Steven J. Mandel

“When you focus on the solutions, the problems take care of themselves.” Steven J. Mandel

From the gritty streets of Brooklyn, Steven J. Mandel worked through law school as a professional comedian performing in front of literally thousands of people in the most prestigious comedy clubs and resorts throughout the tri-state area. In recognition of his comedic skills, he was acknowledged and accepted as a member of the esteemed Friars Club.

Steve credits his experience working in front of an audience with helping to make him the successful trial lawyer he is today. As he explains, both the lawyer and the performer must be fully prepared, confident, persuasive, engaging, quick-witted and able to relate to an audience. It’s a truism that both arenas are totally Darwinian, where only the strongest survive.

Steve now regularly “performs” as a legal analyst on TV, sharing his wealth of knowledge and legal expertise in a totally engaging way. All of the major New York newspapers have quoted him extensively and his legal papers have been sought out by Matthew Bender for inclusion in their form books, which serve as examples of writing excellence for other attorneys.

A proud member of the Board of Directors & Chief Legal Counsel for Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure for Prostate Cancer Awareness, Steve has also provided extensive legal counsel and assistance to the Multiple Sclerosis Society since 1987. In recognition of his efforts, the New York City Chapter honored him with a special award before a New York Mets’ game, on the field at Shea Stadium, and the National MS Society inducted him into their Volunteer’s Hall of Fame, an honor reserved only for the most respected volunteers in the entire country.

Steve was fortunate to attend Adelphi University on a baseball scholarship. Although he received an invitation to try out for the Toronto Blue Jays, he decided his competitive spirit would best be served by becoming a lawyer and thus he followed a dream and obtained a Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree, as a member of the prestigious “First Class”, from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1979.

In recognition of his knowledge, experience and integrity, upon the recommendation of a sitting Judge of the New York State Supreme Court, Steve was trained, certified and now volunteers as an Early Neutral Evaluator to assist litigants in resolving complex legal matters prior to going to trial.

Steve Mandel serves as a faculty member of the New York College of Matrimonial Trial Attorneys and, as such, prepares continuing legal education programs on trial practice and family law for other lawyers at Bar Associations throughout New York State. He was also selected, and will serve as one of the co-chairs of the New York County Bar Association’s Matrimonial Law Section for 2015 and 2016.

Recognized as “Top 100 Lawyer in the United States” by the American Society of Legal Advocates; a “Top Attorney of the Year” by the New York Times Magazine Section; a “Family Law Practitioner of the Year” by New York Magazine; a “Legal Leader” and one of “New York’s Top Rated Lawyers” by ALM; a “Super Lawyer", (an honor awarded to only the top 5% of the lawyers in the country), Steven J. Mandel also received a perfect “10” rating from AVVO for “peer recognition & client satisfaction"; and Martindale-Hubbell also awarded him their prestigious “AV Preeminent” rating, which is the “highest possible in both legal ability and ethical standards”. In addition, in April 2015, Steve proudly enjoyed a “profile rating” of #89 out of 100,331 lawyers in New York State and #1275 out of 1,692,898 nationwide, placing him in the top 99.92 percentile!

With all he’s accomplished, Steve Mandel still measures his success as an attorney by the thoughtful “thank you cards” he receives from his grateful clients. He’s been described as "the Picasso of the legal profession,” because his special creativity is a proven factor in obtaining major settlements and in overcoming obstacles to courtroom victory. As he says, "If a lawyer only knows the law, the legislature can repeal everything he knows." Steve has a proven ability to keenly assess each client's situation and tailor an approach best suited to a successful outcome. For this reason, he has succeeded with what other lawyers might describe as "the un-winnable case".