It is hard to believe but Sugarman Law, P.C. celebrated its 19th anniversary this year and my right-hand lady, Rhonda Oltchick, has been our Office Manager for 10 of those 19 years!! On this momentous occasion, I wanted to reflect on Rhonda, and the past 19 years, and point out that so much can happen in such a seemingly short time.  

Many of our readers have had the opportunity to speak or work with Rhonda while we assist them with their legal issues. I always hear “Rhonda is amazing,” or “Rhonda is so efficient” and it makes me happy to give her all these compliments.

To me, Rhonda is one of the sweetest, most loyal people you will ever come to meet. She is generally the first person with whom a potential client will speak. She had not worked in a law office when I hired her but I could tell right away she would be able to handle anything my clients could throw at her. And she has. But don’t think you can get something over her – we joke that she can make Walmart cry when she’s dealing with a customer service issue. So she takes care of me, of the office, of our clients, and we in turn take care of her. Experts will say don’t make your employees into your family, but we couldn’t help but adopt Rhonda as a family member. So congratulations to Rhonda! And here’s to many more years with Sugarman Law!

And as I said, a lot can happen over a decade. My son was in elementary school when I was building out the current office (he was 8) and he’s now in his third year of college and about to travel to Japan on his own for the third time. Many people know that the main reason I started my own firm was to be more present with my family and now seeing him as an adult and forging his own path is extremely exciting. My husband retired a few years ago and we are in a much different season of life than we were a decade ago.

We have worked with thousands of clients at Sugarman Law and watched real estate law change dramatically through the years. We have worked on hundreds of transactions, each one unique.  

When I first started out, I worked at my kitchen table and met with clients at their homes or diners to sign contracts. I often would take whatever client that needed me. Over the years, we have refined the practice to focus on real estate and estate planning, and by doing so, we can dedicate ourselves to protecting your assets and your legacy. We strive to be a true resource. So even if we do not practice in that certain area of law, my clients and friends all know that I most likely know someone who can help.

The pandemic was something each business dealt with in their own way and we navigated it the best we could. Our main goal was being there for our clients and we learned quickly, transitioning to Zoom calls instead of in-office visits and understanding the courts were backed up and processes were going to take a bit longer.  

A big reason for our success was the fantastic team here at Sugarman Law. We are a true family. 

Cynthia Park is new to the firm as a paralegal with her law degree and comes with an extensive real estate background and foreclosure prosecution experience. I see her taking the bar exam in the not-so-distant future.  

Carletta Sobers, Of Counsel, is helping with guardianship, estate planning, is learning real estate and comes from an extensive corporate and contract background. 

Charles Fisher, Esq. has been counsel to the firm for many years and has shared the office with me for almost 15 years. We often collaborate on transactions and he is a valuable resource to Sugarman Law as bankruptcy or foreclosure counsel.

Our intern, Neena Paulson, is earning credit while still in high school. She came to Sugarman Law over a year ago because she knew she wanted to become an attorney, and wanted to learn how a law office operated. Fast forward a year later, and she has shown us that she can do pretty much anything we give her.  

Alexandra Templeton is our new part-time paralegal. She is assisting us with making sure our technology and systems are the most efficient we can make them.

Speaking of, I believe that technology is one of the biggest changes we have implemented over the past decade. Software and security updates. Client portals. We went from simple Word and Outlook to case management software that allows us to maintain our files in a better way, text our clients and take different payment methods.  (We all even have two monitors now. I don’t know why I resisted it for so long. It’s a game changer!)

While the firm may be in its 19th year (and I’ve been an attorney for 26 years!) I am always learning and networking. The law changes, the way we do business changes, our knowledge base grows. I still go to business coaching sessions and work on personal and professional development. The one thing I do understand is that our clients and friends are the biggest source of referrals. We always appreciate any referral that we receive and will always treat new clients as well as we have treated our past clients.  

Another big part of the 19 years were the organizations I had the honor of working with, including acting as President for two different terms for the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association and remaining active in the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY.) I also spent 8 years on the Board for Habitat for Humanity of Long Island, which was an amazing experience. 

One of my newest endeavors is being on the Advisory Board for Blessings Across Long Island, the Suffolk chapter of Blessings in a Backpack. This national organization helps children with food insecurity receive weekend meals. For more information, or to donate, click here. 

And if you would like to vote for Sugarman Law in the Bethpage Best of Long Island program, you can do that once a day, right here. Voting is open through December 15th. 

A decade has taught me a lot and I can’t wait to see what the next one holds!