Category: News on the Homepage

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.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is pleased to announce that Partner David Green has been elected by the Sea Cliff Village Library Board of Trustees as President. In this role, Green will preside over board meetings and liaise with the Friends of the Sea Cliff Village Library to best serve the Sea Cliff Village community through its library.

Green, now in his fifth year as a trustee, most recently held the role of Vice President of the Board.

He is no stranger to leadership: Green oversees all internal IT matters for CMM, plays a key role in the firm’s Westbury office, and is instrumental in mentoring and training new attorneys and staff. He regularly provides CLE training on litigation topics and client relations.

As a member of CMM’s litigation team, Green represents businesses and individuals across a wide range of matters, with a particular focus on clients in the construction and real estate development sectors.

“It’s an honor to serve as President of the Sea Cliff Village Library Board of Trustees,” Green said.  “Our library is a vital part of the community, and I look forward to working with my fellow trustees and the Friends of the Library to continue supporting its mission of learning, connection, and access for all.”

CMM is pleased to announce the successful closing of a commercial real estate transaction involving the sale of a building that is home to a synagogue, accompanied by a lease back of a portion of the property to the religious institution.

The CMM team worked closely with the synagogue’s leadership to navigate the approval process required by the New York State Attorney General. Senior Partner Christine Malafi led the deal team and was pleased to support an organization that plays an important role in the community.

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

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick is delighted to announce the successful acquisition of our client, a New York based architecture firm, by a leading architecture and engineering conglomerate.

Our client has been in business for over four decades and is recognized for building notable commercial and residential projects throughout the region. The strategic buyer has a distinguished portfolio of well-established architecture and engineering brands.

CMM Partner Vincent Costa led the deal team with assistance from Alex Tomaro. Through the negotiations, CMM worked closely with multi-family office Strata Alliance and M&A advisory firm Protegrity Advisors.

Congratulations to our client and we wish them continued success on this exciting new chapter!

Senior Partner Scott Middleton and Senior Associate Rich DeMaio have obtained a favorable decision for their client, a homeowners association surrounding a horse farm in Bridgehampton.

On behalf of the plaintiffs, Two Trees Homeowners Association, CMM sought a preliminary injunction from the Court that would prevent the defendant, Hayground Road Development LLC, from continuing construction that would violate longstanding easements, covenants, and restrictions on the property. The Court granted the relief CMM sought, noting that the plaintiffs satisfied their burden to show clear evidence of their entitlement to the preliminary injunction. This decision brings the Two Trees Homeowners Association one step closer to permanently enjoining the horse farm from expanding their operation and encroaching on the rights of the HOA.

For assistance with East End matters call us at (631) 738-9100.

By Ed Moltzen, Contributing Writer, LIBN

The construction and contracting trades have been among the most vibrant on Long Island for the past several years, as new housing and related projects have unfolded amid a run of economic expansion.

But new rounds of tariffs from Washington, D.C., are proving vexing for firms whose work relies on stable pricing of supplies ranging from Canadian lumber to aluminum to steel.

The result: General contractors and subcontractors may be searching for remedies to protect them from unanticipated price surges as suppliers pass the cost of new tariffs down the supply chain.

Long Island legal experts say the key to navigating choppy tariff waters will be to address them, where possible, upfront in contracts with provisions specific to wild, tariff-driven price fluctuations.

For bigger construction-related firms, that could be the difference between profit and loss on a project. For smaller construction firms, a sudden price hike from tariffs could put them out of business.

“The challenge you have is…contracts that are signed today; the work doesn’t start for another month or two,” said Donald Rassiger, a partner at Campolo Middleton & McCormick, LLP. And in that time, tariffs could be enacted, pulled back or even increased.

That’s why price flexibility in contracts—to account for that uncertainty—can save a contractor big bucks down the road.

Customers may otherwise say, “You put a lump sum price in for this…I’m holding you to your price,” Rassiger added.

Other issues include the potential for significant product shortages, as demand for domestically produced items overwhelms the supply. During the pandemic, a similar crunch happened four and five years ago, and some remember well the crunch to obtain goods to meet contractual obligations.

However, at that time, courts were also closed due to the pandemic, so the number of breach-of-contract lawsuits was minimal, meaning contractors and customers had to work it out as best as they could in many situations. Now, courts are open for business, so negotiating contracts in advance to take the uncertainty of tariffs into account is essential.

“Yes, there are some cases that get litigated,” Rassiger said. “I’ve had my fair share of them over the years. I would say, for the most part, these issues do eventually get worked out between the contractors and the owners. But there are instances where they proceed, and I’ve had my fair share of arbitrations over the years over these issues.”

Read the full article here.

Commercial real estate transactions can be quite challenging, often involving complicated legal and logistical considerations. Successfully navigating these deals requires meticulous planning, clear communication, and the ability to adapt to unexpected obstacles. In Campolo, Middleton & McCormick’s latest commercial real estate deal, Partner Donald Rassiger was able to guide the seller, a large New York medical practice, through the sale of multiple properties with a favorable outcome.

This complex sale involved the early termination of Industrial Development Agency Program (IDA PILOT) on two properties, last-minute changes in the buyer’s lender, and construction easements on one of the properties resulting from a previous subdivision of the site and the sale of the vacant lot for development.

“Thanks for everything and all your help in getting this thing across the finish line,” our client remarked.

For more information about our M&A and Commercial Real Estate practice, contact Don Rassiger at 631-738-9100.