The Hon. Ira B. Warshawsky served as a New York Supreme Court Justice in Nassau County’s Commercial Division until his retirement in 2011. He presided over all manners of business claims and disputes, including business valuation proceedings, corporate and partnership disputes, class action, construction, and complex commercial cases. A NAM Hearing Officer since 2013, Judge Warshawsky has heard a variety of cases relating to commercial litigation, contractual construction, personal injury, labor and employment, and medical malpractice.

Judge Warshawsky has served as an arbitrator in various construction disputes between contractors, sub-contractors and/or owners (private and municipal) determining technical and commercial issues involving construction defects, interpretation of design-build agreements, scope of work, breach of warranty, timeliness of claims, and appropriate use/maintenance/replacement of structures, materials or hardware used in the construction process.

Prior to his appointment to the Commercial Division, Judge Warshawsky handled general litigation in the Supreme Court including product liability, general liability, defamation matters, and matrimonial cases. He sat in the Nassau County District Court for 10 years and presided over a wide variety of matters.

As a judge in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court, Judge Warshawsky authored several informative decisions dealing with the valuation of shares in dissolution actions and the discoverability and cost of producing electronic materials, amongst many others. He has presented numerous seminars on electronic discovery as well as its ethical problems to practicing lawyers through the ABA, the NYSBA, the Nassau Bar Association and private corporate law forums. Judge Warshawsky currently sits as a member of the Sedona Conference and its judicial advisory board, dealing in all areas of e-discovery. He has also served as a lecturer in various areas of commercial, civil, and criminal law. Most recently he testified as an expert on New York law in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

While on the bench, Judge Warshawsky actively championed ADR and participated in settling numerous matters involving construction law, intra corporate battles, negligence, employee “do not compete,” litigation, medical and dental malpractice, and derivative actions in commercial litigation. Since his retirement from the Supreme Court, he has not only been a litigator but has served as a mediator in multiple construction cases both pre-litigation and during litigation, as well as legal and professional malpractice, business disputes, “do not compete” litigation, and negligence actions.

In 2021, he was certified for “CPR-FTI Consulting Cybersecurity in ADR Web Training” where he was instructed on issues in cybersecurity, data security, and the protocols of cybersecurity in international arbitration. Further, Judge Warshawsky has attended and run various programs dealing with cybersecurity for the past several years. Judge Warshawsky was also selected and sits on the Global Advisory Counsel of EDRM, a community of e-discovery and legal professionals who create practical resources to improve e-discovery and information governance.

Known and respected for his legal acumen and ability to resolve conflict, Judge Warshawsky was voted one of the Top 10 Arbitrators in New York State in the 2024 New York Law Journal “Best Of” survey and has also ranked in the Top Ten in previous years. He was named a National Law Journal Alternative Dispute Resolution Champion, as part of a select group chosen from a nationwide search. He was also the recipient of EAC’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, the Nassau County Bar Association’s President’s Award, and the NCBA’s Director’s Award. According to the New York Judge Reviews, Judge Warshawsky has been praised for keeping a “calm” demeanor, even during highly charged, high-profile cases. Lawyers interviewed described Judge Warshawsky as “one of the hardest working, most intelligent…most even-handed judges… and he has a very good sense of justice.” He has been described as a “top-notch judge” who is known for encouraging settlement negotiations without being overly aggressive.

Judge Warshawsky is available to arbitrate and mediate cases throughout the United States.