Nicholas S. Cortese

Nick is a partner with Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP, and practices in the Firm's Public Law, Labor & Employment and Litigation groups. Nick's diverse practice includes the representation of municipalities, school districts and fire districts on a wide range of legal issues. He also focuses on appellate, administrative and special proceedings litigation, and has experience advising local business owners on contractual, financial and labor matters. Nick is a member of the New York State and Broome County Bar Associations.

Nick began his legal career as an Appellate Court Attorney for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department. From there, he was appointed as Senior Law Clerk to Third Department Justice Robert S. Rose. After his clerkships, Nick entered private practice with a law firm in Syracuse, New York, before returning home to Binghamton in 2017 to join Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP.

Prior to attending law school, Nick spent five years living on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, where he was a radio DJ and journalist, and hosted a daily television talk show on governmental and social issues affecting the Cape and Islands region of Massachusetts. In his spare time, he loves to play golf, ski, and play the bass guitar.

Publications & Presentations 

• Making an offer you can refuse: how to write nonbinding proposals, N.Y. EMPLOYMENT LAW LETTER, Nov. 2017, at 2-3 (Vol. 24, No. 11).
• Drawing Lines in the Shale: Local Zoning Bans, the Takings Clause, and the Clash to Come if New York State Promulgates Hydrofracking Regulations, 64 SYRACUSE L. REV. 489 (2014).
• Article 78 Challenges to Area and Use Variance Decisions: A Guide for Town and Village Zoning Boards of Appeal, in 2 ISSUES IN LOCAL ZONING (Robin Paul Malloy ed., 2014) (Published by the Center for Property, Citizenship, and Social Entrepreneurism at Syracuse University College of Law). 

Leadership & Community Involvement 

• Leadership Committee, Emerging Leaders Society of the UNITED WAY of Broome County (2018-present) - The ELS is an organization focused on connecting young professionals in Broome County through networking events, community service projects and fundraising for the United Way and local charities.
• Board of Directors, Center for the Arts of Homer (2016-present) - The Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit performance venue, art gallery, art education center and community gathering place located in Homer, NY, just outside the City of Cortland.