Category: News on the Homepage

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is proud to announce that ten attorneys at the firm, in multiple practice areas, have been named to the 2025 Super Lawyers® list, four of them as a Rising Star. The CMM attorneys recognized this year, in practice areas including Business and Corporate, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Business Litigation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Construction Litigation, Employment Litigation, and Appeals, are:

• Joe Campolo
• Scott Middleton
• Patrick McCormick
• Christine Malafi
• Jeffrey Basso
• Donald Rassiger
• David Green (Rising Star)
• Vincent Costa (Rising Star)
• Richard DeMaio (Rising Star)
• Meagan Nolan (Rising Star)

The rigorous Super Lawyers selection process is based on peer evaluations, independent research, and professional achievement in legal practice. The Rising Stars recognition denotes superior professional achievement by attorneys who have been in practice for under 10 years or are under age 40. No more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in New York State are named to the Rising Stars list.

Learn more about CMM’s outstanding legal professionals here.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick Managing Partner Joe Campolo has been getting things done in the business community for more than 25 years and is a recognized leader for tackling large projects and delivering results. From advising business owners and CEOs on mergers and acquisitions to running his own businesses, Campolo is immersed in finding creative solutions to complex problems. His deep, inner knowledge of the business world allows him to understand the perspective of business owners as they think about growing and selling their companies.

Campolo is also the founder and chief executive officer of Strata Alliance, a multi-family office with a network of carefully curated service providers supporting families, entrepreneurs and developers.

A member of LIBN’s prestigious Long Island Business Hall of Fame, Campolo is a top business strategist and go-to advisor for the who’s who of Long Island business. Recognized as an authority on negotiation, Campolo enjoys an advantage in complex transactions and litigation and is routinely retained in “bet the company” legal matters by companies large and small.  

Campolo is also deeply involved in philanthropy, starting his own nonprofit, CMM Cares, which supports Long Islanders facing unexpected challenges. Campolo serves on the board of the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs. He is also a board member of the HIA-LI and chair of its Long Island Economic Development Task Force.

Campolo served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a member of St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Stony Brook and is an executive producer of “Tribute,” an award-winning short film.

View the full LIBN Influencers in Law book here.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick Senior Partner Christine Malafi was named to Dan’s Power Women of the East End, recognizing extraordinary women who make the East End the thriving and vibrant place it is to work, live and do business. Malafi received her award on September 10, 2025 at the Muses in Southampton, NY.

Malafi chairs the Corporate Department at CMM, which Forbes has recognized as a Top Corporate Law Firm She has led the CMM legal team in closing countless M&A deals worth billions of dollars. She has vast experience advising on both buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions in a variety of industries, including technology, manufacturing, education, healthcare, and professional service sectors. Malafi is particularly adept at working closely and strategically with clients’ other professional advisors, including accountants, bankers, and M&A advisors, as well as forging those critical relationships for clients based on the deep network of relationships she has cultivated over years in the business. 

Malafi has the unique perspective of being a corporate lawyer who spent the first half of her career as a litigator with extensive experience in municipal, insurance coverage, and fraud issues. She brings her deep understanding of litigation and the court system to all aspects of her corporate work and uses this experience to help protect clients from a variety of critical angles. 

Read more about Dan’s Power Women of the East End.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is delighted to announce that attorney Richard A. DeMaio has been elevated to Partner at the firm, effective September 1, 2025.

Richard focuses on litigation in varied subject matter including landlord-tenant cases, business disputes, contract issues, environmental matters, a variety of appeals, and municipal matters in state and federal court. His municipal work includes Article 78 proceedings, zoning/land use matters, and defending municipalities.

He works extensively on motion practice and appellate practice and has argued and won several appeals pertaining to land use/zoning, commercial, and general litigation. Richard’s trial experience includes handling all aspects of trial preparation, trial strategy, and drafting trial memoranda, including successfully representing landlords at trial. His work has led to many successful outcomes and creative litigation strategies for the firm’s clients, particularly in the areas of municipal liability, commercial litigation, and environmental issues.

