Mr. Pope has a Civil Engineering degree from Clarkson University, and then went to Albany Law School and graduated in 1979. For several years during such education he worked on a number of different construction projects, including bridges, roads, a high rise building and a 765 KV Powerline. Mr. Pope’s several years of working on construction projects, combined with his Civil Engineering degree, has given him an advantage as a construction attorney and a business and commercial development attorney.

Over Mr. Pope’s career, his litigation has taken him throughout the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and South Carolina. Mr. Pope’s focus has been construction law and commercial law. Mr. Pope has tried more jury trials to verdict than any other local commercial litigator, all of which have been construction or commercial cases. Mr. Pope has had numerous non-jury trials and construction arbitrations. He is an experienced appellate attorney having argued over 60 appeals in the Appellate Division and Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Pope also has expertise in litigation avoidance which is as important as litigation experience, and much of his present work involves negotiating contracts and guiding clients to avoid litigation, which, of course, is the object or goal of all businesses.

Mr. Pope’s experience in construction naturally led to the development of his practice in business, banking and commercial transactional law. He represents a number of commercial developers involving all aspects of large and small commercial developments, convenience stores, automobile dealerships, residential housing, leases and many other business and transactional areas. Mr. Pope has extensive municipal expertise in connection with his commercial development practice because he is also the Town Attorney for three local towns here in the Southern Tier.

Over the years, Mr. Pope has had the honor to have been appointed to some very prestigious positions. He is a currently serving his second term as a Member of New York State Judicial Hearing Officer Selection Committee (appointment by Appellate Division), a former Member of New York State Committee on Professional Standards (appointment by Appellate Division), a former Commissioner of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (two terms).

He served as a Trustee on the Federal Bar Association of the Northern District of New York for two terms and served on the Board of Directors of Broome County Bar Association for two terms.

Over the years I have been a Faculty Speaker, including for a seminar on 2018 Construction Law Issues, for a Broome County CLE 2018 (Appellate Practice-Chair), for Ethics CLEs for the years 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, for a 2009 CLE on Limited Liability Companies, for a 2010 CLE on Municipal Law, and for a number of years I was a CLE speaker on Construction Lien & Bond Law in New York (1997-2002). 

Education:

  • Albany Law School, J.D., 1979
  • Clarkson University, B.S. (Civil Engineering), 1976

Bar Admissions:

  • State of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

Honors & Awards:

  • Listed, Upstate New York Super Lawyers, 2016 –Present.
  • Ted Sommer Trial Advocacy Award, 2017
  • Stephen Smyk Mentoring Award, 2020

Publications & Presentations:

  • Construction Law Issues (Presenter, Broome County Bar Association CLE)
  • Ethics (Presenter, Broome County Bar Association CLE)
  • Limited Liability Companies (Presenter, Broome County Bar Association CLE)
  • Municipal Law (Presenter, Broome County Bar Association CLE)
  • Construction Lien & Bond Law (Presenter, New York State Bar Association CLE)

Professional Affiliations:

  • Broome County Bar Association (Board of Directors, 1995 –1998)
  • Federal Bar Association of the Northern District of New York (Trustee, 2008 –2014)
  • New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (Commissioner, 2000 –2008)
  • New York State Committee of Professional Standards (Member, 2010 –2016)
  • New York State Judicial Hearing Officer Selection Committee (Member, 2016 –Present)
  • Northern District of New York Attorney Discipline Panel (Member, 2012 –Present)
  • United States District Court (Member, 1980 –Present)