Our Approach

Every client and every dispute is different. Some clients are bomb throwers and some would rather die than say anything that isn’t nice. Some cases are super straightforward and some are a messy tangle of facts spanning many years. We’ve done and seen it all.

• We’re happy to litigate/very experienced, but frequently the only people who win in litigation are the lawyers. We try to avoid litigation, but if that’s the only option that’s open,we’re highly trained/experienced.
• We’re focused on helping clients get the results that best suit them.
• We love working with people who are smart and self-aware.
• We work with different clients in different ways. Laura is the more aggressive and I’m the more even tempered. We work well together because we balance each other out to effectively advocate for a client’s interest and goals.
• We know that litigation and disputes can be really stressful. We help our clients by, not only providing legal advice, but by helping them to understand the overall process for dispute resolution. For some clients, that means, taking an aggressive position in litigation, for some it means pursuing a negotiated resolution and for some it means doing both things simultaneously.
• We are genuinely interested in the law and enjoy learning about new issues, which makes us nerds, but also makes us the sort of attorneys you want representing you

Emily Poler

I began my legal career at the preeminent Manhattan law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, where I represented biotechnology, media, and insurance companies, and some of the largest banks in the world. Subsequently, I spent almost 12 years at a boutique litigation firm where I handled disputes involving claims of copyright and trademark infringement, breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, and defamation. Clients included financial institutions, hedge funds, software-as-a-service providers, not-for-profit entities, unions, and high-net-worth individuals.

Before joining forces with Laura, I formed my own firm. There were a lot of reasons for me to take this leap: I wanted to understand the and outs of operating my own business; I needed to create a work life where I had the power to choose the types of cases I worked on (intellectual property, trade secrets and unfair competition, yes please!); and I wanted to prioritize working with clients who appreciate my particular skills, which include a nearly endless curiosity about what makes people do the things they do and a desire to always learn new skills and ways of doing things. (Gregg: Thought that could go here: I’ve always loved being a lawyer, but am very much not someone in a grey suit who is boring and bound by tradition.)

I zealously and forcefully advocate for my clients, but I also carefully listen to my clients’ concerns (legal and otherwise) to make sure they factor into any strategy. I also use my curiosity and legal experience to identify arguments and strategies that others might miss.

While I love my work, I also have a rich life outside the office and courtroom. I can frequently be found having long and meandering political or philosophical discussions with my kid, hiking in the Pocono Mountains, knitting or quilting.

Education:

Oberlin College, B.A. (with honors)

New York University School of Law, J.D. (with honors)

Bar Admissions:

New York

Pennsylvania

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Laura Trachtman

I started my legal career as an assistant district attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office. While there, I handled a variety of criminal cases, including taking ten cases to verdict, and presenting cases before the Grand Jury. From there, I went on to clerk for a New York State Supreme Court Justice in the Criminal Term in Kings County, where I assisted the Justice hearing, among other matters, a murder trial. Being on both sides of the bench was a formative experience because I have seen all aspects of trial practice and courtroom demeanor and honed my love of arguing before an audience. Subsequently, I shifted my focus to appellate litigation at Mischel & Horn, P.C. before joining my father, Alan C. Trachtman, in his boutique litigation practice, which I eventually took over.

My practice now focuses on representing clients in a range of disputes, with a particular interest in representing clients in claims of employment matters including discrimination, as well as partnership/founder disputes, breach of contract, and both conducting internal investigations into malfeasance for corporate clients and guiding individual clients through the same. I particularly love the challenges involved in assessing a problem and finding a resolution that best benefits my clients, especially when that resolution involves a novel approach to the problem.

I have conducted numerous trials and consider the courtroom to be my natural environment, as oral argument is an exhilarating exercise in crafting lightning-fast rationales for my client’s position. Similarly, I love motion practice and appellate work, because they allow me to explain in excruciating detail why my client is right and the other party is wrong. Writing briefs is also immensely satisfying as I can locate and identify cases which confirm that my client is right.

I speak, read and write Mandarin fluently and am conversant in French.

Outside of work, I can frequently be found knitting, cooking, reading, and going on long walks to and from the dog park with my dogs Cinders and Opal.

Education:

Barnard College, B.A. (with honors)

Columbia University, M.A.

University of California, Berkeley, J.D.

Bar Admissions:

New York

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Notable Decisions:

Nelson v. HSBC Bank U.S., 87 A.D.3d 995 (N.Y. App. Div. 2011)