Michael S. Zetlin

Attorney Michael S. Zetlin is a co-founder and senior partner with Zetlin & De Chiara LLP law firm, which has law offices in New York, New York; Caldwell, New Jersey; and Stamford, Connecticut. Nationally recognized as among the top construction attorneys in the country, Mr. Zetlin has more than 35 years of total legal experience, and he provides invaluable counsel and support to clients across his region and throughout the nation who have serious and complex legal challenges involving development, design, construction and project management issues.

Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Zetlin has achieved remarkable success fighting for the rights and interests of his clients in state and federal courts, and he has handled a number of arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association.  He also serves as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association on their Large Complex Construction Case Panel and Construction Mega Project Panel. He has a strong background in civil engineering, and he has represented a diverse range of construction professionals and those in ancillary industries during high-stakes litigation and arbitration involving millions of dollars.

A Fellow with the American College of Construction Lawyers, Mr. Zetlin has earned an AV Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell along with consistent recognition from Chambers USA, and he has twice received the Lawyer of the Year Award from The Best Lawyers in America. He also has a listing in the Legal 500 USA Guide as well as Who's Who Legal for International Who's Who of Construction Lawyers. He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Building Congress 2018 Industry Recognition Gala.

A 1982 graduate of Columbia University with a degree in civil engineering, Mr. Zetlin obtained his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1985. The New York State Bar Association admitted him to practice that same year, and he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York as well as the District of New Jersey.

Mr. Zetlin is a member of the National Academy of Construction, and he serves as general counsel to the New York Building Congress and to the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He also serves on the adjunct legal faculty at Columbia University, and he has written extensively and conducted lectures and continuing legal education seminars across the country on a variety of legal topics.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.