Raymond Zeitoune has stood at Isaacs side as one of the Minyans main Torah readers, as well as one of the Minyans key advisors. Ray is known by many of his peers as a man with a lot of integrity, emunah (faith) and a desire to do the right thing for everyone.
Both Isaac and Ray have a desire to help people in any way they can. It is this desire that has enabled them to gain the trust and admiration of those they have counseled. For many attorneys, counseling begins after the individual has graduated from law school and has passed the bar exam. For Isaac and Ray, counseling is something they love and have done since childhood. Not only is counseling second nature to them, but it has been a huge part of their lives.
After nearly a decade of working at a top tier Wall Street law firm, Isaac has joined Ray to form the law firm of Yedid & Zeitoune, PLLC. Together, because of each of their extensive experiences, a new road has been forged with the dreams of counseling clients with a high level of expertise, sophistication and a unique perspective in the rapidly evolving legal world, all in a responsive and timely manner. This foundation facilitates Isaacs and Rays strong representation of the companies and individuals whom they represent in connection with matters across the legal spectrum.
Isaac earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance, magna cum laude, from Brooklyn College in 2000, where he sat as Chairman of the Brooklyn College UJA Half Shekel Campaign and coordinated various social and fundraising activities, such as the Holocaust Memorial Program, which was organized yearly as a memorial program with an attendance by over 2,000 guests.
After completing his undergraduate studies in three years, Isaac went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2003, with a concentration in tax law. Isaac was competitively selected by a faculty committee to participate as an advocate in the schools Tax Clinic to represent individuals in connection with tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and New York State. Isaac underwent extensive training with respect to US Tax Court rules and federal tax procedure. He was the president of the schools Lehman Society. Isaac is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
After receiving his Juris Doctorate, Isaac was hired as an associate in the Global Bank & Institutional Finance Practice Group of Seward & Kissel, LLP, a top tier New York City law firm.
Isaacs experience at Seward & Kissel included counseling international banks and financial institutions acting in various capacities in a wide variety of financing transactions, including commercial and residential mortgage backed securities, asset securitization, commercial paper, structured finance, project finance, default situations and debt restructurings.
Prior to his tenure at Seward & Kissel, Isaac worked in the legal department of The Childrens Place, the mortgage department of HSBC, and the credit card department of Republic National Bank.
Ray earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Investments, summa cum laude, from Bernard M. Baruch College in 2004. He received multiple honors and awards, including the Edward Rothman Award, an award given to aspiring lawyers who excel in business law courses. Ray served as treasurer of the Hillel organization, overseeing the programming and budgeting for weekly events geared towards the campus large Jewish population.
Ray moved on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Fordham University School of Law in 2007, where he was a member of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal. He also served as program coordinator for the Jewish Law Students Association. Ray is admitted to practice law in New York.
Ray began his legal career at Cullen & Dykman LLP, representing financial institutions acting as lenders on residential and commercial real estate, as well as sellers and purchasers of both residential and commercial real estate. Through this position, Ray has gained valuable experience and has built long lasting relationships with other real estate professionals, allowing him to provide full-service real estate advisory and financing services.
Ray continued his career at a boutique firm in Manhattan specializing in the areas of income tax planning, estate planning, asset protection and corporate structuring for closely-held businesses. He has represented high-net-worth individuals and closely-held businesses in federal and New York income, estate and gift tax matters, with a focus on the formation and administration of small captive insurance companies for closely-held businesses. His practice has also included sophisticated income and estate planning techniques, such as generation-skipping trusts, private foundations and split-interest charitable gifts. In addition, Ray has handled leveraged gifting programs, insurance trusts, wills and revocable living trusts for many clients, and has managed the administration of estates of all sizes.
Today, Isaac and Ray work together at Yedid & Zeitoune, specializing in commercial and residential real estate transactions, trusts and estates, income/estate tax planning, corporate matters, contracts, licensing agreements, zoning matters, elder law, asset protection and structured finance, as well as the formation and administration of captive insurance companies.
Yedid & Zeitounes comprehensive relationships with its large business clients and its individual clients contribute to its reputation for excellence in its practice areas while providing all its clients with innovative solutions and approaches across the gamut of issues and problems that clients may face. Yedid & Zeitounes unique perspective of the financial markets greatly facilitates the execution of its clients obligations as they balance their roles with market tensions in reaction to the ever-changing global economy. Yedid & Zeitounes resources are seamlessly coordinated to provide value-added representation to both large business clients and individual clients.
Their offices, in Brooklyn and Manhattan, are conveniently located. They will also meet at their clients offices or at their homes. Their goal is to make their clients feel that their legal counsel is holding their hands every step of the way, giving them the attention they deserve and allowing them to have that warm fuzzy feeling that someone is looking out for each of their needs in a timely manner. This is what sets Yedid & Zeitoune apart from all the other boutique firms. No matter the task at hand, Isaac and Ray are here for you today, tomorrow and in the future.
The wealth and expertise of both Isaacs and Rays background, as well as their ability to speak four languages (English, Hebrew, Arabic and Spanish), allow them to provide excellent counsel. In addition, they are part of a team of experts, which include accountants, insurance agents, financial planners and advisors, as well as many other experts in various professional careers.
As Isaac likes to say, We are different from other firms because we are a one-stop shop, taking care of our clients various needsboth legal and non-legal! As attorneys, our goal is and will always be, to provide our clients with exceptional and affordable legal service, in the most caring, professional and confidential environment. We take pride in helping each client achieve their goals.
Isaac and Ray truly enjoy counseling their clients. As Ray has stated many times, The relationships we have with our clients are built on trust, integrity, and confidentiality, and were sure that you will feel the same once you allow us to serve your needs.
Mr. Ezra Grazi, a client of Yedid & Zeitoune, said, Ray and Isaac are a pleasure to work with. They are on the ball and always respond to any type of communication within the hourthe way a service provider should. I wish them lots of luck and success.
Mr. Joe Torgueman, President of Shaare Shalom Congregation, stated, These boys are on the money when it comes to estate planning. They are sharp-minded, knowledgeable, honest and dependable.
Isaac and Ray wish you a safe and enjoyable summer!
