Lexow, Berbit & Associates, P.C. prides itself on being true to the Firm's rich tradition of treating each client as unique, irrespective of the size of the matter. We focus carefully on each client's needs and desires, and focus on achieving the desired result in an efficient manner, while maintaining integrity.
We offer a unique blend of skill, creativity, experience, and precision which is applied to the best our ability in furtherance of each client's causes.
Lexow, Berbit & Associates P.C.
56 Park Avenue
Suffern, New York 10901
Warren E. Berbit is a former electrical engineer, with a BS (EE) from City College School of Engineering and a MS (EE) from New YorkUniversity, having helped design a secret navigation system for the military, and having flown the same for three (3) years during the Vietnam era.Mr. Berbit then attended FordhamLawSchool, and has practiced law with the firm of which he has become the principal, starting as a law clerk in 1971, an attorney in 1973, and partner in 1977.The Firm has represented the ClarkstownCentralSchool District since centralization in 1949, and the component districts since the early 1900’s.
Mr. Berbit, whose specialties are in education and municipal law, has individually been General Counsel to the ClarkstownCentralSchool District since 1978.He also helped form the Village of Montebello, where he has held the position of Village Attorney since its incorporation in 1986, in addition to serving in a consulting capacity to other villages.
Mr. Berbit has litigated numerous education law and related issues before the Commissioner of Education, PERB, NYS Division of Human Rights, New York Supreme Courts, Appellate Divisions and Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
He has lectured on education law, in general, and on topics such as student rights, student discipline, probation and tenure of pedagogical employees, and related issues. As well as on land use regulations and zoning law.
Mr. Berbit helped form the RocklandCenter for Holocaust Studies, and remains on the Board of Governors, and is an elected Trustee of the Suffern Free Library, presently also serving as Vice President. has published articles on technical and whimsical issues associated with amateur radio, on the history of radio, and has published poetry.
Susan Mills Richmond has significant experience in education law as a neutral Impartial Hearing Officer for the SED, hearing and deciding cases involving students with disabilities. She also actively participates in Lexow, Berbit & Associate's representation the school district for which it serves as General Counsel in all of it myriad general and special education law issues and has represented parents in other localities in these kinds of matter. She is particularly involved in all special education related matters.
In addition, Ms. Richmond practices in the areas of bankruptcy, loan workout, and commercial litigation, as well as decedent's estates, real estate law, and the adjudication of traffic-related charges.
Prior to associating with Lexow, Berbit & Associates, P.C., Ms. Richmond was principal of her own firm after serving as Senior Counsel to the Bank of New York. Prior to that, Ms. Richmond was Senior Law Clerk to the Honorable Burton R. Liftland of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, and also worked as Senior Associate at Strook & Stroock & Lavan and as New York Counsel to Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler.
Ms. Richmond is a graduate of Hofstra Law School with Distinction, where she was a Law Review Managing Editor. She is also currently an arbitrator serving on a federal securities law panel ("FINRA") and on the panels of American Arbitration Association, the District Court of the Eastern District of New York, the Workers' Compensation Board, and as an Impartial Hearing Officer for the New York State Department of Education.
Ms. Richmond has also participated in the establishment of the Education Law Committee of the Westchester Women's Bar Association and is a co-chair of the statewide organization, WBASNY. She has also served in various capacities and as a Director of both the Rockland and Westchester Women's Bar Associations. She has published several articles in scholarly journals and lectures frequently.
Stephen M. Forte is admitted to practice in New York State and Connecticut. He came to Lexow, Berbit & Associates P.C. by way of Pace University School of Law, where along with his Juris Doctorate, Stephen received a certificate in International Law. He obtained this by virtue of his extensive international law studies, which included a semester abroad in London studying at the University College of London, Faculty of Law and a summer abroad in Rome, where he studied alternative dispute resolution and negotiation.
In addition to his international experience, prior to coming to the firm, Stephen spent several years in an administrative position working in intellectual property, an area of law he aspires to bring to the firm's current catalog of practice areas. In particular, his interests lie in trademarks, copyrights, and applicable business strategies.
Having received a BBA from Loyola College in Maryland, Stephen brings his business and computer expertise to the firm.
Stephen is involved in all practice areas handled by the firm, in particular education law and bankruptcy matters.
Stephen is a member of the New York State Bar Association, as well as its Young Lawyers Section, Entertainment Law Section, and Intellectual Property Section, the Westchester County Bar Association, the Westchester County Association, and the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
Alexander F. Berbit serves as special counsel to Lexow, Berbit & Associates in the New York City office and focuses in business, tax, bankruptcy, contractual disputes and employment matters.He graduated BrooklynLawSchool in 2007. During his time at Brooklyn Law, he clerked for The Legal Aid Society and The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.
He has had a long standing affiliation with the Firm, and as such, he has developed a close relationship with the Firm's clients and workload.
In 2003, Mr. Berbit received his B.S. in Accounting from LehighUniversity in their College of Business and Economics.
Mr. Berbit is a member of the New York State Bar Association and is admitted to practice in New York State.