Steven Jay Mandel

Steven J. Mandel, a co-chair of the New York County Lawyer's Association’s Matrimonial Section, was chosen as “One of the Bad-Ass Divorce Lawyer’s You Wouldn’t Want to See Representing Your Spouse” for good reason. He successfully created the firm that bears his name in 1980, based upon the motto of J.P. Morgan who said, “I don’t want a lawyer to tell me what I can’t do. I hire him to tell me how to do what I want to do.”

From the gritty streets of Brooklyn, Steve worked his way through law school as a professional comedian. Steve credits this experience with helping to make him a successful trial attorney. As he explains, "In both fields, the lawyer/performer must be fully prepared, confident, persuasive, engaging, quick-witted and able to relate to his audience. Both arenas are truly Darwinian, where only the strongest survive."

Steve went to Adelphi University on a baseball scholarship. Although he received an invitation to try out for the Toronto Blue Jays, Steve decided his competitive spirit and winning attitude would best be served by becoming a tough, yet compassionate, attorney. Always a trailblazer, Steve was a member of the first class at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, from where he graduated in the top of his class, with a Doctor of Law degree (J.D.) in 1979.

Recognized as a “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 consummate “Super Lawyer", Steven J. Mandel also received a perfect “10” rating from AVVO for “peer recognition & client satisfaction" and Martindale-Hubbell awarded him their prestigious “AV Preeminent” rating, which is the “highest possible award in both legal ability and ethical standards”.

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 and certified as an Early Neutral Evaluator to assist litigants in resolving complex divorce matters prior to going to trial and serves as a member of the Judiciary Committee of the New York City Bar Association, which assists in the selection of Judges to the bench.

A true legal scholar, Steve is a faculty member of the New York College of Matrimonial Trial Attorneys and, as such, teaches continuing legal education programs at bar associations and law schools throughout New York State. He has also co-authored “Strategies for Family Law in New York”, which was published by Thompson Reuters and is available on Amazon.

Steve proudly serves on the Advisory Board of the esteemed American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators. In this capacity, he provides information, and conducts seminars for members of the bar, and Judges, to help them better understand the nuances of complex financial matters that may arise in ultra-high net worth divorces.

Steve believes that balancing solid and thorough case preparation, with an innovative and flexible approach, brings the greatest opportunity for success. In fact, he has 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 with a smile, "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 individual situation, and tailor an approach best suited to a successful outcome. For this reason, he has succeeded in what other lawyers might describe as "the un-winnable case".

This all explains why his Martindale-Hubbell “profile rating” was #110 out of 89,473 lawyers in New York State and #937 out of 1,537,898 in the entire country, placing him in the top 99.94 percentile of attorneys nationwide!

Even with all this deserved recognition, Steve Mandel still measures his success as an attorney by the number of thoughtful “thank you cards” and “hugs” he receives from his satisfied clients at the conclusion of their case.

Steve devotes a great deal of his time and efforts in giving back to the community. Since 1987, he has volunteered his legal skills and services to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. In 2005, the New York City Chapter of the MS Society honored him for his efforts, with a special recognition award on the field before a New York Mets’ game 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.

This lifetime of achievements explains why people have come to see Steven J. Mandel and The Mandel Law Firm for almost 40 years, when losing for them is not an option. You should too.