Bob Haig’s practice focuses on commercial and other types of civil litigation in federal and New York state courts at both the trial and appellate levels.
A veteran litigator and proven advocate, Bob has been described in published articles as “one of the nation’s foremost commercial litigators,” “one of New York’s most preeminent commercial litigators,” “a brilliant commercial lawyer,” “a noted litigator and legal scholar,” “a noted expert, author and lecturer in the area of Commercial Litigation,” “a great advocate,” “a knowledgeable and experienced practitioner” and “indefatigable.” Other published articles have described Bob as a “nationally known expert on business and commercial litigation,” “a renowned litigator and legal scholar,” “a pre-eminent expert on commercial and business litigation,” “the well-known and highly-respected litigator” and “a lawyer’s lawyer.”
An article published in June 2012 noted that Bob has “held a variety of positions over the past three decades that have placed him at the center of commercial litigation in New York State.” Recently, an article published on February 21, 2017, stated that Bob “is a renowned litigator in his own right and he has had extensive experience in federal courts.” In addition, an article published in August 2017 stated that “There are few business litigators in New York who have garnered the respect among judges, outside counsel, and inside counsel as Bob Haig.” Furthermore, an editorial in
The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel described Bob as “a prolific legal scholar and outstanding practitioner.”
Bob has been at the forefront of the national and international trend toward the creation of business courts (he has helped to create business courts in 21 states and eight foreign countries). An article in the Summer 2020 issue of
The Business Lawyer described Bob as “a driving force behind business-court development in the United States.” He was the co-chair of the Commercial Courts Task Force established by Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye in 1995 to create and refine the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court (the nation’s first general trial court devoted exclusively to business litigation). He is now the chair of the Commercial Division Advisory Council established by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman in 2013 to advise him on an ongoing basis about all matters involving and surrounding the Commercial Division, as well as to keep him apprised of developments in the business world that may affect the court system.
On November 16, 2008, Bob was inducted as an Honorary Charter Member of the American College of Business Court Judges in recognition of his efforts to develop business courts in New York and many other states and countries. He was also honored in the December 22, 2014, issue of the
National Law Journal as a “Top 50 Litigation Trailblazer and Pioneer” for his work on business courts.
Bob has written and lectured extensively on various litigation and dispute resolution topics. He is the editor in chief of the two definitive treatises on business litigation in federal and New York state courts: the fourteen-volume, 17,000-page treatise titled “Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts” and the eight-volume, 10,000-page treatise titled “Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts.” In addition, Bob is the editor in chief of the definitive treatise on relationships between inside and outside counsel for corporate clients: the five-volume, 10,000-page treatise titled “Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel” (among the authors of this treatise are the general counsel of 100 major corporations). Bob is also the principal author of the
Corporate Counsel’s Guide, published by the New York State Bar Association, as well as of numerous articles and book chapters.
New York County Lawyers Association, president, 1992–1994
New York Bar Foundation, president, 2003–2006
New York State Bar Association Executive Committee, member, 1991–1994
New York State Bar Association, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, founder and first chair
Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Committee on the Judiciary, chair, 1989–1992, Council on Judicial Administration, chair, 1996–1999
American Law Institute, member
International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Advisory Council, member
National Center for State Courts Lawyers Committee, member of executive committee
Atlantic Legal Foundation, director
American Bar Foundation, life fellow
New York Bar Foundation, life fellow
Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, Attorney Grievance Committee, member
Committee for Modern Courts, director