ATTORNEY PROFILES

Madelynn R. Mason

Madelynn Mason is a founding member of the firm Mason & April, LLC. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Hofstra University and a Juris Doctorate from Touro Law School and has been practicing law for nearly 25 years. Ms. Mason was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1988.

Ms. Mason has an extensive background in estate, disability and special needs planning as well as estate taxation and concentrates her practice in the areas of wills, disability and special needs planning, trusts and estates, probate and administration, guardianships, and elder law. She is a frequent lecturer on the topic of estate planning, as well as elder law and Medicaid planning. Madelynn is an active member of the Elder Law and Trusts and Estates Sections of the New York State Bar Association, and both the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations. In addition, she was a founding member of a focus group of attorneys who practice in the areas of trusts & estates and elder law which meets monthly to discuss recent cases and changes in the law which impact their clients.

Lori S. April

Lori April is also a founding member of Mason & April, LLC. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctorate from Tulane University School of Law, and has been practicing law for more than 25 years.  Ms. April was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1986.

Ms. April concentrates her practice in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, including purchases, sales and refinances of single and multi-family residences, condominiums and co-ops, as well as commercial lease transactions, representing both Landlords and Tenants. In addition, she handles the firm’s corporate matters such as the formation and dissolution of corporations and limited liability companies, Shareholders’ Agreements, Operating Agreements, as well as sales and purchases of closely-held businesses. Ms. April is also involved in the areas of estate administration and is responsible for the preparation of Federal and New York State estate tax returns for all taxable estates. Lori is an active member of the Real Property, Trusts and Estates and Business Law Sections of the New York State Bar Association, and both the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations.

Isabel Tompkins-Smith

Isabel Tompkins-Smith recently joined the firm as an Associate. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John's University and a Juris Doctorate degree from St. John's University School of Law, and has been practicing law for 20 years. Ms. Tompkins-Smith was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1993 and in the State of New Jersey in 1994.

Ms. Tompkins-Smith has extensive experience in the areas of trusts and estates, probate and administration, special needs planning, elder law and medicaid planning and residential and commercial real estate. Isabel is an active member of the Trusts and Estates, Elder Law and Real Property sections of the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association.

Vallerie V. Magory

Vallerie V. Magory is Of Counsel to the Firm. Ms. Magory focuses her practice on federal and state tax planning, not-for-profit corporations and charitable trusts, tax fraud, criminal tax, offers in compromise, foreign trusts and taxation, tax litigation, pension plans, trusts and estates, elder law, real estate, bankruptcy, Medicare fraud, asset protection, wealth transfer planning, and family entities and valuations. She is an approved mediator for Civil Court required mediations, as well as condemnation commissioner for Ocean County, New Jersey.

Ms. Magory is a former adjunct professor in the MBA program of the College of Business Administration at St. John's University. She is a former senior tax attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the IRS. Ms. Magory is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Federal Court of Appeals; U.S. Federal District Court; U.S. Court of Military Appeals; the tax courts in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida; and Texas state courts. She earned her M.S. degree from the University of Florida; her J.D. degree from the University of Houston, College of Law; and her LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

CONSULTANT TO THE FIRM

Donald S. Hecht

Donald S. Hecht is a recently retired attorney who serves as consultant to the firm.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University and a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School and had practiced  law for over 42 years. Mr. Hecht was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1970.

Mr. Hecht had practiced in the areas of estate, disability and special needs planning, probate and administration, guardianships, and elder law. He had been a lecturer to the Bar, law professor, legal columnist and a contributing author and editor for the leading textbook for attorneys on New York Guardianship. Mr. Hecht was a pioneer in the fields of elder and special needs law, being one of the four founders of the Nassau County Bar Association Elder Law, Social Services and Health Advocacy Committee.