Michael J. Vardaro

Practice areas

Construction Litigation: Business, Business/Corporate, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Focus areas

Arbitration, Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Construction Defects, Contracts, Mediation

Michael J. Vardaro, the Managing Partner at Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, is a highly regarded attorney representing clients in New York, New York, and the surrounding region. Holding a civil engineering degree, he leverages his extensive experience in the construction industry to specialize in a wide range of legal areas, including litigation, arbitration, risk management, professional licensing, contract negotiations, and general business affairs.

Mr. Vardaro possesses a wealth of expertise in handling intricate construction-related matters across diverse project types, encompassing EPC, IPD, design-build, power generation, manufacturing facilities, supply chain distribution facilities, datacenters, museums, healthcare facilities, water treatment facilities, bridges, commercial and mixed-use buildings, laboratories, sustainable design and green construction, as well as building information modeling (BIM).

He has earned recognition from The Legal 500 as a preeminent construction lawyer and is distinguished as a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America. Mr. Vardaro is esteemed for his unwavering commitment to ethical standards and a track record of successful outcomes, as evidenced by his top-tier peer rating of AV Preeminent* by Martindale-Hubbell.

In terms of his legal practice, Mr. Vardaro is licensed to practice law in New York, Florida, and New Jersey, as well as in various federal courts, including the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Furthermore, Mr. Vardaro is an active member of esteemed organizations such as the American Council of Engineering Companies and the New York Building Congress. He also holds a position on the Board of Directors at the Center for Active Design.

• AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished, and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ falls into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.