Rob Rickner (he/him)
Principal

Rob Rickner is a seasoned litigator, trial attorney, and appellate lawyer, dedicated to fighting for peoples’ civil rights in state and federal courts around New York.

Rob grew up in Burlington, Vermont, and studied religion and sociology at the University of Vermont and the University of Sussex in England, earning a BA. Before law school, he worked for two non-profit arts organizations and interned with a public defender.  Rob went to law school at Hofstra School of Law, where he was a member of the law review, was on the dean’s list every semester, earned awards in both property and criminal law, and graduated magna cum laude. Rob also earned a master’s degree at New York University School of Law, studying how technology, intellectual property, and lack of competition can hinder free speech on the Internet.

After finishing his master’s, Rob worked at two prestigious large firms, representing some of the largest companies in the world. After gaining years of experience working with top corporate litigators, Rob moved to a mid-sized boutique because it had a civil rights practice, focusing on wrongful convictions and First Amendment cases. In 2017, he founded Rickner PLLC to focus on civil rights cases. In 2025, he joined veteran civil rights litigator Joshua Moskovitz to form Rickner Moskovitz LLP.

Rob is admitted in all state and federal courts in New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Joshua S. Moskovitz (he/him)
Principal

Josh Moskovitz is a leading civil rights attorney in New York and New Jersey. For the past fifteen years, Josh has represented plaintiffs in landmark cases, including the Estate of Eric Garner and the civil suit brought by the Exonerated (Central Park) Five. He has served as lead counsel in hundreds of federal and state civil rights cases securing systemic reforms and substantial recovery for his clients. 

Josh has extensive class action experience. His work helped to secure the highest per-person settlement in a mass arrest lawsuit anywhere in the country for demonstrators attacked by the NYPD while protesting the murder of George Floyd. As lead class counsel, Josh won class certification and a permanent injunction against the State of New York on behalf of a class of New York State correction officers who suffered discrimination for their religious beliefs.

Josh is a seasoned trial and appellate attorney. His work helped to secure the highest-ever jury verdict ($9.25 million) in the Northern District of New York in a prisoner’s rights case. And as a skilled appellate attorney, Josh has argued and won appeals in state and federal courts throughout the country.

After graduating summa cum laude and Order of the Coif from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Josh spent two years clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Josh later worked at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP with the venerable Myron Beldock, Jonathan C. Moore, and other esteemed civil rights attorneys before starting his own firm, Bernstein Clarke & Moskovitz PLLC. In 2025, Josh became of counsel to Rickner PLLC before forming Rickner Moskovitz LLP with Rob Rickner.

Josh is admitted in all state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fifth, and D.C. Circuits.

Stephanie Panousieris (she/her)
Associate

Stephanie started as a civil rights litigator straight out of law school in 2020 and has since developed significant experience litigating cases against the City and State of New York for violations of her clients' constitutional and statutory rights at the hands of law enforcement.  She vigorously represents individuals subjected to false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force, unconstitutional conditions of confinement, First Amendment violations, illegal family separation, and other misconduct committed by state and municipal actors. In addition to her civil rights docket, Stephanie has built a successful FOIL practice aimed at compelling the public disclosure of certain government records under New York's Freedom of Information Law.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Stephanie worked as a professional dancer and NGO consultant, assisting non-profit organizations at the intersection of art, social justice, and community engagement. She earned her JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and holds an MA in Social Justice and Human Rights, a BA in Sociology, and an Advanced Certificate in Public Administration and Public Policy. 

Stephanie is admitted to practice law in state and federal court in New York, New Jersey, and California.

Sara Wolkensdorfer (she/her)
Associate

Sara, a Central New York native, has spent the last decade advocating for clients in a multitude of practice areas, including housing, employment, police misconduct, conditions of confinement, and public benefits.

Sara began her career as a legal fellow with Poverty Justice Solutions, a collaboration among the Robin Hood Foundation, the New York State Unified Court System, and the New York City Human Resources Administration, placing law graduates with legal service providers in an effort to increase representation to low-income New Yorkers in Housing Court. During this two-year fellowship, Sara worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A representing tenants in affirmative litigation against landlords in housing, state, and federal court. 

