Michael Eli Ginsberg

Michael E. Ginsberg is Vice President and Managing Partner of Pattison Sampson Ginsberg & Griffin P.C. the long standing firm which traces its roots back to 1813. The long association between the “Pattison” name and the practice of law in the Capital District spans five generations, predating Edward Clinton Pattison, son of Elias Pattison – one of the first Canal boat proprietors on the newly constructed Erie Canal.  The Pattison law firm was once located in Troy’s “Market Block,” at the corner of Third and River Streets, and then moved in 1885 to the former site of Union National Bank at 12 First Street and then in April of 1963 it moved to its current location at 22 First Street Troy, New York.

The firm’s most notable partner was, of course, Edward W. “Ned” Pattison, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Rensselaer County Treasurer, who devoted much of his time and energy throughout his career to numerous community and civic organizations.  Ned received the prestigious Root/Simpson Award in 1990 in recognition of his exemplary voluntary community service.

The law firm of Pattison, Sampson, Ginsberg & Griffin, P.C., is a general practice law firm, located in the historic district of downtown Troy, New York.  The firm’s practice is extensive throughout the Capital District, and elsewhere in New York State.

The Firm is committed to serving the public through pro bono work and volunteer involvement with local civic, charitable, arts and educational organizations.

Michael E. Ginsberg received his Juris Doctor degree in 1992 from Syracuse University College of Law and received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Albany in 1989.

He is active in the community, serving as President of the Louis Weinberg Foundation and sitting on the Board of Directors of the Troy chapter of the YMCA and Tech Valley Connect, Inc. which he is also Counsel to. Michael has served as Counsel and Vice President of Vanderheyden Hall, Inc., and has also served on its Board of Directors. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Northeastern Association of the Blind and the Rensselaer Gateway Development Corp. Michael was a two time Board member of the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce as well as acting as its Counsel.

Michael is the former President of the Rensselaer County Bar Association and also a former member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association.

 He was chosen as a member of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under Forty in 2005. He was the 2001 recipient of a New York State Bar Association Award of Appreciation and Chairman of the New York State Bar Association Practical Skills Seminar on Forming and Advising Businesses.

Michael has published articles on legal topics such as protecting against corporate liability and the usefulness of employee non-compete agreements. He has lectured on legal topics related to Export Control Compliance, Americans With Disabilities Act compliance, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance and forming and advising business entities.

Michael has vast trial experience in both the Federal Courts and the Courts of the State of New York. He has handled Constitutional matters pertaining to the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, Civil Rights violations pursuant to section 1983 as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act and other discrimination based claims. He has also handled matters involving complex commercial cases, catastrophic injury, Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility compliance issues, commercial banking, higher education law, environmental law, wills and estates, and land use and real estate as well as a host of other practice areas. 

Michael is a Title IX investigator with regard to issues relating to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. He also counsels his clients on matters pertaining to Title IX policy formation and compliance.

He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Rensselaer County Bar Association and the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Michael is an Adjunct Professor at Siena College and has taught courses on International Management and Negotiation for Managers.

He is Chief Litigation Counsel and External Counsel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and also represents the City of Troy, the La Salle Institute, M&T Bank, Saratoga National Bank, Unity House, Advanced Therapy PLLC, Architecture Plus, the Bouchey Group of Companies and Daniel J. Hogarty as well as many others.