This top NYC law firm likes to unwind in its ‘Sinatra Room’

At least once a week, Rudy Giuliani — who is prepping for a hearing next month on whether he can keep his New York law license after it was suspended this summer — can lately be found decompressing in the “Sinatra Room.”

It’s not a new bar in the city, but the latest bid by white-shoe law firm Aidala Bertuna & Kamins — which in addition to Giuliani boasts high-profile clients like Alan Dershowitz, Harvey Weinstein and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — to enable clients, partners and junior associates alike to unwind.

The windowless room at the firm’s posh Midtown offices at 546 Fifth Ave. includes a well-stocked bar, a leather couch, a 65-inch TV with a Sonos surround system, a massage chair and yes — multiple likenesses of Ol’ Blue Eyes hanging on the walls.

“The lounge is not a gimmick,” partner Arthur Aidala told On the Money. “We are all struggling with work-life balance issues right now, and I know a lot of law firms are not coming into the office.”

The Sinatra Room was built as part of renovations in January. It is now a place where you can take naps or nips. The bar, a red Art Deco piece with wheels that was in Aidala’s grandparents’ apartment in the Bronx, is mostly stocked with gifts from clients, including bourbon, gin and Campari — Aidala’s wife Marianne Bertuna’s favorite. Recent photos show two bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label that retail for upwards to $200 each.

Arthur Aidala standing inside his law firm's Sinatra Room
Arthur Aidala stands inside the Sinatra Room that provides high-end comforts for some of his law firm’s high-end clientele.
Zalo Photography NYC

“It’s more of a cocktail environment,” Aidala said, conceding that beer — even the craft variety — is not a priority.  

Aidala explained that Sinatra music plays in the office when Guilani or Dershowitz visit. Giuliani drops by frequently after a New York court ruled that he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements” while debunking the results of the 2020 election on behalf of former President Trump.

A red bar with bottles of wines and spirits on top of it
The bar inside the Sinatra Room, mostly stocked with bourbon, gin and other gifts from clients, is a red Art Deco piece with wheels that was in Aidala’s grandparents’ apartment in the Bronx.
Zalo Photography NYC

Aidala is supporting Dershowitz in his high profile battle against fellow legal eagle David Boies. While the latter represented Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who has accused Dershowitz of sexual assault, Dershowitz has accused Boies’s firm of “extortion, subornation of perjury and other crimes.”

A table with coasters and photos of featuring Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra photos and music fill the Sinatra Room to bring a sense of serenity to Arthur Aidala’s clientele.
Zalo Photography NYC

“If a deposition is getting testy, I’ll bring our client out of the conference room into the lounge, put on some spa music and give them a break,” Aidala said. “And I’ve told my lawyers to go sit in the massage chair for five minutes.”

Other law firms in the city are doubling down on their offices, including Lowenstein Sandler, which added 25,000 square feet for a “new restaurant-style eating space as well as expanded fitness, health and wellness facilities,” the firm announced in September.

Interior view of the Sinatra Room
Clients of the firm are sometimes sent into the Sinatra Room at Aidala Bertuna & Kamins to unwind after a stressful deposition. Lawyers can use the massage chair.
Zalo Photography NYC

At Aidala Bertuna & Kamins, attorneys have been known to hit the lounge and watch movies like “Pulp Fiction” and “The Godfather” on the weekends. The renovation also included converting the men’s and women’s bathrooms into four individual rooms equipped with sensor-operated bidet toilets that have heated seats.

“My biggest regret is that I didn’t install a shower,” Aidala said, referring to nights he and staff have worked into, well, “the wee, small hours of the morning,” as Frank would have put it.

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