New York
Main Office
1221 Brickell Avenue. 19th Floor Miami, FL 33131
Phone
(305) 416-3180
Main Office
MON-FRI
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Our New York Team
Matthew Biondi joined Lydecker as a partner in April 2018 and has since established a solid reputation across a broad range of legal fields. His practice areas include premises liability, motor vehicle incidents, construction defects, professional malpractice, construction casualties, and insurance coverage. Mr. Biondi is skilled at navigating the complex legal landscapes of both New York and New Jersey, where he is fully licensed to practice.
Upon earning his law degree, Mr. Biondi had the honor of serving as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Jamie S. Perri, J.S.C., in the Law Division of Monmouth County. This role provided him with invaluable insights into judicial processes and deepened his understanding of civil litigation, directly influencing his practical and thorough approach to legal challenges.
Mr. Biondi’s commitment to legal excellence is evident in his meticulous approach to case preparation and client advocacy. His analytical skills and comprehensive knowledge have led to successful outcomes in numerous high-stakes cases. He is particularly noted for his strategic use of pre-trial motions, which often result in favorable resolutions for his clients.
In addition to his courtroom achievements, Mr. Biondi is dedicated to the legal community, regularly contributing to legal journals and speaking at conferences focused on his areas of expertise.
Mr. Biondi’s professional principles are characterized by a steadfast commitment to justice and integrity, making him a respected figure in the legal profession and a trusted advocate for his clients.
Partner
Mrs. Diverio is a shareholding partner at Lydecker’s Miami office and is the chair of the property practice group. She is a trial and appellate attorney for first and third party lawsuits. She handles bad faith claims, third party claims nationally, fire/theft/fraud investigations, windstorm coverage insurance defense, personal injury, general liability, subrogation claims, fraud investigations, and all types of property damage claims.
Mrs. Diverio litigates insurance disputes involving high exposure commercial and personal lines in both State and Federal court. Mrs. Diverio’s practice group handles claims from pre-suit investigations through trials and appeals.
Mrs. Diverio has handled a multitude of appellate and trial matters and has been first-handedly involved in changing and upholding Florida Statutes on significant current insurance defense issues.
Most importantly, Mrs. Diverio’s strength lies in client relations and professionalism. She maintains an open line of communication with her clients during all phases of litigation, settlement of a dispute, and works in conjunction with her adjusters to quickly and efficiently resolve claims.
Partner
Brett Goldman is an Partner in the firm’s New York and New Jersey offices. His practice focuses on employment law including discrimination and retaliation cases before state and federal courts and agencies, professional liability matters, and insurance coverage, as well as general liability cases and commercial disputes. Brett has represented health care, treatment and long term care facilities and professionals in cases involving employment claims , professional liability, personal injury, and other matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Brett spent two years at a large insurer in Jersey City, New Jersey handling employment practices liability claims, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters. While a claims representative, Brett provided litigation and claims management services, made coverage decisions, and oversaw settlement discussions and mediations. Insured clients, found nationwide, ranged from large education networks to healthcare institutions, as well as car dealerships and supermarket chains.
Additionally, Brett spent time as a management consultant for the advisory services division of a Big 4 accounting firm, for which he provided consulting services to clients in the financial services industry. His projects included mortgage remediation for a large U.S. bank and project management for a notable financial services corporation’s anti-money laundering efforts. Brett also gained valuable experience as a volunteer attorney for the New York State Unified Court System’s Access to Justice program, assisting pro se litigants in New York and Kings County Housing Courts.
Partner
Michael Goldman is a Partner at the firm’s New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices. His practice focuses in the area of employment law. Michael represents employers across a multitude of industries in litigation related to employment discrimination claims, wage and hour claims, and restrictive covenants. He also counsels clients on best practices.
Michael has extensive civil litigation experience and handles cases from inception through trial. He regularly appears in federal and state courts, as well as in administrative law and dispute resolution forums. Prior to joining the firm, Michael practiced as an associate at a prominent New Jersey firm, concentrating his practice in defense litigation on behalf of private and public entities, with an emphasis on tort liability, labor and employment law, and civil rights defense. He also represented clients in the areas of wage and hour claims, commercial litigation, construction law, and education law. Earlier in his career, Michael was an associate at a well-known litigation boutique where he focused his practice on representing public entities in matters involving tort liability, labor and employment law, and civil rights defense. Michael has been selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star list from 2019-2023.
