Commercial Litigation

Earlier this month, Raymond Iryami was appointed by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and (approved by) the Nassau County Legislature to serve on the Advisory Council to the Department of Senior Citizens Affairs. The Council assists the Department in coordinating County programs relating to senior citizens. The Council's duties include reviewing and evaluating the effectiveness of existing services rendered by public and private agencies to senior citizens.

The appointment is the third government position to which Mr. Iryami has been named. He also serves on the Village of Great Neck Planning Board and previously served on the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights.

About Raymond Iryami
The founder of the Raymond Iryami Law Firm P.C., Mr. Iryami has represented individuals, commercial companies and healthcare facilities and professionals in corporate, commercial litigation, and regulatory matters. His corporate/business law experience includes drafting and negotiating asset purchase agreements, stock purchase agreements, operating agreements, licensing agreements, and employment agreements. He has represented clients in state and federal courts on various commercial, corporate, and regulatory matters (including Article 78 proceedings). In addition, Mr. Iryami has advised healthcare providers as they seek to structure their practices in a way that complies with the myriad of state and federal regulations (such as Stark and the Anti-Kickback laws) that apply to them, and navigate the bureaucratic framework of state and federal agencies such as Medicare, Medicaid, New York State Department of Health, Office of Professional Medical Conduct, the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the New York State Board of Pharmacy.

Mr. Iryami's legal writings and proposals have been cited by legal scholars and various media outlets, including ABC News and CNN.com. His writings on legal matters have appeared in treatises on contract law and intellectual property law. Professionally, he is a member of the New York State Bar Association (Health Law Section) and the Great Neck Lawyers Association and serves a pro bono attorney for the Sephardic American Medical Society. He is a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook and the Fordham University School of Law, where he was a guest lecturer on contract law, and became the first student-assistant to edit the "Law of Contracts" by John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo (West's Hornbook Series, 4th Ed. 1998).

Mr. Iryami has an extensive record of community service. In addition to his government positions, he currently serves on he Board of Directors of Golden First Bank, the Iranian American Jewish Federation, the Nassau County Democratic Committee, and COPAY of Great Neck, a non-profit drug and alcohol counseling organization. He is also the co-founder of the Persian Culture Committee, the Iranian-American Democrats of New York. He has previously served as a board member of the United Community Fund of Great Neck.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Mr. Iryami served as an assistant editor of the Great Neck Record, a Long Island weekly newspaper, where he received numerous community service awards, including a New York State Assembly Citation to "gifted journalist" for achievements in promoting better understanding involving Great Neck and its Iranian-Americans. A regular lecturer on the history and culture of the Iranian-Jewish community, Mr. Iryami has been frequently quoted in regional and national publications on matters relating to one of the most oldest Jewish communities in the world.

Commercial litigation is what happens when businesses are not able to resolve their disputes on their own. It happens. Like any relationship, sometimes business relationships come to an end. And, when they do, you have no choice but to consult a lawyer to protect your rights.

At the Raymond Iryami Law Firm, we strive to help our clients resolve disputes before they incur the significant time and expense of litigating a case. But that is not possible in every case, and we vigorously pursue all legal avenues through the courts of the State of New York to seek, to the fullest extent of the law, the damages or other remedies to which our clients are entitled.

Whether your dispute involves another business, your current or former business partners--or a governmental entity that has improperly violated your rights--the Raymond Iryami Law Firm can be an effective advocate for your particular grievance.

So I was asked the other night by someone I met at a function if a particular lawyer was the "best lawyer in New York"? Best lawyer in New York? Hmmm.

The question was quite natural. We all want to use the "best lawyer" we can find. And for the money that lawyers often charge, we figure, he or she better be the best! Still, the notion of the 'best lawyer in New York' is a bit more complicated.

Ultimately, you want to choose the best lawyer in New York--for you and your particular matter.

To begin with, you need to make sure that the attorney of your choice handles the kind of matter you need. Your podiatrist brother-in-law may indeed be among the best in his profession, but he would be the first to refer you to a cardiologist if you are complaining of chest pains. To a certain extent, similar concepts apply in choosing a lawyer. I, for example, have never handled a divorce case in my years of legal practice and would be the first to refer such cases to those who do handle them.

That is not to say you need New York's most specialized lawyer in every matter. If you are looking to start your own small business, you don't necessarily need to hire a lawyer who has been hired by Microsoft. Sure, you do need a lawyer who is familiar with New York corporate law, but you are probably wasting your money if you are hiring for your start-up venture a law firm that primarily handles Fortune 500 companies.

In the end, the choice of the best lawyer for you may come down to comfort level and trust. You need to make sure that you can trust your own lawyer. How can you tell? Asking trusted friends is one way. Having a conversation with the lawyer can sometimes give you some clues. And, sometimes you have a third way.

That third way is to see if others have trusted him. Lawyers often list their affiliations with various professional or charitable organizations on their web sites. See if the lawyer has been entrusted with positions of trust and leadership in such organizations. No, it's not a guarantee. But using a lawyer who has been entrusted by a number of organizations and associations may be worthy of your trust as well.

Or maybe not. As I said before, the matter of the "best lawyer" is really a matter of the best lawyer--for you.

Welcome to the Raymond Iryami Law Firm P.C. Blog! Here, we hope to share with you news, information, and perspective relevant to our practice areas and community. We hope you will find such information helpful. Naturally, we are also here to answer your questions. Please feel free to email me at raymond@raymondiryami.com.