A tenacious litigator, Mr. Dawson is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

He has served as lead counsel on a number of complex high-profile and high-stakes federal and state court cases. Peter has achieved successful results in the Westchester, New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Erie and Dutchess County, New York State Supreme Courts, as well as the Westchester, Kings, and Nassau County Surrogate’s Courts, the Appellate Divisions of the First and Second Judicial Departments, the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York, the District of Maryland, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Education

  • Pace University, White Plains, NY; J.D., 2005 (Cum Laude), International Law Review
  • Boston University, Boston, MA; B.A., 1999, International Relations

Admissions

  • New York
  • Connecticut
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Western District of New York
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Memberships

  • New York State Land Title Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Westchester County Bar Association

Representative Experience

  • Dawson is currently lead counsel defending former Governor Eliot L. Spitzer’s 985 Fifth Land Holding II in an adverse possession lawsuit involving property on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum District.
  • Dawson is currently lead counsel for the Plaintiff in a complex breach of fiduciary duty case in the New York Supreme Court Commercial Division brought to recover an equity stake in a joint venture to build and develop affordable housing in the New York City metropolitan area.
  • Dawson was lead counsel in the successful defense of a real estate developer in a challenge to the title of a $34 million Queens property.
  • Dawson was lead and co-counsel to a co-founder of a financial services technology company in successful federal court litigation brought concerning the founding of the company brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
  • Dawson was lead counsel in the successful defense of an insurance broker to RICO, conspiracy and fraud claims brought by a major life insurance carrier in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
  • Dawson was lead counsel for the Plaintiff in a successful federal court litigation to enforce shareholder rights against a private equity firm founded to invest in medical cannabis and adjacent technologies
  • Mr. Dawson represents an end-of-life homecare company that provides living assistance services to the elderly so that they may live safely, comfortably and with dignity in their homes for as long as possible.
  • Dawson represents an industry defining brand marketing, public relations, influence, and data analytics company in various respects.
  • Dawson was lead counsel to one of North America’s largest financial institutions in various title matters, mortgage priority disputes, fraud litigations, and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) cases.

Community Involvement

  • Somers Education Foundation, 2022-Present; Treasurer 2023-Present