Hon. Erin M. Peradotto, who retired from the appellate bench in 2023, draws on her nearly 17 years of experience as an associate justice with the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, to serve clients of Harris Beach Murtha’s Appellate Practice Group and Business Litigation Practice Group.
Harris Beach’s Appellate group is a specialized group of attorneys with experience litigating appeals, as well as other matters involving brief writing, oral advocacy and legal strategy in courts across New York and across the country. The appellate group’s attorneys specialize in one or more specific subject areas, such as business and commercial law, election law, municipal law, energy law, products liability law, intellectual property law and more. They also work closely with attorneys in Harris Beach Murtha’s other practice groups.
The Appellate Practice Group handles cases across all disciplines, such as constitutional law, patents, trademark and copyright law, commercial transactions, contractual disputes and insurance matters. Justice Peradotto’s familiarity with the Appellate Division and the New York Court of Appeals, along with the applicable rules and procedures, provides a fresh perspective and credibility to the group’s appeal work.
Her vast experience and detailed knowledge of appellate law are critical to successfully navigating complex appeals. Justice Peradotto’s arrival makes Harris Beach Murtha one of only a small number of firms in the entire country with an appellate practice group that includes both a former appellate jurist and a former member of a solicitor general office.
Harris Beach Murtha recognizes appellate practice is more than a continuation of litigation, but rather a distinct practice area involving specialized skills, precise issue identification and different procedural considerations. Winning an appeal requires being familiar with the jurisdictional rules and applicable standards of review, identifying and selecting successful legal arguments, preparing concise and compelling appellate briefs, and presenting the case effectively, which includes taking into account the court in which the case is to be decided.
Justice Peradotto was elected to the Supreme Court in 2003, and Gov. George E. Pataki elevated her to the Appellate Division, 4th Department in 2006. The busy appellate court, based in Rochester, hears approximately 1,400 appeals per year from trial courts throughout Western and Central New York. She retired from the bench in 2023. Throughout her judicial career, she was considered six times for the position of Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals.
Before her judicial work, she worked 18 years as a trial attorney in Supreme Courts throughout the Eighth Judicial District, and in other parts of the state, handling appeals before the Appellate Division, Fourth Department and the New York State Court of Appeals. She focused on matters involving products liability, professional liability, labor law, medical malpractice, personal injury and a host of other areas.
She also served as Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Buffalo Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office in 1997-98, supervising 23 attorneys and 30 support personnel.
Very active in associations that support attorneys and judges, she was the youngest person ever – and only the second woman – to be President of the Bar Association of Erie County, when she was elected in 1997. She also has served as a delegate to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates, a director of the Women Lawyers of Western New York, was a member of the Ethics Commission for the Unified Court System, a director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project and a director of the University of Buffalo Law Alumni Association.
Justice Peradotto is a widely respected jurist known for authoring scholarly decisions in many different fields of law. She also has taught at SUNY at Buffalo Law School, serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council, and is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs. She has received numerous awards for her leadership, commitment and service to the legal profession and community, including Outstanding Jurist by the Bar Association of Erie County, the Distinguished Alumna award from the SUNY at Buffalo Law School, the M. Dolores Denman Lady Justice Award from the Western New York Chapter of the New York State Women’s Bar Association and the Lamplighter Award from the 8th Judicial District Gender & Racial Fairness Committee.