BUFFALO, NY – Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman today announced that Carol E. Heckman and Raymond L. Fink from Harter Secrest & Emery LLP and Charles E. Telford III from Barclay Damon LLP have joined the firm as partners.  These new partners will provide Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman clients with access to new practice areas that include financial reorganization, restructuring and insolvency, Native American Law, and private dispute resolution services, in addition to enhancing the firm’s trusts and estates and cross border services and adding bench strength to the growing government investigations and trial practice. 

“Adding such distinguished and well recognized attorneys in both legal and community circles further solidifies our firm as a destination for some of the most experienced legal minds in the region,” said Kevin J. Cross, managing partner, Lippes Mathias. “These three partners each bring a unique set of legal expertise allowing us to support our strategic vision of enhancing and expanding the quality services we offer our clients.”

Mr. Fink has been practicing law for more than three decades, representing corporate clients at various stages of development and from many diverse industries, including private financial organizations, banking institutions, equity funds, secured creditors, lessors and lessees of equipment and real estate, franchisers and franchisees, health care facilities, agricultural lenders, various business enterprises, and business owners in internal business disputes.  Mr. Fink is the former president of the Bar Association of Erie County and the current president of the board of directors of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, Inc.  He is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law.

Including a distinguished career as a United States Magistrate Judge, Judge Heckman (Ret.) has more than 39 years of experience as a judge and a trial and appellate lawyer.  Her practice spans a broad range of areas, including government investigations and trials, complex commercial litigation,  employment law, patent litigation, constitutional claims, and alternate dispute resolution.  More recently, Judge Heckman (Ret.) has represented Fortune 500 companies and a sovereign Native American tribe in a variety of high stakes commercial and business disputes.  She is a frequent choice as an arbitrator for the AAA, and as a mediator.  She has served on many community boards, and graduated second in her class from Cornell Law School.

Mr. Telford focuses his practice in the areas of corporate, general tax and estate planning. He represents clients before and in negotiation with the Internal Revenue Service on a variety of issues including corporate, foreign, federal excise, personal and tax exempt matters; tax planning for state, federal and estate tax matters, including the acquisition and sale of business interests; representation before and negotiation with the New York State Department of Taxation on a variety of issues including sales, income, corporate, personal, refund, and petroleum business tax matters.  He is a graduate of University at Buffalo School of Law and received a LL.M. in taxation from New York University.

“Attracting this level of legal talent to our firm is a testament to our culture and to the high level of legal services we provide to our clients.” Cross said.