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William A. Sandback, Partner
Mr. Sandback's legal employment began as a financial planner for the Arms Group, a New York City based company that specialized in advising the management of Fortune Five Hundred companies on their personal and business affairs. The skills learned from the in house experts served him well in counseling his law clients. Fulfilling his early desire to work in the public sector, Mr. Sandback was appointed Assistant District Attorney of Nassau County, New York in 1972. He quickly assumed the responsibility of trying serious felonies in the County Court Trial Bureau which included many of the organized crime cases investigated by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. In 1974, Mr. Sandback was appointed to be the legal advisor to Hon. John Lockman, Nassau County Court Judge and for the next three years, over-saw the administration of hundreds of felony prosecutions. Mr. Sandback, together with Donald H. Birnbaum was the co-founder of what is now Sandback, Birnbaum & Michelen in 1977. Most of his professional career has been devoted to the practice of criminal law in both the state and federal courts. Handling high-profile media cases and less serious matters of concerned clients with the same passion has been his trademark. Often sought out by the legal community to pursue appeals, Mr. Sandback has successfully argued before the highest court in New York, bringing about a significant change in the law of search of seizure. On a professional and personal level, Mr. Sandback is admitted to the practice of law in New York and Florida in addition to the U.S. Supreme Court and various federal courts. A member of the Nassau County and Suffolk County Bar Associations, Mr. Sandback serves as a long time committee member of the Grievance and Criminal Law Committees. He has been selected to Who's Who in America and recently Who's Who in the World. A past president of the Lion's Club and a former Republican committeeman for Nassau County for many years, Mr. Sandback has successfully balanced his professional commitments with his community responsibilities. An avid golfer, Mr. Sandback resides with his wife and two children in Nassau County. Oscar Michelen, Partner
Upon graduation, he was hired as a trial attorney at the Corporation Counsel’s Office. He was quickly promoted to Senior Trial Attorney in the Manhattan Trial unit and supervised and trained a number of other attorneys while continuing to try the more serious cases. In 1987, after being out of law school for less than two years, he was promoted to the position of Senior Trial Specialist in the Special Litigation Unit. He was the youngest lawyer and first Hispanic in the office's history to be given this prestigious position. In that unit, he was responsible for defending the City in the highest exposure, multimillion dollar lawsuits brought in all five boroughs and the surrounding counties. He held that position until 1989 when he joined the law firm of Sandback & Birnbaum as an associate. He became a partner there in 1995. At the firm, Mr. Michelen brought his significant trial experience and record of success to develop several practice areas that are flourishing and continuing to grow. He began and still chairs the Civil & Commercial Litigation group which represents corporations and individuals, as well as several governmental agencies and municipalities, in all manner of serious, civil lawsuits throughout the metropolitan area and the State. He recently founded an entertainment law practice that resulted from several high-profile clients coming to him for their litigation needs. He is also often retained on serious, newsworthy criminal defense cases. Mr. Michelen is the founder of The Law Squad, a not-for profit organization that presents informational seminars to high school teens and their parents on various legal issues. He recently began hosting a television program of the same name that airs on North Hempstead Public Television in Long Island. Mr. Michelen is also often sought out for appearances on television and in print media discussing a variety of legal topics. He is an adjunct professor of law at New York Law School, where he teaches Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy. Mr. Michelen is fluent in Spanish, having been born in the Dominican Republic. He lives with his wife and three sons on Long Island, New York. Oscar Michelen's Background & Experience (An Interview with Partner and Attorney Oscar Michelen) Part 1 of 4.
Part 2 of 4.
Part 3 of 4.
Part 4 of 4.