“I’m thrilled to congratulate Rich on his well-deserved elevation to Partner. Rich’s unwavering commitment to our clients reflects the very best of our firm and his dedication to the legal profession is evident through his active role with the Suffolk County Bar Association. I look forward to all he will accomplish in this next chapter of his career,” said Senior Partner Patrick McCormick.

Richard joined CMM as a Summer Associate in 2016 and worked his way up to Associate and Senior Associate before being named Partner. He received his undergraduate degree from Hofstra University and his law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. He and his wife live in East Islip.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island, is thrilled to announce that that Senior Partner Scott Middleton has been recognized by his peers for the twelfth consecutive year to be featured in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Personal Injury Litigation (2026 edition). With this distinction, Middleton ranks among the top five percent of private practice attorneys nationwide as determined by a rigorous peer-review process.

For over three decades, the legal profession and the public have turned to Best Lawyers® as one of the most credible measures of legal integrity and distinction in the nation. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on over a million confidential evaluations by top attorneys. The Best Lawyers’ founding principle forms the basis of this transparent methodology: the best lawyers know who the best lawyers are. No fee to participate is permitted.

Middleton chairs the Personal Injury and Municipal practice groups at CMM. He handles all types of complex litigation including cases that have received local and national media coverage. Middleton also focuses on land use and zoning, for municipalities including the Village of North Haven and Town of Southampton. He has also held roles including Trustee, Mayor, Village Justice, and Attorney/Prosecutor.

Scott is a recognized supporter of the arts, serving on the advisory board for the Staller Center for the Arts in addition to his membership on the Stony Brook University Intercollegiate Athletic Board.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island, is thrilled to announce that that Senior Partner Christine Malafi has been recognized by her peers for the ninth year in a row to be featured in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Employment Law – Management (2026 edition). With this distinction, Malafi ranks among the top five percent of private practice attorneys nationwide as determined by a rigorous peer-review process.

For over three decades, the legal profession and the public have turned to Best Lawyers® as one of the most credible measures of legal integrity and distinction in the nation. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on over a million confidential evaluations by top attorneys. The Best Lawyers’ founding principle forms the basis of this transparent methodology: the best lawyers know who the best lawyers are. No fee to participate is permitted.

Malafi chairs the Corporate Department at CMM, which was recognized by Forbes as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, corporate transactions, including commercial real estate sales and purchases, drafting and negotiating a wide range of business agreements, and helping businesses navigate all types of executive and human resources matters. She routinely represents buyers and sellers in multimillion-dollar transactions and serves in a general counsel role for many of the firm’s corporate clients. In addition to her legal work, Malafi serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Family Service League.

CMM is proud to announce that Joe Campolo has been appointed Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and America’s VetDogs. These national nonprofit organizations provide guide dogs to individuals who are blind or have low vision, and service dogs to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities.

Campolo, who previously served as a Member-at-Large on the Board, will serve a two-year term as Treasurer. His appointment was confirmed at the organizations’ Annual Meeting on June 18 and became effective July 1, 2025, marking the start of the new fiscal year.

“Our Board plays a critical role in shaping the strategic direction of both organizations,” said Don Dea, Board Chair. “As we continue to increase our capacity to serve more people with disabilities with our extraordinary assistance dogs and best-in-class program, I’m confident that our dedicated and experienced leadership team will continue to drive innovation, growth, and long-term sustainability in service of our mission.”

Behind every successful commercial real estate sale is a team that anticipates challenges and delivers results and this transaction was no exception!

CMM recently represented a long-standing client in the sale of a premium shopping center, anchored by national grocery and retail stores, located in New Jersey.

A notable aspect of this deal was the purchaser’s assumption of the existing mortgage on the property, adding a layer of complexity that our team navigated efficiently. The sale process was expedited to ensure the buyer could leverage the benefits of a 1031 exchange, a strategic tax-deferral opportunity for real estate investors.

CMM Senior Partner Christine Malafi led the transaction with valuable support from Partner Arthur Yermash throughout each stage. The team’s collaborative efforts and attention to detail enabled them to close the deal rapidly and provide success for both our client and buyer.

This transaction underscores our commitment to delivering results for our clients. We are proud to have played a key role in this significant real estate transaction and look forward to supporting future opportunities with similar diligence and professionalism.

For more information on our commercial real estate services, please contact us.