Stuart A. Summit is a partner in the Litigation Department of Phillips Nizer LLP. A graduate of Ohio State University (B.S. Bus. Adm. 1957; J.D. 1959 summa cum laude, Order of the Coif), he was Law Secretary to Justice Charles D. Breitel (New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department), Executive Secretary of the New York City Mayor's Committee on the Judiciary, and has served as Counsel to the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination since its inception in 1978.

Mr. Summit is or has recently been lead counsel in a wide variety of business-related litigations and arbitrations, including cases involving computer software, will contests, property rights, marine insurance coverage and federal securities law claims. His vast courtroom experience offers an advantage in achieving productive settlements, and in leading corporate internal investigations.

He has written and lectured widely on topics involving litigation strategy and management and is the Senior Editor of Federal Litigation Guide - New York and Connecticut (Matthew Bender, 1998). He has served on many bar association committees, including ones involving the judiciary and arbitration, and is a mediator for the Supreme Court, New York County, Commercial Division.

Affiliations

New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination, 1978-Present
          Counsel, 1962-1963

Advisory Committee to the State and Federal Judicial Council, (2003-Present)

Law Secretary, Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, 
          Associate Justice Charles D. Breitel, 1962-1963

Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Committees on:  
          Judicial Selection and Tenure, 1971-1975
          State Courts of Superior Jurisdiction, 1976-1978
          Federal Courts, 1979-1982
          Arbitration and Alternate Dispute Resolution, 1985-1989
          Women in the Profession, 1990-1992

National Council of the Ohio State University College of Law, 1971-Present
          Executive Committee, 1971-1977
          President, Ohio State University Law Alumni, 1979

Federal Bar Foundation, 1994-2000 (Trustee)

Federal Bar Council, Various Committees

Mayor's Committee on the Judiciary, 1966-1977 (Executive Secretary)

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Senior Editor: Federal Litigation Guide: New York and Connecticut (Matthew Bender, 1998)

Author: "The Witness Needs Help," Litigation, Journal of the American Bar Association, Winter, 1977

"Conducting The Oral Deposition," Litigation, The Journal of the ABA Section of  Litigation,
Spring, 1975

Co-Author: "An Innovative Approach to Resolving Disputes -- But Will it Succeed?",
The National Law Journal, April 30, 1984

"Using Rule 9(b) to Challenge Securities Fraud Actions,” The National Law Journal,
December 24, 1984

"The Insider Trading Panic - The Overlooked Element of Scienter" New York Law Journal,
December 10, 1986

Practising Law Institute
       Chair:  Pretrial Tactics and Techniques in Corporate Litigation, 1976-1978
                    The Planning and Management of Corporate Litigation, 1972-1974
                    Discovery Techniques, 1974

 Co-Chair:  The Art of Taking and Defending Depositions in Corporate Litigation, 1980, 1981
                    Tactics and Strategy in Major Litigation, 1982, 1984

Matthew Bender & Co. Continuing Legal Education 
       Chair:   Effective Case Management in the New York State and Federal Court 
                     Systems, November 1998

Also, lectured annually for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on preparation and defense of examinations before trial, 1984-1996. 

Honors:

• Selected as a "Super Lawyer" in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in General Litigation in the Metro New York area.

Professional Memberships:

• Federal Bar Council
• National Council of the Ohio State University College of Law
• Advisory Group for the State and Federal Judicial Council
• American Bar Assn.
• New York Bar Assn.
• Assn. of the Bar of the City of NY