Forchelli of Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana LLP: Thinking on your feet and effectively relating to your audience

Name: Nicole Forchelli Title: Attorney Company Name: Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana Years in Commercial Real Estate: 2 Follow my Company on Twitter: @Forchelli_law What has been the strongest influence on your career and why? My first job as an attorney was as an assistant district attorney at the Kings County District Attorney's Office. As a prosecutor there for four years, I received an incredible amount of trial and case management experience. Brooklyn's crowded and overburdened justice system taught me to think on my feet in high pressure situations. Being in court nearly every day also taught me how to effectively relate to juries and reason with judges. These skills have proven extremely valuable to my career in zoning and land use law, particularly because so much of my work as a land use attorney involves attending hearings and making board presentations, where thinking on your feet and effectively relating to your audience are critical. Nicole Forchelli concentrates her practice in land use, zoning, municipal law and litigation. Forchelli most recently was a trial attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney's office where she managed over fifty cases at a time and did extensive preparation of witnesses for trials and hearings. She conducted many trials and hearings where she secured convictions and favorable results. She has also served as a clerk in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Department, where she reviewed and researched many matters before the court. Prior to law school, Forchelli was a legal assistant at the firm where she researched and drafted memoranda; reviewed contracts; conducted due diligence for property acquisitions, including title and survey review; assisted in the preparation and presentation of legal arguments and applications for various forms of land use relief at hearings before zoning and other municipal boards. She is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of New York. She is a a member of the Nassau County Women's Bar Association and was listed in Long Island Business News' "Ones to Watch" in law.