Best Lawyers Near You in New York, New York
New York City is one of the most active and complex legal markets in the world. With a dense network of courts, regulations and high-stakes legal matters across every industry, navigating the legal system here requires more than just any attorney—it requires the right one.
Whether you're dealing with a corporate dispute, a criminal charge, or a personal legal issue, experience matters. So does reputation. That’s why this directory exists.
The Best Lawyers New York directory offers a streamlined, trustworthy way to start your search. Every attorney in New York listed has been recognized by their peers for professional excellence and the platform is designed to help you filter by legal need, review credentials and take the next step with confidence.
How the Directory Works
This page serves as a targeted directory for users looking to find a lawyer in New York. Each attorney listed has been recognized in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers—a distinction based entirely on peer nominations and evaluations.
You won’t find ads or sponsored listings here. Instead, you can search by:
- Practice area: filter by the type of legal help you need
- Location: narrow results to your borough or region
- Attorney name: if you’re looking to verify someone you’ve already heard of
Each attorney profile includes a clear summary of their experience, focus areas and credentials—giving you the information you need to make a confident decision.
Legal Help by Practice Area
New York City residents’ and visitors’ legal needs are wide-ranging and so are the attorneys listed in this directory. You can quickly narrow your search by legal focus. This directory includes attorneys who concentrate on some of the most in-demand areas of law in New York, such as:
- Business and commercial law
- Criminal defense and investigations
- Employment and labor disputes
- Real estate and construction law
- Divorce, custody and family matters
- Immigration issues
- Personal injury and malpractice
- Estate planning and probate
Why These Attorneys Are Listed
Every attorney on this page has earned a place through Best Lawyers’ rigorous annual peer-review process—one of the most trusted selection methods in the legal profession.
It’s recognition by fellow attorneys who know the work and understand what excellence looks like. Attorneys are nominated by peers and then evaluated on legal skill, professional conduct and client outcomes. Thousands of lawyers participate each year, providing confidential assessments within their specific practice areas.
To be listed, an attorney must:
- Be nominated by another legal professional
- Receive consistently high marks from peers in their practice area
- Maintain a strong track record of ethical behavior and client success
Only those who stand out among their peers are selected. And only those chosen in the most recent edition of the Best Lawyers awards appear in this directory, ensuring that every listing reflects current, active recognition.
Attorneys also manage their own profiles, so the information you’re reviewing is not only credible, but current. You’ll find clear details about each attorney’s practice focus, background and achievements—everything you need to make an informed decision.
This page is built to support your search—not get in the way of it. Whether you're starting from scratch or narrowing down a list of top attorneys in New York, this directory is a practical, no-frills tool to help you move forward.
Start Your Search
If you're trying to find a lawyer in New York, this directory offers a trusted, peer-reviewed way to start. Whether you're hiring for the first time or looking to verify someone's standing, the attorneys listed here have been selected for a reason.
Begin your search by selecting your legal focus. Then explore profiles, compare qualifications and connect with an attorney in New York who’s already earned the trust of the legal community.
Select a practice area from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Practice Areas
Marijo C. Adimey has devoted her entire legal career to litigating on behalf of those who have suffered immeasurable loss due to catastrophic injury or wrongful death. A partner at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, she is recognized as one of New York’s leading medical malpractice lawyers and personal injury trial attorneys. Ms. Adimey has secured numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, including a record-setting $60 million med...
Kenneth Adler specializes in complex global and domestic outsourcing and technology transactions. With over 30 years of experience, his practice includes drafting and negotiating all types of outsourcing and technology agreements, including business process and information technology outsourcings. He has significant experience addressing the creation of, and strategies relating to, cloud computing, multi-sourced environments, as well as renegotiation and termination of existing outsourcing an...
Jai Agrawal is a partner in the New York office who focuses on representing private equity sponsors on all aspects of their business and operations. He counsels sponsors on complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, buy and build platforms and equity financings. Jai has represented sponsors on the formation of tens of billions of dollars of private equity funds and single-purpose investment vehicles, the formation and governance of privat...
Gerd S. Alexander is a partner in the Real Estate practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Alexander represents real estate developers, operators, and investors on a wide range of real estate transactions (including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and debt financings) in connection with office buildings, hotels, condominiums, self-storage facilities, multi-family properties (including affordable housing), and retail properties.
Bob Allen is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Litigation and Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations practice groups. Bob’s practice focuses on representing corporations and individuals in criminal and regulatory investigations, as well as complex litigation. Prior to rejoining Kirkland, Bob served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Taskforce, Bob investigated a...
