Lecturer Bios
Raymond J. Dowd, Esq.
Raymond J. Dowd is a member of Dunnington Bartholow & Miller’s litigation and arbitration, and intellectual property and art law practice groups. He has broad commercial litigation experience in both federal and state trial and appellate courts, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in copyright and trademark, and domain name owners and content providers in litigation and arbitration. Representations include conducting bench and jury trials, arbitrations and administrative proceedings, emergency applications for injunctive relief, quashing subpoenas, obtaining, enforcing and collecting judgments. Trust and estates matters include contested probate proceedings through trial, disputes involving heirship and decedents’ estates. International litigation includes conducting depositions in Canada, France and Switzerland, pursuing discovery through letters rogatory, obtaining service of process in foreign countries and obtaining and challenging foreign experts. Mr. Dowd’s corporate
counseling includes corporate and transactional work for entrepreneurial companies, including international licensing. Mr. Dowd also counsels art owners and dealers, including transactional representation, UCC filings, tracking and recovering stolen art and handling disputes involving provenance, authenticity and theft. Trademark counseling services include registration, policing and enforcing rights of trademark owners and users. Counseling political candidates includes election day onsite monitoring, poll access challenges, signature challenges and matters involving election law and political campaigns. Mr. Dowd petitioned successfully for the removal of the co-executors of American Tobacco heiress Doris Duke’s estate and upheld the first honorary pet trust challenged in New York history, obtaining a $100,000 trust for heiress Doris Duke’s dogs.
Mr. Dowd’s recent lectures include “Conflicts of Law in Art Disputes” (Art Litigation and Dispute Resolution Institute, New York County Lawyers’ Association, 2008); “Murder, Mystery and Egon Schiele’s Dead City: Swiss Laundering of Stolen Austrian Art” (Jewish Museum, Berlin Germany); “Fritz Grunbaum’s Art Collection: Legal Obstacles to the Recovery of Stolen Art” (Prague Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets, Czech Republic); “U.S. Copyright Law for the Non-U.S. Lawyer” (Montreal and Quebec City Canada and Berlin, Germany); “Copyright Litigation” (New York County Lawyers’ Association, 2005); “International Copyright: Foreign Copyrights in U.S. Courts” (New York County Lawyers’ Association, 2008); “When Art Meets Commerce, What Happens?” (Copyright Society of the U.S.A., Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia Chapters), Federal Bar Association (Connecticut, Minneapolis and New Orleans Chapters); and “Nazi Art Looting” (Federal Bar Association Cleveland Chapter).
Mr. Dowd is the Vice President for the Second Circuit of the Federal Bar Association, is on the Editorial Board of The Federal Lawyer Magazine and was President of Southern District of New York Chapter. Additionally, Mr. Dowd is a member of the Copyright Society of the U.S.; New York State Bar Association, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section and Intellectual Property Law Section; and New York County Lawyers’ Association where he served on the Board of Directors as Co-Chair, Entertainment Media, Intellectual Property and Sports Law Section and on the Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is also a member of the National Arts Club.
Mr. Dowd’s recent publications include Copyright Litigation Handbook, a Thomson West publication and Copyright Litigation Blog. He is a contributor of the New York Law Journal.
Mr. Dowd is admitted to practice law in New York State, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, Northern U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Court of International Trade. Mr. Dowd Received his Bachelor of Arts from Manhattan College and his Juris Doctorate from Fordham University School of Law, where he was the Articles Editor for the Fordham International Law Journal. Mr. Dowd is fluent in French and Italian.
Hon. Barbara Jaffe
Justice Barbara Jaffe received her BA, cum laude, from Syracuse University, as well as an MA in Italian Renaissance Art on a graduate fellowship in Florence, Italy. After six years in the wholesale antiques business, she attended Brooklyn Law School and obtained her JD. Justice Jaffe then represented indigent criminal defendants on appeal for The Legal Aid Society, successively served as principal court attorney to two Supreme Court justices in the Criminal Term, was elected to the New York City Civil Court, sat in that court and in the New York City Civil Court, and was appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, Civil Term, where she presides in an Individual Assignment Part and is specially assigned to try asbestos cases.