Partner
Mr. Harutunian was born and raised in suburban Boston, Massachusetts. He practices in the areas of bankruptcy law, commercial litigation, and labor and employment law.
Mr. Harutunian has litigated numerous bankruptcy, commercial, and employment cases in federal and state courts in Florida and New York. Prior to joining Lydecker, he worked as an Associate attorney at Phillips Nizer LLP, a medium sized general practice law firm, and Gazes LLC, a bankruptcy boutique, in New York, New York. Mr. Harutunian negotiated and litigated matters in large scale bankruptcy cases, including complex claims in the Enron Corp. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. bankruptcy cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Harutunian also has litigated a variety of commercial disputes involving shareholder liability, insurance law, sales agreements, and other matters. From 1997-2000, he worked as an Associate attorney at Ford & Harrison LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, in Tampa, Florida. He litigated numerous employment discrimination cases including class action and other cases involving national retailers and grocery chains. After graduating from Tulane Law School, Mr. Harutunian served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Thomas B. McCoun III at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.
Mr. Harutunian has counseled clients, given lectures, and authored articles on a variety of legal subjects in his practice areas. His publications include Trademark License Agreements: The Rights of a Debtor/Licensee to Assume, or Assume and Assign, are Uncertain, Vol. 237, No. 42, P. 10, New York Law Journal (March 5, 2007), focusing on whether a bankruptcy trustee or debtor in possession as licensee may assume, or assume and assign, trademark rights, and Market Value Is Key For ESOP Buys, Vol. 24, No. 47, P. B8, National Law Journal (August 12, 2002), exploring the duties of fiduciaries of Employee Stock Ownership Plans in light of the accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen.
Partner
Young Kim is an Associate located in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey. Mr. Kim’s practice area involves all aspects of Civil Litigation in the state courts of New York and New Jersey.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kim served as a Law Clerk in the New York State Supreme Court Civil Division, and he also practiced as a trial and appellate counsel handling civil matters involving real property disputes and mortgage foreclosure defenses.
Mr. Kim attended New York Law School, as a Global Law Fellow receiving a merit-based full scholarship. During the second year in Law School, Mr. Kim participated in the New York City Municipal Litigation Defense Clinic and worked for the Tort Division of the New York City Law Department. In his third year, Mr. Kim was accepted into the New York State Pro Bono Scholar program and worked at the Legal Services NYC.
Prior to law school, Mr. Kim worked as a legislative aide to a member of the New York State Assembly.
Associate
Cuiyun Li AKA Laura Li is an Associate in the firm’s Jersey City office. Prior to joining Lydecker, Laura has engaged in several firms litigating employment issues, commercial issues, real estate issues, and other civil issues. Laura has zealously represented clients to resolve employment issues under the Title VII of Civil Rights of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York Labor Law, etc. Laura also represented clients in commercial litigation where contract disputes require meticulous interpretation. Real Estate Disputes regarding ownership and partition are orthodox and perplexing where Laura undertook painstaking.
Associate
Richard Lydecker is a founding partner at Lydecker, a full-service AV-rated national law firm with offices throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Georgia. As a distinguished leader and visionary in the legal community, Richard has played an instrumental role in shaping the firm’s reputation and success since its inception in 1994 as an aggressive and responsive law firm.
With a career spanning over several decades, Richard J. Lydecker has established himself as a formidable force in the field of defense litigation. His practice predominantly focuses on complex commercial litigation, professional liability, bodily injury, auto negligence, environmental law, employment, D&O, E&O, accounting malpractice, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage. His extensive background in these areas has earned him recognition as a trusted and skilled litigator, consistently delivering exceptional results for his clients. Richard’s diverse and extensive background makes Lydecker a premiere law firm.
