Q&A with Our New York Office
Our newsletter team recently sat down with the members of our New York office.
Q: Tell us a little about Cohen Seglias in New York.
A: George — This is an exciting time for the Firm. We have served clients in New York for a long time, but we are now seeing an increase in our caseload and are expanding our footprint in the area. Shawn and I are spending more time there and we hired Partner Carol Sigmond, current President of the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA). We are fortunate to have found her as she brings substantial construction litigation experience in both the public and private sectors as well as experience in contract preparation, mediation, suretyship, bid protests, appeals, and arbitration. With the opening of our new downtown Manhattan office, we are in the process of hiring both support staff and attorneys. Just last month, construction Associate Thomas Raccuia joined the New York team. Our 5,000 square foot office on the 9th floor of 55 Broadway offers great views of the city and is a perfect space for us during this time of growth. The location is conveniently close to both the courts and all of the subway lines.
Q: What services can the New York office offer the Firm’s clients?
A: Shawn — With our new downtown office and over a dozen of the Firm’s attorneys licensed to practice in New York, we are ready to assist our clients in any New York matters. We can serve our clients on the same wide range of construction projects that we have assisted with for decades, like high rises, marine work, bridges, schools, and water treatment plants. Our services cover any construction project in both the public and private sectors. In addition, because we have offices in several states, we can use this broad platform to reduce the cost of litigation by outsourcing time-consuming administerial tasks to geographical regions that offer lower hourly billing rates. I welcome the opportunity to discuss these advantages with any existing or future client.
Finally, our New York office offers services to our clients in other practice areas, such as labor and employment, real estate, business transactions and commercial litigation.
Q: Why did you decide to join Cohen Seglias?
A: Carol — I had grown my solo practice to the point where I had to make a decision to hire staff or join a firm. I needed the administrative and marketing infrastructure and would frankly rather practice law! As I was wrestling with this hard decision, I met George Pallas, and got to know him and Cohen Seglias as a firm. I liked the platform Cohen Seglias offered, it spared me the administrative work and it gave me an opportunity to do a more varied and larger scope of work. Everyone at the firm has been very welcoming.
Q: How did you start your career in construction law?
A: Carol — I had no plans to go into construction law when I was a young summer clerk at a personal injury firm in Arlington, Virginia, but one day I was pulled into a case involving a gruesome car accident. The car had hit an exposed manhole cover ring. I immersed myself in reports and pictures as well as witness interviews. We ended up suing the transit authority and the contractor who had dropped the street around the ring and not placed temporary asphalt as required. In the process, I discovered that I had a knack for the science and engineering that is needed in construction cases.
Q: You are the President of the New York County Lawyers Association. Tell us about the Association and your role there.
A: Carol — NYCLA is the largest county bar association in the state of New York with approximately 9,000 members. The Association’s founding principle was inclusion: anyone admitted to practice law in New York State was eligible to join, without regard to race, religion, gender or national origin. Founded in 1908, NYCLA’s purpose was to promote a judiciary free from political cronyism and committed to equal justice under the law.
As a non-partisan association, we bring lawyers together to consider common professional, ethical and business concerns. Additionally, we provide training, issue reports and statements, and provide pro bono opportunities for our members.
I function as the CEO of NYCLA with a full-time staff of 28. My role covers both mentoring and talent identification. I make several hundred appointments a year and interact with members, judges and legal journalists alike. Both at NYCLA and at Cohen Seglias, I try to encourage the young lawyers to look at themselves as practicing lawyers early on in their careers and not just as lawyers in training. It is important to instill in all lawyers a sense of professionalism which includes thinking independently and ethically for the benefit of our clients.