Contract lawyer in New York is usually something people search for at one of two moments. Either a deal is about to be signed and you want to be sure the fine print protects you, or a deal has already gone wrong: a partner stopped paying, a supplier missed a delivery, or someone is reading a clause in a way you never agreed to. Either way, real money and a real business relationship depend on that document.
New York is where much of the world’s business paperwork ends up, because so many major contracts choose New York law and New York courts. That has produced a deep bench of lawyers who handle contract disputes at the highest level. The five below were chosen for their top Chambers USA and Best Lawyers rankings, long trial records, and experience with contract disputes of every size and type.
1. Orin Snyder, Gibson Dunn
Orin Snyder co-chairs Gibson Dunn’s trials practice and sits on the firm’s executive committee. Before entering private practice he was a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, where he served as Chief of the Narcotics Unit. He later became a name partner at a litigation firm before joining Gibson Dunn.
Chambers USA 2026 ranks him Band 1 in New York for general commercial litigation and Band 1 nationally among trial lawyers. Forbes named him one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in 2024. Much of his work involves media, technology and entertainment businesses, where a contract dispute can also put a company’s reputation at stake.
Office address: 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166
2. Eric Seiler, Friedman Kaplan Seiler Adelman & Robbins
Eric Seiler is a founder of Friedman Kaplan, a litigation firm known for complex business disputes. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an articles editor of the Law Review, and clerked for Judge Milton Pollack in the Southern District of New York.
Chambers USA has ranked him Band 1 for New York commercial litigation every year from 2018 through 2026. His practice covers complex contract disputes, business torts, insurance and arbitration, which makes him a good fit when a dispute may be decided by an arbitration panel rather than a judge.
Office address: 7 Times Square, New York, NY 10036
3. Jennifer Selendy, Selendy Gay
Jennifer Selendy co-founded Selendy Gay in 2018 after serving as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and then Quinn Emanuel. A Harvard Law graduate and Marshall Scholar, she represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial and financial disputes.
Bloomberg Law gave her its first “Unrivaled Litigators” award in 2025, and Forbes placed her on its first list of America’s Top Women Lawyers in 2026. Her firm is a strong choice for companies that need to bring a contract claim, not just defend against one.
Office address: 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
4. Richard J. Holwell, Holwell Shuster & Goldberg
Richard Holwell spent nearly a decade as a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, where he decided commercial cases. He left the bench in 2012 to co-found Holwell Shuster & Goldberg, a litigation firm focused on complex commercial disputes.
Within three years, the National Law Journal named the firm one of the top litigation boutiques in the country, and Benchmark Litigation later named it New York Law Firm of the Year. A former judge’s sense of how a court will read a contract is especially valuable early in a dispute, when each side’s settlement leverage takes shape.
Office address: 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017
5. Jonathan E. Pickhardt, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
Jonathan Pickhardt co-chairs Quinn Emanuel’s financial services and structured finance litigation practices. He was editor-in-chief of the NYU Law Review and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
He specializes in contract disputes over complex financial instruments, such as derivatives, bonds and structured products, where the outcome can turn on a single defined term. Best Lawyers lists him for commercial litigation, and The American Lawyer has named him “Litigator of the Week.”
Office address: 295 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
New York Contract Rules Worth Knowing
- You have six years to sue. That’s the general deadline in New York for breach of contract claims.
- Some deals must be in writing. An agreement that can’t be completed within one year generally needs a signed writing to be enforced.
- Big contracts can choose New York law. Agreements worth $250,000 or more can be governed by New York law even if the deal has no other connection to the state.
- Large disputes go to a specialized court. The Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court handles major business cases, with minimum claim amounts that vary by county.
- Penalty clauses don’t hold up. Courts enforce a preset damages amount only if it’s a reasonable estimate of the actual loss.
- Good faith is built in. Every New York contract includes an implied promise that neither side will act to deprive the other of the benefits of the deal.
FAQs
Q1. What does a contract lawyer do?
A: A contract lawyer drafts, reviews and negotiates agreements, and represents clients in court or arbitration when a contract is breached.
Q2. How much does a contract lawyer cost in New York?
A: Simple contract reviews are often billed at a flat fee, while litigation at top firms is billed hourly at premium rates.
Q3. Is an email or text a binding contract in New York?
A: It can be, if it shows agreement on the essential terms and an intent to be bound.
Q4. Can I get punitive damages for breach of contract?
A: Rarely. New York usually limits recovery to actual losses unless the conduct also harmed the public.
Q5. Should a small business hire a large firm for a contract dispute?
A: Not always. Smaller firms handle many contract cases well, and large firms make the most sense for high-value disputes or disputes involving many parties.
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