negotiator for the conflict in Bosnia, and negotiating one of the most successful cease-fires of the war, and shares how this experience affected his legal career and what it took to build back up a practice after a leave of absence. Tom is a fascinating individual and hope you take some time to hear his story!

Tom Hanley: How a Real Estate Attorney Became a Peace Negotiator 

Goldfeder is currently Special Counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.  Previously, he served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity to then-Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo.

Lee Bergstein and Cooper Knowlton chat with election law attorney Jerry Goldfeder about the inflection points in his storied career. The conversation also serves as a history lesson for anyone interested in New York City politics, and a roadmap for any lawyers considering entering the field of election law. (You can also tune in for a rare story involving Representative Jerry Nadler without a shirt and tie.) It's a great talk, and we hope you give it a listen.&nbsp;

Jerry Goldfeder: Renowned Election Law Attorney

An immigration attorney shares an update on the world of immigration law. 

Maria Sanez is an immigration attorney who represents clients throughout the United States in all types of immigration matters. During this call she discusses how her cases are being affected by the shutdowns and how she is advising clients during this time. Maria also discusses how she is managing to run her practice in the virtual world. You can learn more about Maria and her practice here: <a href="https://www.mariasaenzlaw.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mariasaenzlaw.com/</a>

Practicing During the Pandemic: Maria Saenz

A personal injury attorney shares some insights. 

New York based personal injury attorney Matthew Salimbene discusses what is happening in New York Civil Courts and discusses how his cases are being affected by the current state of the world. To learn more about Matthew and his practice visit: <a href="https://www.salimbenelaw.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.salimbenelaw.com/</a>.

Practicing During the Pandemic: Matthew Salimbene

A prominent lawyer, mediator, and educator discusses how the virus is affecting her practice.

Lawyer, mediator, and educator Damali Peterman shares thoughts on how she is helping clients adapt during this time and discusses how she is being forced to adapt as a business owner herself. You can learn more about Damali here: <a href="https://damalilaw.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://damalilaw.com/</a>

Practicing During the Pandemic: Damali Peterman 

Joel Cohen is the founder and CEO of TalksOnLaw, an online platform where some of the smartest legal minds take on the most interesting legal topics.

Joel Cohen is a former Skadden Arps attorney who founded <a href="https://www.talksonlaw.com/" target="_blank">TalksOnLaw</a>, an online platform where legal experts share cutting edge ideas, and deliver CLEs through captivating and informative video content. During this conversation Joel discusses why he decided to get an LLM, what it was like starting his career at Skadden, and the moment he realized the world of big law was not for him. Joel also talks about the path that led him to TalksOnLaw, and shares some valuable insights for any lawyers out there who are interested in entrepreneurship.&nbsp;

Joel Cohen: The Path to Founding TalksOnLaw

Adam Safir is the head of Safir Intelligence & Security where he uses his diverse career experiences in law, finance, M&A, security, forensics and data management to help clients reduce, navigate and respond to security and integrity risks.

Adam Safir is the head of Safir Intelligence &amp; Security where he uses his diverse career experiences in law, finance, M&amp;A, security, forensics and data management to help clients reduce, navigate and respond to a full spectrum of security and integrity risks. In this episode Adam shares stories about his early years at the University of Virginia, selling cars in Queens, working at the New York Stock Exchange, and his love of music. He also talks about starting his career at Sony, transiting to Wall Street, and ending up working for the family business.

Adam Safir: A Career in Security & Intelligence

We grabs drinks with prominent members of the New…

We grabs drinks with prominent members of the legal community and talk about their career path to success. These conversations then become podcasts so listeners can soak up their wisdom and hear their varied journeys to professional accomplishment after law school.

Two Lawyers Walk Into a Bar

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