Retired Surrogate Court Judge Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. Joins Westchester County Law Firm

The following announcement is from DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten, Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP:

DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten, Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP, aprominent New York metropolitan area law firm, has announced the expansion of its Estate Practice to be headed by Westchester County Surrogate Judge Anthony A. Scarpino Jr., whose retirement from the bench after 14 years was effective January 31st.

Alfred E. Donnellan, Managing Partner, said: “We are extremely pleased to have Judge Scarpino joining us to lead our expanded Estates and Trusts Practice Group. I cannot think of anyone better qualified and more uniquely experienced for this specialized area of practice than Tony. We are very fortunate not only to have Judge Scarpino come with our firm, but to add a team of three attorneys, each of whom brings extensive experience in Trust and Estates and Surrogate litigation. We will have the premier Trust and Estates and Surrogate litigation practice in Westchester and with this team of top professionals we will also have the capability to serve the entire Metropolitan area, including Connecticut.”

Joining the firm with Judge Scarpino are:

Steven P. DeRicco, who joins the firm after serving 21 years as the lead Surrogate’s Court litigator with Whitman, Breed, Abbott & Morgan at their Park Avenue, New York City, NY, White Plains, NY and Greenwich, CT offices. A graduate of Fordham University Law School, with a Tax LLM from NYU School of Law, he is licensed to practice in Connecticut as well as New York and is a resident of Greenwich, CT.

Frank J. Gobes who joins the firm after heading the Law Offices of Frank J. Gobes, P.C., which he established in 2006 in White Plains. He previously was an attorney at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, and earlier with Graubard Miller in New York City. A graduate of New York Law School and a resident of Scarsdale, NY, he focuses on estate planning, probate and Surrogate’s Court litigation.

Vincent C. Travagliato, who joins the firm after heading The Travagliato Law Firm, a boutique estate and trust firm which he established in 2010 in Chappaqua, NY. Earlier in his career he ran the Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Estate Planning Strategy Team, was a Director with Barclays Wealth and an attorney at Brown & Wood. Vince also practiced as a CPA in the Tax Department of Deloitte & Touche. A graduate of Fordham University Law School and Pace University, he is licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey and lives in Chappaqua, NY.

Judge Scarpino said he is grateful for the opportunity to re-enter private practice after 30 years in the judiciary. “I am excited to join one of the region’s top law firms and head a practice area that bridges complex legal, tax, financial and very often emotional issues. The perspective I have gained from having served on the bench for so long will benefit our clients. In our planning practice, our drafting will minimize or avoid future disputes like the ones I routinely saw and when matters are in dispute. We will be able to more efficiently resolve them by identifying the best path. Our team of experienced attorneys can and will be a major player in the Ninth Judicial District which includes Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Orange counties, as well as in New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.”

Judge Scarpino has had a distinguished career as a jurist. In November 2000, he was elected Westchester County Surrogate and he was re-elected in 2010. In this capacity, he was the sole judge for estate cases in Westchester County. In addition to his responsibilities as Surrogate, in 2006 he was appointed Supervising Judge of the Matrimonial Part for Westchester County, and in 2010 he was appointed Supervising Judge for Article 81 guardianship proceedings and fiduciary matters for the Ninth Judicial District.

He began his judicial career in 1984 at age 32 when he was appointed Associate City Court Judge in his home town of Mount Vernon, NY, and has extensive experience at the municipal, county, regional and state levels. The next year he was the youngest person ever elected a Mount Vernon City Judge running on the Democratic, Republican and Conservative lines. In 1986 he became Senior City Judge, presiding over one of the busiest city courts in Westchester County.

In 1988, running as a Democrat, he was elected a Westchester County Court Judge, at 37, the youngest County Judge in Westchester history. A year later he was appointed Acting Supreme Court Justice and was assigned to expand the Special Narcotics Part in the Westchester County Courthouse and later was assigned to preside over the county’s most serious criminal cases.

In 1993 he was elected to the New York State Supreme Court for the Ninth Judicial District and was assigned to handle Civil Parts in Westchester and Rockland and later to the Special Matrimonial Part.

An Adjunct Professor at Pace University Law School, Judge Scarpino teaches at Iona College’s Criminal Justice Department, as well as at Mercy College and Westchester Community College. He has served as Co-Chair of the Ninth Judicial District’s Pro Bono Committee and is a member of the Pace University Law School Board of Visitors and the Office of Court Administration Article 81 Guardianship Committee.

A resident of the Town of North Castle, he has been recognized by many organizations including the Westchester County Bar Association, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, the Columbian Lawyers Association and Iona College for his achievements, his service to the legal community and his pro bono service.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Judge Scarpino earned his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. After graduating he opened his private practice and became an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon. In 1977 he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and became a Special Agent working on a wide range of cases including civil rights violations, corruption of public officials, bank robberies, kidnapping, extortion and foreign counter-intelligence. He also was involved in several highly publicized cases including the capture of Leon Johnson, who had escaped from Federal prison and was to have been placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on the day of his apprehension. He left the FBI after five years and worked as an Assistant Vice President with Banker’s Trust Company before his judicial career began in Mount Vernon.

About DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr

DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP is a leading law firm in the New York metropolitan area. Based in White Plains, the firm’s 12 practice groups include a diverse group of attorneys, many with prior experience as leaders in the fields of government, philanthropy and business. With a depth, sophistication and range of experience most often associated with larger firms, DelBello Donnellan has enjoyed steady growth with a wide range of individual and business clients.

Photo 1: Judge Anthony J. Scarpino, Jr.; Photo 2: Vincent C. Travagliato; Photo 3: Frank J. Gobes; and Photo 4: Steven P. DeRicco. Photo credit: Contributed

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