January 8, 2014 - Cardozo Law congratulates our alumni of the year, Arthur M. Luxenberg '84, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. and Hon. Martin Shulman '81, Associate Justice, Appellate Term, 1st Judicial Department Justice, Supreme Court, New York County.
Luxenberg and Judge Shulman will be honored at the Seventh Annual Cardozo Law Alumni Association Dinner on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at The Pierre in New York City. Both alums have established impressive careers in the field of law.
Since the late 1980’s, Arthur M. Luxenberg has directed Weitz & Luxenberg’s operations, guiding the work that takes place before the firm’s cases make their way to the courtroom or a settlement negotiation. He adroitly administers public and governmental affairs, supervising and managing large-scale settlements, firm operations and masterminding firm branding and marketing.
Named as the Best Lawyers® 2013 mass tort litigation Lawyer of the Year in New York City, Mr. Luxenberg is a proven troubleshooter, having developed and implemented winning strategies for appellate cases. Mr. Luxenberg’s reputation earned him appointments to the judicial screening and departmental disciplinary committees for the First Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division. Mr. Luxenberg has been rated as a New York “Super Lawyer” every year since 2006 and a “Best Lawyer” annually since 2008.
Mr. Luxenberg has represented passengers seeking damages from owners of the cruise ship Achille Lauro following its hijacking. He served as liaison counsel for the asbestos and silicone breast implant litigations, and was a member of the DES Steering Committee for the State of New York. He has held leadership positions in trial law advocacy organizations such as the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (including serving as First Vice President) and the New York City Bar Association, where he sat on the influential Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics. He is also the co-author of a Practicing Law Institute course book.
Philanthropy is essential to Mr. Luxenberg. He serves as chairman of United Soup Kitchens, a nonprofit organization established to fight hunger in Israel and the former Soviet Union. He is past president and current chairman of the North Shore Hebrew Academy in Great Neck, NY, and led the Jewish Lawyers Guild’s dramatic efforts to restore honor and professional standing to the thousands of German Jewish attorneys and judges who were disbarred after the Nazis swept into power in the 1930’s.
Arthur Luxenberg has been a devoted Cardozo alumnus attending and supporting many Cardozo alumni events and initiatives including the Public Service Auction and Alumni Dinners. He has been involved in student career counseling and has hosted Cardozo events. Mr. Luxenberg is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and has been a featured alumnus in the Dean’s Speaker Series.
Hon. Martin Shulman began his career as a government attorney. Afterwards, he engaged in private practice for seven years until his 1994 election as New York City Civil Court Judge. In 2004, he was re-elected for a second 10-year term. Appointed an acting Supreme Court Justice in 1998, Justice Shulman was elected a New York State Supreme Court Justice in
November 2005, and from 2000 to 2009, also served as Supervising Judge of the New York County Civil Court. In May 2009, he was appointed an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term, First Judicial Department, which hears appeals from cases originating in the lower New York City Civil and Criminal Courts.
Among other matters, Justice Shulman also maintains an active Supreme Court Part presiding over condemnation, tax certiorari, civil asset forfeiture, asbestos exposure, drug product liability and medical malpractice cases. Justice Shulman is active in a number of bar associations including as an officer and member of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, a member of the New York County Lawyers Association, and a member of the New York Women’s Bar Association. Justice Shulman has authored articles in the complex field of rent regulation and has lectured before national litigation conferences and bar groups. As a member of one of the earliest graduating classes, Justice Shulman’s career has brought honor and distinction to Cardozo. He has participated as a judge in the Cardozo Moot Court competition and the Intensive Trial Advocacy Progam for many years. He has also worked with Cardozo students and alumni in his chambers, effectively mentoring generations of Cardozo attorneys.
For more information, contact cardozoalumni@yu.edu, or visit www.cardozo.yu.edu/annualdinner.