Prior to forming Ficara & Associates, P.C., Mr. Ficara practiced in Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman’s Condo/Coop practice group, where he was responsible for originating, preparing and filing numerous offering plans for developers in the New York metropolitan area and beyond, and Certilman Balin’s Real Estate practice group where he concentrated in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate transactions.

Previously, Mr. Ficara served as an attorney with Sidley Austin LLP’s New York Global Real Estate Group. His practice area focused on capital markets transactions with an emphasis on structured real estate finance matters as well as commercial real estate transactions, providing a unique breadth of knowledge and expertise in the areas of real estate finance.

Mr. Ficara earned his Bachelor of Science in business and economics with a minor in history from Lehigh University and his Juris Doctor from Hofstra University School of Law.  Additionally, he has undertaken foreign legal studies at La Faculté de Deroit des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion (University of Nice School of Economics and Management) in Nice, France.  

Active in his community, he volunteers his time to the American Cancer Society as the founder and chairman of the board of Sail to a Cure, an annual charity sailing event on Long Island. 

Mr. Ficara is a member of the Board of Directors of the Queens and Bronx Builders Association and a Member of the New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations. Mr. Ficara also serves on the New York State Bar Association Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives.  He has given numerous CLE lectures to his peers on the topic of affordable housing. He is admitted to the Bar in the State of New York.

Formerly a partner at Alvy & Tablante, LLP, Buckley, Treacy, Schaffel, Mackey & Abbate in New York City and Goldberg & Connolly of Rockville Centre, Mr. Alvy has represented general and heavy construction firms, sureties, industrial builders, consulting engineers and architects, specialty contractors in complex legal matters involving federal, state and local authorities, as well as private commercial entities.

Mr. Alvy is experienced in the preparation of construction contracts, related agreements and AIA documents. He has successfully pursued construction and government contract claims on behalf of contractors and subcontractors, including claims for extra work, delay, differing site conditions, and terminations. He has litigated bid protests and pre-qualification issues before numerous federal, state and municipal government agencies. He has also successfully challenged a portion of the new NYC Building Code, which became law in 2009. In particular, he represented a group of licensed crane operators and successfully challenged a government ban of two cab mobile cranes following a hearing and an appeal by the City to the First Department.

Mr. Alvy is also co-author of the “Mechanic's Liens” chapters of the New York Lawyer's Formbook and New York Lawyer's Deskbook, both published by the New York State Bar Association. He has contributed to many publications on construction law topics including Federal Publications, Inc., Construction Briefings, 2nd Ed. 1993, No. 93-9 - “Certification of Federal Contract Claims”; The Construction Company Strategist (May 1996); The Journal of Construction Accounting and Taxation (Spring 1994); The Nassau Lawyer and The American Bar Association Contract Newsletter. He has also spoken before various groups on topical issues related to the construction field, provided advice to various contractors' trade organizations and previously participated in an editorial capacity for The University of Michigan Industrial Relations Law Digest.

Don’s recent professional activities include presenting a Continuing Legal Education program on avoiding pitfalls when making summary judgment motions in state and federal court, sponsored by the New York County Lawyers Association, in 2010. He was a lecturer at the Business and Law Reports Employment Law Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2009, on employers’ rights with regard to monitoring of electronic communications and the Internet. In 2008, he was the panel coordinator and a speaker at the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) in San Diego where his new book on employment law was distributed to over 150 Risk Managers. He has also been a mock trial panelist at the Property Loss Research Bureau on “Elements of Successful Defense to a Coverage Case,” and has been a featured speaker at the Council on Education and Management, on “Workers’ Compensation and Section 11 Grave Injuries,” at the Nassau Suffolk Claims Managers Council on “The Insured’s Right to Select Counsel,” and at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, on “How Completion Bonds Work.” Don has conducted numerous corporate Continuing Education and Continuing Legal Education programs on topics regarding employment law, sponsored by insurance companies, which underwrite Employers Liability policies, including AIG and Chubb.

