Despina Katsigiannis (Whitestone) has joined the commercial lending practice and James Tsimis has joined the real estate group as associates at Certilman Balin.
Prior to joining the firm, Katsigiannis was an attorney in a New York City firm for two years where she represented clients in real property and co-op transactions and in matters of refinancing and purchasing. In this capacity, she dealt with numerous banks and maintained excellent client relations.
Katsigiannis earned her Juris Doctor from Western New England University School of Law in 2009 and her bachelor of science in Social Science and Humanities, cum laude, from Hofstra University in 2006. She was an honors student, having been recognized by the Golden Key International Honors Society, and the Pi Gamma Mu Social Sciences Honor Society.
While a law student, Katsigiannis clerked at the New York State Supreme Court and at law firms in Bayside and New York City. She then clerked at a sole practitioner's law office Brooklyn.
Admitted to practice in the State of New York, she is a member of the American Bar Association, Queens County Bar Association, and Hellenic Lawyers Association.
Fluent in Greek, Katsigiannis also speaks conversational Spanish and Italian. She is a member of Business Networking International.
Previously, Tsimis was an associate at a Long Island law firm where he gained experience in real estate transactional law, as well as municipal law and litigation.
During law school, Tsimis was a student clinician at the Mortgage Foreclosure & Bankruptcy Clinic and a legal intern for general counsel at Barr & Barr, Inc. in Manhattan.
For ten years, he was a senior project manager at Tsimis Construction Specialties, Inc.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2012. He was a research editor and an associate editor for Touro Law Review, and he made the dean's list. He was recognized as the Ronni Cohen class orator and earned a CALI Award of Excellence for Best Oral Advocate in Legal Process II.
While at Touro, Tsimis served as a teacher's assistant at the Writing Center; a research assistant for professor Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus; as president of the Federalist Society; and as a Pieper Bar Review Representative. He was a finalist in the ABA Negotiation Competition, a member of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Society and the Real Estate Society. He also volunteered his time with the Foreclosure Assistance Program.
In 2009, Tsimis earned his bachelor of arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he was Vice President of the Resident Hall Association. In addition, he was a member of the Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corp.
Admitted to practice in the State of New York, he is a member of the American Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association. Active in his community and fluent in Greek, Mr. Tsimis is a Byzantine chanter at the Cathedral of St. Paul, and a member of the Hicksville Lion's Club. Tags: