People
Trief & Olk takes a team approach to every case we accept. As a small firm, we do not hand off cases to junior attorneys without supervision. Every client has senior attorneys staffing the case, thus assuring the degree of personal attention and thoroughness for which our firm is known.
The Trief & Olk attorneys are:
People
Trief & Olk takes a team approach to every case we accept. As a small firm, we do not hand off cases to junior attorneys without supervision. Every client has senior attorneys staffing the case, thus assuring the degree of personal attention and thoroughness for which our firm is known.
The Trief & Olk attorneys are:
Ted Trief
Ted Trief received his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School, graduating with honors in 1976. He received his B.A. in 1973 from State University of New York at New Paltz. He is a former Assistant D.A.
His notable successes have included securing the second largest bank overdraft settlement to date of $137.5 million, along with many seven-figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of consumers and injured clients in a broad array of class actions, insurance coverage disputes, and serious personal injury cases.
Practicing law for over 40 years, Mr. Trief is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association President’s Club, the NY State Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and its Committee on Mass Disasters Planning.
He was admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts and New York in January 1977 and in New Jersey in November 2000 and is certified to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York, the District Court of New Jersey; as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, 3rd Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Trief has been recognized in SuperLawyers in New York for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury, Class Actions, and Insurance Coverage. He was also named a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation 2012 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award.
Barbara Olk
Barbara Olk graduated from New York University Law School with a J.D. degree in June of 1976.
Ms. Olk completed her B.A. degree in English and Political Science at the University of Rochester in 1973, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
She was admitted to the Massachusetts and New York Bars in 1977. (Ms. Olk has since retired from the Massachusetts Bar.) She is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
She was a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation 2012 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for her work on Checking Account Overdraft Litigation.
Eyal Dror
[email protected] | Download vCardEyal Dror joined Trief & Olk in 2019. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated as a Kent Scholar in 2007, and completed his B.A. at Columbia University in three years.
In over a decade of practice, Mr. Dror has garnered extensive experience as a general commercial litigator, representing both defendants and plaintiffs in state and federal civil proceedings as well as in arbitration. In this context, he has successfully defended corporations and Fortune 500 companies against multi-million-dollar civil claims and has successfully prosecuted multi-million dollar claims on behalf of individuals and organizations. Mr. Dror’s current practice focuses on contract and partnership disputes and on employer- and employee-side wage-and-hour litigation, including class action litigation. In addition, Mr. Dror’s practice includes representing executives subject to regulatory investigation, particularly in the financial services industry.
Mr. Dror is admitted to practice law in New York and is certified to practice before the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also certified mediator.
Shelly L. Friedland
Ms. Friedland graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, and received her B.A. in economics from Columbia University, graduating summa cum laude. Ms. Friedland was selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyers for Class Action practice in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and for Employment Law in 2022.
At Trief & Olk, Ms. Friedland handles a diverse array of matters, ranging from employment cases on behalf of employees seeking to enforce state and federal minimum wage and overtime laws; insurance coverage disputes, including denial of coverage under life insurance and homeowners’ insurance policies (representing insureds and brokers); and commercial litigation, representing entrepreneurs and executives. Ms. Friedland also has experience litigating antitrust, securities, and consumer class actions, and general commercial disputes, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
Ms. Friedland is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey and in several federal courts, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District Court of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First and Eighth Circuits. Ms. Friedland is a member of the American Bar Association, co-chairing the Emerging Issues Subcommittee for the Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee of the Litigation Section, a member of the New York City Bar Association, serving on its Insurance Law Committee, and a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association.
Eric Koplowitz
Mr. Koplowitz joined Trief & Olk in 2023. After graduating magna cum laude from Binghamton University in 2009, he obtained his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2012. He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.
Before joining Trief & Olk, Mr. Koplowitz was a partner at a litigation firm where he defended many not-for-profit organizations which provide services to developmentally disabled individuals in various high-value tort matters. He has experience litigating motor vehicle, premises liability, negligent supervision, sexual abuse, and wrongful death cases. He also represented surgical centers, podiatrists, home health care providers, and other medical professionals in malpractice lawsuits. Additionally, he represented plaintiffs in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Among Mr. Koplowitz’s most significant accomplishments are successfully trying a lead poisoning case, winning an appeal in the Appellate Division, Second Department, and obtaining summary judgment in over a dozen cases. Throughout his career, Mr. Koplowitz has favorably negotiated hundreds of cases.
