On Monday, just days after Justice Peter Sherwood and Justice Marcy Friedman announced their upcoming retirements from the bench,[1] the Chief Administrative Judge announced the news that Justice Robert Reed—currently a New York Supreme Court Justice—will start receiving Commercial Division cases in the next few weeks. 

Justice Reed started his judicial career in 2008.  He served as a judge on the New York City Civil Court from 2008 until 2014, at which time he was named an acting New York Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County.  Justice Reed became an elected New York Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County in 2016. 

Before becoming a judge, Justice Reed began his career working at Carpenter Bennett & Morrissey, a Newark, New Jersey-based firm, and Sive Paget & Rieselan, a New York City environmental law firm, during 1984 to 1988.[2]  Justice Reed then worked in the Civil Rights Bureau at the New York Attorney General’s Office, serving as Deputy Bureau Chief from 1991 to 1993.  After his time in Government, Justice Reed became a partner at William & Harris LLP.  He then joined the New York office of Bryan Cave LLP as Counsel in 1998, and remained there until 2006.  He spent one year as a solo practitioner before joining the bench.

Justice Reed’s professional associations include Board Membership on the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and the NAACP, Mid-Manhattan Branch.  He also previously served on the Board of the Children for Children Foundation, and New York League of Conversation Voters. 

Even with Justice Reed’s appointment, there are likely to be future vacancies on the Commercial Division.  Justice Friedman has indicated that she plans to retire at the end of 2020, and Justice Sherwood plans to retire in the Spring of 2021.[3]