SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Local law firm Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, serving Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, is proud to announce eight of its lawyers have been awarded in the 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.
The following attorneys received special designations from Best Lawyers®, including “Lawyer of the Year” and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.
Attorney Steven J. Schwartz was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the field of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships). He was also chosen for The Best Lawyers in America® list in the fields of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Corporate Law. Attorney Schwartz concentrates his practice in the areas of family business planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and estate planning. His practice involves representation of principals in family business planning, representation of individuals and corporations in the purchase and sale of business enterprises, strategic planning for the future of clients’ businesses and providing advice as to alternatives in financing through loans and venture capital.
Attorney Gary S. Fentin, a resident of Conway, was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in the fields of Banking and Finance Law and Commercial Transactions/Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and real estate finance and development, industrial revenue bonds, affordable housing development and finance, business law, and business foreclosures and workouts. He manages the firm’s tax-exempt bond practice and has acted as bond counsel and/or purchaser’s counsel in hundreds of such issues since 1978.
Attorney Carol Cioe Klyman, a resident of Westhampton, was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in the fields of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. She concentrates her practice in the areas of elder law, estate planning, special needs trust planning, estate settlement, guardianships, trust and estates litigation and MassHealth appeals.
Managing Partner Timothy P. Mulhern, a resident of Longmeadow, was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in the fields of Corporate Law and Tax Law. He focuses his practice in the areas of family business planning, taxation, corporate law, commercial real estate and estate planning.
Attorney Steven Weiss, a resident of Longmeadow, was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and consumer bankruptcy, reorganization and litigation. He supervises the firm’s bankruptcy, reorganization and workout practice and represents creditors, debtors and others in both commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases throughout Massachusetts. Attorney Weiss has been a member of the private panel of Chapter 7 Trustees for the District of Massachusetts since 1987.
Attorney Mark J. Esposito, a resident of Northampton, was named Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in the fields of Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Labor and Employment. He concentrates his practice in these areas as well as trusts and estates and probate litigation and administrative law. He has counseled various public sector labor unions and employees in collective bargaining, arbitration and litigation, and represents clients in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies.
The following attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Attorney Michele J. Feinstein, a resident of Longmeadow, was recognized in the fields of Trusts and Estates Litigation, Elder Law, and Trusts and Estates. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, elder law, probate litigation, health law and corporate and business planning, including all aspects of planning for the succession of business interests, representation of closely held businesses and their owners, and representation of physicians in their individual and group practices.
Attorney James B. Sheils was recognized in the field of Commercial Transactions/ Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Law. He focuses his practice in the areas of commercial finance law, creditors’ rights, banking law and telecommunications siting matters.
About Best Lawyers®
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review® evaluation. More than 123,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and Best Lawyers® has received more than 20 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world.
For the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, more than 13.7 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 76,000 leading lawyers included in the milestone 30th edition.
For the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, more than 2.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 25,000 lawyers honored in the new edition.
About Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C.
The nationally recognized attorneys at Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., concentrate their practices in the areas of business planning, estate planning, elder and special needs law, estate settlement, commercial lending and tax-exempt bond financing, commercial real estate transactions, environmental law, zoning and permitting, trust and estates litigation, commercial litigation, tax law and bankruptcy. The firm’s institutional clients range from nonprofit corporations and closely held family enterprises to multinational corporations with operations throughout New England and eastern New York. The firm’s philosophy is to place the client’s needs first by providing tailored, results-oriented, cost-effective approaches to problem-solving and keeping current with innovative strategies. Founded in 1969 by two legal services attorneys, the firm of 13 attorneys has offices in Springfield and Northampton, Mass., and Albany, N.Y. Additional information about Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin can be found on its website, ssfpc.com.