Law Firm Personnel

Firm Profile (Continued)

Professional Staff

Donald D. Vanarelli has been a practicing attorney since 1983, admitted in New Jersey and New York. A graduate of Rutger’s Law School, Don practices in areas of elder law, estate planning and administration, mediation and collaborative law. Before becoming an attorney, Don worked for the Social Security Administration adjudicating claims for benefits under the Social Security, SSI, Medicare and Medicaid programs. Immediately after graduating law school, Don served as Law Clerk to Hon. Herbert Alterman, J.S.C., Superior Court, Passaic County. He is Board-certified as an Elder Law Attorney. Don is also certified as a National Certified Guardian, and practices as a professional fiduciary. Don is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association’s Elder Law Section, the Union and Somerset County Elder Law Committees and the Guardianship Association of New Jersey, Inc. Don is married with three children.

Whitney W. Bremer Whitney W. Bremer has been an attorney since 1991. Whitney joined the firm in 1998. She concentrates her work in the area of litigation, including guardianships and will contests. Whitney earned her B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College. She obtained her J.D. from Rutgers University. After law school, Whitney served as Law Clerk to Hon. Marianne Espinosa Murphy, J.S.C., Superior Court, Morris County. From 1993 to 1998, she was employed as a litigation attorney with the law firm of Tompkins, McGuire & Wachenfeld.

Chen Li has been an attorney since 2002, admitted to practice law in New Jersey and New York. Chen earned a B.A. from Queens College, City University of New York. She obtained her J.D. from St. John’s University. Chen is also a certified public accountant. Before becoming an attorney, she worked for Ernst and Young, LLP and Dreyfus Realty Advisors, Inc. After law school, Chen worked as an attorney in law firms with concentration on elder law, estate planning and estate administration. Chen joined the firm in 2006.

Eric A. Strulowitz is “of counsel” to the firm. Eric graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a C.P.A. Eric attended Boston University Law School, graduating in 1986. He earned an L.L.M. in tax law at New York University in 1989. Since then, Eric has worked in private law firms in the areas of tax law and sophisticated estate planning.

Support Staff

Marion Berkowitz is the firm’s office manager. Marion graduated, with honors, from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. Marion worked for years as a Claims Representative with the Social Security Administration, where she interviewed claimants and adjudicated claims for retirement and disability benefits. She has been with the firm since 1995.

Loretta Ceres is employed as a secretary with the firm. Her responsibilities include receptionist duties, setting up initial consultations, following up with clients for additional information and documents and answering client questions. Loretta is very experienced, coming to the firm after years of secretarial work with other law firms. She joined the firm in 1999.

Ginny Morrissey serves as the firm’s marketing manager. She is responsible for marketing efforts and activities related to practice development including but not limited to advertising, seminar coordination, public relations and market analysis. Ginny also has served as Director of Human Resources for several major corporations. She is a graduate of Lehman College, where she earned a B.A. in Sociology and Mathematics. Ginny joined the firm in 2001.

Beth Thompson is employed as a secretary with the firm. She also handles various paralegal assignments. Her responsibilities include receptionist duties, helping with various estate administration projects, following up with clients for additional information and documents and answering client questions. Beth joined the firm in 2006.

Additional Information

For additional information regarding Vanarelli & Li, LLC, call us at 908-232-7400 or click here to contact us online.