Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC

Congratulations to our Partner Jonathan Sack!

NEW YORK - Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C. is proud to announce the addition of Lisa Zornberg, a leading practitioner and former Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Ms. Zornberg, known for her skills as an advocate and her effectiveness in court, will join as a partner on March 3, 2025. Ms. Zornberg most recently served as chief counsel to the mayor of New York City and City Hall. Prior to her tenure at the mayor’s office, she was a partner at a major New York-based international law firm, where she focused on white collar defense, regulatory enforcement actions and internal investigations for corporations and financial institutions, as well as high-stakes civil litigation. From 2016 through 2018, Ms. Zornberg served as Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. In that role, she supervised approximately 170 federal prosecutors and oversaw the office’s criminal investigations and prosecutions, including securities fraud, cybercrime, health care fraud, U.S. sanctions violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases, RICO violations, terrorism, public corruption, construction fraud, art fraud and drug offenses. “Lisa brings vast experience and invaluable insights, built up over years of distinguished government service, and she will be a fierce advocate for our clients in navigating their most complex and sensitive legal issues,” said partner Richard F. Albert. “We could not be prouder to welcome her to the firm.” Ms. Zornberg first joined the United States Attorney’s Office in 1998 and was an assistant U.S. attorney in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions, rising to supervisory ranks in each. She was Deputy Chief of Appeals in the Civil Division and then later served as Chief of the Complex Frauds Unit in the Criminal Division. She received the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award in 2011 for prosecution of union corruption and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation’s Prosecutor of the Year award in 2010. Having tried 15 cases to verdict in both civil and criminal cases, she was given the nickname the “tiny tornado” by a New York newspaper. “Lisa is a brilliant lawyer – high energy, strategic and a problem-solver. She approaches the law with the utmost integrity and will leverage her deep experience and fearlessness for the benefit of our clients. We are thrilled to have her join our team,” said partner Robert J. Anello. Continue reading here: https://lnkd.in/eRrKxKMw

We are proud to announce that Morvillo Abramowitz Partner Catherine Foti has been named to Super Lawyer’s prestigious list of Top 50 Women Lawyers in New York for the ninth year. https://lnkd.in/eZ-7qSP2

On October 31, 2024, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 102-page decision by the trial court that sided with Morvillo Abramowitz’s client and denied a petition to return a 12-year-old boy to Chile pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The firm represented the American father in the dispute and tried the case in New York federal court in April 2024. Over the course of the two-week trial, the firm presented evidence that the 12-year-old boy was mature enough that his strong desire to stay in the United States should be considered, and that because the mother failed to bring her Hague Convention claims within one-year, the courts can consider evidence of his settlement in New York. The Second Circuit, in a per curiam opinion, rejected all of the mother’s arguments on appeal and agreed with the trial court’s finding that the mother had not consented to allowing the boy to remain in the United States for an additional two months in 2023 (which would reset the clock for the one-year time period), as evidenced by a police report she filed in Chile and her admission that she felt she had no choice and did not have a firm belief that the father would return the child. The Morvillo Abramowitz team included partners Karen R King and Kate Cassidy, associate Jordan L. Weatherwax, and former associates Abbe Ben-David and Megan Knepka, all of whom examined witnesses at trial. The appeal was argued by Karen King. A copy of the trial court’s decision can be read here: https://lnkd.in/efbCFRq2 A copy of the Second Circuit decision can be read here: https://lnkd.in/eXzSkjfc

Federal plea agreements are commonly made with a single U.S. Attorney’s Office, and sometimes the language is not clear as to whether the agreement binds only that Office, or other U.S. Attorneys around the country. That issue was addressed recently in United States v. Maxwell, 118 F.4th 256 (2d Cir. 2024), in which the Second Circuit held that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between U.S. Attorney ‘s Office for the Southern District of Florida and Jeffrey Epstein did not shield Ghislaine Maxwell from charges brought by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. In their latest article for the NYLJ, “Who in the Federal Government is Bound by a Plea Agreement?,” Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello partners Elkan Abramowitz and Jonathan Sack analyze how the Second Circuit interpreted the meaning of “the United States” in Maxwell, and how other circuits have addressed the same legal issue, resulting in a split in the circuits. https://lnkd.in/eS9hckF7

