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Stephen is a senior counsel in the litigation and arbitration team.
Stephen, Past President of the New York State Bar Association, is a seasoned litigator and trial lawyer focused on commercial, securities and real estate disputes.Stephen has over 35 years of litigation experience and has tried numerous cases in federal and state court and before arbitration panels. His clients include financial institutions, mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital firms, real estate developers, high-net-worth individuals, and multinational companies.
He also frequently argues appeals, particularly in the appellate courts of New York and is well-known for his alternative dispute resolution (ADR) work. Due to his experience in the ADR field, he is often called on to serve as an arbitrator or mediator in high-stakes matters. In addition, he serves as editor of the New York Commercial Division Practice Guide, which is part of Bloomberg Law's Litigation Practice Portfolio Series, and teaches commercial litigation as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. He has been recognized as a 2026 AV Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.
Recent recognition
Experience
Track record
High-profile matter
Represented a prominent museum in connection with a dispute over the value of an ancient Chinese painting.
Appeals
Obtained a reversal in a landmark Court of Appeals decision on attorney-client privilege in the context of mergers and acquisitions.
Appeals
Successfully appealed a groundbreaking fiduciary duty decision concerning the liability of financial advisers in New York.
Appeals
Won a case of first impression in New York's Appellate Division concerning the viability of a fraud claim for concealing evidence that was subpoenaed in a commercial arbitration.
Appeals
Obtained reversal of an attachment order over a Miami hotel under novel jurisdictional theories.
Appeals
Argued the appeal of collateral estoppel issues in a major commercial litigation before the New York Court of Appeals.
Appeals
Handled an appeal to the New York Court of Appeals in a case of first impression involving the enforceability of preliminary agreements under New York law.
Appeals
Handled a Second Circuit appeal regarding the scope of arbitration clauses as applied to a mutual fund adviser.
Talks
- 'From AI to Human Solutions: Innovations Bar Leaders Can Deploy,' National Conference of Bar Presidents - February 2026, speaker
- 'Auslandische Erfahrungen mit der Zulassung von Fremdkapital,' Answaltschaft im Blick der Wissenschaft - November 2023, speaker
- 'Leading in Non-Profit and For-Profit Environments: Differences and Similarities,' NYSBA Business Law Section 2023 Spring Meeting: Leadership in Business - April 2023, speaker
- 'Venue Decisions,' NY State Bar Association's Commercial Litigation Academy - November 2022, moderator
- 'National Conference of Bar Presidents 2022: Balancing Regulatory Innovation and Core Values: Can We Have It All?,' Podcast, Legal Talk Network - March 2022, speaker
- 'Commercial Division Rules in Supreme and County Courts: What You Must Know,' Webinar, Albany Law School - May 2021, speaker
External Publications
- 'Elite colleges target lawyers' funding in antitrust class certification fight,' Reuters - October 9, 2025, quoted
- 'AI Legal Malpractice? Law Firms and Insurers Are Playing Catch-Up,' New York Law Journal - September 18, 2025, quoted
- 'International Arbitration Experts Discuss The Efficiency Of Artificial Intelligence Tools In International Arbitration,' Mealey's International Arbitration Report - June 24, 2025, quoted
- 'Class Notes,' Albany Law School - July 1, 2024, mentioned
- 'Full Disclosure,' Financial Times - June 27, 2024, mentioned
- 'Withers continues growth of US litigation team with senior hire,' eprivateclient - June 25,2024, featured
- 'New York Playbook,' Politico - June 21, 2024, mentioned
- 'Big Law Partner Makes Third Firm Move in Three Years,' The American Lawyer - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'Withers Hires Veteran Commercial Litigator in New York,' Legal Mag - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'Talk of the Town,' Attorney At Law Magazine - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'Withers Hires Veteran Commercial Litigator in New York,' Law.com International - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'Former NY Bar President Joins Withers From Nixon Peabody,' Law360 - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'Stephen Younger Makes His Third Firm Move After Patterson Belknap Exit,' The New York Law Journal - June 20, 2024, featured
- 'More Reasons to Arbitrate in the Big Apple,' New York Law Journal - November 25, 2013
- 'Recent Developments in Securities Arbitration,' Securites Regulatory Update - November 16, 1998
- 'A Mediator Without Expertise May Yield Destructive Results,' National Law Journal - April 11, 1994
- 'Structuring ADR Proceedings,' New York Law Journal - September 20, 1993
- Note, "Judicial Review of Public Contract Awards in New York" 45 ALBANY LAW REVIEW 1177 - 1981
- 13 PUBLIC CONTRACT LAW JOURNAL 169 - 1982
Admissions
- New York, 1983
- US District Court: Southern District of New York, 1986
- US District Court: Eastern District of New York, 1986
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1986
- US Tax Court, 1989
- US Supreme Court, 2010
Education
- Albany Law School, JD, honoris causa
- Albany Law School, JD, magna cum laude, Editor-in-Chief Albany Law Review
- Harvard University, BA, cum laude
Languages
- English
Memberships
- New York State Bar Association, Past President; Nominating Committee, Past Chair; Crypto Task Force, Senior Advisor; Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, Past Chair, ADR Committee, Past Chair; Securities Litigation Committee, Past Chair
- American Bar Association, State Delegate for New York and New York Delegation Chair; Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, Past Chair; Committee on ADR, Past Chair; Securities Litigation Committee, Past Chair; Mid-Atlantic Bar Conference, Past Chair; Center for Innovation, Governing Council Past Chair; ABA International Trade in Legal Services Committee, Past Chair; ABA International Mediation Committee, Past Chair; ABA Nominating Committee, Steering Committee Past Chair; ABA Committee on the American Judicial System, Past Member; United Nations Economic and Social Council, Past ABA Representative
- New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination, Former Counsel
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Committee on Arbitration, Past Member; Task Force on Civil Courts, Past Secretary)
- Chief Judge's Commercial Division Advisory Council, Member
- Board of Directors, CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution (Past Chair, Executive Advisory Committee)
- Task Force on Commercial Litigation in the 21st Century; Chief Judge's Advisory Committee on New York State Pro Bono Bar Admission Requirements
- Governor's Judicial Screening Committee, First Department, Past Member
- Historical Society of the New York State Courts, Past Chair and Trustee emeritus
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- Eastern District of New York, Mediator; Advisory Board, Financial Markets Regulatory Institute
- Vice Chair, Fund for Modern Courts
- New York International Arbitration Center, Founding Board Member
- Advisory Council, Brooklyn Legal Services
- Congress of Fellows, Center for International Legal Studies
- New York Bar Foundation (Fellow)
- The American Bar Foundation (Fellow)
- Albany Law School, Trustee Emeritus
- National Alumni Council, Albany
- Litigation Counsel of America (Fellow)
- Harvard Club of NYC, Past President
Withers History
- Joined 2024