Michael J. Vardaro
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Construction Litigation Attorney in New York, NY
Managing partner at Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, Michael J. Vardaro represents clients in New York, New York, and the surrounding area. With a civil degree in engineering, he brings years of experience in the construction industry and focuses his practice on litigation, arbitration, risk management, professional licensing, negotiating contracts, and general business matters. He has experience with complex construction issues arising on various types of projects including EPC, IPD, design-Build, power generation, manufacturing facilities, supply chain distribution facilities, datacenters, museums, healthcare, water treatment, bridges, commercial and mixed use buildings, laboratories, sustainable design and green construction, and building information modeling (BIM).
The Legal 500 recognized him as a leading construction lawyer, he is a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers of Society of America, and for his high ethical standards and long list of successful results, he holds the highest peer rating possible of AV Preeminent* from Martindale-Hubbell.
Admitted to practice in New York, Florida and New Jersey as well as the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth and the United States Supreme Court.
He is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, the New York Building Congress and serves on the Board of Directors at the Center for Active Design.
* 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.
White Papers
- LeMessurier Stands Tall - A Case Study in Professional Ethics (2013) - Explore the incorporation of ethical considerations into the practice of architecture through the examination of the post-design issues surrounding the Citicorp Center in New York City. This fascinating story serves as an excellent case study by which to analyze the competing demands placed on design professionals, and the emphasis that should be placed on fulfilling ethical obligations
About Michael J. Vardaro
First Admitted: 1996
Professional Webpage: https://www.zdlaw.com/professionals-michael-j-vardaro
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Guest Lecturer, Columbia University
- LEED AP
Bar/Professional Activity
- Member, American Council of Engineering Companies
- Member, Board of Directors of the Center for Active Design
- Member of the New York Building Congress
- U.S. District Court, District of Vermont
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- New York Building Congress - Member, Energy, Environment, Public Procurement, Healthcare Committees
- New Jersey
- Florida
- New York
- New York State Bar Association
- American Council of Engineering Companies - Member, Legal Counsel Forum
- American Bar Association
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Florida Bar Association
Honors/Awards
- AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- , Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America
- The Legal 500
Educational Background
- Villanova University - Bachelor of Civil Engineering, 1993
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- Author, With New President Bullish on Building, Opportunity and Challenge Lie Ahead, Real Estate Weekly, 2017
- Presenter - "Ethics for Engineers," ASCE Long Island and Society of Women Engineers, January 2011
- Presenter - "Is Your Firm Addressing Green Building Issues?," AIA New York State Convention, October 2010
- Co-Author - "Construction and Corruption: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," Zetlin & De Chiara LLP Review, December 2010
- Author - "Greening the Globe: United Nations Developing Worldwide Building Emissions Monitoring Standards," Zetlin & De Chiara LLP Review, December 2010
- Author, LeMessurier Stands Tall: A Case Study in Professional Ethics, AIA Trust, 2013
- Video Interview, AIA Trust Risk Management, AIA National Convention, 2013
- Ethics for Design Professionals, Webinar, RLI Corp., 2013
- Panelist, A Better Project Playbook: Your Guide to Successful Construction Contracts and Risk Management to get the Deal You Expect, Association of Corporate Counsel (Greater New York Chapter) Real Estate Practice Group, 2014
- Moderator, 6th Annual Construction and Development Update, Bisnow, 2016
- Multijurisdictional Practices: An Exploration of the Financial, Legal and Marketing Issues related to Providing Services through Multiple Entities, New York Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, CFO Forum
- Moderator, NY Construction & Development: Is Supply Outpacing Demand?, Bisnow, 2016
- Speaker, Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, 2017
- Author, The BIM Lifecycle Revolution, Mann Report, 2013
- Author, Results from the 2014 Architecture & Engineering Market Outlook Survey, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, 2014
Industry Groups
- Commercial
- Construction
- Distribution
- Government
- Infrastructure
- Manufacturing
Last Updated: 5/4/2022