OUR ATTORNEYS

JOHN G. HALL, ESQ.

(1936 - 2018)

Partner

Born and raised in Staten Island, John G. Hall was a practicing attorney since 1961, with a focus on banking, real estate, estate planning, and real estate and estate litigation. He first joined the practice in 1965, when it was known as Fach & Sipp. In 1969, Mr. Hall was made partner and the firm changed its name to Fach, Sipp & Hall. In 1974, with the departure of Mr. Sipp, the practice became the Law Firm of John G. Hall and in 1992, Thomas J. Hall became a partner and the practice assumed its present name of The Law Firm of Hall & Hall, LLP.

Prior to its merger with Independence Community Bank, the firm represented SI Bank & Trust (formerly Staten Island Savings Bank), a $7 billion thrift which as a result of successive mergers is now part of Santander Bank, for which the firm still handles commercial and residential closings. For more than three decades, Mr. Hall was the primary attorney and senior partner in the firm’s role as general counsel to SI Bank & Trust. In this role, he has handled a myriad of matters involving diverse issues in the fields of banking, lending, corporate governance, commercial leasing, regulatory matters, foreclosures, and other commercial and bank litigation.

Mr. Hall was admitted to practice law in all courts of the States of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the district of New Jersey, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the former president of the Richmond County Bar Association and the former chair of the Real Property Section of the New York State Bar Association. In 2006, he received the Professionalism Award from the New York State Bar Association Real Property Law Section.

Mr. Hall authored several articles on real estate matters that have appeared in publications including the New York Law Journal, New York Real Property Law Journal, and the Real Estate Finance Journal. He also co-authored book chapters on mortgage foreclosures and surveys for the New York State Bar Association. In addition, Mr. Hall was often consulted and quoted by New York Times Real Estate Q&A section.

Mr. Hall has been a speaker on various real estate topics and other legal topics for Bar Associations and student groups. He appeared as a speaker for the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association over 25 times. He spoke before the Richmond County Bar Association, Brooklyn Bar Association, Queens County Bar Association, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Nassau County Bar Association, Suffolk County Bar Association, Westchester County Bar Association, and Schenectady County Bar Association. He also served as legislative counsel in the New York State Senate and testified as an expert witness in real estate litigation concerning title and closing issues including RESPA, Truth in Lending, ECOA, and secondary market transactions.

Mr. Hall received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Villanova University and earned his Bachelor of Laws (now the Juris Doctor degree) from Villanova Law School, where he was the managing editor of the Villanova Law Review and was a finalist in the Reimel Moot Court competition. Mr. Hall earned his Master of Laws degree from Brooklyn Law School.

THOMAS J. HALL, ESQ.

Partner

Thomas J. Hall has been practicing law since 1986, with a focus on mortgage foreclosures, commercial and residential real estate, commercial litigation, banking, and creditor’s rights. After graduating from law school, he was a judicial law clerk in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County. He subsequently joined thefirm in 1987 and upon making partner in 1992, the practice assumed its present name of The Law Firm of Hall & Hall, LLP.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hall has handled hundreds of residential and commercial mortgage foreclosures and thousands of residential and commercial mortgage loan closings, as well as numerous tax lien foreclosures and related bankruptcy proceedings. In the firm’s capacity as general counsel to one of the nation’s 25 largest savings banks, he provided advice on numerous banking, lending, regulatory, and corporate legal matters for over 15 years. In addition, Mr. Hall has been retained as an expert witness in a number of legal malpractice cases involving real estate transactions and foreclosure proceedings.

He is admitted to practice law in all courts of the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Hall is a former President of the Richmond County Bar Association and is the Chairman of its Real Estate Committee. An active member of the New York State Bar Association Real Property Section, he is a member of its Executive Committee, and Subcommittee on Foreclosures and Workouts. He is former Co-Chair of the Committee on Title and Transfer.  In January of 2018, he was elected as Chair of the 4,300 member Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association at its annual meeting in Manhattan.  His term as Chair of the Real Property Law Section will run from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

Mr. Hall has also served as a member of the Banking Law Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Business Law section. In addition, Mr. Hall is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association. Mr. Hall has written articles for the New York Law Journal and the Vermont Law Review, and has co-authored several articles on real estate matters for the Richmond County Bar Journal. Mr. Hall also lectures on mortgage foreclosures, trust law, and foreclosure litigation for the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs of the New York State Bar Association and the Richmond County Bar Association.

In January of 2021, Mr. Hall was honored with the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award in the Established Business Person category.  The article can be read here:  https://www.silive.com/news/2021/01/attorney-honored-for-his-many-accomplishments.html

Mr. Hall earned his Juris Doctor law degree, cum laude, from Vermont Law School, where he was the articles editor for the Vermont Law Review. He also has a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. Active in the community, Mr. Hall is a former board member of the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Staten Island YMCA, and the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program.

LAINIE R. FASTMAN, ESQ.

