Diane Mall Sammarco - NY Lawyer Dictionary Profile

Diane Mall Sammarco serves as Of Counsel at Lax, Neville & Intelisano, LLP. She advocates for investors in securities arbitration and litigation against financial institutions, and represents employees in industry conflicts and regulatory inquiries. Ms. Sammarco became part of the predecessor firm, Rich & Intelisano, LLP, in 2008. In June 2010, she played a pivotal role in the team at Rich & Intelisano, LLP that secured the Bayou v. Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing case: a significant $20.6 million FINRA arbitration award against Goldman Sachs regarding the Bayou hedge fund fraud. This 18-day hearing resulted in a full recovery of requested compensatory damages. It stands as the largest arbitration award ever issued against Goldman Sachs, the second-largest hedge fund-related customer arbitration award, and the ninth-largest customer arbitration award against a Wall Street entity of any nature. The award marks the initial victory in any court or arbitration setting by investors against a clearing or prime broker linked to a hedge fund Ponzi scheme based on fraudulent transfer theories. The award was confirmed by Judge Rakoff of the SDNY in November 2010 and is presently under appeal to the Second Circuit. Before joining Rich & Intelisano, LLP, Ms. Sammarco operated a solo practice with an office in Warwick, New York, concentrating on securities arbitration, employment law, commercial litigation, and residential real estate. Ms. Sammarco embarked on her legal profession in 1998 with Pressman & Associates, in New York, New York, where she represented investors and broker-dealers in NASD and NYSE securities arbitration proceedings. During her tenure at Pressman & Associates, Ms. Sammarco also advocated for individuals in employment-related issues and represented individuals and businesses in commercial and civil litigation matters.