The distinguished legal career of John A. Pappalardo includes more than 37 years as an attorney handling moderate to very complex litigation involving matrimonial and family law matters. He is an active matrimonial practitioner with significant experience in equitable distribution, valuation, custody, and support matters. He has litigated, arbitrated, mediated, and engaged in the collaborative process in the field of domestic relations in both international and domestic matrimonial matters for essentially his entire legal career.

Mr. Pappalardo has helped countless clients resolve their family disputes economically, thoughtfully, and fairly. His approach is to find creative solutions to even the most difficult situations. He is sensitive to the enormous
stress which the divorce process places on parties involved and believes that parties are best served by focusing on the financial realities of their case, while handling their emotional concerns with care, respect, and compassion.

Having argued before the New York State Court of Appeals, Mr. Pappalardo has changed the law of custody and the burden of proof in neglect and abuse proceedings. Additionally, he has served on a committee designed for the purpose of improving the Westchester County Matrimonial Court System and has served as Guardian Ad Litem in matrimonial family law proceedings.

In addition to matrimonial matters, Mr. Pappalardo has been involved in commercial litigation and construction law matters, involving both public and private projects ranging from $50,000 to $10 million in value. He has litigated cases involving telecommunication parties, accounting partnership dissolutions, and legal services disputes, and has represented mid- to large-sized businesses in construction and commercial transactions and litigation.

Mr. Pappalardo has served as an arbitrator and mediator in more than 1,000 domestic and international matters involving construction, franchise, commercial, industrial projects, sustainable energy developments involving solar panels, real estate valuation, insurance, professional services, homeowner and contractor disputes, security claims and civil claims handling issues including, but not limited to, conflicts between contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, homeowners, architects, municipalities, attorneys, and clients. Additionally, he has sat as a sole and panel arbitrator on significant international matters involving publicly funded construction projects, franchise agreements, and the construction of private projects with parties from different countries.

As an arbitrator, Mr. Pappalardo streamlines evidence and provides a space where all parties and counsel can be heard while he endeavors to reach a fair and just decision. As a mediator, he facilitates dialogue between the parties in a proactive manner in an effort to reach a fair and equitable settlement in keeping with the facts and applicable law.

Additionally, Mr. Pappalardo has been involved in medical practice dissolutions. He has significant civil litigation practice, which includes the representation of clients against contractors and contractors against clients in litigation and before the Westchester County Department of Consumer Affairs. He has also represented clients against home inspectors and against major corporations in various product liability cases (i.e., defective design and manufacturing of automobile airbags and brake systems and of infant training devises). Mr. Pappalardo has represented a significant number of homeowners and homebuilders in litigation associated with the construction of new homes and the renovations and expansion of existing homes. He has been involved as an advocate in real estate valuations, insurance, business, and general real estate with partnership litigation and transactions.

Since 2020, Mr. Pappalardo has been on the faculty of Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University as an adjunct professor where he teaches a course on Alternative Dispute Resolution methods. His philosophy about preparing the next generation of lawyers is to advocate for and preserve the independent judiciary that seeks to protect the Constitutional rights of all participants in the legal system. He also sits as a part-time judge in the Town of Lewisboro, New York.

Mr. Pappalardo is available to arbitrate and mediate matrimonial, complex commercial, and construction cases throughout New York State.