20 Years of Making People Matter

When Robert Freedman and Daniel Fish first met at the Brookdale Center on Aging in 1979, the field of elder law as we know it today was non-existent As each attorney took their own career path, both felt there was a need to fulfill the unique challenges facing the elderly.

In 1985, Bob decided to create his own firm and called upon Dan to join him with the vision of a law firm that would take a bold and more caring approach to protecting the legal rights of the elderly and disabled. The firm's name was decided on a flip of a coin. Since Bob won the toss, Freedman and Fish - one of the first elder law firms in the country - was created.

During the first few years, our firm's offices were located in the landmark Woolworth Building andour firm was characterized by hard work, long hours and steady growth. The initial areas of concentration were Medicaid, nursing home rights and guardianships. As the 1980s drew to a close, the field of elder law was emerging across the country and the increasing number of elder law attorneys prompted the formation of an organization dedicated to the legal needs of the elderly. The organization ultimately became the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) - of which Bob and Dan were founding members.

In 1990, the New York State Bar Association recognized that the field of elder law warranted its own section
and formed the Elder Law Section of the NYSBA of which Bob became Vice Chair and then Chair and of which Dan is current Chair. The Elder Law Section is now the eighth largest section withing the NYSBA and is one of the most popular.

The firm quickly outgrew its downtown space and moved to a more central location in midtown Manhattan.
By the mid-1990s, as demand grew for trust and estate planning and sophisticated tax planning, Barry Lutzky joined the firm as partner to oversee these practice areas and bring them together into a full-range of services tailored to meet clients' long-term planning needs. During this time, the firm emerged as an advocate for the rights of the elderly and a leader in the fight against cutbacks to Medicaid in Albany and Washington.

As the firm entered the year 2000, Judith Grimaldi joined the firm as a partner and opened a branch office in Brooklyn to serve the borough - which has a large population of elders. This branch has grown to a full-service office with three attorneys and can provide complex planning in a neighborhood setting. In 2004,
the firm's name was changed to Freedman Fish & Grimaldi LLP.

We are extremely proud of the firm's many accomplishments over the past two decades and of the role we have played in developing and furthering the field of elder law. Our alumni are distinguished practitioners of elder law throughout the tri-state area. As we look forward to the next 20 years of service, we remain always committed to our core values of caring, compassion and making People Matter.

Sincerely,

The partners and staff of Freedman Fish & Grimaldi LLP

20th Anniversary Events - 2005

To commemorate our 20th Anniversary, the firm hosted a series of client, community and corporate events as a way of saying "thank you" to those individuals and groups that have helped us reach this plateau.

Bowlmor Lanes - September 9, 2005

To help kick off the 20th Anniversary festivities, we invited some close friends for a three-hour bowling event at Greenwich Village's Bowlmor Lanes. Everyone got into the mood early as we broke up into teams and bowled the night away. Many strikes and gutterballs later, participants received bowling trophies and award certificates for accomplishments such as "Bowling Ace", "Gutter King and Queen", "Best Dressed", and "Best Overall Team."

Circle Line - September 28, 2005

For our second event, we invited clients to a relaxing two hour cruise around the world's most famous skyline. The rain that was supposed to fall that day held off and we were treated to sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. The ship sailed down the Hudson and around the Battery with a close-up view of the State of Liberty - then it cruised up the East River and under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. Our clients and guests thanked us afterwards and look forward to being invited to the firm's 25th Anniversary celebration.