Attorney's Office

Michael L. Klein, Esq., Town Attorney
Alan B. Berman, Esq., First Deputy Town Attorney
Janice Gittelman, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney
Michael B. Specht, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney
Jack M. Schloss, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney
Meryl Troodler, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney
Richard Ackerson, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney
Alicia Crowe, Esq., Assistant Town Attorney

237 Route 59
Suffern, NY 10901
Tel. (845)-357-5100
Fax (845) 357-2936

The Town Attorney’s Office provides legal services to the municipal corporation known as the “Town of Ramapo”. In many ways, we function in a similar manner to a law department of a large corporation in that we represent and counsel the Town and its departments and agencies in all legal related matters. However, an important function of our office is also to assist and provide information to the over one hundred thousand residents and thousands of businesses within the Town of Ramapo on matters involving municipal legal issues. We meet with or speak to Ramapo residents daily, and render written or oral responses to a myriad of inquiries. Please note, however, that the Town Attorney’s Office is unable to represent people or to provide advice on private matters not directly involving the Town. The following is a description of many of the legal services our office provides:

• provide legal counsel to the Supervisor and Town Board, and attend all Town Board meetings;
• provide legal counsel to the Zoning Board and Planning Board and other Boards and Commissions of the Town, attend Board meetings and assist in the preparation of Board decisions;
• initiate lawsuits on behalf of the Town and defend the Town against lawsuits in all levels of Court - State, Federal and Town;
• prosecute violations of the Town laws on behalf of various town departments and many vehicle and traffic laws on behalf of the Town police department;
• draft Local Laws and amendments to the Town's Code;
• defend the Town in tax certiorari proceedings;
• negotiate, prepare and review all legal documents for the Town of Ramapo such as Town Board resolutions, inter-municipal agreements, contracts, leases, deeds and easements;
• negotiates labor agreements with the unions representing town employees;
• legal research on behalf of the Town supervisor, Town Board, Department Heads and employees;
• reviews personnel matters and personnel contracts, and prosecutes disciplinary proceedings against employees; and
• provide information to Town residents and citizens about legal matters involving the Town or Town laws