Mr. Rodriguez is a partner at the Firm. Mr. Rodriguez focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, municipal law, intellectual property and real estate.
He currently serves as the Yorktown Town Attorney, acting as legal counsel to the Town, its elected officials, department heads, and its various boards.
Before joining Bleakley Platt, Mr. Rodriguez was the Director of Real Estate for Westchester County, where he negotiated complex commercial real estate transactions valued at over $100 million.
Prior to his appointment as Director of Real Estate, he was an Associate County Attorney working on a number of high-profile cases, including the County’s affordable housing settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While at the County Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rodriguez appeared before federal and state trial courts, federal and state administrative agencies, and argued appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the N.Y.S. Appellate Division, Second Department.
Before joining the Westchester County Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rodriguez clerked for Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dora L. Irizarry and U.S. Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr., both of the Eastern District of New York. He also previously practiced intellectual property litigation at Morgan & Finnegan, LLP.
A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Mr. Rodriguez received a graduate degree from Polytechnic University and his undergraduate degree from Manhattanville College, where he was co-captain of the baseball team.
Visit Mr. Rodriguez’s Facebook page “Trademark Tales,” his Twitter feed, Instagram feed and LinkedIn profile for his thoughts on the law.
Representative Real Estate Matters
•Represented County of Westchester in a 22-acre airport lease to Million Air, Inc., including the construction of a new 50,000 SF hangar and 20,000 SF terminal building.
•Represented County of Westchester in the assignment of airport leases from Landmark Aviation to Ross Aviation, pursuant to an anti-trust Divestment Order of the U.S. Dep’t of Justice in relation to Signature Flight Support’s $2 billion acquisition of Landmark.
•Represented County of Westchester in the lease of 10,000 SF of office space at the new Modern building in Mount Vernon.
•Represented County of Westchester in the lease of 4-story, 26-unit residential building in Yonkers for use as a homeless shelter and transitional housing.
Representative Litigation Matters
•Represented County of Westchester in U.S. v. County, 06-cv-2860 (S.D.N.Y.), a complex false claims act lawsuit that was resolved by entering into an affordable housing settlement agreement with the U.S. Dep’t of Housing and Urban Development.
•Represented Westchester County in U.S. v. County, 13-cv-5475 (S.D.N.Y.), an Environmental Protection Agency enforcement action initiated to compel the County to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act by treating drinking water with ultraviolet light to minimize the health risk associated with the parasite Cryptosporidium.
•Defended District Attorney of Westchester County against claims of violation of due process in Fiorito v. DiFiore, 13-cv-2691 (S.D.N.Y.). Obtained pre-answer dismissal of complaint, raising lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, immunity and pleading deficiencies.
•Defended County Commissioner against allegations of employment discrimination in Cetina v. County of Westchester, 12-cv-3740 (S.D.N.Y.). Obtained pre-answer dismissal of complaint and successfully defended dismissal on appeal and petition for certiorari.
•Represented Assistant County Attorney against claims of abuse of process arising out of child-neglect proceedings commenced against plaintiff by the Department of Social Services in Osborne v. County, 12-cv-9468 (S.D.N.Y.). Successfully moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint in its entirety.
Professional Recognition and Community Involvement
•New York Metro Super Lawyers, 2021
•New York State IOLA Fund Board of Trustees, Trustee
•Lifting Up Westchester, Inc., Director
•Friends of Miller House/Washington’s Headquarters, Vice President
•Business Council of Westchester Rising Stars - 40 Under 40 Award 2018
