90 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2021
CHRISTOPHER J. CHIMERI:
SUPER LAWYER, SUPER ADVOCATE
MARY T. STERN.
Five minutes on the phone with Christopher
J. Chimeri and you realize he is
no ordinary lawyer.
“I refuse to accept the status quo for
people,” he says. “I’m known as the
MacGyver of Long Island divorce law,”
he says with a laugh, though he means
it. ”It’s something I’m proud of — being
known as somebody who can creatively
assess the problems in the case.”
A tireless advocate, trial lawyer, and
leading New York matrimonial and
family law attorney, Chimeri has a
long list of distinguished awards and
accolades including “Leaders in Law”
(Forbes), “Premiere Trial Attorney”
(American Academy of Trial Attorney)
and a “10 out of 10, Superb” rating on
Avvo.com, a leading attorney rating site.
His manner, conviction and compassion
speak louder than any SuperLawyers.com
listing.
“When somebody comes and hires me, I
believe that they have placed the trust
of their life in my hands and I need
to manage that appropriately,” says
Chimeri, who says he keeps a box of
Kleenex on his desk, aware that the
breakup of a family means “something
traumatic has oft en happened to that
person.
“They’ve been served papers, their
spouse is having an aff air … my job is
to help them focus … and within the
boundaries of the legal system, I try
to fi nd practical solutions,” he explains.
“Very rarely is it the end of the line for
that person,” he says. “Generally there
are steps that can be taken or personal
steps.”
Born, raised and schooled on Long
Island, Chimeri was a competitive wrestler
in high school and college. Now he
oft en wrestles with challenging cases.
“Substance abuse, financial malfeasance
by one of the spouses … I handle
the full gamut of any issue that might
be part of the breakup of a family unit,
whether married or unmarried and
child custody,” he says.
His decision to focus on family law and
domestic relationships was born, in
part, out of his own family experiences.
“My parents are both lovely people but
their divorce was contentious,” reveals
Chimeri. “I lived with and experienced
quite a bit of discord during that time
in my life, starting when I was 12.”
In college, he sought out a “low-paying
internship in a law fi rm” that was primarily
family, divorce and matrimonial law.
“At that time I was also coming out — this
was long before same-sex marriage —
and one of cases was two women who
had been in a 20-year relationship; they
had property and children together. I
was involved with that case — not as a
lawyer yet — and I just saw a need for
members of the community to have a
lawyer and a voice that understood the
unique dynamics that went into samesex
relationships.”
Chimeri opened his own practice
in Massapequa, and as his practice
expanded to Suffolk County, an introduction
to attorney Joseph Quatela
turned out to be a legal “match made
in heaven.”
“Joe had been practicing for 35 years,
and we hit it off in terms of our business
goals and the nature of our respective
practices,” says Chimeri. In May of 2015,
the two combined their practices.
Today Quatela Chimeri PLLC is a
full-service law fi rm with 16 attorneys
and offi ces in Hauppauge and Garden
City. Chimeri oversees its matrimonial
and family law and appellate practice
areas and describes the firm’s approach
as “collaborative.”
“I have a large percentage of gay
divorces because I’m a go-to for gay
clients going through it, but that’s as
much a function of being a gay man as
being a good divorce attorney,” says
Chimeri, who has been married to his
life partner Dennis for 10 1/2 years.
“I’m probably the most fortunate and
happily married guy you can fi nd,” he
says.
Chimeri has been recognized as a
front-runner in the representation of
LGBTQ families and has litigated landmark
appellate cases that have shaped
the landscape over the past decade in
New York. He is also the cofounder and
recemt cochair of the Suff olk County
Bar Association’s LGBTQ Law Committee
that is “dedicated to emergent
issues that aff ect particularly gay and
lesbian clients.”
“The legal system in general, and
particularly courts on Long Island,
have been exceedingly open-minded
in the handling of gay and lesbian cases,”
says Chimeri. “Nassau and Suff olk
counties have really made concerted
eff orts to learn and allow themselves
to be educated on trans issues,” he says,
adding, “It’s very encouraging.”
His best advice if you are struggling
with a personal or family issue? “It’s
always advisable to get legal advice,
even if you just have legal questions
… arm yourself with information …
and not the ‘misinformation’ on the
internet,” he says.
At the end of the day, Chimeri says,
the most satisfying part of his job is
“knowing that the client left me in a
better position than when they hired
me.”
He adds, “Teachers always told my
parents I’m a welcoming, empathetic
person. I like to get to the heart of
what somebody is going through, so I
think that assists me in my arsenal to
properly help a client and establish a
connection, because I genuinely care.”
Quatela Chimeri PLLC is located at
888 Veterans Memorial Hwy., Ste. 530,
Hauppauge, and 320 Old Country Rd.,
Ste. 206, Garden City. Visit qclaw.com
for more information.
OPEN HOUSE
Christopher J. Chimeri
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