Our Approach

Elevating Client Experiences to Achieve Effective Results

Every client is different; each dispute is unique. Because our client’s matters are important to them, they are important to us. Whether the issue is straightforward and can be easily resolved, or a complex tangle that will take time and effort to unravel and resolve, our focus is on working closely with our clients to attain the best possible outcome.

This begins by helping clients to identify their goals to determine what path forward they will be most comfortable with. In each case our approach is to minimize the stress of a dispute by helping clients understand the overall process for dispute resolution and the available options open to them. It is our firm belief that if you, the client, understand everything that may happen, you will be prepared to respond calmly and wisely should we encounter any of the twists or turns that frequently come up in litigation.

Together, we determine the best course of action, project the expected — and unexpected — events and obstacles that may arise, and execute the plan, adapting as needed. Some clients are best served by taking an aggressive position in litigation, while others will be happier pursuing a negotiated resolution. Sometimes, taking both paths simultaneously is most effective. Whichever path we choose, our presence on both sides of the courtroom has given us experience successfully steering our clients through a wide range of obstacles.

One of the most important things we’ve learned is that too often, the only people who win in litigation are the lawyers. And while we’re happy to earn money doing what we love, we always prioritize the best interests of our clients, which means our first goal is always to bring opposing parties to a resolution without going to court. However, if all efforts fail and that is the last recourse, we are fully prepared to vigorously pursue our clients’ cases before judge and jury.

Over the years, we’ve come up against everything that can happen in dispute resolution, each of us garnering specific skills and knowledge while developing individual approaches. Together, we effectively blend aggressiveness with equanimity and determination with flexibility, creating a balance that effectively advocates for our clients’ interests and objectives.

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, along with some of the world’s largest financial institutions. Subsequently, I spent 12 years at a boutique litigation firm, handling disputes involving claims of copyright and trademark infringement, breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, and defamation. Clients included banks, hedge funds, software-as-a-service providers, not-for-profit entities, unions, and high-net-worth individuals.

I then decided to take the plunge and found my own firm. There were plenty of reasons: I wanted to understand the ins and outs of operating my own business; I needed 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 boundless curiosity about what makes people do the things they do. Plus, I wanted to be in a position where I could learn new skills and try out novel ways of doing things. While I’ve always loved being a lawyer, I never fit the legal stereotype of the boring grey suits and leather law books, bound by tradition and hemmed in by custom. Being my own boss was the best way to grow personally and professionally in ways that would inspire me and better serve those who I represent.

I zealously and forcefully advocate for my clients, but I also carefully listen to their concerns (legal and otherwise) to make sure they factor into how we handle their case. I also rely on my curiosity and wealth of experience to identify arguments and strategies that others might miss, all toward the goal of achieving the best possible outcomes with the least potential stress for everyone involved.

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, where 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 formative in my development, as seeing all aspects of trial practice and courtroom demeanor 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; partnership/founder disputes; breach of contract; and 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 doing so involves developing a novel approach.

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 the correctness of my client’s case.

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)