Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman LLP's expansion featured in Law360 article "Two Top NY Divorce Firms Get Hitched" by Chart Riggall
Article below from Law360
Two Top NY Divorce Firms Get Hitched
By Chart Riggall | 2023-05-02 13:50:22 -0400 · Listen to article
Two New York City-based family law firms catering to high-dollar clients announced Monday they are combining to create a new five-partner firm.
Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman LLP is the result of the marriage between Alter Wolff & Foley LLP — formed seven years ago by a trio of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP veterans — and Stutman Stutman & Lichtenstein LLP.
Among the name partners of the new firm is Eleanor B. Alter, whose 50-plus-year legal career includes representation of a number of celebrities and noteworthy figures.
Alter rose to prominence in the early 1990s for her representation of actor Mia Farrow in her custody battle with director Woody Allen, the New York Times reported at the time. Alter has also represented socialite Joy Silverman, the onetime paramour of former New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sol Wachtler.
Alter began practicing law in the 1960s, spending 15 years at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and nearly 20 years at Kasowitz before leaving in 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School.
"It is our shared values and commitment to our clients, to legal excellence, and to upholding the ethical practice of family law that makes this partnership so seamless and powerful, and further strengthens our ability to deliver the most favorable outcomes to our clients and their families," Alter said in a statement.
Joining Alter are her partners Adam John Wolff and Jenifer J. Foley, who left Kasowitz with her to form their own operation, according to the attorneys' LinkedIn profiles. Wolff is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and spent 18 years at Kasowitz, becoming a partner. Foley spent 11 years at Kasowitz, also as a partner, and attended Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Michael D. and Dana M. Stutman, who are married, will also join Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman as partners. Prior to forming their own firm with Kari H. Lichtenstein in 2016, Michael Stutman worked at Mishcon de Reya LLP while Dana Stutman worked at the firm then called Sheresky Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan LLP.
"Divorce and other family and matrimonial law issues continue to evolve along with the influx of new societal norms, advances in reproductive technologies, and an increase in financial pre- and post-nuptial complexities, among other matters," Michael Stutman said in a statement. "Together, we have unparalleled human capital and resources to meet all of these challenges and bring about the most effective and successful results for all of our clients."
Their partner from Stutman Stutman & Lichtenstein, Kari H. Lichtenstein, joins the firm as counsel, along with Alter Wolff & Foley's Julie M. Sheldon.
Representatives for Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman were not immediately available to comment.
--Editing by Marygrace Anderson.