At Trief & Olk, Mr. Koplowitz represents plaintiffs in medical malpractice, products liability, personal injury, employment, insurance coverage, and other cases.
Mr. Koplowitz was selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2021 to 2023, an honor awarded to the top 2.5% of lawyers under forty years old in the New York metropolitan region, for his work handling personal injury cases. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association.
Ted Trief
Ted Trief received his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School, graduating with honors in 1976. He received his B.A. in 1973 from State University of New York at New Paltz. He is a former Assistant D.A.
His notable successes have included securing the second largest bank overdraft settlement to date of $137.5 million, along with many seven-figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of consumers and injured clients in a broad array of class actions, insurance coverage disputes, and serious personal injury cases.
Practicing law for over 40 years, Mr. Trief is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association President’s Club, the NY State Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and its Committee on Mass Disasters Planning.
He was admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts and New York in January 1977 and in New Jersey in November 2000 and is certified to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York, the District Court of New Jersey; as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, 3rd Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Trief has been recognized in SuperLawyers in New York for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury, Class Actions, and Insurance Coverage. He was also named a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation 2012 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award.
Barbara Olk
Barbara Olk graduated from New York University Law School with a J.D. degree in June of 1976.
Ms. Olk completed her B.A. degree in English and Political Science at the University of Rochester in 1973, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
She was admitted to the Massachusetts and New York Bars in 1977. (Ms. Olk has since retired from the Massachusetts Bar.) She is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
She was a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation 2012 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for her work on Checking Account Overdraft Litigation.
Eyal Dror
[email protected] | Download vCardEyal Dror joined Trief & Olk in 2019. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated as a Kent Scholar in 2007, and completed his B.A. at Columbia University in three years.
In over a decade of practice, Mr. Dror has garnered extensive experience as a general commercial litigator, representing both defendants and plaintiffs in state and federal civil proceedings as well as in arbitration. In this context, he has successfully defended corporations and Fortune 500 companies against multi-million-dollar civil claims and has successfully prosecuted multi-million dollar claims on behalf of individuals and organizations. Mr. Dror’s current practice focuses on contract and partnership disputes and on employer- and employee-side wage-and-hour litigation, including class action litigation. In addition, Mr. Dror’s practice includes representing executives subject to regulatory investigation, particularly in the financial services industry.
Mr. Dror is admitted to practice law in New York and is certified to practice before the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also certified mediator.
Shelly L. Friedland
Ms. Friedland graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, and received her B.A. in economics from Columbia University, graduating summa cum laude. Ms. Friedland was selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyers for Class Action practice in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and for Employment Law in 2022.
At Trief & Olk, Ms. Friedland handles a diverse array of matters, ranging from employment cases on behalf of employees seeking to enforce state and federal minimum wage and overtime laws; insurance coverage disputes, including denial of coverage under life insurance and homeowners’ insurance policies (representing insureds and brokers); and commercial litigation, representing entrepreneurs and executives. Ms. Friedland also has experience litigating antitrust, securities, and consumer class actions, and general commercial disputes, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
Ms. Friedland is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey and in several federal courts, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District Court of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First and Eighth Circuits. Ms. Friedland is a member of the American Bar Association, co-chairing the Emerging Issues Subcommittee for the Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee of the Litigation Section, a member of the New York City Bar Association, serving on its Insurance Law Committee, and a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association.
Eric Koplowitz
Mr. Koplowitz joined Trief & Olk in 2023. After graduating magna cum laude from Binghamton University in 2009, he obtained his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2012. He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.
Before joining Trief & Olk, Mr. Koplowitz was a partner at a litigation firm where he defended many not-for-profit organizations which provide services to developmentally disabled individuals in various high-value tort matters. He has experience litigating motor vehicle, premises liability, negligent supervision, sexual abuse, and wrongful death cases. He also represented surgical centers, podiatrists, home health care providers, and other medical professionals in malpractice lawsuits. Additionally, he represented plaintiffs in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Among Mr. Koplowitz’s most significant accomplishments are successfully trying a lead poisoning case, winning an appeal in the Appellate Division, Second Department, and obtaining summary judgment in over a dozen cases. Throughout his career, Mr. Koplowitz has favorably negotiated hundreds of cases.
At Trief & Olk, Mr. Koplowitz represents plaintiffs in medical malpractice, products liability, personal injury, employment, insurance coverage, and other cases.
Mr. Koplowitz was selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2021 to 2023, an honor awarded to the top 2.5% of lawyers under forty years old in the New York metropolitan region, for his work handling personal injury cases. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association.
