Commitment, Community, Teamwork and Competitiveness 
 
Richard, as an attorney, has enjoyed being able to represent individuals, middle class families and small businesses for more than 30 years. He has an active Surrogate Court practice, as well as real estate transactions, elder law practice and estate planning and business law. He handles civil and commercial litigation across a range of matters in the New York state courts in Manhattan and Westchester. He also works with specialists to tackle personal injury claims and complex litigation, providing a personal touch that can be lost with large firm lawyering. Disciplined and tenacious, Richard often gets client referrals from adversaries who have witnessed him go the distance --  and then some.
 
Since 1993, Richard has teamed up with competitive swimmers as their kayaker in competitions and challenging events. In August, 1999 he kayaked for Tammy van Wisse (Melbourne, AU) to break a record swimming the murky waters of Loch Ness. In August, 2005, he teamed up with Marcia Cleveland (www.DoverSolo.com), Elizabeth Fry and David Blanke, Esq. (Vinson & Elkins) to kayak for their swim from Catalina Island across the San Pedro Channel on the Pacific ocean to Pt. Vicente, California. In July 2006, he kayaked for Tammy van Wisse much publicized swim breaking Gertrude Ederle's 81 year-old record from The Battery to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. In August 2008, he joined forces again to kayak with Marcia and David down the 24-mile Chicago shoreline, both times in the middle of the night. In September 2009, he re-joined marathon swimmer Liz Fry of Connecticut in her record-breaking "reverse swim" (counter-clockwise) around Manhattan with 40% of the swim against current. No one has guided more winners and top-placing swimmers in the annual 28.5-mile swim race around Manhattan Island. (www.NYCSwim.org) 
 
His winning formula: a competitive spirit coupled with commitment, teamwork and endurance -- a strategy he uses both on the water and when representing the interests of his clients.  
 
"One cannot simply show up the day of the event or 'dial-in' a performance. One must communicate in advance, build bonds, share a commitment, prepare, and stay the course until the end. There is no quitting. Team-work is the path to success. That’s how I approach what is important in my life whether representing a client in the simplest matter, or handling an estate, or in litigation, or being involved in a swim competition or a charity event."

 
Richard isn’t only about competition. He learned about commitment to community from his parents. His father was the Justice for The Village of Larchmont for 28 years. Richard is active in Swim Across America (www.swimacrossamerica.org) – a cancer research non-profit, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.leukemia-lymphoma.org) and the ALS Association (www.ALSA.org) as well as the Westchester County Bar Association.
 
Professional Activities and Memberships:
 
                   Member of the Bar of the State of New York
                   U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

                   New York State Bar Association
                   Westchester County Bar Association
                   New Rochelle Bar Association
                   Larchmont-Mamaroneck-Harrison Bar Association
 
Education:
 
                    Fordham University School of Law, J.D. 1978
                    Catholic University of America, B.A. 1974
 
Fellowship/Employment:

 
                    Reginald Heber Smith Communty Lawyer Fellowship, 1978-1980
                    (Community Action for Legal Services Inc., New York, N.Y.)
                    Private practice in Manhattan and Larchmont, 1980 to present