Tom Mansfield and Lisa Rosenthal are enthused about the progress of their law firm in Red Hook, which opened in the summer of 2011. “There is a lot of business, despite the state of the economy, especially since we have been in business for such a short time,” Tom said.
He has a wealth of experience and a commitment to serving people in the Hudson Valley. Prior to moving here in 1994, he was an attorney with the City of New York. He also was elected to the Dutchess County Legislature from 2008-2009 for the Red Hook District and then became chief of staff to the majority leader of the New York State Senate for two years.
The work he handles in the firm mostly involves wills, estates, small commercial transactions, real estate, and collection matters. “We do a broad range, but we don’t handle criminal, domestic/divorce, or personal injury cases. One of the specialties Lisa brings to the firm is stockbroker fraud,” he said.
Lisa Rosenthal has 25 years of commercial litigation experience. “It became apparent when we started that there would not be enough work to support solely a litigation practice,” she explained. “I have a sub-specialty in securities law and arbitration.”
Lisa worked for seven years at the Securities and Exchange Commission and for over 10 years taught legal writing at Cardozo Law School and Fordham University Law School. Lisa is now in her first term as a member of the Rhinebeck Board of Education.
Lisa’s husband, Jon Gautier, is the firm’s managing partner and is also the town clerk for Rhinebeck. For now, his time at the firm is restricted to research and administrative matters.
“Jon and I moved to Rhinebeck from New York City in 2004,” Lisa said. “Jon and Tom came to know each other when Jon was deputy clerk of the County Legislature.” The men discussed the idea of starting a law firm, and Jon said he would have to ask his wife. Lisa said she was on board, adding, “The time was right for us to step out on our own.”
Tom and his wife, noted literary agent Miriam Altshuler, were married in Hillsdale, since her parents lived Columbia County. But they live in Red Hook because they wanted to raise their children upstate but needed to live not far from New York City. Their son Caleb, age 20, is a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, and daughter Erica, age 17, is in 11th grade at Red Hook High School; both were educated entirely in the Red Hook School system. Tom is also on the board of the non-profit Red Hook Education Foundation.
“This is a great place to raise a family,” Tom said. “The school systems are great both in Red Hook and Rhinebeck. I know a lot of people in different businesses here, and despite the economy, family-run and local businesses can thrive if they have a good business concept.”
How do Lisa and Jon get along as partners in the practice? “It’s been working well,” she said. “We have complementary skills, and there is an overlapping of knowledge.” Their son, Alec Gautier, 14, attends Bulkeley Middle School in Rhinebeck.
“When you start any business, you worry whether anybody will knock on your door,” Lisa said. “Right away, people came knocking. We are very much focused on providing service to people in the Hudson Valley. Because we are small, we can keep expenses down and provide personal service. I am encouraged for the future.”
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