Partner

Ms. Fastman first joined Hall & Hall in 1986 as an associate and was made partner in 2003. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Fastman was a solo law
practitioner in Staten Island and a court attorney for the Hon. Frederic S. Berman in the New York County Supreme Court. Ms. Fastman is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts Courts of New York. She is a member of the Surrogate’s Court and Elder Law Committees of the Richmond County Bar Association and is a member of the Trusts and Estates Section and Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.

She has lectured before civic organizations on Staten Island; before the New York State Bar Association and before the Richmond County Bar Association. She has published numerous articles in various legal publications, among them the New York Law Journal, the CPA Journal, the New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Newsletter and the New York State Bar Association Elder and Special Needs Law Journal.

Originally from The Netherlands, Lainie R. Fastman has been practicing law since 1981, with a focus on estate planning, will drafting, post-mortem tax planning, guardianship proceedings, elder law, probate contests, estate litigation, and the administration of wills and trusts.

Ms. Fastman has co-authored numerous articles on trusts, estate law, probate, contested matters in the Surrogate’s Court and related issues for the New York Law Journal, CPA Journal, Richmond County Bar Association Journal, and the Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, as well as the Elder Law Journal of the New York State Bar Association. She conducts Continuing Legal Education (CLE)-approved lectures on estate tax, elder law, asset protection ,and trust issues for the Richmond County Bar Association, the New York State Bar
Association, and St. John’s University Staten Island Campus, and has given talks on estate planning and special needs trusts issues to the Staten Island YMCA and other civic associations. Ms. Fastman earned her Juris Doctor law degree, cum laude, from New York Law School, where she was given the Professor Vincent LoLordo Award for Excellence in Administration of Criminal Justice. She received her Bachelor’s degree from CUNY Richmond College, graduating with highest honors and a 4.0 grade point average. Ms. Fastman is fluent in Dutch and also has a working knowledge of German and Spanish.

On March 9, 2017 the Richmond County Bar Association honored her for her
contributions to the legal profession.

JULIA HALL PEREDNIA, ESQ.

Partner

Julia Hall Perednia has been practicing law since 1993, with a focus on real estate transactions, commercial transactions, banking, estate administration, and wills and trusts.

Ms. Perednia first joined Hall & Hall in 1994 as an associate. In 2000, she was made partner, opened and has since managed the firm’s New Jersey office in Lincroft, NJ. Prior to joining the practice, Ms. Perednia was a judicial law clerk for Ocean County Superior Court in New Jersey, serving in rotation for the Hon. Francis P. Piscal (civil law), the Hon. Donald F. Campbell (criminal law), and the Hon. Frank A. Buczynski (family law).

Ms. Perednia has handled hundreds of residential and commercial mortgage loan closings in her career and has represented buyers, sellers, borrowers and lenders. She also has handled a myriad of bank operational and compliance questions, as well as the administration of large and small estates, including those with real estate complexities and substantial personal property.

Ms. Perednia is admitted to practice law before the New Jersey Bar, the New York Bar, the District Court of New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the Richmond County Bar Association, the Monmouth County Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. In addition, Ms. Perednia is a member of the Banking Law, Real Property, and Trust Law Sections of the New Jersey State Bar Association and a member of the Real Property and Trusts and Estates Sections of the New York State Bar Association.

Ms. Perednia is a contributing author of The Gold Book, (a banking and operations treatise for New Jersey financial institutions) published online by Banking Spectrum Inc. Ms. Perednia was previously a member of Independence Community Bank’s New Jersey Advisory Council. She has also been a guest lecturer at the Seminars for Success of the Monmouth County Association of Realtors. Ms. Perednia’s past board memberships include The Staten Island Chapter of the American Red Cross and New Jersey Coastal Habitat for Humanity. She was formerly a member of the Staten Island Chapter of the Rotary Club, and the St. John’s University Annual Scholarship Dinner Dance Committee.

Ms. Perednia received her law degree from the Dickinson School of Law where she also completed an internship with the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Perednia is a cum laude graduate of Boston College and completed a summer program at New College Oxford University, Oxford, England.

VANESSA GAZZOLA, ESQ.

Associate

Vanessa P. Gazzola concentrates on commercial and business litigation matters for the firm, advising companies and not-for-profit organizations on a variety of legal issues.  Prior to joining Hall & Hall, Ms. Gazzola practiced in the areas of professional liability, employment disputes, and commercial litigation. She has also represented children in child welfare matters, and has practiced in the areas of business and intellectual property law. In addition to her legal career, Ms. Gazzola has experience in business development and as a marketing consultant.

Ms. Gazzola received her law degree from New York Law School where she was managing editor of the Media Law and Policy Journal and executive editor of the Moot Court Association. In addition, she was elected to the Order of Barristers—a national honor society that recognizes law school students who excel in advocacy and brief writing skills. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University where she was on the Dean’s List for academic achievement.
Ms. Gazzola is a member of the Richmond County Bar Association and is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut.