Marianne E. Bertuna & Arthur Aidala
Attorney Marianne E. Bertuna has been with New York City law firm for nearly two decades, eventually becoming a partner, and marrying founder Arthur Aidala along the way. The firm is known for its litigation practice, representing high-profile clients like Rudy Giuliani and Alan Dershowitz, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and in addition Bertuna specializes in transactional real estate matters, estate law and knows her way around the criminal courthouses of the East End. With the Hamptons housing market in overdrive, Bertuna’s real estate practice has increased tenfold over the last year, with so many people building or buying second homes. And her criminal practice has been quieter; since nobody was allowed to go anywhere, not as many people were getting into trouble. As things are opening, that’s changing. “My vehicular crime practice, which includes DWI, is busy again, people are driving and going out, restaurants and bars are open.”
Surrogate Court Work
Bertuna has been part of the law firm since becoming an intern during her first year at New York Law school and eventually becoming a named partner. She knows that hard work and dedication to her practice have contributed to her success. After graduating, she joined Aidela’s firm, and was able to build the real estate practice, and also created a niche in Surrogate Court work. She and Aidala married in 2016 and have a young son, and yes, she admits with a laugh, they do talk about work at home. “But we enjoy what we do and so it never feels like a job.”
Lawrence Taylor & Abe Hirschfeld
While she does work on the firm’s high-profile cases like those of Lawrence Taylor and Abe Hirschfeld, Bertuna emphasizes that they typically represent many people who have been arrested for the first time. Younger people heading to college, or in college or graduate school, and professionals like accountants, teachers, firefighters, or lawyers facing legal issues may experience academic or career problems.
Top Attorney List
Bertuna knows that her years of litigation and defending clients have made her the perfect advocate for her clients in Real Estate transactions. “It is important to have someone by your side who will ensure that not only the big-ticket items in the contract are accounted for but also the fine details which are often the most important to a client.” Bertuna has been featured in New York Magazine as a top attorney in the Real Estate world. She has closed multi-million-dollar homes on the East End for close to two decades.
Georgetown University & Honors
Bertuna has been recognized as one of the top 100 attorneys by the National Academy for DUI Defense and has been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine. She was named a member of 2021 Lawyers of Distinction in Real Estate Law. Bertuna is a graduate of Georgetown University. She is a past president of the Columbian Lawyers Association, a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, and a member of the New York State Attorney Grievance Committee.
New Branch in Southampton
Bertuna and the firm’s other partners all have deep roots in the Hamptons, and they’ve been serving clients in the region all along – and now they’ve opened an office in Southampton. “I’ve been representing clients out here for 20 years but never had an office, and it was time,” she says. Having been a summer resident in Southampton for over 25 years. The East End is truly her second home and a community for which she cares deeply. A significant reason for opening the office now is many of their clients have been spending most of their time on the East End, working remotely, even in the winter months, so now they’re able to meet with them in Southampton year-round. “I have always had roots here, my family’s been on the East End, as has my husband, Arthur, who is my law partner, started coming here with his family when he was six,” Bertuna says.
Meet Legal Eagle Arthur Aidala
Fox News, Court TV, MSNBC, & New York 1.
You may recognize Arthur Aidala, as he has appeared on television for years, as a longtime legal commentator analyzing complex cases for Fox News, as well as on Court TV, MSNBC, Fox 5, and New York 1. Aidala is also one of New York’s top criminal defense attorneys, taking on some of the most high-profile cases making headlines in recent years including those of Rudy Giuliani, Alan Dershowitz, and Roger Ailes.
Pro-bono for Brigitte Harris
This husband-and-wife power legal couple and their team successfully defended NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Another famous case that they took on pro-bono and won despite long odds was that of Brigitte Harris, who killed her father after he abused her for years, and yet another was the crane operator in the fatal 2008 collapse in Midtown Manhattan. Crain’s New York Business called Aidala a “master of defense” and “the “go-to lawyer for those in big trouble.”
Wanted to be an Actor
Aidala did not originally want to pursue a career in law; he wanted to be an actor and studied theater in college. But that was not to be, and his father, a Manhattan assistant district attorney, seemed to enjoy his work, so he followed in his footsteps, starting as a prosecutor. “Shortly after joining the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, I got to fulfill my theatrical dreams by writing, producing, directing, and starring in my summations at the end of trials,” Aidala says, laughing. “When you’re on a trial and you’re in front of twelve jurors, one of the challenges is to hold their attention. And a lot of the theater skills that I learned about body-positioning and voice intonations have helped me in front of jurors and judges throughout the years.”
Supreme Court Decisions
That theatrical training no doubt comes in handy for his frequent television appearances, where he’s often invited to analyze cases like the shooting and riots in Ferguson, Missouri, the Boston Marathon terrorist bombing, and Supreme Court decisions such as the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Aidala did not become a lawyer to gain wealth. “Anyone that becomes an assistant district attorney, you don’t do that for wealth or fame, and that was one of my initial forays in the profession, and I loved it,” he says. “And I had tremendous role models there regarding ethics and morals and values.” His father, with whom Aidala worked after starting his firm, and late Supreme Court Justice Scalia, are among the mentors who inspired his passion for service.
President of the Brooklyn Bar Association
During his 25+ years practicing law, Aidala has been a pillar of the legal community both locally and nationally. A past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, he has served on the boards of numerous other groups in the field and has been honored by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, and the Guild for Exceptional Children, among others. He often appears as an invited speaker at local and state bar associations and has lectured at Harvard Law School alongside Professor Dershowitz.
Dean of The Friars Club
Aidala, who is now the Dean of the Friars Club, has two children and is an avid gardener, His law practice, TV appearances, and even cooking for family and friends all have one thing in common: people. “I love talking to people and hearing their stories. I’m very much a people person.”
aidalalaw.com
