Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP
New York, New York
New York, New York, June 2022 – The Honorable O. Peter Sherwood (Ret.) continues to expand his arbitration and mediation practice at Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP (“GSLZ”), which he joined as Senior Counsel in May 2021. He recently rendered a widely reported decision as an impartial Hearing Officer for the New York Racing Association.
Sherwood returned to private practice at GSLZ after 13 years of judicial service. Before retiring from the bench in 2021, Sherwood was a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, assigned to the eight-member Commercial Division in New York County. The Commercial Division is a highly regarded branch of the Court that handles complex commercial cases – many of national and even international importance – involving business disputes exceeding $500,000. Sherwood also served on the Court of Claims, which is the only state court authorized to decide claims brought against the State of New York.
Sherwood has focused his practice at GSLZ on service as a neutral, presiding over arbitrations, mediations, and other proceedings requiring an experienced, independent, and impartial decision-maker. Among other things, within the past year, Sherwood has presided over several arbitrations under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association and the International Center for Dispute Resolution, where he is a member of the commercial and employment panels of arbitrators and mediators.
As the impartial Hearing Officer, Sherwood conducted a due-process hearing to determine whether the New York Racing Association, the non-profit organization that operates New York’s three major thoroughbred racetracks, could exclude a well-known trainer of thoroughbred horses based on findings by other jurisdictions that several of the horses for which he was responsible had tested positive for regulated substances on race day. The five-day evidentiary hearing was live-streamed and attracted daily press coverage. Sherwood is also serving as the court-appointed Discovery Special Master in the action brought by the Attorney General of New York State against the National Rifle Association. Sherwood has also recently been named to the roster of neutrals of the national alternative dispute resolution firm FedArb.
Before beginning his judicial career, Sherwood was a partner in a large national law firm where he handled complex commercial matters. He also served as Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where he was the City’s chief legal officer and oversaw a staff of 700 lawyers. Previously, he was Assistant Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where he litigated precedent-setting civil rights matters. He also served as Solicitor General of the State of New York overseeing appellate litigation on behalf of the State and State institutions. During this phase of his career, Sherwood successfully argued two major civil rights cases before the United States Supreme Court.
In practice at GSLZ, Sherwood is reunited with the leaders of GSLZ’s litigation practice, Steven J. Shore and Mark C. Zauderer, who were his classmates in the New York University School of Law Class of 1971. Sherwood comments, “my relationship with GSLZ has turned out to be a good match. I am pleased that the practice has grown substantially in a short time. Better still, I have come to know and work with several great lawyers on a range of complex commercial matters I am handling. I look forward to continuing growth of the practice through my exciting new association with FedArb.”
ABOUT GANFER SHORE LEEDS & ZAUDERER LLP
Since 1979, Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP has been a significant force in business litigation and real estate law in New York City. With the skill and sophistication of a large law firm and the responsiveness and efficiency of a boutique firm, GSLZ approaches every matter, every case, every transaction with fresh eyes and an innovative mindset. By consistently delivering outstanding service and maintaining laser focus on their clients’ goals, GSLZ has earned the trust of Fortune 500 companies, major real estate investors, and other leading law firms.
Ganfer Shore Leefs & Zauderer LLP is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms.
Contact:
Ira B. Matesky
212.922.9250