Robert A. Spolzino

Robert A. Spolzino is an Executive Partner at Abrams Fensterman, LLP. He brings to his clients unparalleled judgment cultivated over decades of unique experience – he knows how to position clients for success. An attorney for 35 years, he served more than eight years as Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, five of those years as a Justice of the Appellate Division, New York’s intermediate appellate court. In 2016, Bob was selected by the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination as one of seven candidates statewide for a seat on New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.

As a Justice of the Appellate Division, Mr. Spolzino decided more than 4,000 appeals and 10,000 appellate motions and wrote major opinions across a broad spectrum of areas. Prior to that, he presided for two and a half years in the Matrimonial Part of the Supreme Court in Westchester County. Since leaving the bench in 2009, Mr. Spolzino has argued seven times in the New York Court of Appeals and more than 125 times in the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court. For much of that time, he was a partner at an AmLaw 200 firm, where he was a leader in the firm’s National Appellate Practice and National Municipal and Public Entity Law Practice.

The insights into judicial thinking that Mr. Spolzino has developed in eight years as a trial and appellate judge, and more than 35 years as an appellate, municipal and commercial litigator, bring unique value to his representation of a broad base of public and private clients. His ability to see the issues from the perspective of the judge or judges who will decide the case and then to articulate the arguments in a forceful and effective manner allows his clients to achieve their objectives with remarkable effectiveness. He has represented and advised businesses in multimillion-dollar commercial disputes, governmental entities in high-stakes litigation over their authority and operations, and businesses and individuals in significant business and commercial matters.

Mr. Spolzino represents clients in litigation and appeals involving commercial, governmental and personal matters, including business disputes, land use, environmental and other regulatory matters, estate and will contests and appeals in domestic relations matters. He also represents private clients in land use and environmental matters and serves as general counsel to local governments, school districts and not-for-profit corporations, and as special counsel in litigation and appellate matters and land use and economic development matters.

Mr. Spolzino has been designated as a New York Super Lawyer since 2020 in the area of General Litigation, a distinction earned by only 5% of the lawyers in the NY metro area.