Firm News

03/17/2024

McCarthy Fingar’s New York Metro Top Women Super Lawyers

Gail M. Boggio Irma K. Nimetz Kristen Mackay Pennessi Susan Taxin Baer

Four of McCarthy Fingar’s lawyers are included in Super Lawyers’ listing of  New York Metro Top Women for 2023. Susan Taxin Baer, in Estate Planning & Probate; Gail M. Boggio, in Estates Trust Litigation; Kristen Mackay Pennessi, in Family Law; and Irma K. Nimetz in Estates Trust Litigation. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

01/31/2024

Steinman’s Pro Bono Efforts Lead to Legislative Reforms for Village Incorporation Process

Lester D. Steinman

At the request of New York State Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart Cousins, Lester D. Steinman, a member of our Municipal Law & Land Use group, dedicated his time pro bono to collaborate with a team of students and staff from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University to recommend legislative reforms to the village incorporation  process. Completed in April 2023, “Village Incorporation in New York State: Legislative Options for Reform” examined the incorporation procedures and requirements set forth in Article 2 of the Village Law of the State of New York, compared them with other states’ laws and New York law on annexation and dissolution, reviewed case studies and other literature on village incorporation and documented prior unsuccessful efforts at legislative reform. Based upon this research, the Report recommended: 1) establishing a State Commission to preside over the village incorporation process; 2) basing decision-making for village incorporation on proper studies and analysis of the feasibility of creating a new government entity, that entity’s fiscal capacity to provide services and the fiscal, service and operational impacts on the surrounding town and region; 3) increasing the minimum population requirement to ensure village viability; and 4) eliminating property ownership as an independent basis for petitioning for village incorporation. In December 2023 and January 2024 , a package of bills implementing the Report’s recommendations (S7537, A7761; S7538, A7754; and S8001, A8573) were signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul.

01/16/2024

Burke Joins Firm McCarthy Fingar

Natalie M. Burke

We are pleased to announce that Natalie M. Burke has joined our firm as an associate attorney and is a member of our Trusts and Estates, Guardianship Practice, Surrogate’s Court Litigation, Taxation and Municipal Law & Land Use groups. Natalie’s work at the firm will include representing clients in estate planning, administering estates and trusts, estate litigation, estate and trust accountings and guardianships.

11/16/2023

Nimetz Speaks on Estate Planning for Senior Law Day Collaborative

Irma K. Nimetz

Irma K. Nimetz, a member of our Appellate PracticeCommercial LitigationSurrogate’s Court Litigation and Trusts & Estates groups, did a webinar, entitled: “Aging Adults & Estate Planning: How to Start The Conversation” for Senior Law Day Collaborative. In her presentation, Irma discussed how to start conversations with aging adults (parents, partners and/or friends) about estate planning and related issues; how, where and with whom you begin conversations about wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills, and/or financial assets; and what those conversations entail. The webinar discussed planning issues for today and ways to avoid estate litigation in the future. Senior Law Day Collaborative offers free legal and financial advice for Westchester County seniors and their families.

10/20/2023

Kutzin Speaks on Revocable Trusts for NYSBA

Michael S. Kutzin

Michael S. Kutzin, a member of various practice groups, including our Guardianship Practice, Taxation and Trusts & Estates groups, will speak on “Revocable Trusts: Creative Uses and Drafting for the Elder Law Practitioner”, in Saratoga Springs, NY, at a program sponsored by the Elder Law & Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association.

10/05/2023

Nimetz Speaks on Surrogate’s Court Litigation

Irma K. Nimetz

Irma K. Nimetz, a member of our Appellate PracticeCommercial LitigationSurrogate’s Court Litigation and Trusts & Estates groups, spoke on “Ethical Issues in Trusts and Estates Practice: A Surrogate’s Court Litigator’s Perspective for NY Attorneys” for myLawCLE. This webinar provided an overview of ethical issues arising in trusts and estates practice from the perspective of a Surrogate’s Court litigator and provided insights as to how attorneys can minimize their risk of becoming a “target” in Surrogate’s Court litigation.

