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Starr & Starr: The Madison Avenue Firm a Board-Certified Bankruptcy Lawyer Built With His Wife

At a Glance

Founded by	Stephen Z. Starr and Vildan Starr, in March 2006 (per the firm)
Focus	Bankruptcy and restructuring, commercial collections, and civil and commercial litigation (per the firm)
Office	260 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10016 (Manhattan)
Signature results	No published itemized verdict or settlement table identified
Distinctive edge	Stephen Starr is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification, a credential requiring an examination and peer review beyond bar admission
Fee model	Not published on the firm’s site; prospective clients should confirm directly
Known for	Commercial debt collection, judgment enforcement, debtor-creditor litigation, and business bankruptcy matters (per the firm)

Origin and Background

In March 2006, after nearly a decade at large firms — Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker among them — Stephen Z. Starr and his wife formed their own boutique, Starr & Starr, PLLC. The firm’s Madison Avenue office was confirmed against multiple independent business listings. Stephen Starr’s own biography states the firm’s goal is to provide “a ‘big law firm’ level of consistent quality and service at economical boutique rates.”

What Makes This Firm Structurally Different

Starr & Starr is explicit that it is “not a ‘bankruptcy mill’” and provides individualized attention to each client rather than volume processing. The firm represents both debtors and creditors across its bankruptcy and litigation practice, a dual role disclosed here directly, and Stephen Starr has separately served as a court-appointed mediator in preference litigation, claims litigation, and environmental contamination disputes.

Practice Areas

• Business and personal bankruptcy (Chapters 7, 11, and 13)
• Debtor and creditor representation
• Commercial debt collection and judgment enforcement
• Debtor-creditor civil litigation
• Commercial litigation
• Bankruptcy mediation

Track Record

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published, itemized table of verdicts, settlements, or recovered judgment amounts on the firm’s site. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published set of itemized, attributed client reviews for this firm across major consumer review platforms as of this profile’s research date; Martindale.com and FindLaw listings for the firm show no posted reviews.

Beyond the Courtroom

Stephen Starr’s mediation work, including court-connected mediation panels, extends his role beyond direct representation into dispute resolution as a neutral.

Recognition

Stephen Starr holds AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification — a credential earned through examination and peer review, distinct from a purchased marketing placement. New York does not maintain a board-certification system for business litigation comparable to Texas’s TBLS; the bankruptcy certification cited here comes from a national specialty board, not a New York state authority.

New York Legal Backdrop

Commercial contract disputes in New York generally carry a six-year statute of limitations under CPLR § 213(2). Judgment enforcement and debtor-creditor matters draw on both New York’s CPLR Article 52 (enforcement of money judgments) and, where a bankruptcy is filed, federal bankruptcy law, which can stay state-court collection efforts. None of this is legal advice; a specific commercial, collections, or bankruptcy matter should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Starr & Starr’s clearest differentiator is a genuinely credentialed bankruptcy specialty — a national board certification requiring examination, not just years in practice — paired with hands-on litigation and collections experience across both sides of debtor-creditor disputes. The honest trade-off is that Awesome Attorneys could not locate a published outcomes record or a set of attributed client reviews to weigh against the firm’s own description, and general commercial litigation is one of several practice areas rather than the firm’s exclusive focus. For a business client with a debtor-creditor dispute, collections matter, or bankruptcy-adjacent commercial litigation who wants board-certified bankruptcy expertise in the room, that combination is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Starr & Starr’s own website, Stephen Starr’s mediator biography filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, and independent business directory listings (Martindale.com, BBB, FindLaw) confirming office address and credentials.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Starr & Starr, PLLC prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any profiled firm, and inclusion in this directory is not a paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only and does not constitute a rating or ranking claim. Facts stated are current only as of this profile’s research date.