Robert is a partner with Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP. He is chair of the firm’s Public Law Practice Group and his practice is concentrated in municipal and education law. Robert is experienced in courtroom litigation and practicing before federal, state, and local administrative agencies.
As chair of the firm’s Public Law Practice Group, Robert regularly advises cities, towns, villages, counties, school districts, and fire districts on all aspects of municipal and education law. His representation includes sound and cost-effective legal guidance on issues such as procurement, the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), the Open Meetings Law (OML), zoning and planning laws, student discipline, public sector labor and employment law, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR), code enforcement, board governance, and many other aspects of public law.
Robert was first admitted to practice law in 2003 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he worked at a Boston law firm practicing municipal law. He was admitted to practice in New York in 2009 when he joined Coughlin & Gerhart and he is also admitted in Pennsylvania. In 2013, Robert was selected as a Rising Star among Upstate New York’s Super Lawyers. In 2024, he was selected as a Super Lawyer in the area of State, Local and Municipal Law.
Robert’s entire 20+ year legal career has been dedicated exclusively to advising municipal and school clients in nearly every aspect of their public mission.
Robert also serves as a hearing officer for several state agencies and local school districts. He is chair of the firm’s Personnel Committee and he is a member of the Municipal Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and the Broome County Bar Association. He is also a former adjunct professor of law at two local colleges.
Honors
•Listed, Upstate New York Super Lawyers' Rising Star, 2013
•Listed, Upstate New York Super Lawyer, 2024
Past Positions
•Massachusetts Division of Banks, Bank Auditor