09/22/2023

McCarthy Fingar’s “Super Lawyers”

Gail M. Boggio Irma K. Nimetz Kristen Mackay Pennessi Michael S. Kutzin Susan Taxin Baer Frank W. Streng

Six of McCarthy Fingar’s lawyers have been selected Super Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. Susan Taxin Baer has again been selected in the fields of Estate Planning & Probate. Gail M. Boggio has again been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation/Estate Planning & Probate/Elder Law. Michael S. Kutzin has again been selected in the fields of Estate Planning & Probate, Estate & Trust Litigation and Elder Law. Kristen Mackay Pennessi has been selected in the field of Family Law. Irma K. Nimetz has been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation, Estate Planning & Probate, and General Litigation. Frank W. Streng has again been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation and Estate Planning & Probate. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

07/11/2023

St. John Joins McCarthy Fingar

Yvonne St. John

We are pleased to announce that Yvonne St. John has joined our firm as an associate attorney and is a member of our Trusts and Estates, Guardianship Practice, Surrogate’s Court Litigation and Taxation groups. Prior to joining McCarthy Fingar, Yvonne was an associate of a firm that concentrated its practice in trusts and estates and real estate transactions. Her experience includes, but is not limited to, the following: representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in the administration of estates and trusts; estate planning services, including drafting wills and trust agreements and Medicaid planning; representing clients in residential and commercial real estate transactions from contract to closing; and assisting clients with business formation.

06/29/2023

Milton R. Gleit

It is with great sadness that we announce that Milton R. Gleit has died. His obituary is set forth below:

Milton Ralph Gleit – a devoted husband, father, and grandfather – passed away at home on June 29, 2023. He was 86 years old.

Milton was born and raised in the Bronx. He excelled in school, going on to major in English at NYU in the Heights. He joined the college debate team and, as he told his granddaughter, “it turned out, I was damn good at it”. During Milt’s junior year, a fellow debate team member set him up on “a blind date to remember” with his future wife, Marjorie Rose. When Marjorie returned to school, Milt and Marjorie exchanged letters, deepening their connection through the written word. They married in 1959 and welcomed three children, Jonathan, Lawrence, and Pamela, within the next decade. Milt and Marjorie had a love story for the ages; they independently saved each letter they had exchanged while dating – now preserved in twelve binders – and recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.

After graduating, Milt attended Harvard Law School on a full scholarship. He became a dedicated and accomplished corporate lawyer, eventually becoming managing partner of Delson & Gordon in Manhattan. He later worked as senior counsel at McCarthy Fingar. He loved his work, never formally retiring and maintaining relationships with clients until his passing.

Milt had a whip-smart, dry sense of humor, a surprising affinity for penguins, and rarely missed a Yankees game. He was detail-oriented and a man of routines. He was dependable – for the big things, but also for the small, like the pastries he religiously bought in advance of his grandchildren’s visits. Milt was a devoted grandfather, hosting his grandsons for weekend visits and proofreading his granddaughters’ college essays. He prioritized attending family b’nai mitzvot and graduations. He relished vacations with his children and grandchildren. During these vacations, he’d sit on the porch, camera at the ready, watching his loved ones come and go before they all sat down to dinner at a round table for 12. He was incredibly bright and a dedicated reader (of books and, of course, The New York Times). No matter the topic, he was well-informed, able to explain it clearly, and willing to provide his perspective and analysis. He thought that no work was beneath his considerable intellect, teaching us that all work done well is respectable.

Milt was intelligent, committed, independent, and resilient. He was deeply loved and will be missed. Milton is predeceased by his parents, Nathan and Dora, his brother, Ernest, and his son-in-law, Robert DeBell. Milton is survived by his wife, Marjorie Rose Gleit, his children: Jonathan Gleit and his wife Debra, Lawrence Gleit and his wife Paulette, and Pamela DeBell; and his four grandchildren: Rebecca, Jennifer, Zachary, and Matthew. We are incredibly proud of his life and accomplishments.

A private funeral service for Milton was held on July 2, 2023. In honor of Milt’s memory, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or The Windward School.

05/31/2023

Nimetz Appointed to House of Delegates of New York State Bar Association

Irma K. Nimetz

Irma K. Nimetz, a member of our Appellate PracticeSurrogate’s Court Litigation and Trusts & Estates groups, was appointed to the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association on behalf of the Westchester County Bar Association. The House of Delegates is the governance and decision-making body of the New York State Bar Association and determines policies and develops positions on issues that affect the law and the legal profession.