Christopher L. Van De Water

Christopher Van De Water is a seasoned litigator and trial lawyer with broad-based experience encompassing Am Law 100 firms, the Office of the New York State Attorney General, as well as having served as the managing partner of his own boutique litigation practice.   As an integral member of the firm’s General Liability, Professional Liability and Labor & Employment Practice Groups, Mr. Van De Water excels in all stages of the litigation process from intake up through and including trial and appellate practice.  Mr. Van De Water has successfully tried over a dozen cases in both state and federal court venues, with numerous defense verdicts to his credit.   He is particularly adept at matters involving both general liability and professional liability defense (including attorney malpractice), as well as labor and employment cases involving high exposure claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, overtime violations and class and collective actions.   Mr. Van De Water appeared and conducted hearings before the EEOC, the NLRB, and the NYSDHR. and holds the impressive track record of never having lost a defense case at trial in any court.  At a nationally ranked Am Law 100 firm, he specialized in the defense of insured entities including matters involving construction, premises, automobile, products liability and medical malpractice claims.  As an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau, Mr. Van De Water investigated civil rights violations throughout New York State’s maximum security prisons, while vigorously defending superintendents, correction officers, state troopers and other law enforcement personnel.  He has successfully settled hundreds of matters via alternative dispute resolution processes, taken and defended hundreds of depositions, and excels at both meeting and exceeding his client’s expectations. His accomplishments have been featured in newspapers, legal journals, and other media sources, including the Associated Press, New York Post, New York Daily News, Law 360, and the New York Law Journal.

Mr. Van De Water graduated from Hofstra University School of Law, serving as Editor of Research on the Hofstra Labor Law Journal while maintaining Dean’s List recognition.  Mr. Van De Water attended Cornell University where he earned a dual degree in Business Management and Marketing.