Lecturer Bios
Benjamin Brafman, Esq.
Benjamin Brafman is the principal of Brafman & Associates, P.C. law firm located in Manhattan. Mr. Brafman’s firm specializes in criminal law with an emphasis on White Collar criminal defense.
Mr. Brafman, a former Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office, has been in private practice since 1980. Mr. Brafman is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and was selected by New York Magazine as the “Best Criminal Defense Lawyer in New York.” He is also the recipient of the “first” ever Clarence Darrow Award for Distinguished Practitioner by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Brafman has represented a wide range of high-profile celebrities, business leaders, lawyers and professionals in major criminal cases throughout the country including most recently the NY Giants superstar Plaxico Burress and former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Jacob Kaplan, Esq.
Jacob Kaplan is an experienced trial and appellate attorney at Brafman & Associates, P.C., specializing in white collar criminal defense and securities matters. Jacob regularly litigates criminal and civil cases on behalf of individuals and corporations in federal and New York state courts. His criminal practice includes defending individuals against accusations of wire and mail fraud, securities fraud, health care fraud, tax fraud, FCPA violations, sexual assault, DWI, narcotics trafficking, domestic violence and other serious crimes.
Jacob’s civil practice includes representing individuals and businesses in disputes and in connection with federal, state, and regulatory agencies investigations including investigations brought by the SEC and the New York Attorney General’s Office. Jacob is also on the CJA panel for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Previously, Jacob worked as a state prosecutor in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office and as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Andrew J. Peck of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
As an Assistant District Attorney, Jacob tried numerous jury trials and prosecuted serious felony cases involving homicide, robbery, burglary, rape, and gun possession.