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John J. Halton, Associate Attorney
While attending law school, Mr. Halton was appointed to supervisor of casualty claims litigation at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. In that position he was responsible for the investigation and defense of multi-million dollar lawsuits brought against construction companies, automobile policyholders, local municipalities, homeowners and nationally known department stores and manufacturing companies. Working closely with Liberty's legal department, he coordinated defense strategies and regularly attended settlement conferences and trials pending in the Supreme Court throughout Nassau County and the five boroughs of New York City. He also developed and managed the Company's first arbitration and mediation program designed to promptly evaluate the value of accident cases and negotiate settlements. This broad experience afforded him the opportunity to acquire practical civil litigation and negotiation skills. In 1991, he accepted an appointment as Assistant District Attorney of Nassau County, New York. Initially assigned to District Court Trial Bureau, he conducted a large number of misdemeanor jury trials including petit larceny, sexual assault, and driving while intoxicated cases. After proving himself as an outstanding trial attorney he was quickly promoted to the position of senior trial attorney in the County Court Felony Trial Bureau. There he was primarily responsible for the Grand Jury indictment and trial of major felony-level cases including attempted murder, assault, sexual assault, robbery, forgery and grand larceny. Here he developed expertise in the use of forensic evidence such as DNA, hair-fiber, blood splatter and handwriting analysis as persuasive litigation tools. In addition to his County Court trial responsibilities and in recognition of his trial and negotiation skills, Mr. Halton was named special prosecutor in Suffolk County and promoted to Chief of the Forensic Mental Health Unit. In this capacity, he was responsible for litigating issues of criminal responsibility within the context of psychiatric illness. He has been a guest lecturer at the Nassau County Police Academy and has been featured on local and nationally televised programs as an expert in criminal litigation. In 1998, after a successful career in public service at the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, Mr. Halton associated himself with Sandback, Birnbaum and Michelen. Consistent with the Firm's reputation for providing exceptional legal representation to both individual and corporate clients, Mr. Halton brought a unique blend of civil and criminal litigation experience resulting in the recovery of appreciable monetary awards for seriously injured clients and numerous criminal acquittals after trial. He is a well respected member of the legal community with a reputation for treating clients with respect and compassion while zealously representing their legal interests. Professionally, Mr. Halton is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is admitted to practice in all of the courts in New York State and the United States Federal Court for the Eastern and Southern District of New York. In 2003 he had the privilege of being admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Mr. Halton is active in numerous fraternal and community organizations including the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. An avid golfer and long distance runner. He organizes and participates in charity runs year round and has completed three New York City Marathons. He resides in Suffolk County with his wife and three children. Mark Fonte, Associate Attorney (Staten Island) Mark is a dedicated criminal defense attorney handling all criminal matters in the States of New York and New Jersey. Mr. Fonte is a graduate of St. John’s University, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and graduated on the Deans List. Mr. Fonte then continued his legal studies by attending Touro College School of Law where he graduated cum laude and received the Law Schools award for " Excellence in Trial Advocacy" in 1985. While attending law schoo,l Mr. Fonte gained valuable courtroom experience by performing internships for the Nassau County Legal Aid Society as well as the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Fonte also was a law school intern for then Appellate Court Justice Vito J. Titone and was with him upon his appointment to the New York State Court of Appeals. Upon graduation from law school Mr. Fonti was appointed as an Assistant District Attorney for Richmond County, New York. While an Assistant District Attorney in Richmond County, Mr. Fonte was appointed Special Prosecutor by the Supreme Court of the State of New York to handle conflict cases. Mr. Fonte handled all types of serious felony and misdemeanor crimes while employed as an Assistant District Attorney. In January 1990, Mr. Fonte left public service and entered the private practice of law. Mr. Fonte has handled criminal defense cases exclusively for over a decade and has gained prominence handling many high profile murder and death penalty cases. Mr. Fonte prides himself on being a tireless fighter for the rights of the accused and is aggressive in his representation of his clients. Mr. Fonte has enormous trial experience and often counsels other attorney with respect to courtroom and trial tactics. Mr. Fonte often is called upon to lecture at St. John’s University to criminal and Pre-Law students. Mr. Fonte resides in Monmouth County, New Jersey with his wife and two children. Robert J. Valli, JR. Of Counsel Attorney Sara Wyn Kane Of Counsel Attorney Susan Kuschel, Office Manager Susan joined Sandback, Birnbaum & Michelen as office manager in 2001 bringing with her over twenty years of experience in the field of law. She is responsible for the daily operation the firm overseeing all of its personnel and administrative functions. As a working mother, Susan attended Nassau Community College majoring in accounting, and Queens College where she majored in psychology. Susan was an honor student, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Susan has lectured, appeared on television and her views have been published in multiple newspapers on the subject of HMO’s . She learned first hand of the injustices of a large corporate system when a member of her family was denied medical coverage. Through persistence, research, and hard-work she fought the system and won the rights her family member deserved. Susan continues to use her experience in opposition to the injustices in "this system". Active in her community, Susan served on the Board of Directors of the Floral Park Indians, a sports youth organization and was the first and only female President in the history of the organization. She has been a coach and referee for many years and has served on the committee board of P.T.A., as well as being a girl scout leader and den mother. Through the use of technology and a hands-on approach, Susan prides herself on maintaining an efficient office environment that is always focused on providing the best services to Sandback, Birnbaum & Michelen clients.
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William A. Sandback graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He thereafter attended Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus to obtain a Masters Degree in English. Mr. Sandback graduated from New York Law School in 1971 with a Juris Doctor degree. A Master of Laws Degree (Labor Law) awarded by New York University School of Law in 1974 rounded out his educational endeavors.
Oscar Michelen attended New York Law School and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1985. He graduated magna cum laude, finishing in the top 5% of his class. He served as an editor on the New York Law School Law Review. His experience in the practice of law also began during law school, first as a student law clerk to the Honorable Vincent J. Broderick, a Federal District Court Judge, and later as a student legal specialist in the Office of the Corporation Counsel, the law firm that represents The City of New York.
John J. Halton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History and Secondary Education from Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York. Upongraduation, he received special commendation from the Hofstra History Department for his senior thesis entitled, A Decade of Decline, a treatise examining the demise of organized labor during the twenties. He then entered Touro College School of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1990.