In 2018, Sara joined the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and worked as part of an interdisciplinary team, providing civil legal representation in an effort to mitigate the collateral consequences faced by clients involved in the criminal legal and family regulatory system(s). At NDS, Sara represented clients in trials, hearings, and appeals in city and state courts and within various administrative forums. Sara was a supervising attorney from 2019-2022 and interim managing attorney for her final six months at NDS. In 2023, Sara shifted her practice to focus on civil rights litigation.

Sara holds a BA in Psychology from Ithaca College, and graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Syracuse University College of Law.

Sara is admitted in all state and federal courts in New York.

Leslie Umanzor (she/her)
Paralegal

Leslie Umanzor is a Virginia native and graduate of Fordham University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science. While earning her degree, Leslie was part of Urban Plunge, which helps facilitate conversations on racial justice, gentrification, and income inequality. She also served as a Field Manager and Canvasser for Grassroots Campaign, and was one of the nation's top fundraisers for the non-profit organization Doctors without Borders.

Prior to joining Rickner PLLC in 2021, Leslie worked in political fundraising and outreach. She volunteered for Janos Marton during his 2020 bid for Manhattan District Attorney, whose campaign focused on ending mass incarceration and transforming the criminal legal system by holding police and other government institutions accountable. In 2021, Leslie worked as a constituent liaison for the Office of New York State Assemblymember Brian Barnwell, focusing on imaginative solutions to the City's housing crisis.

Leslie's interests led her to a paralegal position at Rickner PLLC, where she uses her wide-ranging experience to develop a rapport with the office's diverse clientele as they seek to vindicate their rights after suffering abuses of power by the government.

Kymberly Roberts (she/her)
Paralegal

Kymberly Roberts is a 2024 University of Connecticut (UConn) graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science. During her time at UConn, she served as the Social Justice Advocacy Coordinator for the undergraduate student government, utilizing resources to highlight BIPOC students and faculty experiences of marginalization. Additionally, she was a member of UConn Praxis, which engaged in grassroots organizing and advocacy work to support campaigns dedicated toward racial justice, environmental justice, and voter engagement. 

Before joining Rickner PLLC in 2024, Kymberly actively participated in community engagement and partnership efforts. She worked as a program leader for Husky Nutrition and Sport in 2023, which engages in nutrition and physical activity education at different early learning centers and elementary schools in Hartford, CT. She also served as the co-community outreach lead at UConn’s African American Cultural Center, where she worked to promote student involvement in community service projects on campus and in the greater Connecticut area. 

Kymberly’s underlying commitment to community and cultural awareness brought her to Rickner PLLC and now Rickner Moskovitz LLP. Her work furthers her commitment to community and cultural awareness as she works with attorneys representing clients seeking justice for wrongdoings committed by the police and government.

Gipsy Fernandez (she/her)
Paralegal

Gipsy was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, but grew up in Manhattan. She graduated from Ithaca College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language, Art, and Literature. During her time at Ithaca, she directed and acted in Spanish and Latin American plays such as “Beautiful Senorita” and “Harira.” It was at Ithaca that her passion for social justice was ignited through courses like “Introduction to Latino Studies” and “Introduction to Culture, Race, and Ethnicity.”

After graduating from college, Gipsy sought to serve her community and secured her first position as an immigration legal assistant at Valentini Law Offices PLLC. Subsequently, she joined the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) Civil Defense Team as a Legal Advocate. In this role, she collaborated with community members, assisting them with a range of issues from public benefits to representation at administrative hearings. Gipsy then went on to work at Mobilization for Justice at the Mental Health Law Project, where she supported some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.  Prior to joining Rickner PLLC, Gipsy helped serve the immigrant community in Atlanta, GA, for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she provided assistance to unaccompanied minors who entered the United States fleeing their home countries.

Gipsy is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration at Augusta University. Her work and commitment have always been focused on serving the public, and she intends to continue this mission at Rickner Moskovitz LLP. She believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and that we are not defined by our circumstances.