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LAWYERS

Meet the lawyers behind Ballon Stoll P.C.

Our attorneys bring expertise and knowledge to a diverse range of legal practice areas.

With a commitment to excellence and ethics, we provide unparalleled legal representation and work tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients.

VANO I. HAROUTUNIAN

Managing Partner

Vano Haroutunian is the firm’s Managing Partner. His practice includes matters in Immigration, Commercial, Corporate and Tax Law, as well as Family Law and Litigation. Prior to joining Ballon Stoll as a member, he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Tax and Legal Services Department, where he worked on Federal, State and International Tax matters for Fortune 500 Clients of the firm. Vano's prior experience included work in appellate litigation at Stern, Greenberg and Kilcullen, as well as Securities Law at the SEC's New York Enforcement Division. His clients include multinational businesses, especially companies in the fashion industry.

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​Mr. Haroutunian is fluent in five languages and is admitted to practice law in the states of New York and New Jersey as well as in the United States Supreme Court and in the Courts of Appeal for the Second, Third and Ninth Circuits.

EDUCATION

  •  Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D.); Member of Constitutional Law Journal; Graduated Cum Laude

  •  New York University School of Law (LLM in Taxation)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Immigration

  • Commercial Transaction

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Corporate

  • Matrimonial

  • Tax Planning

Vano Haroutunian - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.
Marshall Bellovin - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.

MARSHALL B. BELLOVIN

Partner

Marshall B. Bellovin became a member at Ballon Stoll in 1994 after heading his own law firm.  Mr. Bellovin heads the firm’s Litigation Department and Labor and Employment Practice Group, and serves as Ballon Stoll’s Chief Operating Officer. 

 

Mr. Bellovin actively practices before federal and state appellate and trial courts, various governmental agencies and departments, and arbitration and mediation tribunals. His cases have been reported in federal and state reporters, and have been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles. His practice encompasses all phases of litigation and trial practice, Alternative Dispute Resolution and negotiation, and includes employer-employee relations, insurance defense, employment discrimination litigation and agency filings, FMLA and FLSA matters, employee separations and benefits, and commercial litigation.  Mr. Bellovin has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law since 1998.  He is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), and has been selected as a Metro New York SuperLawyer, 2015-2023, and an AVVO Top-rated Lawyer, 2019-2023.

EDUCATION

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A.)

  • New York University (M.A.)

  • New York Law School (J.D.); Member of Moot Court Team

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Labor and Employment

  • Insurance Defense

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Arbitration

  • Civil Rights

MARK B. STILLMAN

Partner

Mark Stillman joined Ballon Stoll’s Real Estate, Corporate and Securities and Commercial Finance Department in 2013 and currently is the chair of the department.  Prior to Ballon Stoll, Mr. Stillman was associated with several large, national (and international) law firms, including Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., Phillips Lytle LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

 

Mr. Stillman’s practice involves representing buyers, sellers, developers, landlords, tenants, institutional and private lenders, borrowers and investors in connection with complex and sophisticated commercial real estate, corporate and securities and financing transactions. 

EDUCATION

  • The Johns Hopkins University (B.A. in Political Science, 1996)

  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1999)

  • Editor-in-Chief for Moot Court Honor Society

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Real Estate

  • Corporate and Securities

  • Commercial Finance

  • General and Specialty Business Transactions

Mark Stillman - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.
Robert Klipstein - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.

ROBERT A. KLIPSTEIN

Partner

Robert A. Klipstein is a highly regarded lawyer with extensive experience in commercial litigation and insurance law. He has practiced law for over six decades, representing clients in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters, including insurance coverage disputes, product liability cases, and contract disputes. Mr. Klipstein has a reputation for being an excellent litigator and a skilled negotiator, known for his ability to handle cases efficiently and effectively. He has earned numerous accolades for his work, including recognition from prestigious legal publications such as The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.

EDUCATION

  • Columbia College (B.A., 1957)

  • Columbia Law School (J.D., 1960); Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

  • New York University Law School (LLM, 1965)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Immigration and Naturalization

  • Estate Planning

  • Estate Administration

  • Tax

NORMAN R. BERKOWITZ

Partner

Norman Berkowitz is a highly accomplished attorney with over 60 years of experience practicing law. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including being named one of the Best Lawyers in America and New Jersey Super Lawyers. He specializes in Tax Law, Estates and Trusts and Corporate Law. Mr.Berkowitz has an extremely broad-based tax practice. He regularly represents individuals and corporations in tax audit examinations and appeals before the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and other state and local taxing authorities. His extensive experience also includes advising on Estate and Tax Planning and Corporate and Partnership law.

EDUCATION

  • New York University (B.S. in Accounting, 1957)

  • Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 1961)

  • Baruch College, City University of New York (M.B.A. in Taxation, 1964)

  • Certified Public Accountant (New York, 1966)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Tax Planning

  • Tax Litigation

  • Estate Planning

  • Corporate Governance

Norman Berkowitz - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.
Michael Du Boff - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.

