Philip Karasyk

Partner

Philip Karasyk is the son and grandson of New York City Police Officers. His personal familiarity with the internal workings of the NYPD has helped him represent officers in the NYPD Trial Room and before major investigative bodies, as well as police officers charged with serious crimes. Most recently he orchestrated the successful defense and acquittal of several New York City Detectives following the police involved shooting at the Kalua Club in Queens, NY. He proudly serves as General Counsel to the Detectives Endowment Association and Lieutenants, Benevolent Association of the New York City Police Department, New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association Inc.

Bar Admissions:

• New York State Courts
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Education:

• John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, J.D.
• Northeastern University, B.A.

Jeannette Baldassarre

Attorney

Jeannette Baldassarre Born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, Jeannette Baldassarre earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law in 1993. She has been representing clients in all aspects of real estate transactions since being admitted to the New York State Bar in April of1994. Prior to joining Karasyk & Moschella, Ms. Baldassarre represented individuals as well as lending institutions in all phases of the closing, mortgage lending and foreclosure process. This experience gives Ms. Baldassarre unique insight and experience which enables her to help clients navigate all areas of purchasing, selling and mortgage transactions.

Rena C. Dawson

Attorney

Rena C. Dawson, Esq. received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. While at Cardozo, she was a member of both the Moot Court Board and the ASILS International Law Journal and during her third year she was the Philip C. Jessup Editor of the ILSA Journal of International Law.

Ms. Dawson practices matrimonial and family law representing clients in divorce, separation, custody and visitation, paternity, and child and spousal support proceedings in both New York State Supreme and Family Courts. Ms. Dawson manages all phases of litigation in the areas of divorce and family law including divorce, separation, annulment, custody and visitation, guardianship, child support and paternity. Karasyk & Moschella, LLP clients also receive expert representation in negotiating prenuptial and antenuptial agreements. Ms. Dawson represents clients at court conferences and conducts settlement negotiations with respect to the equitable distribution of marital assets, spousal maintenance and child support and custody and visitation. Ms. Dawson also represents clients in family offense order of protection and abuse/neglect proceedings in Family Court.

Ms. Dawson is a member of the Matrimonial Law Committee of the New York State Women’s Bar Association and is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut.

Marissa B. Gillespie

Attorney

Marissa B. Gillespie has over a decade of trial experience as a New York City prosecutor and has handled countless criminal and administrative matters in both state court and the NYPD “Trial Room.” As an Assistant District Attorney, Marissa prosecuted career criminals deemed “mandatory persistent felons” facing life sentences. Additionally, Marissa represented the District Attorney’s Office at homicide scenes and “police-involved” shootings where she worked closely with law enforcement to investigate crimes and secure evidence. Marissa now brings her considerable, diverse experience to the Karasyk and Moschella team where she will be counseling our clients in state, federal and administrative matters.

Mercedes M. Maldonado

Attorney

Mercedes M. Maldonado was born and raised in the Bronx. She attended Long Island University on a full tuition scholarship awarded by District Council 37. After graduating Long Island University, cum laude, she earned her juris doctor from the Boston University School of Law in 1992.

Throughout her almost 30-year career, Ms. Maldonado has focused on labor and employment law. Initially, she represented the concerns of management by advocating on behalf of institutions affiliated with the New York Catholic Archdiocese. She switched to Union representation in 1995 when she joined O’Donnell Schwartz, Glanstein & Rosen, working under the tutelage of Carl Rachlin, a preeminent civil rights and labor lawyer. There, she represented the labor interests of New York City correction officers under their newly elected President, Norman Seabrook, oil pipeline employees represented by the Buckeye TriState Pipeline Union and employees of the Long Island Railroad and New York City Transit Authority, among others. In 1999, Ms. Maldonado and Mr. Rachlin moved to the firm of Koehler & Isaacs, where they continued to promote the interests of private and public sector employees in the work force. There, Ms. Maldonado honed her extensive experience in Article 78 litigation, labor arbitration, collective bargaining negotiations, as well as proceedings before the Public Employment Relations Board and the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining. In 2020, Ms. Maldonado moved to Karasyk & Moschella, where she is privileged to continue her representation of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.

Notable Cases Covered in the Media:

