A merger between Abrams Fensterman LLP and Rosenberg & Steinmetz PC started in the courtroom, not the boardroom, according to firm leadership.
Founding partner Howard Fensterman said he was working on a commercial litigation case against Rachelle Roseberg 18 months ago, and found her to be a formidable attorney.
“When I got off the phone with her, when the case was finally resolved, I said to myself, ‘I would love to have an attorney of that quality and passion in my firm,’” Fensterman said.
He said that about a year later, he met Rosenberg for lunch, and she brought along Elliot Steinmetz. Fensterman said he was immediately impressed by Steinmetz as well.
He was particularly impressed by Steinmetz’s second job as an NCAA head coach for Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball team, Fensterman said.
“This is an individual who is a leader, and also has tremendous experience in making decisions extemporaneously under pressure,” Fensterman said. “Those experiences, I felt, made him a better lawyer and businessman.”
Rosenberg & Steinmetz, established in 2014, focused on real estate transactions and commercial litigation and offers an “in-house feel” to clients, according to its website.
Fensterman said the merger will benefit both firms by expanding their resources and addressing specific gaps in each firm. He said Rosenberg & Steinmetz can now access the Abrams Fensterman specialty areas for which they would previously have had to refer clients to an outside firm.
“Not only are they able to practice in the areas that they specialize in, but they are also able to avail themselves to other specialties right in the same office,” he said.
He added that Rosenberg’s specialties in commercial litigation and Steinmetz’s in financing will fill gaps in the Abrams Fensterman footprint.
“On our behalf, it availed us of having a sophisticated real estate attorney and a top-flight commercial litigator,” he said. “Eventually, they will come into management of the law firm.”
The firm, headquartered in Lake Success, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and Fensterman said part of the logic of this merger is future-facing.
“From a structuring point of view, for the law firm, it’s a great opportunity for them, and a great opportunity for us, as we prepare for the succession of the firm in the years to come,” Fensterman said.
“They were both very good businesspeople before they came here, and what they have now is a bigger platform and an opportunity to move into management of the law firm at some point in the future,” he said. “They were already very successful…Now they can take what’s here and contribute to the continued growth of Abrams Fensterman.”