Eleanor B. Alter brings a wealth of experience to Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman LLP, having been repeatedly recognized as one of the nation’s top family law attorneys. Eleanor has represented high profile clients, as well as numerous business owners, attorneys and professionals, and their spouses. She has also acted as an expert witness as to New York law and as co-counsel with attorneys in other jurisdictions and has argued appeals in the various judicial departments of New York Stat...
Martha Anderson is Managing Partner of Nixon Peabody’s Buffalo, New York, office. She is a finance and corporate lawyer with over 25 years of experience representing financial institutions and businesses of all types in connection with leveraged and project finance transactions and mergers, acquisitions and dispositions. She also has extensive experience in professional sports matters involving NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL teams and their stadiums and arenas. What do you focus on? I help finan...
Dan Ansell is Co-Chair of the US Real Estate Litigation Practice and the Founder and National Chair of the Real Estate Operations Group ("REOPS"). Dan represents real estate owners, managers, tenants, lenders, and borrowers nationally in a wide variety of matters including real estate litigation, commercial lease disputes, loan workouts and litigation, office, retail and industrial leasing, bankruptcy proceedings, class actions, construction and ADA issues, lending transactions and disputes, ...
William J. Anthony is a strategic advisor to employers on complex employment law issues and litigation matters. His thoughtful, practical and legal approach to creatively addressing his clients' needs makes him a valuable resource to them. Will focuses his labor and employment practice on class, collective, and multiparty actions, including a broad spectrum of federal and state law wage and hour claims. He has successfully defended against actions alleging misclassification of independent con...
Albert Aquila is a top medical malpractice lawyer who has won millions of dollars on behalf of his clients since he joined Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo as an associate in 1994. He became a member of the firm 2002, and because of his hard work and successful results, was asked by his fellow members to lead one of the firm’s medical malpractice departments. Mr. Aquila is a proven litigation expert with a keen ability to prepare and try medical malpractice cases in all areas...
Roger Arar focuses his goal-oriented practice on film and television development, finance, production, distribution and talent. He provides strategic counsel to television networks, film and television production companies, independent studios and distribution companies, as well as individual producers, actors, writers, directors and investors. He is passionate about structuring deals for his clients that maximize results. Roger takes a thoughtful and efficient approach to transactions involv...
Michele Arbeeny concentrates her practice on nonprofit, real estate, health care and municipal finance matters. She maintains a successful track record of representing financial institutions and nonprofits in all aspects of secured and unsecured financing, including acquisition, construction, revolving and term loans, as well as tax-exempt and taxable bonds. Michele also represents financial institutions and developers in affordable housing transactions. Michele is the Chair of Windels Marx W...
Clifford H. Aronson serves as the North American leader of Skadden’s Antitrust and Competition Group. He focuses his practice on advising clients in antitrust matters relating to mergers and acquisitions. He has been involved in numerous high-profile transactions and strategic alliances across multiple industries, including entertainment, consumer products, health care, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail and technology. Mr. Aronson, who is listed in the top tier in Chambers USA: Amer...
Greg Arovas has established a reputation as one of the top intellectual property litigation lawyers in New York. Greg has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in numerous high-profile patent and trade secret litigations, including cases for high-technology clients such as Intel, IBM, Samsung, Sony, Xerox, Lucent, Agere, Oracle, Siemens, Infineon, Xilinx, and KCI. Greg has tried numerous District Court and ITC cases to verdict involving a wide range of computer, software, communications ...
From Paris runways to retail outlets across the US, Karen Artz Ash protects the intellectual property of major names in fashion. She provides comprehensive IP counsel to designers and clothing manufacturers as well as clients in other industries in which IP assets figure prominently. The institutional memory that she and her team have established with long-time clients and within the fashion industry as a whole allow her to provide practical and deeply informed advice across a wide range of i...
John Ashmead heads Seward & Kissel’s Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group. John is a recognized expert in insolvency and distressed situations. His experience spans workouts, chapter 11, liquidations and foreign insolvency proceedings, where he represents trustees, agents, lenders, bondholders and other creditors, borrowers, equity holders, acquirers, members of and formal and informal creditor committees, and directors. In addition to restructurings, his engagements include...
Peter Allan Atkins is an internationally recognized leading attorney involved in the firm’s corporate and securities practice areas, with extensive experience in the mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance fields. He has represented acquirors (both U.S. and non-U.S.), targets and investment banks in a large number of mergers, acquisitions, takeovers (negotiated and contested), leveraged buyouts, spin-offs and joint ventures. He also counsels clients on a broad range of corpor...
Clifford Atlas is a principal in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is the co-leader of the Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition practice group. Cliff works extensively with clients in developing and drafting employment contracts and restrictive covenant agreements, and developing programs to best protect clients’ confidential business information. He has significant experience in prosecuting as well as defending actions involving breach ...