Benchmark Litigation has ranked Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello in Tier 1 Nationwide in the White Collar Crime category and Highly Recommended in Dispute Resolution. The publication noted that the firm “has built a premier white-collar crime and investigations practice recognized nationwide as the “go-to” for both domestic and international clients. Its esteemed white-collar practice is complemented by capability in commercial and securities litigation, largely involving executives and cutting-edge issues, as well as employment-related litigation and high-profile and sensitive investigations.” Recognized as “Litigation Stars” are Elkan Abramowitz, Richard F. Albert, Robert J. Anello, Kate Cassidy, Benjamin Fischer, Catherine Foti, Christopher Harwood, Lawrence Iason, Brian Jacobs, Telemachus Kasulis, Karen R King, Robert Radick, Jonathan Sack, Edward Spiro, Jeremy Temkin and Richard D. Weinberg. Elkan Abramowitz, Richard F. Albert, Robert J. Anello, Benjamin S. Fischer, Lawrence Iason, and Richard D. Weinberg have also been designated “National Practice Area Stars.” Robert J. Anello, Catherine M. Foti and Christopher B. Harwood were named as "Labor and Employment Stars." Thomas McKay has been named a “Top 40 and Under Litigator” for the second consecutive year. To read the full editorial, please click here: https://lnkd.in/eAtv_QDZ

Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello partner Kate Cassidy will serve as an associate supreme court justice at the Office of the Appellate Defender's 31st Annual First Monday in October Gala and Mock Supreme Court argument taking place October 7th at the NYC Bar Association. OAD’s mission is to ensure that underserved individuals convicted of felonies receive equal access to justice by providing exceptional representation, improving the quality of defense through education training, and advocating for systemic reform of New York City’s criminal justice system. “The First Monday Court will hear argument in Kousisis v. United States: Can deception to induce a commercial transaction constitute federal mail or wire fraud, even if the defendant does not intend to cause economic harm and the alleged victim receives the goods or services for which it paid?” For more information about this program, click here: https://lnkd.in/eQFze755.

On October 15th, Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello partner Catherine Foti will participate as a panelist in the White-Collar Crime Hypothetical Exercise at the American Bar Association's 12th Annual London White-Collar Crime Institute. For more information about this program, please click here: https://lnkd.in/e2v-e37M

Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello partner Richard F. Albert and an expert panel will explore current issues and recent developments relating to ethical duties and responsibilities of attorneys in internal investigations involving corporations and other entities. These issues will be discussed from the point of view of company or entity counsel, counsel for current and former employees and counsel for government agencies. This year’s program will devote special attention to issues surrounding in-house lawyers as whistleblowers, the ethics of witness preparation, client confidentiality and posting to listservs, lawyers as witnesses, and obligations of lawyers upon learning that a client has provided false information in proceedings. For more information regarding this program or to register, click here: https://lnkd.in/e8dAh-f7

The firm is devastated by the tragic passing of our friend and former partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda. Chris was the oldest son of Bob Morvillo, one of the firm’s founders. He joined the firm as counsel in 2005, after spending six years as an AUSA in the Southern District of New York. Chris was a partner of the firm until 2011, when he left to join Clifford Chance with two of his friends from the SDNY. Chris and Neda were dear friends to many at the firm and our hearts go out to their two daughters, Sabrina and Sophia, his mother Cathie, his brothers Greg, Scott and Rob, and the rest of the Morvillo family. Chris was not just an exceptional lawyer, he was a kind, caring, and special person. He will be sorely missed.