Justice Jaffe serves on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Section. She is a Founding Faculty member of New York County Lawyers Association’s (NYCLA) Art Litigation and Dispute Resolution Institute, and is a member of that association’s Pro Bono Committee and Supreme Court Committee, and has served on its Committee on Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Issues. She co-chaired NYCLA’s Civil Court Practice Section and has lectured at numerous continuing legal education programs there and elsewhere, including the New York City Bar Association, which she represented as a delegate to the State Bar’s House of Delegates. She also served on the City Bar’s Committee on Nominations, Committee on Civil Rights, Art Law Committee, Special Committee on Capital Punishment, Committee on Civil Court, Committee on Criminal Law, and Special Committee on Public Service and Education, and chaired a joint City Bar/NYCLA committee that produced, in six languages, the “New York State Criminal Justice Handbook.”
Hon. Stephen G. Crane
Hon. Stephen G. Crane (Ret.) was the Senior Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department and has served
as a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County since 1984. Justice Crane presided as one of the New York County
Justices in the Commercial Division handling complex commercial cases from 1995 to 2001, and Administrative Judge, Civil
Branch, Supreme Court, New York County from 1996 to 2001. Widely respected for being knowledgeable, thoughtful, and
fair, Justice Crane is most comfortable in the middle of conflict, helping parties sort out their problems and reach an amicable
resolution. He is currently a Mediator at JAMS and was Voted Best Mediator, Financial Markets, New York Law Journal’s “Best
of” Survey, 2012. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Robert L. Haig Award for Distinguished Public Service,
New York State Bar Association;
Louis J. Capozzoli Gavel Award, New York County Lawyers’ Association; Distinguished Service Award, Law Secretaries & Law
Assistants Collegium; Harold A. Stevens Jewel Award, New York County Lawyers’ Association–Tort Section; and Jack Newton
Lerner Award for Contributions to Continuing Legal Education, New York County Lawyers’ Association. He holds a J.D., with
distinction, Cornell Law School, 1963 and a B.S., Cornell University, 1960.
Judge Crane’s professional affiliations include:
• Past President, Cornell Law Association and Past Chair, Cornell Law School Advisory Council;
• Past Member, Pattern Jury Instructions Committee of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York.
• New York County Lawyers’ Association, Co-Chair, Institute on Continuing Legal Education, Chair, History Committee,
Member, Board of Directors, Cromwell Awards Committee, Past Member: Executive Committee, Criminal Justice Section
(founding co-chair)
• New York State Bar Association, Immediate Past Chair, Committee on Civil Practice Law and Rules; Member:
Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Executive Committee, Dispute Resolution Section Executive Committee;
Former Member, House of Delegates; Fellow, New York State Bar Foundation; Member of former Commission on Legal
Services for the Middle Income
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America and New York State Trial Lawyers Association
• New York Regional Board and Executive Committee, Anti-Defamation League
• National Center for State Courts: Project Advisory Committee for A Manual for Managing Notorious Cases, 1990-1992
Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the City of New York and Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of
the State of New York
• Member, Board of Justices, First Judicial District
• Former Chair, Board of Trustees, New York County Public Access Law Library
• Museum Memberships: The Guggenheim Museum; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art;
The Museum of Arts and Design; The Whitney Museum of American Art; The United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum; The Museum of Jewish Heritage; Frank Lloyd Wright Association
• Member, New York State Dispute Resolution Association
Darlene Fairman
Darlene Fairman is Counsel with the law firm of Herrick, Feinstein LLP, where she has practiced since 1994. Darlene’s
practice includes a wide range of civil litigation with recent emphasis on complex commercial and real estate litigation in New
York’s state and federal courts. Representative matters include:
• Successful litigation to preserve the lien of a mortgagee whose borrower was revealed to be the knowing recipient of a
fraudulent transfer of the mortgaged property.
• Representation of the owner of a former inactive hazardous waste site in connection with litigation over a seawall built at
the site and the sale of the property.
• Representation of a nationally recognized, private sector firm with more than 35 years of experience in developing and
managing high-quality affordable housing, including more than 100 communities affordable to lower income families through
federal assistance programs, and more than 70 communities affordable to working families through the low income housing
tax credit program in a dispute with the New York City Housing Authority.
• Litigation of a partnership dispute involving the sale of six low income housing developments.
• Representation of the Real Estate Board of New York in its successful lawsuit against the New York City Council to overturn
Local Law 79 on the grounds of preemption by federal and state housing laws.
• Successful representation of a developer in litigation over its right to convert a building it purchased from office/retail use to
mixed office/retail and residential use.
Since 1994, Darlene has also been an active member of Herrick’s art law practice. Beginning with the successful representation
of the Republic of Turkey in recovering the “Elmali Hoard” of rare and valuable ancient silver coins, Darlene has represented
Turkey in matters seeking the return of looted cultural property. In addition, she has represented the heirs of the worldrenowned
Russian artist Kazimir Malevich in their litigation against the City of Amsterdam to reclaim artworks created by their
ancestor. This litigation was successfully settled in April 2008 when the City of Amsterdam returned five Malevich paintings
to the heirs. Darlene is actively involved in Holocaust looted art matters including the ongoing representation of Marei von
Saher in her efforts to recover hundreds of Nazi-looted artworks from the collection of her father-in-law, the renowned Dutch
art collector and dealer, Jacques Goudstikker. Additionally, she has represented art dealers and galleries in various matters
and successfully represented a jewelry designer in a copyright dispute. Since its inception in 2009, Darlene has been the
Editor-in-Chief of Art & Advocacy, Herrick’s triannual art law news letter.
Hon. Nicholas G. Garaufis
Nicholas G. Garaufis (Moderator) entered service as a United States District Judge in the Eastern District of New York on August 28, 2000. Judge Garaufis was nominated by President Clinton on February 28, 2000 upon the recommendation of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY). On May 24, 2000, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Garaufis by unanimous consent. Prior to his appointment, Judge Garaufis served for more than five years as the Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C., overseeing a staff of 200 attorneys. Prior to his appointment to the Clinton Administration in June, 1995, Judge Garaufis served for nine years as counsel to Queens Borough President Claire Shulman in New York City. Judge Garaufis began his legal career in 1974 as an associate of Chadbourne & Parke. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Litigation Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s office under Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz and has practiced law privately in Queens County, New York. After receiving his B.A. from Columbia College in 1969, Judge Garaufis taught in New York City public schools. In 1974, he received his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law. Judge Garaufis is married.
Peg Breen
Peg Breen is President of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, one of the oldest and largest preservation organizations in the United States. The Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $40 million, and provided thousands of hours of technical assistance, to individual homeowners, cultural and non-profit institutions, businesses and landmark religious institutions. This has contributed to more than $1 billion in preservation projects throughout New York City and State. The Conservancy also advocates for preservation at the local, state and national levels of government. After 9/11, Ms. Breen helped organize the Lower Manhattan Preservation Fund, which gave grants to owners of historic buildings damaged on that day. The Conservancy also served as a consulting party to redevelopment at Ground Zero. Ms. Breen helped lead successful efforts to preserve the “Survivors Staircase,” which is featured in the memorial museum. The U.S. State Department has sent Ms. Breen abroad to speak about preservation numerous times, including four trips to St. Petersburg,
Russia, as well as others to Vancouver, Canada and Tbilisi, Georgia. Ms. Breen was also the keynote speaker at an
international preservation conference in Havana, Cuba in April 2000 and led a workshop with Cuban preservationists on restoring religious properties. She is on the Board of Save Ellis Island and on Advisory Committees for Governors Island and The Lower East Side Tenement Museum. She is a past chair of Preservation Action, a national lobbying organization.
She has also served on the Boards of the Museum of the City of New York and the State Theater at Lincoln Center and on a Building Committee for the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Prior to joining the Conservancy, Ms. Breen held positions in government and the media.
Hon. Matthew F. Cooper
Justice Matthew F. Cooper is a graduate of Hobart College in Geneva, New York, where he received his B.A., cum laude, in 1974. Following two years as a VISTA volunteer with Bronx Legal Services, he attended Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1979. He then went on to practice in New York City for over 20 years, with his legal career focused on representing working people in union pre-paid legal services programs. In 2000, Justice Cooper was elected to the New York City Civil Court. In 2010 he was elected to the New York State Supreme Court. As a Supreme Court Justice, his court room is in Manhattan, where he presides over divorce proceedings. Justice Cooper is a member of the New York County Lawyers Association, the New York City Bar Association (Matrimonial Committee) and the New York State Bar Association (Family and Matrimonial Law Section).
