Gail Koff
Encyclopedia
Gail Joanne Koff was an American lawyer who became one of the lead partners in the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers
, for which she helped establish a New York City
office and develop a presence in the Northeastern United States
.
Koff was born in Manhattan
on May 15, 1945, and was raised in Scarsdale, New York
as a self-described "child of the 60s". She earned her undergraduate degree in 1966 from the University of California, Berkeley
. She earned her law degree in 1969 from George Washington University Law School and worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity
in the Legal Services Administration while she was still in school. She recounted being harassed as one of the law school's few female students, including an incident in which a professor told the class "'Miss Koff, would you please stand up so we can all see the dimensions of this case?" She was hired by the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
after graduating from law school.
Saying that "my main interest in the law has always been the availability of local services", she became a partner in the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers in 1979, which had been founded in California in 1972 to offer low-priced legal services to middle class clients, featuring such innovations as flat fees, acceptance of credit card payments and computerized tracking of cases. The firm became the first to advertise on television after a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturned restrictions on advertising by attorneys. Koff had the responsibility of opening a New York office for the firm. She held a 20% stake in the firm, but was called a "silent partner" by The New York Times
by staying out of the limelight occupied by the two founding partners, though she did appear holding a hair dryer in one of the firm's TV advertisements warning consumers of the risks of fraud and injury. A disagreement between the partners over the management of the firm led to a split, with Jacoby maintaining control of the firm's California offices while Koff and Meyers held onto all of the other locations.
"It's almost like a spiritual thing with me — developing a legal system that really works and then putting it in the hands of the average person," she told Newsday in 2000.
Koff was the author of the 1985 book The Jacoby & Meyers Practical Guide to Everyday Law and the 1991 Jacoby & Meyers Guide to Divorce, as well as The Jacoby & Meyers Practical Guide to Personal Injury and Love and the Law. She also wrote a weekly legal advice column and hosted a weekly radio show called "The Law and You".
In June 2010, Koff was awarded the Highest Leaf Award by the Women’s Venture Fund. In addition, she was honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners
in 2007 and received the Civic Spirit Award from the Women’s City Club of New York in 2002. Working Woman magazine named Jacoby & Meyers in their Top 500 Women-Owned Businesses of 1998 and the New York Law Journal
recognized Koff as one of the most influential lawyers in America.
Koff was a charter member of The Committee of 200
, a group of women entrepreneurs. She was also a member of the Education Committees for the International Women's Forum, the Museum of Modern Art
and Thirteen (WNET). For two decades Ms. Koff was a trustee and general counsel of Bank Street College, where her three children attended school. She was, in addition, an advisor to the Harlem Success Academy
charter school and a board member of the Calhoun School, and the Newark Educators' Community Charter School. She was a Director of Africare
and a member of the New York State Bar Association
. In 2008, she was selected to the top 100 trial lawyers within the American Trial Lawyers Association.
Koff was the subject of a bitter divorce battle after her 20-year marriage to Ralph Brill ended. Ultimately the prenuptial agreement
they signed in 1978 was invalidated and Koff was granted a 65% share of marital assets based on her greater involvement in running the household and working on a full time basis. "The evidence unquestionably establishes that the wife undertook the herculean combined roles of full-time lawyer, primary homemaker and primary parent of the three children."
. She was survived by a son and two daughters.
Jacoby & Meyers
Jacoby & Meyers is an American law firm established as a partnership by Leonard Jacoby and Stephen Meyers that used an extensive advertising campaign to build exposure and awareness of the firm, growing from a single storefront to as many as 150 offices in Arizona, California, Connecticut, New...
, for which she helped establish a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
office and develop a presence in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
.
Koff was born in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on May 15, 1945, and was raised in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
as a self-described "child of the 60s". She earned her undergraduate degree in 1966 from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. She earned her law degree in 1969 from George Washington University Law School and worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity
Office of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
in the Legal Services Administration while she was still in school. She recounted being harassed as one of the law school's few female students, including an incident in which a professor told the class "'Miss Koff, would you please stand up so we can all see the dimensions of this case?" She was hired by the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates , founded in 1948, is a prominent law firm based in New York City. With over 2,000 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the world. Forbes magazine calls Skadden "Wall Street's most powerful law firm"...
after graduating from law school.
