Carolyn Reinach Wolf - Lawyer in Lake Success, NY

Carolyn Reinach Wolf is an executive partner at the law firm Abrams Fensterman, LLP and director of the firm's mental health law practice. She is the only lawyer in the country engaged in a family-oriented psychiatric practice. With the support of a team of experienced clinicians, she specializes in guiding families in complex legal issues that affect loved ones with serious mental illnesses and/or substance use problems. She also represents institutions such as large hospital systems, community hospitals, skilled care facilities and outpatient programs, advising on issues such as capacity, mental hygiene law, end-of-life decision-making, the development and ongoing operation of ethics committees, preliminary directives and institutional supervisory boards. She also represents the interests of mental health and healthcare professionals, as well as higher education institutions. Her profile in the New York Times is available here.

Ms. Wolf's experience covers legislation in the field of mental hygiene, including retention and treatment in psychiatric cases with objections; mental health warrants; determination of legal capacity; cases of informed consent and medical treatment; issues of confidentiality and disclosure of records; interaction with law enforcement agencies on family issues, medical institutions and higher education institutions; Kendra's legal statements (Outpatient Treatment Orders); Article 81 and 17-A custody procedures; civil and criminal court proceedings and negotiations concerning mental health problems; consultations and consultations on the management of the mental health system and legal interventions in the conditions of inpatient and outpatient treatment, as well as on mental health issues in higher education institutions.

Ms. Wolf is the immediate past President of the National Association of Behavioral Intervention Teams (NaBITA), a membership association serving more than 1,500 professionals in schools, colleges and workplaces whose role is to support individuals in need of mental health intervention and to minimize the possibility of violence at school and in the workplace. She is also a frequently invited speaker and consultant to health and mental health organizations, as well as higher education institutions, in particular university counseling centers and administrators, and professional associations throughout the country on mental health legislation and many of the aforementioned topics. She has been selected to the list of New York City Super Lawyers since 2013 and America's Best Lawyers since 2018. This year, the Best Lawyers in America® recognized Ms. Wolf as the Lawyer of the Year in the field of healthcare law.

Ms. Wolf holds a Juris doctor from the Hofstra University School of Law, a Master's degree in Health service management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a Master's degree in Management from the Hofstra University School of Business. She is admitted to practice in the courts of the state of New York and federal courts, as well as in the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, Ms. Wolf is an adjunct professor at the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University, teaching «Jurisprudence and Psychiatry». Prior to practicing law, Ms. Wolf was a hospital administrator and director of risk Management at the hospital.