Gerald Shargel ’69

From 2000-04, Shargel was Practitioner-in-Residence at the Law School, teaching Evidence, Criminal Procedure, and Trial Advocacy; mentoring many students; and establishing the Gerald R. Shargel ’69 Scholarship for criminal law students.

During his 40-plus years leading his own firm, and as a partner at Winston & Strawn from 2013 until his retirement in 2018, Shargel distinguished himself as an exceptionally skilled, rigorous, and charismatic attorney who deftly handled a raft of high-profile criminal cases.

“I’m involved in the defense of collars of every color: white-collar, gray-collar, blue-collar,” Shargel once told a reporter. “I represent doctors, lawyers, politicians, state senators, congressmen.”

A notable contributor to numerous books and law journals, Shargel provided legal commentary for media outlets including CNN. His law school peers recall his knack for working with clients.

“Jerry has an instinctive grasp of the law,” friend and fellow alumnus Geraldo Rivera ’69 once said. “He has an ability to relate to the client and make a legal rather than moral judgment about it.”

Recognized for his intense preparation, studied tactics, and dramatic courtroom presence, Shargel received the Thurgood Marshall Award for Outstanding Criminal Law Practitioner from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2006, among other awards. A New Yorker profile called Shargel “one of the most brilliant criminal defense attorneys in America.”

“Jerry Shargel is one of the finest trial lawyers of our time,” said Michael Elkin ’84, managing partner of Winston & Strawn’s New York office, when Shargel joined the firm. “He is an iconic figure, revered by clients and admired equally by judges and federal prosecutors.”

Born on October 5, 1944, in New Brunswick, N.J., Shargel earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 1966, before entering Brooklyn Law School. During an internship at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, Shargel met legendary criminal defense attorney James LaRossa, who became first his boss and then his law partner.

Shargel is survived by his wife, Terry; his two children, who followed in his footsteps to become attorneys themselves—David Shargel ’05, a partner at Bracewell, and Johanna Shargel, a public interest law group attorney in California; and many grandchildren.

In an interview, Shargel told the Chambers Associate that teaching at Brooklyn Law School was his proudest achievement. “I love reading about and hearing about former students and my pride is palpable when a former student comes up to me and tells me how much she or he enjoyed my classes,” he said.

“I write, I teach, and I litigate. What could be better than that?”

Hon. Dorothy Eisenberg ’50

Among her many associations and honors, Eisenberg was a member of the Committee on Character & Fitness, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, and a panel trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York; a former president of the Nassau Suffolk Women’s Bar Association; and founder/president of the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 1929, Eisenberg received her bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and, in 1950, her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, when she was just 20 years old. She began her career with Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston & Rosen.

After taking a leave of absence to raise her four children (among them Leslie A. Eisenberg ’92), she returned to practicing law in 1970 with the Mineola, N.Y.-based Goldman Horowitz & Cherno, focusing on the then-fledgling field of bankruptcy law. She became an active and highly respected member of the bankruptcy bar and the first woman partner at Shaw, Licitra, Eisenberg, Esernio & Schwartz, of Garden City, N.Y., where she practiced from 1981 to 1989, when she was appointed to the federal bench. She retired from the bench in 2014.

Professor Michael Gerber described Eisenberg as a wonderful friend to Brooklyn Law School and its Barry L. Zaretsky Roundtable, which furthers the scholarship and legacy of Zaretsky, a faculty member for nearly two decades and a luminary in bankruptcy and commercial law.

“Dorothy was a devoted and beloved mentor to our students, many of whom clerked and interned in her chambers,” Gerber said. “She was a founding member of our Zaretsky Roundtable Steering Committee and she drove into Brooklyn every year— no matter how bad the traffic or the weather—to participate. She was one-of-a-kind, a great friend, and she will be dearly missed.”

Warren Estis ’73

Estis founded Rosenberg & Estis in 1975 with fellow alumnus Gary Rosenberg ’74. From their beginnings as a boutique firm representing owners of rent-regulated residential units, they built one of the city’s most prominent and respected commercial real estate law practices. Estis was recognized as a skilled and tenacious litigator and negotiator whose practice covered a wide scope of commercial litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, and land assemblages. The firm has been instrumental in the construction of major projects along the city’s skyline, including: One World Trade Center, with the Durst Organization and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and the Bank of America Tower, also called One Bryant Park, in a joint venture with Durst.

“Management was never one of my skills, and it never grew on me. I just love doing the litigation and going to court,” said Estis, in a 2017 conversation with Professor David Reiss that included Rosenberg and Deborah Riegel ’93. “To me, every case is a challenge or a game of chess or Monopoly, and I enjoy the challenge. Gary and I started out with humble beginnings, and to be able to achieve the recognition and the reputation the firm has in the field of real estate litigation is something you could never dream of.”

Born Nov. 2, 1948, in Queens, N.Y., Estis received a bachelor’s degree from Long Island University/C.W. Post College, before entering Brooklyn Law School. A kind and generous friend to the Law School for many years, Estis continued the tradition of his father, Nathan Estis ’34, which now continues with his son, Alexander Estis ’17. “There have been three generations in my family going to Brooklyn Law School, so it’s important to us to give back,” Estis said. Siblings Alexander Estis and Dani Estis carry on their father’s legacy at Rosenberg & Estis as firm associates. He will be greatly missed by all in our community.