Richard’s legal journey began with a robust education and training, laying the foundation for his future accomplishments. He earned his Juris Doctor from a prestigious law school and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining invaluable experience and expertise in civil litigation. Over the years, Richard has handled a wide array of cases, ranging from intricate commercial disputes to high-stakes professional liability claims.
Prior to Richard’s career in civil practice, he was a Senior Major Case Bureau Prosecutor in New York with an outstanding record of success in preparing, managing, and trying high-profile cases. Casework involved high-profile, high-visibility criminal prosecution of homicides, robbery, arson, rape, and burglary. Richard successfully tried in excess of 100 criminal cases, many resulting in guilty verdicts carrying life sentences. Before accepting his appointment to the District Attorney’s Office, Richard was an attorney at a prestigious Wall Street, N.Y. law firm.
Richard Lydecker’s remarkable career as a founding partner of Lydecker showcases his expertise in defense litigation, his leadership within the firm, and his dedication to client success. His diverse background and extensive experience have made him a respected figure in the legal community, and his contributions continue to shape the firm’s reputation as a premier law firm nationwide.
Today Lydecker has ten main practice areas:
- Appellate
- Bankruptcy and Banking
- Business, Corporate and Transactional
- Condominium & HOA
- Construction Design & Environmental
- Employment
- General Liability
- Government
- Insurance
- Professional Liability
Lydecker has the following sub practice areas:
Accounting Malpractice, Admiralty and Maritime, Appellate Advocacy, Appellate Practice, Architects and Engineers, Attorney Malpractice, Bad Faith Litigation, Banking and Financial Services Litigation, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, Bodily Injury Defense, Business Law, Business Reorganization, Catastrophic Injury & Loss Defense, Class Action Defense, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Property, Complex Commercial Litigation, Condominium & Homeowners’ Association Law, Construction & Design Contracts, Construction Accident Claims, Construction Defect Litigation, Construction Payment, Delay and Lien Disputes, Corporate Law, Corporate Liability, Coverage Disputes, Cyber Liability ⁄ Internet Law, Defamation, Directors and Officers, Education Law, Environmental Law, Errors and Omissions, Financial Litigation, General Liability, Government, Government Liability, Healthcare, Hospitality, Insurance, Insurance Agents and Brokers, Insurance Coverage and Extra-Contractual Litigation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Land Use and Zoning, Mass Environmental Toxic Tort Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Negligent Security, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Property Practice, Real Estate Practice, Residential Property, Tort Liability, Transportation Liability and Workers Compensation.
Complex Commercial Litigation: Richard’s proficiency in complex commercial litigation is well-known. He has successfully represented clients in multifaceted legal battles, navigating intricate legal frameworks and securing favorable outcomes. His strategic approach and meticulous attention to detail have been pivotal in resolving disputes efficiently and effectively.
Professional Liability: Richard has extensive experience defending professionals across various industries against liability claims. His deep understanding of the nuances of professional conduct and standards enables him to provide robust defense strategies, protecting his clients’ reputations and careers.
Bad Faith Litigation: Richard is a recognized authority in bad faith litigation, representing clients in cases involving insurance companies. His tenacity and commitment to justice have resulted in significant victories, holding insurers accountable for their obligations.
Insurance Coverage: Richard’s expertise extends to insurance coverage matters, where he advises clients on complex coverage issues and disputes. His comprehensive knowledge of insurance law ensures that his clients receive the coverage they are entitled to, and he has successfully litigated numerous coverage cases.
Leadership and Oversight
As a founding partner, Richard oversees the firm’s practice groups and manages the firm’s relationships with its clients and carriers. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to excellence, innovation, and client-centric service. Richard is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment within the firm, ensuring that every client receives personalized attention and tailored legal solutions.
Richard’s strategic vision has been instrumental in the firm’s growth and expansion. Under his guidance, Lydecker has become a nationally recognized law firm, known for its dedication to client success and its ability to handle complex legal challenges. His emphasis on continuous improvement and professional development has cultivated a team of highly skilled attorneys who share his passion for legal excellence.
