The break-up of a business partnership can be a traumatic affair with severe financial and personal consequences for the company owners and employees.  For over 30 years, Peter Mahler has been helping business owners resolve, through negotiation, mediation and litigation, the complex problems that arise when disputing business co-owners need a “divorce.”

Just as every business organization is unique, every business divorce case presents unique circumstances and requires unique solutions.  Peter’s vast experience representing business owners in these cases, and his extensive store of knowledge gained from his authorship of over 700 articles for legal publications and this blog, has made him a leading business divorce practitioner and one of the foremost legal analysts in the field.

Peter authors the Practice Commentaries for the New York Limited Liability Company Law and the Revised Limited Partnership Act for McKinney’s Annotated Statutes, and is a Founding Fellow of the American College of LLC and Partnership Attorneys.

Peter has been qualified as a mediator and is on the roster of neutrals for the Supreme Court, Commercial Division in New York, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

After graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara summa cum laude, Peter earned his J.D. in 1982 from the New York University School of Law where he was an editor of the Law Review.  Before entering private practice he served as a federal judicial clerk in the Eastern District of New York.

Peter joined Farrell Fritz as a partner in 2004 and practices in the firm’s New York City and Water Mill offices.

Click here for Peter’s firm bio including links to his articles and a list of his speaking engagements and here for his blog post entitled, “What It Means to Be a Business Divorce Lawyer”.

New York Business Divorce has an audio cousin — the Business Divorce Roundtable podcast featuring interviews by Peter of top experts in the business divorce field, available on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and other directories.


Franklin C. McRoberts is a partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation department. His practice focuses on business disputes in federal and state court, including entity dissolutions and breakups, contract disputes, business torts, commercial insurance coverage litigation and real estate transaction disputes.

Franklin earned his J.D. magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. magna cum laude from Colgate University.


Peter J. Sluka is a partner in the Commercial Litigation department. He represents a broad range of individuals and entities in all phases of complex commercial litigation, corporate governance disputes, securities matters, and regulatory investigations. Peter has successfully represented prominent businesses and individuals from all industries in cases involving directors’ fiduciary duties, valuation of level 3 assets, material misrepresentations, and shareholders’ rights.

Peter earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, where he served as Associate Managing Editor and Executive Articles Manager of the St. John’s Law Review. He received his B.S. from Fordham University.


Matthew D. Donovan is a partner in Farrell Fritz’s Commercial Litigation department. His practice involves the resolution of complex business disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, construction disputes, insurance coverage disputes, and a variety of other commercial matters through litigation and arbitration.

Matt is admitted to practice in New York; Connecticut; the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York; the District of Connecticut; and the Supreme Court of the United States.  He is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial & Federal Litigation Section and the Westchester County Bar Association’s Corporate and Commercial Law Committee.