On April 23, 2025, Matt Donovan and Viktoriya Liberchuk moderated a panel featuring Westchester Commercial Division Justices Linda S. Jamieson and Gretchen Walsh. The “town-hall” event covered a wide range of topics, including motion practice, artificial intelligence in legal proceedings, alternative dispute resolution, and trial procedures, to name just a few.
Below are some of
On March 4, 2025, the New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”) celebrated a significant milestone during its Annual Gala held at The Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. The event commemorated the 30th Anniversary of the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court.
At the Gala, the NYCLA presented its highest honor – the William Nelson Cromwell Award, which was first established in 1964. This prestigious award is conferred upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to public service. This award is named in honor of William Nelson Cromwell, one of NYCLA’s earliest and most esteemed leaders, for “unselfish service to the profession and the community.”
At the Gala, the award was presented to the Commercial Division Justices in New York State. Among those present to accept the honor were Commercial Division Justices from across New York State, including Justice Boddie of the Brooklyn Commercial Division, Justice Driscoll of the Nassau County Commercial Division, Justices Chan, Masley, and Reed of the Manhattan Commercial Division, and Justice Jamieson of the Westchester County Commercial Division.Continue Reading A Court that Means Business: Three Decades of the New York Commercial Division
In a recent decision, the New York County Commercial Division reaffirmed the high bar that parties must meet when attempting to seal court documents in business disputes. In Linkable Networks, Inc. v. Mastercard Inc., the court ruled that Mastercard, despite having the consent of the plaintiff, was not entitled to an order sealing documents referenced in prior motion practice and produced in discovery. This ruling is another reminder of the high bar courts have set to seal documents, as discussed by my colleague Serene Carino in her blog post “Signed, Seal, Delivered.” It also highlights the balance courts strike between protecting sensitive business information and upholding the public’s right to access judicial records.
Under Section 216.1(a) of the Uniform Rules for Trial Courts, a court may seal or redact court records only upon a written finding of “good cause.” The rule stipulates that such an order must specify the grounds for sealing and take into account both the interests of the parties involved and the public’s right to transparency. In the business context, courts are more willing to seal records when trade secrets or competitive advantages are at risk.Continue Reading Commercial Division Clarifies Standards for Sealing Court Records in Business Disputes
Regular visitors to this blog no doubt are aware that the rules of practice for the Commercial Division are centered on innovation, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and predictability. This includes the rules governing trial and trial preparation (Rules 25-33), which are important enough to merit their own, separate Preamble.
As it stands, the Preamble to Rules 25-33
Frequent readers of this blog know that we are not shy in acknowledging the Commercial Division’s status as the leading forum for resolving complex business disputes. This reputation can be, in part, largely attributed to the ongoing efforts of the Commercial Division Advisory Council, which continually assesses and suggests practical, significant modifications to the Commercial
As recently highlighted by my colleagues, the Commercial Division Advisory Council (“Advisory Council”) has been hard at work striving to implement and amend certain rules and regulations to enhance practice in the Commercial Division. One recent proposal that may catch practitioners’ eyes is the potential addition of Commercial Division Rule 23: a rule designed to
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and gearing up for the new year, the Commercial Division Advisory Council (the “Advisory Council”) was hard at work in proposing new rule changes. On December 26, 2024, the New York State Office of Court Administration issued a request seeking public commentary on a proposal, recommended
One of the ongoing goals of the New York State Office of Court Administration (“OCA”) is to periodically update and refine the jurisdictional criteria for the Commercial Division to ensure that it exclusively handles complex commercial matters. As part of this effort, OCA has proposed an important change aimed at establishing a monetary threshold for
The Executive Committee of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association hosted a very special guest speaker at its final meeting of 2024: The Honorable Timothy S. Driscoll from the Commercial Division of Nassau County. Justice Driscoll opened the meeting with some general points about how he runs his
Here at New York Commercial Division Practice, we make a point of highlighting the advantages of practicing in the Commercial Division. For example, in Have Commercial Dispute, Will Travel (to New York) | New York Commercial Division Practice, we discussed the reasons why practitioners and their clients are (or should be) willing to