Saying that "my main interest in the law has always been the availability of local services", she became a partner in the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers in 1979, which had been founded in California in 1972 to offer low-priced legal services to middle class clients, featuring such innovations as flat fees, acceptance of credit card payments and computerized tracking of cases. The firm became the first to advertise on television after a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturned restrictions on advertising by attorneys. Koff had the responsibility of opening a New York office for the firm. She held a 20% stake in the firm, but was called a "silent partner" by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
by staying out of the limelight occupied by the two founding partners, though she did appear holding a hair dryer in one of the firm's TV advertisements warning consumers of the risks of fraud and injury. A disagreement between the partners over the management of the firm led to a split, with Jacoby maintaining control of the firm's California offices while Koff and Meyers held onto all of the other locations.
"It's almost like a spiritual thing with me — developing a legal system that really works and then putting it in the hands of the average person," she told Newsday in 2000.
Koff was the author of the 1985 book The Jacoby & Meyers Practical Guide to Everyday Law and the 1991 Jacoby & Meyers Guide to Divorce, as well as The Jacoby & Meyers Practical Guide to Personal Injury and Love and the Law. She also wrote a weekly legal advice column and hosted a weekly radio show called "The Law and You".
In June 2010, Koff was awarded the Highest Leaf Award by the Women’s Venture Fund. In addition, she was honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners
National Association of Women Business Owners
The National Association of Women Business Owners is an organization in the United States founded in 1975 that has the purpose of networking the approximately 10.6 million women-owned businesses so as to provide mutual support, share resources, and provide a single voice to help shape economic and...
in 2007 and received the Civic Spirit Award from the Women’s City Club of New York in 2002. Working Woman magazine named Jacoby & Meyers in their Top 500 Women-Owned Businesses of 1998 and the New York Law Journal
New York Law Journal
The New York Law Journal, founded in 1888, is a legal periodical covering the legal profession in New York, United States. The newspaper covers legal news, decisions, court calendars, and legislation, and provides analysis and insight in columns written by leading professionals...
recognized Koff as one of the most influential lawyers in America.
Koff was a charter member of The Committee of 200
The Committee of 200
The Committee of 200 is an invitation-only membership organization of successful women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.-History:It was created in 1982 by a small handful of successful and powerful women in business, including fashion designer Kay Unger and American comic book editor and...
, a group of women entrepreneurs. She was also a member of the Education Committees for the International Women's Forum, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
and Thirteen (WNET). For two decades Ms. Koff was a trustee and general counsel of Bank Street College, where her three children attended school. She was, in addition, an advisor to the Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy Charter School is the foundation of Success Charter Network, Inc. Its students, most of them starting with disadvantages, have been consistently achieving some of the highest test scores in the state...
charter school and a board member of the Calhoun School, and the Newark Educators' Community Charter School. She was a Director of Africare
Africare
Africare is a non-profit organization based in the United States which provides development aid for Africa. Africare was founded in 1970 by former Peace Corps members who had worked in eastern Niger, as well as a Nigerian diplomat. Africare now provides aid for approximately 25 countries in every...
and a member of the New York State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
. In 2008, she was selected to the top 100 trial lawyers within the American Trial Lawyers Association.
Koff was the subject of a bitter divorce battle after her 20-year marriage to Ralph Brill ended. Ultimately the prenuptial agreement
Prenuptial agreement
A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup or prenupt, is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other...
they signed in 1978 was invalidated and Koff was granted a 65% share of marital assets based on her greater involvement in running the household and working on a full time basis. "The evidence unquestionably establishes that the wife undertook the herculean combined roles of full-time lawyer, primary homemaker and primary parent of the three children."
Death
Koff died at age 65 on August 31, 2010, in Manhattan. The cause of her death was complications associated with her most recent procedure to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemiaChronic lymphocytic leukemia
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia , also known as chronic lymphoid leukemia , is the most common type of leukemia. Leukemias are cancers of the white blood cells . CLL affects B cell lymphocytes. B cells originate in the bone marrow, develop in the lymph nodes, and normally fight infection by...
. She was survived by a son and two daughters.