Nazi Looted Art - Litigation and Dispute Resolution

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Timothy M. Reif is a judge on the United States Court of International Trade. The U.S. Court of International Trade, established under Article III of the Constitution, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of the international trade laws of the United States. From 2017 to 2019, Judge Reif served as the Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative. From 2009 to 2017, he was the General Counsel for the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President. From 1998 to 2009, Judge Reif served as Chief International Trade Counsel for the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to this appointment, Judge Reif worked as Special International Trade Counsel, at Dewey Ballantine, LLP. From 1993 to 1995, Judge Reif served as Trade Counsel, to the Ways and Means Committee. From 1989 to 1993, Judge Reif served as Associate General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Judge Reif also litigated or supervised the litigation of numerous disputes under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the GATT). From 1987 to 1989, Judge Reif served as Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. International Trade Commission. From 1985 to 1987, he served as an associate with the Washington office of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy. Since 2015, Judge Reif has been a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and has also served as Visiting Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (2017, 2012, 2008, 2004) and at Georgetown Law School (1995-2007). Judge Reif received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, his M.P.A. from Princeton University, and his A.B. degree from Princeton University.

Eileen Brankovic joined Christie’s in 2012, after studying law and gaining extensive auction experience. After eight years with the Impressionist and Modern Art department in the Americas, she moved to Restitution as International Business Director. Eileen is responsible for delivering on Restitution’s mission to ensure that we do not knowingly sell art works that are spoliated and unrestituted, for the ongoing research and identification of such objects, and for providing Christie’s services to members of the Restitution community. Eileen oversees the team of provenance researchers in the Restitution department and works closely with the art department specialists, art law, and press teams to ensure seamless delivery.

Raymond J. Dowd is a member of Dunnington’s cultural property and museums, litigation and arbitration, intellectual property, advertising, art and fashion law, international law, investigations, and the Italy and France desks. He has served as lead counsel in high-stakes, high-profile litigations and arbitrations in New York for over two decades. His book, Copyright Litigation Handbook (Thomson Reuters/Westlaw), has received critical acclaim. Serving as a fiduciary on non-profit boards has shaped his practical problem-solving approach and perspective. Business disputes form the core of Mr. Dowd’s practice. He works with a lean, experienced team, including trusted experts, to contain, avoid, minimize, and settle disputes. Matters often involve foreign law and conflict-of-laws principles, as well as service or discovery in foreign jurisdictions. Mr. Dowd regularly represents television broadcasters in disputes relating to brand protection and content distribution in the United States, particularly in anti-piracy work. Groundbreaking litigation to recover artworks lost during World War II has garnered amicus curiae support from Holocaust survivors and their heirs.

Claudia G. Jaffe is a member of Dunnington’s cultural property and museums, litigation, arbitration and mediation, employment law, intellectual property, and the advertising, art, and fashion law practice groups. Ms. Jaffe has been admitted to the bars of New York, Massachusetts, and Florida, as well as to the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Jaffe began her career as an associate practicing commercial litigation at the New York offices of Kelley, Drye & Warren, and Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn. Following that experience, she spent fifteen years handling product liability cases, commercial contract disputes, claims alleging internet defamation, a whistleblower action, and suits to quiet title to real property, determine the priority of liens against real property, and enforce easements and restrictive covenants in deeds. Ms. Jaffe has represented clients in complex commercial disputes, including in state and federal courts, and in arbitration hearings. She has appeared and argued matters in New York State Supreme Court, including in the Commercial Division, New York County, the Appellate Division for the First and Second Departments, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Jaffe received her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law, where she was a Paul J. Liacos Scholar.

Samuel A. Blaustein is a member of DBM’s litigation, arbitration, and mediation, and intellectual property and art law practice areas. Prior to joining DBM, Mr. Blaustein served as a law clerk in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, where he assisted the Hon. Laura Taylor Swain. Mr. Blaustein represents businesses and individuals in disputes of all types, emphasizing a lean and pragmatic approach. He handles matters from inception through judgment and on appeal. He is often called upon to conduct a pre-litigation investigation. He values alternative dispute resolution, particularly mediation, as an effective way to achieve results and minimize litigation. He has extensive experience preparing and utilizing experts and consultants. Mr. Blaustein is admitted to practice in New York State, the U.S. District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Federal Circuits. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers' Association. He attended Brandeis University and Brooklyn Law School.