Zetlin Dispute Resolution Services, LLC – Managing Member<br/>Zetlin & De Chiara LLP - Senior Partner

Attorney

Managing Member, Zetlin Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, 2024-Present; Founder and Partner, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, 1991-Present; Associate Attorney, LePatner Block Pawa & Rivelis, 1988-1991; Associate Attorney, Whitman & Ransom, 1985-1988.

For nearly 40 years, litigated and arbitrated complex, multi-million-dollar construction disputes in multiple state and federal courts throughout the United States on behalf of owners, developers, institutions, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals. Experience includes most project types including aviation, cogeneration, biofuels, solar power, wind power, tunnels, roads, bridges, transportation hubs, sports and entertainment venues, manufacturing facilities, data storage centers, telecommunications, education and cultural facilities, retail, residential, mixed-use, commercial and hotels. Experience with all construction claim types such as delays, construction defects, design errors, differing site conditions, breach of warranty, personal injury, insurance coverage disputes, wrongful termination, fraud, and defamation. Drafted and negotiated contracts for clients with values as high as two billion dollars. Serve as a strategic advisor to clients throughout all aspects of the construction process. <br/><br/>Adjunct Professor at Columbia University from 2007, teaching “Legal Issues in Building Construction” as part of the Masters Program in Construction Administration.

As a lead advocate for clients for nearly 40 years in the construction industry, mediated scores of cases, many with values in the tens of millions of dollars for all project types. Prior to shifting focus from mediation advocacy to serving as a mediator, mediated several cases, including a dispute between a design builder and a subcontractor in connection with the design and construction of a fiber-optic network installation and a dispute between a general contractor and a mechanical subcontractor in connection with a food processing and packaging facility.

In achieving a successful mediation, it is essential that counsel, the parties and the mediator grasp the core issues in dispute. I am a firm believer in the exchange of critical information in advance of the mediation through pre-mediation statements and select document exchanges so that counsel and the decision makers can isolate these core issues quickly and efficiently and understand the perspectives of each party. At that point, I can act as a facilitator and/or as an evaluative mediator as determined by the circumstances to assist the parties in achieving an equitable and business appropriate resolution.

Fordham University (JD-1985); Columbia University School of Engineering (BS, Civil Engineering-1982).

Admitted to the Bar: New York (1986), New Jersey (1986); U.S. District Court: Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, District of New Jersey (1985).

Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers;<br/>Member, National Academy of Construction; <br/>General Counsel and Board of Directors, New York Building Congress; <br/>General Counsel, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter;<br/>Board of Trustees, Pratt Institute;<br/>Advisory Board, Columbia University Industry Advisory Committee of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics;<br/>Past Governing Committee Member, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry;<br/>Member, Lincoln Center Real Estate & Construction Council.

Publications:<br/>Co-Editor, “New York Construction Law” Construction Law Library, Aspen Law & Business, 2003; ABA, The Construction Lawyer, “The Potentially Catastrophic Design Error and the Ethical Response,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York, November 2019; THE CURE “The 2017 Healthcare Construction Report,” September 2017.<br/><br/>Speaking Engagements:<br/>NY Building Congress Panel Discussion, “ADR” Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Legal Alternative to Workers Compensation Insurance for Infrastructure and Construction, Moderator, July 2022; The State of Commercial Real Estate, Moderator, May 2022; Construction Law Committee of the NYC Bar “The Impact of MTA Debarment Regulations to Contractors, Design Professionals and Suppliers”, Speaker, November 2019; Association of the Bar of the City of New York, “Working on Public Work Projects”, Moderator, November 2019; American College of Construction Lawyers, Annual Meeting, March 2017; P3C Public-Private Partnership Conference 2017, February 2017; Commercial Observer “Pulse Healthcare Conference,” November 2016; Moderator – “Health Care Pulse, Commercial Observer Breakfast,” November 2016; Moderator – “Offices 2025, Commercial Observer Breakfast,” March 2016; Moderator – “Social Public Private Partnerships: A New Tool for Real Estate Development,” March 2016; Moderator – “Attracting the Right Partner: Procuring PPPs,” Public-Private Partnership Conference & Expo 2016, March 2016; Presenter – “Transformative Projects, Transformative Risk Management,” New York Build, March 2016; Moderator – Bisnow’s “6th Annual NYC Construction & Development Summit”, November 2015; Moderator – “Building Brooklyn,” June 2015; Moderator – Anchin “Construction & Development Summit,” February 2015; Moderator - Bisnow’s “5th Annual NYC Construction & Development Summit,” December 2014; Moderator – “Schools, Colleges & Universities: a Construction Report Card,” September 2014; Speaker - “Transformative Projects, Transformative Issues,” June 2014; Speaker – “Inaugural ISO 55000 Conference for the United States,” May 2014; Moderator – “Building Better: Boosting Your Construction Project’s Bottom Line,” November 2013; Moderator – “New York’s Next Urban Agenda: What’s the Future of Real Estate, Development and Construction in New York City?” October 2013; Speaker - "BIM - Improved Life Cycle Management, Maintenance and Enhanced Energy Performance," The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute, February 2013; Moderator - "Latest Innovations in the Design and Construction of Sports Facilities," ENR Construction, November 2012; Panelist - "Where Will The Opportunities Be in 2013? NY and Beyond," Bloomberg Commercial Real Estate Conference, November 2012; Moderator - "Public Private Partnerships - They're Coming to New York," New York State MWBE Forum, October 2012; Moderator - "Project Labor Agreements: Real Savings or Window Dressing?" Zetlin & De Chiara with Willis and Deloitte, May 2012; Speaker - "BIM is Coming, BIM is Here - Now What? An Analysis of Legal Issues," NYBC Architects Leadership Council, May 2012; Moderator - "New York and Its Grid-Breaking Megaprojects: Themes & Issues,"

Travel not charged within 50 miles of New York City.

$795 Per Hour

English

United States of America

New York, NY