NEW YORK (November 1, 2019) — Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP, has been recognized as a Tier 1 National “Best Law Firm” in three categories, Tax Law, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and Litigation – Tax by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® for 2020.

NEW YORK CITY, NY (September 12, 2019) – Kostelanetz & Fink is pleased to announce that nine attorneys at the firm, including seven partners, have been selected for inclusion in the 2019 New York Metro “Super Lawyers” list, recognizing the firm’s experience and skill in the areas of Tax, Criminal Defense: White Collar, and Business Litigation.

Politico Pro turned to Kostelanetz & Fink partner Claude Millman for comment on an appeal by seven students who said the recent expansion of Discovery had unfairly denied them seats in the specialized schools. 

Agenda, the magazine for board directors about corporate board news, turned to Kostelanetz & Fink partner Claude Millman for comments about how members of a corporate board should handle an investigation of #MeToo allegations.

NEW YORK (August 15, 2019) — Kostelanetz & Fink is pleased to announce that The Best Lawyers in America has recognized six of its attorneys in its 2020 edition. The Best Lawyers in America (2020 edition), released August 15, 2019, recognizes the firm’s attorneys in the areas of Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law, Commercial Litigation, and Criminal Defense: White Collar. The annual list is based on a peer review process and reflects the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their peers within the same geographical regions and practice areas, according to the Best Lawyers website.  

The new data came in response to an appeal by seven students who said the recent expansion of Discovery had unfairly denied them seats in the specialized schools. They asked the state commissioner this spring to ensure they get spots and declare the city’s implementation of Discovery unlawful.

For this fall, the mayor has vastly expanded the Discovery program, which offers seats and free summer tutoring to disadvantaged students who score below the test-score cutoff for regular acceptance. The mayor roughly doubled the size of Discovery, to about 500 seats this fall, or about 13% of specialized high school spots in ninth grade. That growth has sparked an outcry from parents who say their high-scoring children were edged out by Discovery students with lower exam scores. The mayor plans for Discovery students to have 20% of seats in fall of 2020. He also restricted eligibility to students from certain high-poverty middle schools.

The petitioners claim the city ignores language in state law requiring that Discovery operate “without in any manner interfering with the academic level” of the sought-after high schools.

Their lawyer, Claude Millman, rebutted the city Department of Education’s GPA analysis last week. He said the average GPA for Discovery students at a school can mask how individuals may have floundered, and their cohorts were too small to draw conclusions. Further, he said their accomplishments didn’t reflect how well a broader group with lower entrance exam scores will do in the bigger program.

Students, families and alumni of the city’s specialized high schools just got new allies in their fight to stop Mayor Bill de Blasio from destroying those elite schools.

On Monday, the Education Equity Campaign launched with a simple mission: Keep the race-blind entrance exam, address root causes of the admission gap and open more top schools to meet demand.