Larry S. Schachner (Ret.)

Having served on the bench for nearly 20 years, Honorable Larry S. Schachner has developed an impeccable reputation for his demeanor, integrity and superior settlement skills.

His judicial career began in 1999 after being appointed Housing Court Judge of the Civil Court where he presided over New York City residential landlord-tenant cases which included non-payments, holdovers and proceedings involving enforcement of the Multiple Dwelling Law and Housing Maintenance Code. Four years later, Justice Schachner was elected Judge of the Civil Court where he oversaw a myriad of civil litigation including negligence, medical malpractice, contracts, commercial landlord-tenant disputes, consumer credit transactions and small claims matters. Thereafter, he served as a trial judge in the IAS Part where he adjudicated personal injury actions and issued countless decisions on pending motions.

In 2007, Hon. Schachner was appointed Acting Justice of the Supreme Court by the Chief Administrative Judge, Jonathan Lippman, where he presided over the City Part in Bronx County managing an inventory of over 5,000 tort cases. As Acting Justice, he also heard numerous pre-trial conferences to resolve issues and settle litigation, as well as ready cases for trial assignment. In 2014, Judge Schachner was elected Justice of the Supreme Court where he was assigned to the Special Trial Part in Bronx County. While in the Special Part, he was regularly engaged in settlement negotiations regarding all pending trial ready tort cases and commercial matters and rendered numerous decisions and orders on pending motions. Hon. Schachner has been rated “Highly Qualified” by the New York State Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission.

His experience on the bench has given him a broad range of knowledge in numerous areas of the law including Labor Law, Medical Malpractice, Municipal Liability, Negligence, Premises Liability, Real Estate, Tort and Product Liability and Personal Injury.

Well regarded by practicing attorneys who appeared before him over the years, Judge Schachner has been described as: “One of the smartest judges in the Bronx and in New York City”, “Extremely intelligent, he knows the law, top shelf”, “Just a magnificent person”, “Very proactive about pushing for settlements in cases, and that is just one of his good features. It’s invaluable”, “You can go up and down the Bronx Bar and I would be shocked if anybody gave a less than stellar report, and that goes for both sides.”

Judge Schachner was voted a Top Ten Mediator in the 2020 New York Law Journal Best Of Survey and in 2019, for the second year in a row, he was voted a Top Ten Arbitrator in New York State by the survey respondents. He was also named a National Law Journal 2018 Alternative Dispute Resolution Champion, as part of a select group of only 46 nationwide. He is a zealous proponent of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). His ability to approach matters fairly and in an unbiased manner, combined with his even temperament, makes him extremely well suited to the role of arbitrator/mediator and an excellent choice for both plaintiff and defense counsel.

Judge Schachner is available  to mediate and arbitrate cases throughout the New York Metro area.