Hon. Ira B. Warshawsky (Ret.)

Hon. Ira B. Warshawsky was a New York Supreme Court Justice in Nassau County’s Commercial Division from 2002 until his retirement in 2011. He presided over all manners of business claims and disputes, including business valuation proceedings, corporate and partnership disputes, class action, construction and complex commercial cases.

As a judge in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court, Judge Warshawsky authored several informative decisions dealing with the valuation of shares in dissolution actions and the discoverability and cost of producing electronic materials, amongst many others. He has presented numerous seminars on electronic discovery as well as its ethical problems to practicing lawyers through the ABA, the NYSBA, the Nassau Bar Association and private corporate law forums. Judge Warshawsky currently sits as a member of the Sedona Conference and its judicial advisory board, dealing in all areas of E-discovery. He has also served as a lecturer in various areas of commercial, civil and criminal law. Most recently he testified as an expert on New York law in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Known and respected for his legal acumen and ability to resolve conflict, Judge Warshawsky was voted one of the Top 10 Arbitrators in New York State in the 2020 New York Law Best of Survey and was also ranked in the Top Ten in previous years (2016, 2015 and 2013). He was named a National Law Journal Alternative Dispute Resolution Champion in 2016 and 2018, as part of a select group chosen from a nationwide search. He was also the recipient of EAC’s Humanitarian of the Year Award (1996), the Nassau County Bar Association’s President’s Award, 1997 and the NCBA’s Director’s Award, 2004.

According to the 2009/2010 New York Judge Reviews, Judge Warshawsky has been praised for keeping a “calm” demeanor, even during highly charged, high-profile cases. Lawyers interviewed described Judge Warshawsky as “one of the hardest working, most intelligent…most even-handed judges… and he has a very good sense of justice.” He has been described as a “top-notch judge” who is known for encouraging settlement negotiations without being overly aggressive. One attorney stated, “Judge Warshawsky is one of the best judges to have ever appeared before in the nation.”

Prior to leaving the bench, the judge actively championed ADR and participated in settling numerous matters involving construction Law, intra corporate battles, negligence, employee “do not compete,” litigation, medical and dental malpractice, and derivative actions in commercial litigation, in addition to many others.

Since his retirement from the bench, he has not only been a litigator but has served as a mediator in multiple construction cases both pre-litigation and during litigation, as well as legal and professional malpractice, business disputes, “do not compete” litigation, and negligence actions.