Joseph P. Awad, elected President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (2006-2007), Governor of the American Association for Justice (2004-2011), Board Certified by the National Board of Legal Specialty, highest rating for legal and ethical standards (AV) by Martindale-Hubbell, recipient of full Academic Law scholarship and Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Mr. Awad has an excellent record of achievement in trial and appellate advocacy on behalf of consumers in matters includ...
Darren Azman is a member of the firm-wide Management Committee and a partner in the Business Restructuring group. Darren’s practice focuses on corporate restructurings, creditors’ rights and distressed acquisitions. His clients include troubled companies, official creditors’ committees, private equity sponsors, financial and strategic purchasers of distressed assets and others in connection with in-court and out-of-court restructurings. Darren has distinct restructuring expe...
Deborah Bachrach uses her significant experience with both public- and private-sector health policy and financing to help states, providers, insurers and foundations analyze and implement the Affordable Care Act. She also counsels clients on Medicaid coverage, payment policies, delivery systems and other healthcare reforms. Before rejoining Manatt, Deborah served as Medicaid director and deputy commissioner of health for the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Health Insuran...
Actively at the helm of the law firm he built from scratch, Adam Leitman Bailey, Esq. practices residential and commercial real estate law. Among New York’s most successful and prominent real estate attorneys, Mr. Bailey is one of two attorneys from a law firm with less than 30 attorneys that has been ranked in Chambers & Partners, honored with a Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Preeminent rating, a Best Lawyers ranking for himself and his law firm and selected by Super Lawyers a...
Michael Bailkin focuses in two value creation areas of real estate: (i) development incentives; and (ii) structuring and helping implement real estate development projects. Development incentives includes a broad range of programs that utilize public sector resources to add value to private projects, including financial supports, EB-5 financing, cost reductions, land use actions and sole source and below market acquisition of land. Structuring real estate projects generally involves taking in...
Edward Baker represents a broad range of whistleblowers and has extensive experience with healthcare fraud under the federal False Claims Act and equivalent state acts. Prior to joining Lieff Cabraser, Mr. Baker was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California, where he was the Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, as well as the Elder Justice Coordinator, within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement practice group. As an AUSA, Mr. Baker investigated numerous FCA cases, includin...
Rob Balin represents clients in all aspects of media law, including defamation, privacy, news gathering torts, First Amendment issues, copyright and trademark litigation and contracts. Rob handles complex litigation for multinational and national corporations, including publishers, broadcasters and new media. Rob's clients include: 02138 magazine, adidas, Business Week, CNN, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Thomas Friedman, Henry Holt and Company, Random House, Reader's Digest, St. Martin's Press,...
Greg Ballard represents clients in civil litigation including securities, professional liability and commercial matters in federal and state courts, in arbitrations and before regulatory agencies. He has represented issuers, underwriters, auditors, officers and directors in class action securities litigation, including lawsuits relating to Madoff, Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, DVI, Aetna, Sunterra, Sotheby’s, Allou, Bally, Perrigo and Wellcare. He frequently represents U.S. and international a...
Jonathan D. Ball, Ph.D. is a shareholder with 20 years of experience representing clients in intellectual property matters, with an emphasis on patent litigation and contentious Patent Office proceedings. He also has wide-ranging experience in patent portfolio management, prosecution and licensing, and helps companies develop and implement worldwide IP strategies. Dr. Ball has served as lead counsel in patent cases in Federal District Courts throughout the United States. He has litigated nume...
In the course of your career, you will likely face at least one legal dispute that you can't afford to lose but can't resolve without expert help. To manage the risk successfully, you will need to partner with someone who has the necessary experience, skill, and resources. Many people in your position seek to engage me to do just that. Read on to see why. Trial counsel People who should know have described me as an "incredibly gifted lawyer" (Chambers and Partners) who is "magic in the courtr...
Charles Barrett joined Neal & Harwell in September 2015. He works as a civil litigator in state and federal courts across the country. His practice focuses on personal injury cases, antitrust and consumer class actions, and False Claims Act claims, but he has also represented large multinational corporations in commercial disputes. Away from the office, Charles spends time with his wife, Elizabeth, and their five children. He also served on the board of directors of the Martha O’Bry...
Roger E. Barton is the Managing Partner of Barton LLP. He applies his management expertise and over 30 years of experience to leading a firm that is dedicated to providing its clients with quality and results through a practical and business-minded approach. Roger is an accomplished litigator with an international reputation for achieving outstanding results for his clients. He has been rated by The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel Magazine and the National Law Journal as one of the Top Com...
Carole advises moderate and high net worth clients in all aspects of estate and wealth transfer planning. She works closely with individuals and families to structure sophisticated, tax-efficient plans designed to minimize estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes and to effectuate non-tax objectives. Carole’s clients include professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers and others. Carole also represents clients in the preparation and negotiation of pr...
