Alison Arden Besunder Attorney

First Admitted: 1999, New York

Professional Webpage: https://goetzfitz.com/attorneys/alison-arden-besunder/

Bar/Professional Activity:

American Camp Association, Tri-State, Board
United States Supreme Court
US District Court, Eastern District of New York
US District Court, Southern District of New York
Member, Brooklyn Bar Association
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Massachusetts
New York
Former Member, New York State Bar Association Committee on Animals, 2009-2013
Member, New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estate Section, 2009
Former Member, NYSBA Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, 2007-2009
Former Co-Chair, New York State Bar Association, Special Task Force on Privacy Law, 2009-2011
Former Member, New York City Bar Association, Committee on Professional Discipline
Former Member, Technology Committee, Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, New York State Bar Association
Member, New York State Bar Association, Elder Law Section, 2009

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

Obtained directed verdict at close of plaintiff's case in a jury trial involving one sister attempting to recover property that she transferred to her two sisters just before filing for bankruptcy, later claiming that she was entitled to have it back. , 2022
Obtained successful result in contested guardianship representing spouse of an alleged incapacitated person whose daughters tried to remove their mother from the home. , 2021
Obtained the first consent permanent injunction in New York City against a landlord for the sale of counterfeit fashion products by a commercial tenant in Chinatown. The consent injunction was obtained on behalf of Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Kenzo, Loewe and Burberry. The consent injunction required the landlord to take affirmative steps to deter the sale of counterfeit products on its premises. The success of the injunction program was revealed when New York City conducted the largest seizure of illegal counterfeit merchandise in its history, recovering $1 million in counterfeit merchandise and closing three Canal Street buildings that were the most notorious Canal Street shopping malls in June 2008. The City's seizure did not uncover counterfeit merchandise of any of the brands covered in the injunction., 2008

Videos:

Videos on frequently asked questions in estate planning. , Videos on Estate Planning, 2020

Pro bono/Community Service:

I have served on my co-op board since 2010, and as the President of the Board for the last 3 years.
I serve as Court Examiner, being appointed by the court to review the annual accounts submitted by guardians, 2010
In 2001, I assisted a widow of a victim who died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Although she was married to the Decedent, a former wife came forward alleging that she and the Decedent were never actually divorced. The case involved searching marriage, divorce, and other government records in Israel and both Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Through dedicated negotiations, I worked with opposing counsel to maximize the benefits available to the estate from Workers Compensation, Social Security, insurance, and the Victims Compensation Fund, and achieved a settlement that yielded my client and her daughter nearly half of the available proceeds while also protecting the Decedent's child from his prior marriage, 2001
I volunteer at a homeless shelter in my neighborhood, organized and hosted at our synagogue, by providing meals and assistance for the individuals who are provided overnight shelter, 2015
I served on the Board of Trustees of my synagogue, helping the synagogue to create and implement a "legacy society" to raise funds for the operation of the synagogue and special programs, 2014

Honors/Awards:

New York Metro Super Lawyers list, 2019
CALI Award for Excellence, Civil Practice and Procedure, CALI Award for Excellence, Civil Practice and Procedure, CALI, 1997
CALI Award for Excellence in Commercial Paper, CALI Award for Excellence, Commercial Paper, CALI, 1998

Educational Background:

State University of New York at Buffalo, 1995, B.A., English, 1995

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

The present global circumstances of economic and political uncertainty, a high federal estate tax exemption, and a low-interest rate environment merit a focused examination of whether a SLAT or another irrevocable trust structure can help clients meet many of their objectives., Author, SLATs: The Hot New Estate Planning Technique for 2021, New York Law Journal, 2021
While alternative dispute resolution has been successful in Surrogate’s Courts, Article 81 guardianship proceedings present unique challenges relating to an alleged incapacitated person., Author, Mediation in Adult Guardianships, New York Law Journal, 2020
A focus on how the pandemic has affected litigators and litigation practices, which developments may and should be here to stay, and some best practices for navigating the new normal of virtual advocacy, whether in discovery or in trials., Author, Litigation in the Time of COVID: Best Practices for Virtual Advocacy, New York Law Journal, 2020
Not Your Parents’ Robot, NYSBA Journal, 2018, Author, Not Your Parents' Robot, New York State Bar Association Journal, 2018
Discussion of the dispute between Tiffany and eBay as it wound its way to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Author, Circuit to Decide Who Should Monitor Online Counterfeiters, New York Law Journal, 2015
Non-probate assets such as joint assets are frequently the subject of litigation, usually after an account owner dies. Yet little if any thought is given when a depositor opens an account or changes the title, Author, Quagmires Lurk in Non-Probate Assets and Joint Accounts, New York Law Journal, 2013
Despite becoming the sixth and most populous state to recognize same-sex marriage 4 years before the decision of the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v. Windsor, same-sex spouses remained unable to enjoy the same federal benefits as their opposite-sex counterparts, Author, For Love and Money: Inequalities Remain Despite Same-Sex Marriage, New York Law Journal, 2011
New York's Marriage Equality Act took effect on July 24, 2011. The act itself is simple: It allows marriage licenses to issue to same-sex couples and recognizes all same-sex marriages legally performed in any of the seven U.S. jurisdictions that expressly allow it. Less simple is (was) how same-sex spouses managed their day-to-day financial and legal affairs in the wake of the Act but before the decision of the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v. Windsor, Author, Closing the Gap: Same-Sex Estate Planning Following the Marriage Equality Act, New York Law Journal, 2008
Opening a New Front in the War on Fakes: Landlord and Third-Party Liability in the U.S., Managing Intellectual Property, December 2007
Fighting Fakes, an interview with Shopping Centers Today, March 2008
The Interplay Between the T.T.A.B. and Federal Court Decisions, Advanced Seminar on Trademark Law, 940 PLI/PAT 69, July 16, 2008
Online Auctions in the U.S. after Tiffany v. eBay, PLI’s In Brief, October 2, 2008
Building an Anti-counterfeiting Program, Association of Corporate Counsel Newsletter, October 2008
Righting the Wrong: Damages Available in Lanham Act Cases, Advanced Seminar on Trademark Law, Practicing Law Institute, 2009
Editor, Trademark Reporter, 2007

Firm News (Newsletters):

Achieving Legal and Financial "Independence" on Independence Day, Independence Day
Changes to New York State's estate and gift tax laws, Spring into Spring
Valentine's Day is one of the most popular days to get engaged. This newsletter advises on the legal steps to take to protect yourself before saying I do, This Valentine's Day,

Industry Groups:

Art
Assisted Living Facilities
Family Business
Fashion Law
Lawyers)
Music And Entertainment
Real Estate
Service Professionals (Physicians
Trust Companies

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