Commitment to Clients
Richard’s client-centric approach is at the heart of his practice. He believes in building long-standing relationships grounded in mutual trust and respect. By understanding each client’s unique needs and goals, Richard provides strategic counsel and representation that aligns with their best interests. His ability to navigate complex legal landscapes and deliver practical solutions has earned him a loyal client base and numerous accolades within the legal community.
Personal and Professional Values
Beyond his professional achievements, Richard is known for his unwavering commitment to integrity, ethics, and community service. He actively participates in various professional organizations and contributes to legal scholarship through speaking engagements and publications. Richard’s dedication to giving back to the community is reflected in his involvement in pro bono work and charitable initiatives.
Looking Ahead
As Lydecker continues to grow and evolve, Richard remains dedicated to leading the firm towards new heights of success. His vision for the future includes expanding the firm’s capabilities, embracing technological advancements, and maintaining the highest standards of legal practice. Richard’s legacy is one of excellence, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Senior Partner
Astrid Marcelino is an Associate in the firm’s New York and Boca offices. Ms. Marcelino’s practice involves Bodily Injury Defense, focusing on claims involving wrongful death, paralysis, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries. These claims can result from a multitude of alleged causes, including construction site accidents and collapses, road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, premises liability, negligent security, and products liability, to name a few.
The other portion of Ms. Marcelino’s practice involves the defense of employers by employees under state and federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as wage and hour disputes.
Ms. Marcelino joined the firm in March 2023. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Marcelino was an associate at a personal injury litigation firm where she handled premises liability and personal injury claims for plaintiffs.
Associate
Mr. Norris’s practice primarily involves representing, defending, and counseling business owners regarding a diverse array of legal issues. Mr. Norris has had the privilege of successfully representing hotel operators and other hospitality businesses, medical practices, airlines, MROs, universities, banks, governmental entities, large institutional clients, and small businesses.
Mr. Norris has extensively litigated matters involving labor and employment law, commercial law, professional liability, hospitality law, premises liability, ADA accessibility, real estate, admiralty and maritime, wrongful death, and various types of negligence. Mr. Norris has defended private and public employers in all phases of litigation, from administrative hearings through trial on matters arising under Federal, State and local employment laws.
Mr. Norris also has extensive experience servicing business owners in the preparation and negotiation of contracts, including stock purchase and asset purchase agreements, ensuring compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, and providing guidance to mitigate risk and limit liability.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Norris served as in-house counsel for a successful Real Estate Investment Company that focused on acquiring and re-positioning distressed assets.
Partner
Robert Pariser supervises a talented team of attorneys who practice in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices. The attorneys I collaborate with are comprised of former educators, prosecutors, law clerks to state and federal judges and insurance professionals.
Robert Pariser’s legal practice focuses on the defense of claims against professionals (E&O, A&B, LPL or MPL), directors and officers (D&O) and against employers (EPL). Mr. Pariser represents design professionals (A&E) and other real estate professionals, including managing agents, appraisers, title agents, condo and co-op boards and developers in various disputes. On behalf of construction owners and managers, he defends claims prosecuted by injured workers brought pursuant to the New York Labor Law.
Robert Pariser also represent clients on other types of discrimination claims, including alleged civil rights violations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Robert Pariser defends environmental cases, involving mold, asbestos and ground contamination.
Robert Pariser represents public and private educators in breach of contract, employment, bullying, failing to promote and in due process matters.
Robert Pariser has had election, stock redemption, auction, foreclosure/ sheriff sale, false arrest, prosecutorial misconduct disputes. Robert Pariser has been on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list from 2011-present.
Partner
Mr. Sanchez Parraga is a partner at Lydecker’s Miami and New York offices. He counsels insurers on insurance coverage, claim adjustment, and contract interpretation on first-party property homeowners and commercial losses, bad faith litigation, fire/theft/fraud investigation, and windstorm coverage. In addition to handling matters of insurance coverage, Mr. Sanchez Parraga frequently represents insurers in trial and appellate courts in first-party property and bad faith litigation. He is also a frequent lecturer on seminars regarding first-party property claims and litigation topics.
