Andrew Rotstein
Background and Practice
Andrew Rotstein has been practicing
commercial and general civil litigation in
New York for thirty years. From 1994 to
1998 he was associated with the firm of
Sullivan & Cromwell and from 1998 to
2001 with the New York office of Gibson,
Dunn & Crutcher. Since 2001 he has
been a solo practitioner, of counsel to a
Manhattan firm specializing in
representation of startup and emerging
companies, and an administrative law
judge in the appeals unit of a New York
City government agency. In addition,
Rotstein has prepared motions, appeals
and research memorandums, including
on novel and complex issues of law, for
a dozen other firms. He is also counsel
to Scarola Zubatov Schaffzin PLLC.
Education
B.A., Columbia University, 1973
-- Chanler Historical Prize, 1973
-- President, Columbia-Barnard Citizenship Council
J.D., Columbia Law School, 1994
-- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
-- Editor, Columbia Law Review
Bar Admissions
New York State Courts
U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Fourth Circuits
Community Service
Rotstein has enjoyed an active public-interest litigation practice, representing a host of advocacy and nonprofit organizations on a pro bono basis. Among many other matters, he has:
■ represented a coalition opposing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to shut down a subway line serving a predominantly minority community in Brooklyn
■ asserted the ballot access rights of the campaign-finance reform initiative petition sponsored by the New York City Clean Money, Clean Elections Coalition
■ litigated the Voting Rights Act claims of African-American voters in Mount Vernon, New York
■ litigated the claims of labor union members respecting the notification duties of their union under the Landrum-Griffin Act, a case of first impression in the federal courts in which he secured a favorable decision from a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, reversing the district court
■ assisted plaintiffs' counsel in the lawsuit that successfully challenged the Giuliani administration’s attempt to privatize New York City's municipal hospital system
■ provided advice to various tax-exempt organizations on political and lobbying activities and to political committees on federal and state campaign-finance regulations
■ furnished research and legislative drafting assistance on economic and regulatory issues to progressive national and state activist groups
■ researched and evaluated federal judicial nominations for a leading national civil rights organization
■ participated in numerous election protection efforts, including acting as authorized observer of canvass of mail-in ballots in 2020 U.S. presidential election in Pennsylvania
Reported cases
■ Thomas v. Grand Lodge of Int'l Ass'n of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 201
F.3d 517 (4th Cir. 2000)
■ AD/SAT v. Associated Press, 181 F.3d 216 (2d Cir. 1999)
■ EEOC v. Johnson & Higgins, Inc., 91 F.3d 1529 (2d Cir. 1996)
■ Coleman v. Board of Ed. Of Mount Vernon, 990 F. Supp. 221 (S.D.N.Y. 1997)
■ Hoffeld v. Lindholm, 85 A.D.3d 635, 925 N.Y.S.2d 819 (1st Dep't 2011)
■ Schrader v. Cuevas, 254 A.D.2d 290, 679 N.Y.S.2d 290 (1st Dep't 1998)
■ Cortes v. 3A North Park Ave. Rest Corp., 46 Misc.3d 670, 998 N.Y.S.2d 797 (2014)