Uniondale, October 20, 2014 —Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana, LLP (the Firm) is pleased to announce 6 attorneys to the 2014 New York Rising Stars® SuperLawyers list.

SuperLawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and a peer reviews by practice area.

Andrea Tsoukalas concentrates her practice in zoning, land use, environmental and municipal law matters. Ms. Tsoukalas represents a wide variety of clients including national corporate chains, local developers and small business owners in the development of commercial and residential properties. Ms. Tsoukalas also has substantial experience in appellate practice and civil litigation. She litigates contract and real estate claims, corporate and partnership disputes, and regulatory claims arising out of building and zoning code violations. Ms. Tsoukalas is general counsel to the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association, a nationally recognized non-profit trade association with over 600 members. Andrea Tsoukalas was honored by the Long Island Business News with its 40 Under 40 Award (2012) and was listed by the same publication as a ‘Who’s Who in Women in Professional Service.’ She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association, and Nassau County Women’s Bar Association. In addition, she is Treasurer of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Foundation.

Eli Elbaum concentrates his practice in all aspects of municipal law, including zoning, land use, environmental, transactional and related litigation matters. Mr. Elbaum regularly appears before numerous municipal boards and agencies throughout Long Island. In addition, he frequently appears in District Court for property-related violation matters. Mr. Elbaum previously practiced in New York City and often appeared before New York City’s Board of Standards and Appeals, Environmental Control Board, and Landmarks Preservation Commission. Mr. Elbaum represents a wide variety of clients, including national corporate chains, local developers, and small business owners in the development of commercial and residential properties. Mr. Elbaum is a member of the New York State Bar Association and The Retail Network trade association. His co-authored article, “Zoning Boards Give New Meaning to What Constitutes a Detriment to the Character of a Neighborhood,” was published in the New York Real Estate Journal.

Douglas W. Atkins concentrates his practice in the areas of tax certiorari, real estate and condemnation. He has experience in tax reduction proceedings for all types of commercial real estate throughout the region’s counties, towns and villages. Mr. Atkins also has obtained substantial tax refunds for owners of specialty properties such as cellular phone tower sites, sand processing plants and tidal wetlands. Further, he successfully represented villages in defense of property tax matters. Mr. Atkins has successfully completed both commercial and residential real estate appraisal courses through the Columbia Society of Real Estate Appraisers. He is a member of the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations, where he serves on the Tax Certiorari and Condemnation Law Committee for each.

Stephanie M. Alberts is an associate in the Firm’s Tax, Trusts and Estates Department. She concentrates her practice in estate administration, estate planning, estate litigation, guardianships and civil tax matters. Ms. Alberts represents clients in New York State Surrogate’s Court in probate and administration proceedings, probate contests, judicial accountings, and other miscellaneous proceedings. Her practice includes the preparation of probate and administration documents, conducting pre-trial discovery and legal research, drafting estate planning and estate litigation documents and preparing estate tax returns. Ms. Alberts also represents clients in guardianship proceedings in both the Surrogate’s Court and the Supreme Court. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association and the Estate Planning Council of Nassau County.

John M. Comiskey is an associate with extensive experience in commercial, construction, insurance and employment related litigation. He represents construction managers, general contractors and subcontractors in litigation involving construction contract disputes, mechanic’s lien foreclosure claims, performance and payment bond claims, construction site liability and construction defect claims, property damage claims and insurance coverage disputes. Mr. Comiskey has also represented clients in a wide range of other litigation including the defense of legal malpractice claims, premises liability claims and products liability claims. He has also defended employers against employment discrimination and wrongful termination claims. Additionally, Mr. Comiskey successfully represented a now-retired professional athlete in litigation involving a dispute over ownership of trophies and medals won during her career. Mr. Comiskey has also written and argued numerous appeals that resulted in favorable rulings for his clients.

Nathan R. Jones concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, banking litigation and finance. Prior to joining the Firm, he was an associate at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP in Manhattan. During his tenure, he drafted motions, appellate briefs, summations and deal documents. As part of his time at Dewey, Mr. Jones worked on secondment as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, Trial Bureau.