• Matter of Tchodie v. Brann, DOC Violated Lawful Procedure Terminating Corrections Officer; Termination Vacated, N.Y.L.J. Decisions of Interest (September 9, 2019).
• Chelsia Rose Marcius, Jail Guard Axed After Injury Wins Suit, is Back to Work, NY Daily News (July 14, 2019).
• Ellen Moynihan, Wrongfully Fired Rikers Island Correction Officer Wins Legal Fight to Regain Her Job, Collect Back Pay. NY Daily News (June 30, 2019).
• Andrew Denney, Rikers Guard’s Allergies Are Disabilities, Judge Says, N.Y.L.J. (March 31, 2016).
• Julia Marsh, Guard Fired for Being ‘Allergic’ to Rikers Can Sue His Bosses, NY Post (March 29, 2016).
• Mark Toor, Rule Correction Dept. Wrongly Fired CO Who was Domestic-Abuse Victim, Chief Leader (August 17, 2015).
• Joel Stashenko, Domestic Violence Victim Wins Reinstatement to Prison Agency, N.Y.L.J. (August 07, 2015).
• Reuven Blau, Judge Orders NY Correction Dept. To Reinstate Domestic Violence Victim, NY Daily News (August 6, 2015).
• Chelsia Rose Marcius, Rikers Island Correction Officer Shot in the Face by Her Husband is Fighting to Get Her Job Back, NY Daily News (April 24, 2015).
• Matter of Kaslow v. NYC, N.Y.L.J. (April 4, 2014).
• Mark Toor, Arbitrator Orders More Heat for COs at Court, Chief Leader (September 30, 2011).
• Mark Toor, Jail Union: Westchester Resists Awards from Arbitrators, Chief Leader (July 15, 2011).
• Mark Toor, Westchester Wrongly Denied CO Time Off, Arbitrator Decides, Chief Leader (June 10, 2011).
• Mark Toor, Unkind Cut Heals as Probie Fired Over Surgery is Rehired, Chief Leader (February 18, 2011).
• Mark Toor, Westchester Sanctioned For Docking Injured COs Pay, Chief Leader (November 19, 2010).
• Matter of Stevens v. Schriro, N.Y.L.J. (October 7, 2010).
• Mayo v. Personnel Review Bd. of Health Hosps. Corp., N.Y.L.J. (August 18, 2009).
• Matter of DeBlasio v. The City of New York, N.Y.L.J. (May 27, 2009).
• Matter of Horn v. New York City Civ. Serv. Commn., N.Y.L.J. (September 25, 2007).
• Reuven Blau, Rule CO Longevity Pay Pensionable, Chief Leader (November 25, 2005).
• David McGarrigle v. City of New York, N.Y.L.J. (November 3, 2005).
• Reuven Blau, Firing Battered CO Illegal, Judge Rules, Chief Leader (October 8, 2004).
• Jennifer Medina, Victim of Domestic Abuse Gets City Job Back, NY Times (September 29, 2004).
• Robert F. Moore, Rehired After Jails Bungle, NY Daily News (September 29, 2004).
• Mark Fass, Fired Domestic Abuse Victim Wins Under City Rights Law, N.Y.L.J. (September 27, 2004).
• Bill Farrell, Pension Ruling May Have Wide Impact, NY Daily News (July 14, 2004).
• Richard Steier, Rule CO’s Longevity Pay is Pensionable, Chief Leader (July 9, 2004).
• Whitfield v. Fraser, N.Y.L.J. (August 1, 2003).
• Reuven Blau, COs Get Benefits Restored, Chief Leader (June 27, 2003).
• Quaranta v. Jacobson, N.Y.L.J. (April, 1996).

Ann M. Schneider

Attorney

Ann M. Schneider holds a degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her juris doctorate from Rutgers Law School. She has represented thousands of city employees, construction workers, day care workers and the uniformed services. Her areas of representation include divorce, custody, adoption, allegations of child maltreatment, real estate, housing and general civil practice in the state and federal courts of New York and New Jersey. Ann Schneider was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1994.

Shiva Bahmani

Of Counsel

Shiva Bahmani is a practitioner who brings to our office her experience in a wide array of areas. She has represented litigants in matrimonial and family court matters throughout the tri-state area, including New Jersey, and is acutely aware of the rights of law enforcement members in these matters.

John W. Burns

John W. Burns Of Counsel to the firm of Karasyk & Moschella, LLP.

In John’s thirty plus years of practice he has proudly represented thousands of law enforcement officers. He started his legal career representing members of the NYC Transit Police PBA in investigative, disciplinary, civil and criminal matters. He also represented members of the Uniform Firefighters Association (UFA). He then served as an Assistant District Attorney, Kings County, for six years, the last two as Senior Trial Assistant, investigating and prosecuting assaults on law enforcement officers from 1992- 1998.

John spent the next 16 years representing members of the NYC PBA in civil rights matters in both state and federal court. Prior to joining Karasyk & Moschella, he served for five years at the Office of Trials and Administrative Hearings (OATH) (2015-2020) as First Deputy Commissioner and Supervising Administrative Law Judge. While at OATH he presided over 500+ disciplinary matters that were filed by the NYC Department of Corrections. John acquired a unique insight into the operations of DOC. He brings that wealth of experience and knowledge to his representation of the members of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA), Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) and the Lieutenant’s Benevolent Association (LBA). In addition, to his legal career John has been an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY for twenty years. (2000-2020)

Bar Admissions:

• New York State Courts
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
• Supreme Court of the United States
• Courts of the Republic of Ireland

Education:

• The Law School of the Honorable Society of Kings’ Inns, Dublin, Ireland Barrister-at Law (B.L.)
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, New York, N.Y. Bachelor of Science Criminal Justice

Yesenia Rivera-Sipes

Of Counsel

Yesenia Rivera-Sipes, Esq. graduated from Ithaca College Park School of Communications with a degree in Journalism in 1997. She graduated from The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC in 2001.

After law school Ms. Rivera-Sipes worked on Capitol Hill for the Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee before accepting a clerkship in the Essex County, New Jersey, Family Court. Upon completion of her clerkship, she worked for three years as a staff attorney at the New York City non- profit law firm, Lawyers For Children, where she represented children in the New York City Family Courts. Ms. Rivera- Sipes began practicing exclusively in the area of matrimonial law in 2007 and after working for several respected matrimonial firms in Manhattan, she started her own practice in 2013. She joined Karasyk & Moschella in January 2021, as of counsel to the matrimonial department. Ms. Rivera-Sipes lives in Connecticut with her husband and three children.

Education:

• The George Washington University School of Law, Washington, D.C. J.D.,
• Ithaca College, Roy IL Park School of Communications, Ithaca, N.Y., B.A.

Bar Memberships:

• New York, 2003