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.
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
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Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D.); Member of Constitutional Law Journal; Graduated Cum Laude
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New York University School of Law (LLM in Taxation)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Immigration
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Commercial Transaction
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Commercial Litigation
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Corporate
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Matrimonial
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Tax Planning
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
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A.)
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New York University (M.A.)
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New York Law School (J.D.); Member of Moot Court Team
PRACTICE AREAS
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Labor and Employment
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Insurance Defense
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Commercial Litigation
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Arbitration
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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
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The Johns Hopkins University (B.A. in Political Science, 1996)
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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1999)
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Editor-in-Chief for Moot Court Honor Society
PRACTICE AREAS
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Real Estate
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Corporate and Securities
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Commercial Finance
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General and Specialty Business Transactions
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 three 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
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Columbia College (A.B., 1957)
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Columbia Law School (J.D., 1960); Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
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New York University Law School (LLM, 1965)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Immigration and Naturalization
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Estate Planning
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Estate Administration
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Tax
NORMAN R. BERKOWITZ
Partner
Norman Berkowitz is a highly accomplished attorney with over 40 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
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New York University (B.S. in Accounting, 1957)
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Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 1961)
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Baruch College, City University of New York (M.B.A. in Taxation, 1964)
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Certified Public Accountant (New York, 1966)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Tax Planning
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Tax Litigation
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Estate Planning
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Corporate Governance
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
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Pace University (Business Administration Degree in Accountancy)
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Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Litigation
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Arbitration
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
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Corporate
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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
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University of Pennsylvania (B.A.)
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Columbia Law School (J.D.)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Labor and Employment
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Entertainment
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Arbitration
MONIKA K. OLOWSKA
Associate Attorney
Ms. Olowska is a Litigation Associate at the firm and practices commercial law, employment law, matrimonial law and insurance defense. She joined the firm in 2016 as a Summer Associate. Ms. Olowska specializes in all aspects of litigation. She conducts depositions, drafts pleadings, court motions and briefs, attends court proceedings and trials, interacts with clients, litigants, witnesses and members of the bar and judiciary on a daily basis.
Ms. Olowska conducts settlement negotiations and represents clients at mediation proceedings. She explains available courses of action to the clients and possible repercussions of the cases. She prepares clients for depositions and trials.
Ms. Olowska is admitted to practice in the State of New York and in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
EDUCATION
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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (LLM)
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University of Warsaw, Faculty of Law and Administration (Master's Degree in Law, Poland)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Labor and Employment
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Commercial Litigation
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Insurance Defense
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Matrimonial Law
EDWARD TOBIN
Associate Attorney
Mr. Tobin’s practice involves representing litigants in disputes in both State and Federal Courts in New York and New Jersey. He has tried several cases to verdict and perfected and argued over thirty Appeals in both State and Federal Court.
Notably, Mr. Tobin obtained a $400,000.00 verdict in a breach of employment matter in the New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division and perfected and successfully argued appeal of a medical malpractice jury verdict in New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division.
Mr. Tobin is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the States of New York and New Jersey, in the United States District Courts for the Southern, Northern, Western and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey, as well as in the Second and Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
EDUCATION
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The Johns Hopkins University (B.A., 1995)
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Emory University School of Law (J.D., 1998); Moot Court Competition Participant
PRACTICE AREAS
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Labor and Employment
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Insurance Defense
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Commercial Litigation
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Civil Rights
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 State of New Jersey; he has also passed the New York Uniform Bar Exam and is currently processing his admission to practice law in the State of New York.
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
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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Juris Doctor degree)
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Touro College (Bachelor of Arts in Economics)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Litigation
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Labor & Employment
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Civil Rights
MARYANA PAVLYSHYN
Associate Attorney
As an Immigration Attorney, Mrs. Pavlyshyn practices Immigration law and specializes in Family Immigration, Employment Immigration and Naturalization.
Mrs. Pavlyshyn joined the firm in September 2022. She represents clients in USCIS offices, court’s hearings, draft briefs, motions, interacts with clients on a daily basis, prepares clients for interviews and court’s hearings.
Mrs. Pavlyshyn received Master of Laws degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. Prior to that, she received Master’s degree in Law from Lviv National University named after Ivan Franko, Ukraine. Mrs. Pavlyshyn has worked as a Criminal Defense Attorney for five years in Lviv, Ukraine. She is also a mother of two children.
Admitted to New York Bar since March 1, 2023.
EDUCATION
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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York (Master in Law)
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Lviv National University (Master’s degree in Law)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Immigration (including Family Immigration, Employment Immigration and Naturalization)
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.
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
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Brooklyn Law School, JD 2008
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University of Michigan, B.A. 2002
PRACTICE AREAS
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Business Litigation
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Family law
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Real estate
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Intellectual property litigation
SHULOM (SHAYA) SINGER
Associate Attorney*
After previously working for the firm as a legal intern and extern, Mr. Singer joined Ballon Stoll in September 2022 as an associate in our Corporate and Real Estate Department. His admission to the New York State bar is currently pending.
Mr. Singer is involved in the negotiation and drafting of documents for a variety of sophisticated business and corporate finance transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and private securities offerings, as well as many facets of our real estate practice, including retail and office leasing, conveyancing, financing and development.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Singer worked in both the public and private sectors, gaining extensive experience in, among others, the financial, real estate, non-profit and legal compliance industries.
EDUCATION
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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Juris Doctor, 2022)
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Excelsior College (Bachelor of Science, 2019)
PRACTICE AREAS
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Real Estate
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Corporate and Securities
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Commercial Finance
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General Private and Business Transactions
*New York State Bar Admission Pending
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.
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.
Mr. Borstein focuses on commercial litigation, matrimonial law, criminal law, and alternative dispute resolution. He also serves 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
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Columbia Law School, LL.B.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S.
PRACTICE AREAS
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Commercial Litigation
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Matrimonial Law
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
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Criminal Defense
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.