Michael E. Ratner

Michael E. Ratner is a Partner at Abrams Fensterman, LLP. Mr. Ratner represents the firm’s clients in family law, divorce and other litigation matters. As a rising attorney in his field, Mr. Ratner was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2016 and has been designated as a Super Lawyer each year since 2014, a distinction achieved by no more than 5% of the lawyers in the state.

 

In addition to his practice, Mr. Ratner is actively involved in numerous legal organizations and associations. Shortly after being admitted to the bar, Mr. Ratner became involved in the Jewish Lawyers Association of Nassau County. He was selected to serve as an officer in the association in 2005 and continued through the chairs becoming the youngest President in the history of the Association in 2010.

 

Mr. Ratner has also been as an administrator for the Nassau County Parent Education and Custody Effectiveness program (P.E.A.C.E.) for over eighteen (18) years. This program is designed to educate parents going through custody issues in relation to divorce and/or separation. He has lectured to over 6,000 parents during his tenure as an administrator.

 

A member of the Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA), Mr. Ratner is active in the matrimonial law and commercial litigation committees. Mr. Ratner was also recently elected Assistant Dean of the Nassau Academy of Law, the educational arm of the NCBA, which provides continuing legal education programs. Mr. Ratner has lectured for the NCBA, New York State Bar Association, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation on various topics, including the impact of divorce/separation proceedings on health insurance coverage, the “no fault” divorce laws, changes to spousal support/maintenance guidelines, contested support/maintenance guidelines, contested support/enforcement proceedings and other recent developments in the law.

 

In 2013, Mr. Ratner was presented with the Rising Star Award from The Queens Courier, which recognized “40 Under 40” Rising Stars and was selected to the 2013 Super Lawyer New York Rising Stars list. Mr. Ratner is a member of the Association of Family Court and Community Professional, and was a founding member of its New York Chapter. Mr. Ratner was also recognized by the Long Island Business News as “One to Watch” in 2011.

 

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ratner clerked for Bee, Eisman & Ready, LLP, working in the areas of matrimonial, corporate, labor, employment, real estate, and personal injury law. He also interned for former Nassau County District Court Judge Kenneth L. Gartner.

 

Mr. Ratner received his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and his B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany. In law school, he was elected Managing Editor of Articles for the Family Court Review, where he published a student note in the October 2001 issue, entitled “In the Aftermath of Troxel v. Granville: Is Mediation the Answer?”