McLaughlin & Stern Welcomes Attorneys and Staff of Kent, Beatty & Gordon
Addition strengthens firm’s litigation, hospitality, employment, corporate, real estate and entertainment practices
NEW YORK, September 9, 2026 – McLaughlin & Stern LLP today announced that the attorneys and staff of Kent, Beatty & Gordon, LLP (“KBG”) have joined the firm, expanding McLaughlin & Stern’s capabilities across a range of practice areas and further strengthening its presence in New York.
Joining McLaughlin & Stern are Jack A. Gordon, Joshua B. Katz and Margaret N. McGannon as partners, along with Michael B. Kent and Harry C. Beatty, the latter veteran lawyers with over 50 years of experience each. Nafia Gerbeshi has also joined the firm’s staff. The additions were effective September 1, 2026.
“We are very pleased to welcome the Kent, Beatty & Gordon team to McLaughlin & Stern,” said Geoffry R. Handler, Managing Partner at McLaughlin & Stern. “They are an accomplished group of attorneys who collectively bring many decades of experience and strong client relationships across a number of areas that complement and expand our existing practices. We look forward to having them as part of the firm.”
Jack Gordon will lead McLaughlin & Stern’s Hospitality Practice. Gordon, Katz and McGannon focus their practices on commercial litigation and arbitration, employment benefits and employment discrimination, with significant experience representing clients in the hospitality industry. They will practice primarily from McLaughlin & Stern’s New York City office.
Michael Kent advises clients on general corporate matters, commercial real estate and entertainment law and will practice primarily from the firm’s Garden City office. Harry Beatty focuses on corporate counseling and transactional law and will practice primarily remotely, with occasional visits to McLaughlin & Stern’s Westfield, NJ offices.
The combination builds on McLaughlin & Stern’s continued growth and expands the range of counsel and resources available to clients across the firm.
“McLaughlin & Stern provides an exceptional platform for our attorneys and clients, with deep experience across a broad range of practices,” said Jack Gordon, former Managing Partner at KBG. “After almost thirty years as a prominent boutique law firm, we are excited to join McLaughlin & Stern and look forward to working alongside our new colleagues and continuing to provide our clients with the unparalleled level of service they have come to expect.”
About McLaughlin & Stern LLP
Founded in 1898, McLaughlin & Stern LLP provides sophisticated legal counsel to businesses and individuals across a broad range of practice areas, including corporate and securities, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, employment law, trusts and estates, real estate, intellectual property, tax, family and matrimonial law, health care, art law and other private client matters. The firm has more than 120 attorneys with offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and California.