Don’s legal articles on matters of employment law and litigation have been published in the Insurance and Employment Practices Liability Reporter (IRMI, publisher), including “How to Avoid Retaliation Claims.” In the past, his articles have appeared in the Entertainment Law Reporter on topics relating to the entertainment industry. He is qualified to serve as an arbitrator in the Nassau County Bar Associations court annexed fee dispute resolution program and has been invited to lecture several times at the Council on Education and Management, Workers’ Compensation, and Employment Law Update. Don has taught at New York University Institute for Paralegal Studies, and was twice selected as a judge for the National Moot Court Competition, where he has also been a panelist.

His extra-curricula endeavors, aside from a love of golf and tennis, include having served as a board member of Manhattan Theatre Source, a non-profit arts service organization serving to link disparate communities within New York's vital off-off-Broadway movement, which has been featured in the New York Times. Don has also served as an Executive Producer on several feature films including Jeffrey Dahmer: The Secret Life (1993), The Hunt for CM24 (1997), and most recently, served as both Executive Producer and counsel on the feature film American Sunset, starring Corey Haim, which premiered at the American Film Market in November 2009. He has also produced or co-produced plays in New York City at Theatre Arielle and the Players Theatre, as well as a play reading at the John Drew Theatre in Easthampton, New York, about the role of Harry Truman’s boyhood friend, Eddie Jacobson, in the granting of statehood to Israel which starred Golden Globe nominee Eli Wallach. He has also been an active fund raiser in newscaster Ann Liguori’s Celebrity Golf Tournament for the American Cancer Society.

Education

• Western New England College School of Law, JD, 1975
• Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, BA, 1970

Admissions

• New York
• United States District Courts: Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York
• United States Court of Appeals: Second Circuit
• United States Court of Federal Claims
• United States Supreme Court

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association (Member: Section on Tort and Insurance Practice;
    TIPS Publication Editorial Board, 1989-1993)
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• New York State Bar Association (Member: Insurance, Negligence and
     Compensation Section; Committee on Corporate Counsel, 1989-1990)
• Nassau County Bar Association

Reported Cases

• Borschardt v. N.Y. Life Ins. Co. (1984), Ct. Appeals 477 NYS2d 167
• Alden v. Brooks, Sup. Ct. 506 N.Y.S.2d 390
• Linares v. Spencer Cameron, Sup. Ct. App. Div. (1986), 503 NYS2d 639
• Reynoso v. Claygate (U.S. Dist. Ct. SDNY 1988), W.L. 25137
• Future Ways v. Odiorne (Receiver for Commercial Standard Ins.Co.)
     (U.S. Dist. Ct. SDNY 1988) 697 F.Supp. 1339
• Saritejdiam, Inc. v. Excess Insurance Co. (2nd Cir 1992) 971 F2d 9101
• ISE v. Cigna (2nd Cir 1994) 22 F3d 414
• Ben Berger & Son, Inc. v. American Motorist Insurance Company
     (U.S. Dist. Ct., SDNY 1995) 36U.S.Pd2d 1105, 1995 WL 386560
• Haber v. St. Paul Insurance (2nd Cir. 1998) 137 F3d 691
• V.W. Broad (Syndicate 370, Lloyd’s of London) v. Don King & Don King Productions, 2d Cir. 1999
• SEC v. Berger (S.D.N.Y. 2001 W.L. 1403028)
• In Re Frontier Insurance Co. 27 AD3d 274

Representing clients in both New York federal and state courts at trial and appellate levels, he has successfully argued numerous appeals.

Over the course of his diversified legal career, Mr. Bizzaro has been employed by two of Long Island's largest law firms.

In 1995, he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting from Hofstra University and, in 1999, he graduated from St. John's University School of Law.

Mr. Bizzaro is admitted to practice in the State of New York, as well as the United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Ms. Stetch graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts and earned her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law.

Ms. Stetch has volunteered for and participated in fundraising for several charities in the past including St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Hale House. Currently Ms. Stetch is involved in organizing a community association to educate, inform and assist homeowners on the South Shore of Long Island in obtaining hurricane relief required due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.