Partner
Lee Patten is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s National Catastrophic Injury and Loss Defense Department. Mr. Patten has extensive trial court experience in complex litigation, and has defended numerous cases involving wrongful death, paralysis, amputation, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries throughout New York, New Jersey, and Florida. These claims and large loss exposures arise from a variety of liability scenarios, including premises liability, medical/healthcare/nursing home liability, school/early education/day care liability, construction site accidents (including New York labor law claims), road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, negligent security, and products liability, among others. Mr. Patten brings to bear his extensive experience in each of these specific industries to obtain excellent results for his clients.
Mr. Patten maintains a progress-oriented practice, whether pre-suit or in litigation, Mr. Patten works closely with his client to advance the case with every court filing, correspondence, email, and phone conference. Every action is designed to move the case forward toward trial or resolution.
Mr. Patten has taken countless depositions, including deposition of subject matter experts, liability experts, and damages experts. He has attended countless hearings, including important summary judgment hearings, as well as multi-day arbitrations and multi-day framed issue evidentiary hearings.
Mr. Patten has tried cases before many trial courts throughout the state of Florida, New York, and New Jersey, and has obtained many favorable settlement outcomes at the eleventh hour due to detailed trial preparations, including motions in limine and Daubert challenges to opposing experts.
Mr. Patten has also served as monitoring counsel and converted to lead trial counsel in numerous cases involving large losses or multiple layers of insurance. He is successfully able to parachute into potential “problem” or “high risk” cases, and laser in on key areas to prepare liability and damages defenses quickly and efficiently.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Patten was a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, as well as a prosecutor for the Department of Children and Families. It was there that Mr. Patten started his trial career and was able to transfer those skills to civil litigation. In Law School, Mr. Patten served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and won several awards for both Mock Trial and Moot Court competitions.
Partner
Dominika Peko is an Associate located in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. She is admitted to practice in New York. Ms. Peko practices in the areas of labor and employment law and litigation.
Ms. Peko earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Policy Studies from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University in December 2018.
Ms. Peko earned her Juris Doctorate Degree from Brooklyn Law School. While completing her legal studies, Ms. Peko was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society and the Journal of Law & Policy. Additionally, Ms. Peko was selected as a New York City Bar Association Diversity Fellow.
Associate
Michael Poreda is Of Counsel in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices of Lydecker. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and is admitted to practice in five of the federal jurisdictions in those states.
He is an experienced litigator who has practiced widely in the areas of discrimination, civil rights, health care, personal injury, consumer fraud, and professional malpractice. His past clients have included municipal entities such as school boards and police departments, a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, and political candidates.
Michael clerked for the Honorable Hector R. Velazquez of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Hudson County and for the Honorable William J. Martini of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark.
Michael graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University with a B.A. He has an M.A. from Teachers College – Columbia University. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law where he was a law review editor. Before attending law school, Michael taught high school history in New Jersey and has served as adjunct faculty at Rutgers University. He is the 2024-25 Chair of the LGBTQ Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Of Counsel
Michael Rawlinson is a partner in our New York office. Mr. Rawlinson’s practice involves all aspects of Federal and State civil trials litigation with a primary focus on architects and engineers, construction (New York Labor Law and construction defect), premises liability and transportation.
Mr. Rawlinson’s trial experience includes trials brought under Labor Law Sections 200, 240, 241(6).
Mr. Rawlinson earned his J.D. degree from Fordham University with honors in litigation and participated in moot court.
Upon entering the workforce, Mr. Rawlinson continued his career in litigation. He has over 120 verdicts in his various practice areas.
Partner
Chrystel Yoo is an Associate located in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. She is admitted to practice in New York. Ms. Yoo practices in the areas of labor and employment law and litigation. She represents clients in New York State courts and handles administrative charges in state and federal agencies.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Yoo appeared frequently in court and handled discovery as an Assistant Prosecutor for the Brooklyn District Attorney.
Ms. Yoo attended Fordham Law School, where she participated in the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy program and was an editor for the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal. She also worked at Fordham’s Samuelson-Glushko Intellectual Property and Information Clinic.
Prior to law school, she graduated magna cum laude from Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University and practiced as a licensed pharmacist.
Associate