MICHAEL H. DU BOFF

Partner

Mr. Du Boff has an extensive practice in both State & Federal litigation commercial and securities matters as well as arbitration and transactional matters having handled hundreds of arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and FINRA Dispute Resolution Services and The New York Stock Exchange. He has represented banks, broker/dealers, registered representatives, investors, customers, factors, printers, sales representatives and companies involved in a wide variety of industries.

EDUCATION

  • Pace University (Business Administration Degree in Accountancy)

  • Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Litigation

  • Arbitration

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

  • Corporate

  • General and Specialty Business Transactions and Disputes

ROBERT M. JAFFE

Partner

Mr. Jaffe became a member of the firm in 1990 after 25 years of practice in New York. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Jaffe was a partner at the law firm of Becker London Kossow & Jaffe, concentrating in the areas of entertainment, labor, employment and arbitration law.

EDUCATION

  • University of Pennsylvania (B.A.)

  • Columbia Law School (J.D.)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Labor and Employment

  • Entertainment

  • Arbitration

Robert Jaffe - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.
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AVRAM TURKEL

Partner

Co Chair Commercial Litigation Group

Avram Solomon Turkel practices primarily commercial, matrimonial / family, real estate, intellectual property and criminal defense law in State and Federal Courts and Alternate Dispute Resolution forums such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). Mr. Turkel regularly appears in all metropolitan area courts for administrative conferences, motion practice, custody, paternity and support hearings, and both judge and jury trials. He has been lead counsel or second seat for full trials and arbitrations to verdict, judgment or award in New York State Supreme Court, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, AAA, REBNY and FINRA. 

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Along with his litigation practice, Mr. Turkel drafts and negotiates employment agreements, vendor / vendee agreements, purchase and sale agreements, contractor / subcontractor agreements, confidentiality / non-disclosure / non-circumvent agreements, shareholders’ agreements, operating agreements, commercial and residential leases, contracts for the purchase and sale of land, condominium and cooperative apartment units and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

 

Mr. Turkel is an adjunct professor of clinical law at Brooklyn law School.

EDUCATION

  • Brooklyn Law School, JD 2008

  • University of Michigan, B.A. 2002

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Business Litigation

  • Family law

  • Real estate

  • Intellectual property litigation

LEON BAER BORSTEIN

Partner

Co Chair Commercial Litigation Group

Leon Baer Borstein is a talented litigator with an impressive legal background that spans four decades. He has represented both individuals and institutional clients from over 50 countries on various legal matters.

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Leon has the highest possible rating, AV Preeminent®, from the premier attorney review service, Martindale-Hubbell®. He has held this honor every year for more than two decades — a rare accomplishment.

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Mr. Borstein focuses on commercial litigation, matrimonial law, criminal law, and alternative dispute resolution. He served as Adjunct Professor for FINRA Arbitration and Mediation at the San Francisco Law School. Additionally, he is the co-editor of “A Lawyer’s Guide to International Business Transactions” and the Editor of “A Transactional Guide to the U.C.C.”

EDUCATION

  • Columbia Law School, LL.B.

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S.

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Matrimonial Law

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

  • Criminal Defense

Leon Borstein - Partner
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GRANT E. POLLACK

Partner

Chair, IP & Technology Law Practice Group

Grant Pollack brings to Ballon Stoll P.C. over 30 years of experience representing organizations, ranging from large corporations and government institutions to start-up ventures and individuals, in intellectual property (IP), data protection, related litigation and transactions.  Grant has handled thousands of IP matters, including Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets, for clients throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.  He leverages his technical background, and his extensive cross-disciplinary legal experience, to add value and better protect IP assets.  His technical experience spans cybersecurity and telecommunications, climate technology, aerospace, artificial intelligence and robotics as well as healthcare related technologies.

 

Grant has lectured extensively on intellectual property topics, including “Doing Business in the U.S. - IP Considerations and Tactics for Foreign Companies", "IP Considerations in Exporting", "Patents, Trade Secrets & Privacy Law", "Legal Issues Confronting Entrepreneurs", "Patent Law and its Business Applications", and the "Law of the Internet in New York".  Organizations such as the American Bar Association, New York University's Stern School of Business Administration, the New York State Bar Association, Binghamton University's Center for International Business Advancement, and the American Corporate Counsel Association have sought Grant for his candor and unique comprehensive approach to IP practice and policy.  His analytical rigor has led to his testimony as a Patent Law Expert in high profile cases such as Monec Holding AG v. Apple Inc. (E.D. Virginia).

 

Grant is admitted to the Bars of New York, Pennsylvania, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and numerous Federal District Courts.