Victoria Milne
Victoria Milne is Director at New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). She founded and launched Built/NYC in August, 2013, which is a program to commission local industrial, furniture, textile and lighting designers to design furnishings for public buildings in DDC’s portfolio. It is funded by the NYC City Council and run at DDC. She is a creative thinker who uses design to help government serve people through innovative policy and well-considered implementation. She received a BA in Science Technology and Society from Vassar College, an M.I.D. in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and attended Domus Academy, Industrial Design.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler represents the Tenth Congressional District of New York, which includes much of the West Side of Manhattan, the Financial District and a number of diverse neighborhoods in southwestern Brooklyn. He began his political career in 1976 in the New York State Assembly, where he served for 16 years. In 1992, following the death of Congressman Ted Weiss, Nadler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election and has served in Congress ever since. Since 2001, Rep. Nadler has served as the either Ranking Member or Chair of what is now the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. With Congressman Mel Watt’s 2014 departure from Congress to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Rep. Nadler changed leadership roles to become the Ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet. He is also the highest-ranking Northeastern member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and an Assistant Democrat Whip. Throughout his career, Rep. Nadler has been a champion of civil liberties, civil rights (including women’s and LGBT rights), safe and efficient transportation, and a host of progressive issues such as access to health care, support for the arts and protection of the Social Security system.
He is considered an unapologetic defender of those who might otherwise be forgotten by the legal system or the economy and is especially respected for his creative and pragmatic legislative approaches to problems. He also has particular expertise and policymaking prominence on issues facing Israel and the Middle East. Rep. Nadler is a major advocate for increased funding of New York’s mass transit system, better subway service and a more intelligent regional goods movement policy.
Rep. Nadler’s district also includes Ground Zero. After the 9/11 attacks, he was instrumental in securing $20 billion in federal funds to rebuild Lower Manhattan. He has been a House leader working tirelessly to address the health and environmental impacts of the collapse of the World Trade Center on first responders and area residents, workers and students. Locally, the Congressman’s office has received numerous awards for its excellent constituent service work, particularly in the area of immigration. And his robust community relations program has long played a key role in preserving affordable housing, stopping senseless overdevelopment, reducing crime and enhancing our children’s educational opportunities. Additionally, the Congressman has brought billions of dollars to the district for its infrastructure, social welfare and cultural needs. Rep. Nadler is a graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva, Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University and Fordham Law School. He lives on the West Side of Manhattan with his wife, Joyce Miller. They have one son, Michael.
Irina Tarsis, Esq.
Irina Tarsis is an art historian and a practicing attorney in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from University of Virginia, Harvard University and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. An active member of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations, she is the current chair of the Cultural Heritage and the Arts Interest Group of the American Society of International Law. Ms. Tarsis is the founder and director of the Center for Art Law, an aggregator website dedicated to collecting and disseminating information about law and the visual arts. In her own practice, Ms. Tarsis conducts provenance research and consults on various art law matters such as restitution, authenticity and property disputes. She has curated exhibits at the Harvard University Houghton Library on such subjects as biographies of book dealers and photography, and her recent publications include “Knoedler Obituary (1857 – 2011): Select Legal History of the Oldest American Art,” in Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law J., Vol. 24, No. 3. (Fall/Winter 2013) and “Potential Impact of the 2013 Agudas Chasidei Chabad of United States v. Russian Federation Decision on Art Loans,” in ASIL Insights (March 2014).
Judd B. Grossman, Esq.
Judd Grossman is the Founder and Managing Partner of Grossman LLP. Judd represents plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of complex commercial cases, including securities, insurance, antitrust, and art-related disputes in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout the country. Prior to founding Grossman LLP, Judd was a Counsel in the securities litigation practice group of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, one of the country’s premier litigation firms, before joining the Dontzin Law Firm LLP, an international litigation boutique. Judd has been involved in several high-profile art cases, including an art-forgery litigation against the Knoedler Gallery and its former director relating to the $17 million purchase of an allegedly counterfeit Jackson Pollock painting, and an action on behalf of a prominent New York art gallery against a Carnegie Museum trustee arising out of the sale of a Peter Doig painting. Judd serves as Chair of the Art Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers’ Association, and he is a member of the Art Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he is Chair of the Title Subcommittee. For each of the past two years, Judd was named a New York Super Lawyers “Rising Star” for Litigation.
Judd graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also received his law degree. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Jerome B. Simandle, currently the Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Judd lives in Manhattan with his wife, Meredith, who is an attending physician in the Pediatrics Department of Mount Sinai Hospital, and their daughters, Eliza and Sydney. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Urban Arts Partnership, a nonprofit organization in New York that advances the academic and social development of underserved public-school students through arts-integrated education programs.
