Experience and Expertise

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Having prosecuted hundreds of matters for the Attorney Grievance Committee, including being the first person to ever successfully prosecute an admonition challenge before the First Department and Court of Appeals, Si has uniquely intimate knowledge of the rules governing attorney discipline procedure, ethics, and professional conduct. He uses this practical knowledge to obtain favorable resolutions for his clients before the Committee, court appointed referees, and the Appellate Division.

Because the Judiciary Law renders much of attorney discipline non-public, Si, as a former prosecutor, is one of the few attorneys who know firsthand the sanctions and practices typically associated with various allegations of misconduct. He uses this knowledge to craft the best defense for his clients and to mitigate risk, thereby minimizing the likelihood of career altering ethics and attorney misconduct prosecutions.

He is the type of attorney who partners and collaborates seamlessly with other professionals to obtain the best outcome for his clients. For example, Si routinely collaborates with CPAs in matters involving escrow and tax to properly reconcile accounts and to determine the existence of banking-specific defenses such as transitory deposits.

Biography

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Education
BA, SUNY at Stony Brook
JD, Hofstra Law School

Clerkship
Honorable James E. Gates,
USDC-EDNC

Admissions
New York
Connecticut
SDNY
EDNY

Accolades
Super Lawyers, Rising Stars 

Si graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook and Hofstra Law School. He began his career at Wilson Elser, a prominent defense firm, handling products liability actions for Sigarms, Inc., throughout the United States. His highlight case was City of New York v. Beretta, in which Si successfully debunked—through analysis of BATF data—the City’s theory that there was a causal connection between Sigarms’s marketing and distribution of firearms and the use of those firearms in crimes.

Thereafter, Si clerked for the Honorable James E. Gates in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Raleigh. During his clerkship, Si drafted decisions in criminal and civil matters and was responsible for all phases of chambers’ operation. Upon his return from clerking, Si joined Furman Kornfeld & Brennan, LLP, a preeminent NYC legal malpractice defense firm. His highlight cases involved multiple dismissals, pursuant to Rule 12, of lawyers accused of fraud and civil-RICO. Si then joined Queens County’s largest plaintiff’s personal injury firm where he rose to the level of general counsel. While there, he handled all aspects of the firm’s personal injury case load including trials and appeals. As general counsel he represented the firm in all matters including the successful defense and dismissal of multiple mortgage fraud cases directed against the firm from the multi-million dollar theft of its former associate on a theory that banks, as assignees, lacked standing to pursue tort claims. His highlight personal injury case resulted in the Second Department’s 2015 reversal of its long-standing prohibition of driver-passenger conflict waivers, Sacco & Fillas, LLP v. David Broderick, PC, that resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement following a fee hearing.

Thereafter, Si joined the Attorney Grievance Committee for the First Judicial Department. With the Committee, Si led investigations and prosecutions into hundreds of matters including money laundering, judgment and tax evasion, conflicts of interest, escrow misconduct, neglect, and personal misconduct. Among his notable cases, Si co-led the prosecution into the joint 60 Minutes-Global Witness exposé—viewed by over 9 million people—into New York lawyers aiding offshore money laundering.