Attorney Profiles

At Coffinas & Lusthaus, P.C., we are your family lawyers.  Our office is warm and inviting and we prioritize client communication and service.  Our main source of new business is referrals from current and past clients, which we believe says a great deal about our clients' satisfaction with our work.  Firm Principals Maria Coffinas and Meredith A. Lusthaus both come from families of attorneys and judges, and strive to act as a resource in a wide range of legal matters, even those going beyond the scope of our practice.

Maria Coffinas

Maria Coffinas co-founded the firm with Meredith Lusthaus in 1997.  Ms. Coffinas has over 15 years of experience litigating marital and family law cases in the greater New York metropolitan area.  She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of divorce, custody, child support, spousal maintenance, equitable distribution, and domestic violence.  Ms. Coffinas has tried cases before the New York Supreme Court and the New York City Family Court.  She has also participated in successful appeals to the Appellate Division.  Ms. Coffinas has received an AV peer rating from Martindale Hubbell, the national directory of lawyers.  This is the highest possible rating an attorney can receive, indicating preeminent legal ability and the utmost ethical standards.

Ms. Coffinas comes from a family of lawyers.  She is the eldest daughter of the late Honorable Nicholas Coffinas, beloved former administrative judge of the Criminal Court of Kings County.  Her sister, Eleni Coffinas, is a renowned medical malpractice attorney in New York.  Her other sister, Georgiana Coffinas, works for the Office of Court Administration as a Court Attorney to a New York Supreme Court Judge.     

Ms. Coffinas received her undergraduate education from Brooklyn College and earned her Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School.  She is a member of the Brooklyn Women's Bar Association, the Family Law Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Family Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Meredith A. Lusthaus

Meredith A. Lusthaus has successfully litigated numerous marital law cases and has participated in winning appeals to the appellate division.  Ms. Lusthaus received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1993 and earned her Juris Doctorate from the George Mason University School of Law in 1996. 

Ms. Lusthaus is a past president of the Brooklyn Women's Bar Association (BWBA) and currently serves as Chair of the BWBA's Matrimonial Law Committee.  In 2009, she was the recipient of the Sybil Hart Kooper Award, the BWBA's highest honor.  In addition, Ms. Lusthaus has received numerous citations and proclamations from the Brooklyn Borough President for her contributions to the legal profession and to society.

Ms. Lusthaus currently serves as a delegate to the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY).  Previously, she chaired the Family and Matrimonial Law Committee of the WBASNY.  She is also a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Section and the Brooklyn Bar Association.

Ms. Lusthaus also comes from a family of attorneys.  Her father and brother are partners in the firm of Lusthaus & Lusthaus, PLLC, where they specialize in complex estate planning, trusts, real estate, landlord-tenant, and corporate law.  Her sister-in-law, Julianne Lusthaus, is a partner in the firm Einbeinder & Dunn, where she practices in the area of franchise law litigation.

Ms. Lusthaus is licensed to practice law in the State of New York.  Prior to becoming a lawyer, she worked on Capitol Hill and as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.