EDUCATION

  • Case Western Reserve University, School of Law (JD, 1987)

  • Yale University (MS, Mechanical Engineering, 1983)

  • Vanderbilt University (BE, Civil & Environmental Engineering, 1982)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Intellectual Property

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Privacy & Data Protection

STEVEN BALKEN

Associate Attorney

Mr. Balken joined the firm as a Summer Extern in 2020 and has progressed to become a Litigation Associate. Mr. Balken is admitted to practice law in the States of New York and New Jersey.

 

At the firm, Mr. Balken is responsible for preparing essential documents for various stages of litigations, including briefs, pleadings, and motions. He is an expert in researching statutory and precedential authority and has conducted extensive research in employment, commercial, personal injury, and property law. Mr. Balken has also published multiple columns in the New York Real Estate Reporter Law Journal on contemporary developments in property law. 

 

Before joining our team, Mr. Balken interned for Justice Leon Ruchelsman's Chambers in the New York State Supreme Court, Kings County, Civil Term. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Touro College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was inducted into the Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society.​

EDUCATION

  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Juris Doctor degree)

  • Touro College (Bachelor of Arts in Economics)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Litigation

  • Labor and Employment 

  • Civil Rights

Steven Balken - attorney at Ballon Stoll P.C.
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ANDREW J. MALLON

Associate Attorney

A.J. serves as an Associate in the firm’s Litigation Department. His practice is predominantly focused on matrimonial, family, and commercial cases where he has extensive experience working with high net worth individuals on complex disputes. A.J. handles all aspects of litigation, from negotiation through trial, and focuses on achieving creative solutions for his clients. He is a 2022 Avvo Clients’ Choice Award Winner. A.J. is barred in New York and New Jersey.

 

A.J. earned his Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. While there, he served as a Notes Editor for the #1 ranked dispute resolution journal in the nation, the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. He also served on three executive boards with the Cardozo Sports Law Society, most notably, as Vice President. A.J. graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University’s Renée Crown University Honors Program.

 

When he is not vigorously advocating for his clients, A.J. volunteers his time as a Board Member of Make-A-Wish’s YPP Fundraising Committee.

EDUCATION

  • The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 2020)

  • Syracuse University (B.S., 2017)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Litigation

  • Matrimonial & Family

  • Entertainment & Sports

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Immigration

  • Labor & Employment

  • Civil Rights

RUDY A. DERMESROPIAN

Of Counsel

With a background in finance, science, and business management, attorney Rudy A. Dermesropian has a broad understanding of the realities faced by individuals and businesses in different cases across the legal spectrum. Running his own private firm in the heart of New York, NY provides Rudy with the opportunity to personally address his clients' needs from start to finish.

 

With communication and customer service held in the highest regard, Rudy adds a personal touch to his knowledgeable legal counsel. From providing representation in both civil and commercial litigation cases to guiding individuals and businesses through the complexities of employment disputes and corporate law, Rudy provides the quality of service that he believes his clients deserve.

EDUCATION

  • Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 2008)

  • St. John's University (B.S., 2004)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Labor and Employment

  • Wage and Hour 

  • Medical Malpractice

  • Personal Injury

  • Landlord Tenant Litigation 

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Appellate Practice

  • Dispute Resolution / Arbitration

  • Corporate Law

  • Immigration Law

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SUNNY S. KIM

Of Counsel

Sunny S. Kim is of counsel in the firm's Intellectual Property department. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Kim was an Associate at Pitney Hardin LLP and Codispoti & Mancinelli LLP.

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Ms. Kim received her B.A. from Columbia University in 1997 and J.D. from the University of Iowa in 2002, where she served as Managing Editor of the Iowa Law Review.

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Ms. Kim is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is admitted to the Bars of the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

EDUCATION

  • Columbia University 

  • University of Iowa; Managing Editor of the Iowa Law Review

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Intellectual Property

ALYSSA GRZESH

Associate Attorney

Alyssa is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation Department. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a Litigation Associate at Borah Goldstein, a renowned real estate litigation firm, where she focused primarily on residential landlord/tenant matters. She also served as Of Counsel to two New-York based firms specializing in commercial litigation and employment law.
 
Alyssa previously served as executive director of a legal nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Alyssa is an active member of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association and has had articles published in the NYSBA Journal and in the NY Litigator. Ms. Grzesh serves as a vice president of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, and as Director of Programming for the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, where she worked with a team of lawyers on amici briefs filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Holocaust restitution plaintiffs.

EDUCATION

  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (2013)

  • Wellesley College (2009)

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Litigation 

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OUR MISSION

Provide exceptional legal services to our clients with integrity, professionalism, and respect for the law.

We strive to be a trusted advisor to our clients, and to achieve their goals through innovative and effective legal strategies.

CORE VALUES:

Commitment to Excellence

We are striving to deliver high-quality legal services to our clients with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail.

Strong Work Ethic

We prioritize professionalism and punctuality, and expect all professionals to always be prepared, focused, and diligent in their work.

Dependable and Trustworthy

We have have a strong sense of responsibility and we prioritize honesty, integrity, and loyalty to our clients and legal community.

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