Three Great Neck North High School alums, who graduated in three consecutive decades, became partners of the New York City office of the Los Angeles–based law firm Pierce Bainbridge. An earlier iteration of the rapidly growing litigation firm was described by Forbes as a “disruptor,” changing the legal industry.
The three Great Neck grads, Andrew Lorin from the Class of 1981, Don Lewis from the Class of 1991 and Jonathan Sorkowitz from the Class of 2002, had not met each other until they began working at Pierce Bainbridge.
“It’s not quite Three Perfect Strangers, but it is pretty amazing,” said Don Lewis, cofounder of the NYC office, who recently left the firm.
Having grown up in Great Neck with a Jewish father from Brooklyn and a Protestant Jamaican mother and always keeping a diverse friend group, Lewis was cochair of Diversity and Social Inclusion.
Sorkowitz, the youngest of the three Great Neck partners, was involved in extracurricular activities and formed lifelong friendships on the peninsula.
“First and foremost, any success I’ve had in my career and in life, and the success I hope to have in the future, I attribute to the truly excellent Great Neck schools,” said Sorkowitz.
Lorin, a cofounder of the NYC office, also praises the Great Neck school system.
“Great Neck had a huge influence on my life,” said Lorin. “I received an excellent education that allowed me to go to a top-notch Ivy League school.”
At North High, Lorin was involved with the debate team and school paper. Growing up, his father was a lawyer and his mother was a librarian at the Great Neck Library for more than 30 years. To this day, he still plays poker with old Great Neck friends.
The three lawyers’ paths to success are unique, but they all credit Great Neck with preparing them not only intellectually, but also personally. With co-Great Neckers to work with, it is especially difficult for these three men to forget their roots.
