Andrew A. Rafter

For the past eight years, Andy has been practicing law at a busy, and well-respected general practice firm in Staten Island where he honed his litigation skills in State and Federal courts in New York, as well as in the Appellate Division and Appellate Term of the Second Department. His work included all aspects of commercial litigation, Condominium and Homeowners Association Law, Appellate Advocacy, Commercial and Residential Landlord/Tenant, Personal Injury, and Employment Discrimination. 

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As a student at Brooklyn Law School, Andy interned at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Riverkeeper, Inc. and the Kings County District Attorney’s Environmental Crimes Unit, tracking down industrial polluters and holding them responsible for the costs to clean up creosote, heavy metals and other contaminants as well as serving on inter-agency task forces cleaning up Jamaica Bay and authoring proposed legislation.

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After law school he co-founded a public interest environmental litigation practice on the East End of Long Island based in his hometown of Sag Harbor, New York. As part of the Northern Environmental Law Center, Andy spearheaded efforts to stop the illegal sale of public parkland, curtail the impacts of over-development on sensitive ecosystems, and to ensure that local agencies and developers followed the law. Andy cites his firm’s successful effort to stop the sale of Fort Pond House in Montauk as one of his signature achievements during his time here. 

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In 2014 Andy authored an amicus brief in the matter of Capruso v. Village of Kings Point 23 N.Y.3d 631 in which the New York State Court of Appeals  made new law in New York State on the Parkland Alienation Doctrine and quoted directly from Andy’s brief to explain its reasoning for the new rules it created. 

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Andy’s experience includes all phases of civil litigation from investigating claims and drafting pleadings all the way through the appeals process. Andy is well-versed in a wide array of practice areas including: Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Zoning and Land Use, Employment Discrimination, Personal Injury (plaintiff’s and defense), Landlord/Tenant Residential and Commercial Landlord/Tenant and Condominium and HOA law. 

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In his spare time, Andy enjoys the outdoors, camping and fly fishing and spending time with his wife and their three small children. A committed conservationist, Andy has served as the President of the New York City Chapter of Trout Unlimited and has volunteered with a diverse group of environmental and social justice organizations. 

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Education: 

University of Chicago - Advanced Bachelor’s, Anthropology 2003

Brooklyn Law School - Juris Doctorate, 2009

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Practice Areas:

Commercial Litigation

Condominium and HOA Law

Real Estate Litigation

Environmental Law

Zoning & Land Use

Personal Injury

Employment Discrimination

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Memberships:

Richmond County Bar Association

New York State Bar Association

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Bar Admissions:

Appellate Division, Second Department

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of N.Y.