Mr. Lavine graduated from New York Law School with a Juris Doctorate in 1972, where he had been Editor-in-Chief of the Moot Court Board, Chairman of the Student Curriculum Committee, Student Bar Association representative and recipient of the Student Bar Association’s Exceptional Service Award. In connection with his service on the Moot Court Board, Mr. Lavine was the editor of a publication titled Student Guide to Appellate Advocacy.

Between 1972 and 1976, Mr. Lavine was employed as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of the City of New York. He was selected as one of the original members of the pioneering Continuity Unit, which provided each client with one attorney throughout the processing of the entire case. Prior to that time, clients were represented by a succession of attorneys, with no single lawyer having full responsibility for the case. The innovative approach of the Continuity Unit would eventually be adopted as the model for the manner in which Public Defender Organizations currently provide legal services.

Leaving the Legal Aid Society in1976, Mr. Lavine practiced law with offices in Queens County and lower Manhattan, specializing in the defense of complex criminal litigation. He played a role in many of the cases that captured headlines over the course of his legal career. Since his Assembly election, he no longer accepts cases and serves as a full-time legislator.

Mr. Lavine has resided in Glen Cove since 1980. His demanding work schedule never kept him from contributing to the betterment of his community. In the mid-1980s, he served as counsel for the Glen Cove Community Development Agency and the Industrial Development Agency. As CDA attorney, Mr. Lavine was lead counsel in the City’s successful defense of litigation brought to prohibit Glen Cove from developing a movie theater in its downtown.

In 2000, then-Mayor Thomas R. Suozzi appointed Mr. Lavine to the Glen Cove Planning Board. In May of 2003, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Glen Cove City Council, a position to which he was subsequently elected.

In 2004, Mr. Lavine was elected to the New York State Assembly. He currently serves on six Assembly committees- Codes, Health, Higher Education, Insurance, Judiciary and Social Services. He is Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Estates, Powers and Trusts.

Mr. Lavine is President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators.

Chuck is married to Ronnie, a retired public school educator and active Planned Parenthood of Nassau County volunteer. Their children Gregory and Andria attended Glen Cove public schools and graduated from Glen Cove High School. Greg is a graduate of the University of Delaware. He is currently serving as Chief-of Staff for New York City Councilmember Karen Koslowitz while pursuing his Master’s in International Relations at the New School for Social Research. Andy graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in English and has just received her Master’s at the Smith College School for Social Work.