Holtzman Vogel Adds Akiva Shapiro as New York Managing Partner, Bolstering High-Stakes Litigation and Constitutional Law Practice in Northeast
Shapiro joins the firm’s newly opened office in Manhattan with established and growing team
Holtzman Vogel, a nationally recognized law firm specializing in political law, regulatory matters, and high-profile litigation, today announced that Akiva Shapiro has joined the firm as New York office managing partner and Chair of the New York Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation practice group. His arrival adds significant depth to Holtzman Vogel’s growing New York presence as client demand for experienced constitutional and complex commercial litigation counsel continues to surge.
Shapiro has built a national reputation over nearly two decades, appearing regularly before New York’s trial courts, federal and state courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court, with landmark wins spanning property rights, regulatory challenges, First Amendment speech, and religious liberties. He has particular expertise challenging government action in New York City and State and litigating cases that have a New York regulatory connection. He is also widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost advocates in the fight against antisemitism, having led numerous impactful pro bono matters on behalf of the Jewish community.
“Akiva brings a sharp legal mind, broad first-chair experience in high-profile matters, and a deep understanding across the issues shaping today’s most complex litigation,” said Jill Holtzman Vogel, firm founder and managing partner. “He has spent his career taking on consequential matters, and prevailing. His arrival strengthens our growing New York office and reflects the kind of meaningful work we are doing that challenges the status quo and defines what we are building here.”
“I joined Holtzman Vogel because I wanted to help build something in New York and to do work that no other law firm here is doing,” said Shapiro. “This is a firm that is righting wrongs. It has attracted extraordinary lawyers from the biggest law firms and the highest levels of government. That is a testament to its culture and unique focus. I wanted to be part of a place where the work truly makes a difference.”
Shapiro’s practice spans the full spectrum of high-stakes litigation, including public policy disputes, property rights, First Amendment speech, religious liberties, civil RICO, defamation, contract disputes, securities litigation, antiterrorism and other cross-border litigation, and challenges to enforcement actions. Prior to joining Holtzman Vogel, he was a partner at Gibson Dunn, an AmLaw 100 firm, where he was Chair of its New York Administrative Law and Regulatory Litigation practice group, recognized by The Legal 500 as a "key lawyer" in commercial disputes, and recently included in City & State New York's inaugural list of “New York’s 40-something power players.”
Shapiro joins Holtzman Vogel’s New York City office, which opened its physical office on April 1, and a team of powerhouse attorneys, including:
- Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the E.D.N.Y. and current New York State Attorney General candidate, Saritha Komatireddy
- Former Deputy Director at the New York State Board of Elections, Joseph Burns
- Former Hoftstra Law School professor and judicial clerk for the Southern District of New York, Susan Greene
Shapiro has been named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for what the publication called an "extraordinary SCOTUS win for New York landlords" in Chrysafis v. Marks, in which he obtained an emergency injunction from the U.S. Supreme Court on due process grounds. He has been recognized by the Litigator of the Week column multiple additional times, including as runner-up Litigator of the Week for securing a second emergency Supreme Court injunction in a landmark religious liberties matter, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Cuomo, with The American Lawyer noting his "knack for getting the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court. Quickly."
A committed leader in the Jewish community, Shapiro is a member of the Board of Governors of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and a former Co-Chair of its First Amendment/Religious Liberties Committee. He is a member of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot's Get Legal Defense Network and the American Jewish Committee’s Legal Committee and co-founded and co-chaired the first Sabbath Observant Affinity Group in BigLaw, as profiled by Law360. He has been part of multiple Frank Wheat Award-nominated teams for his pro bono work and was part of the team that received the Jewish National Fund Presidential Award. He was also presented with the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists' Pursuit of Justice Award, and City & State has called him "one of the nation's leading defenders of religious liberties."
Shapiro joins the team with a J.D. and B.A. from Columbia Law School and Columbia University, along with an M.A. from Yale University.
