Meet Our Team
James M. Villani, Esq. - Partner
James M. Villani is the founding partner of The Villani Law Group, PLLC.
Mr. Villani concentrates and has extensive experience in all facets of transactional real estate law in both commercial and residential settings, representing both buyers and sellers including preparation and review of contracts, closings and 1031 exchanges.
In addition to transactional real estate, Mr. Villani has experience in Medicaid planning and Surrogate’s Court practice representing families in both probate and administration proceedings. His knowledge of Surrogate’s Court practice has enabled him to untangle complex real estate title issues which arise after the death of an owner, enabling families to sell properties once thought to be unsalable.
In addition, Mr. Villani drafts a variety of estate planning documents, such as Wills, Trusts, Health Care Proxies and Powers of Attorney.
Prior to establishing The Villani Law Group, Mr. Villani was a Partner in Villani & Galette, P.C. where he co-founded the firm in 2007.
Mr. Villani is a member of the New York Bar Association and the Bay Ridge Lawyer’s Association.
Mr. Villani holds a B.A. from New York University, a M.Ed. in Special Education from the City University of New York, and a J.D. from the University of Richmond.
Robert M. Moore, Esq. - Attorney of Counsel
Robert M. Moore graduated cum laude from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Toledo in 1984. Mr. Moore is licensed to practice in all Ohio courts and in the U. S. Federal Court. From 1984 to 1990 Mr. Moore served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Erie County, Ohio where he represented county officials and prosecuted felony cases. In addition, from 1984 to 2005, he was a partner with the law firm of Muehlhauser & Moore in Sandusky, Ohio. As a partner with Muehlhauser & Moore, he provided 16 years of legal services for Firelands Health, an independent medical center located in Sandusky, Ohio. In addition, his practice included business and commercial litigation, business planning, including non-profit corporations, real estate transactions, contract negotiations and drafting, estate planning and employment defense litigation. In 2005, Mr. Moore joined Firelands Health as its Vice President of Legal Services and General Counsel. He was then subsequently promoted to the position of Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the health system. In November of 2022, he retired from his fulltime position at Firelands Health to return to private practice. Mr. Moore has joined The Villani Law Group. As a member of The Villani Law Group, he will continue to represent Firelands Health and serve as its general counsel and corporate compliance officer. Mr. Moore has filed his application for admission to the New York State Bar Association. In addition to representing Firelands Health, Mr. Moore is available to represent clients in the areas of business planning, real estate transactions, contract negotiations, estate planning, and healthcare law.
Belle Nord Howell
Legal Assistant
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Belle graduated from McGill University in April 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology, Philosophy, and Behavioral Sciences. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Brooklyn and began working for the Villani Law Group, PLLC as a part-time legal assistant. Belle’s interest in law began in 2017 when she began volunteering for Boost Child &Youth Advocacy Centre, an Ontario-based child abuse prevention charity. Belle worked closely with Boost’s legal advocacy team and assisted in court preparation for young survivors of abuse. In 2019, Boost CYAC hired Belle as a Program Assistant, where she worked with Boost’s research team and attended training webinars by the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College. For the next three years, Belle continued to seek out opportunities to familiarize herself with legal issues on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. She was a top 4 finalist at 5 tournaments hosted by the American Moot Court Association and the Moot Law Society of Canada and networked with law students and attorneys as the Vice-President Internal of the McGill Moot Court Team for events hosted by the Pre-Law Society of McGill University. As a child of Polish immigrants, Belle was a member of the McGill Polish Students’ Association throughout her undergraduate years and is English-Polish bilingual. Outside of her dedication to the legal and psychological needs of VLG’s clients, Belle spends her free time painting portraits of her family’s cats, maintaining a home plant nursery, and ordering her bacon, egg, and cheeses with extra bacon for Lily.
Claire B. Epstein
Law Clerk
Claire B. Epstein recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University where she served on the executive board of Pace Law Review. While she is early in her career, she has already worked at the Kings County Surrogates Court where she found her passion for Trust and Estates practice. She also participated in the Amelia A. Gould Representation in Mediation Clinic, where she represented a client and ultimately achieved settlement. Claire is a graduate of Emerson College where she received a B.A. in Theater Studies with concentrations in administration, directing and education. Prior to attending Law School, Claire worked on Broadway with the Charlotte Wilcox Company as an assistant general manager. Some of the shows she worked on include: Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, Once Upon a One More Time, Allegiance, and On Your Feet! The Story of Gloria and Emilo Estefan. Claire is excited to merge her unique artistic and managerial background with her legal skills to advocate for clients at the Villani Law Group, PLLC.
Lily
Lily was born in South Carolina in December of 2017 and adopted by James and Sarah from the North Shore Animal League on March 25, 2018. Since then, Lily spends her days lounging on the couch and witnessing the occasional Will signing.
