Solutions for Sticky Settlements: ADR, Guardianships & More

The NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers is the largest statewide trial bar in the US with 5,700+ lawyer and judge members. We are committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system. Our highly acclaimed CLE programming features extraordinary presenters covering the most timely and important topics.

Mr. Robert’s practice focuses on elder law, guardianships, trusts and estates, and special needs planning. Mr. Robert is a board member of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, a member of the Elder Law and Special Needs Planning and Trusts and Estates Sections of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”), a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Brooklyn and Nassau County Bar Associations. Mr. Robert was selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2017 and 2018. He also chaired the March 2019 NYSBA joint Elder Law and Special Needs and Torts, Insurance, and Compensation Sections CLE program, Protecting Personal Injury Recoveries for Persons on Public Benefits. Before founding Robert Legal Group, Mr. Robert was an associate at Kassoff, Robert & Lerner, LLP, a premier Long Island elder law firm. Prior to that, he was a corporate associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, LLP, where he represented publicly traded and privately held companies and private equity firms in antitrust law and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Robert is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, cum laude, where he was an Associate Editor of the Cardozo Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif. During law school, Mr. Robert studied alternative dispute resolution and was a quarter-finalist at the 4th Annual ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris, France. Mr. Robert was also a teaching assistant in tort law for Professor Eva Hanks. He graduated cum laude from Tulane University, where he was a Dean's Honors Scholar and earned a B.A. in History. Before his legal career, Mr. Robert was a drummer in various New Orleans rock and roll bands, including Jonas Risin' and Pocketfoxx. He and his wife, Catey Hill, a renowned personal finance journalist and author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More and The Thirty-Minute Money Plan for Moms, reside in Brooklyn, New York, with their daughter, Edie, and son, Ike.

Paul Isaac, Esq., is the founder and managing partner of Paramount Settlement Planning, LLC, and Precision Resolution, LLC. He is a past president of the New York Trial Lawyers Association Western Region Affiliate Group and is also a Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®). A trial attorney and strategic life planner, Mr. Isaac has years of experience that allow him to anticipate a plaintiff’s long-term financial needs. He has assisted numerous clients in securing substantial settlements and favorable verdicts. In addition to helping plaintiffs develop strategies for managing settlements from various personal injury lawsuits, Mr. Isaac has extensive experience handling complex cases requiring the preservation of Medicaid and future Medicare benefits. Mr. Isaac earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Duquesne University and is licensed to practice law in New York and Pennsylvania.

Joan B. Lefkowitz is a justice for the Westchester County Supreme Court in the 9th Judicial District of New York. She was first elected in 1991 and re-elected in 2004, serving until the end of her term in 2018. Education: Lefkowitz earned her B.A. from New York University in 1970 and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1973. Career: Lefkowitz began her legal career in 1974 as a law assistant for a New York civil court, a position she held until 1975. From 1985 to 1987, she served as a hearing examiner for the family court. She was then elected to the Westchester County Family Court, where she served until her election to the supreme court in late 1990. She also served as an adjunct professor at Pace Law School from 1989 to 1990.