Coughlin, who grew up in Johnson City, joined the firm as an associate in 2016. Prior to that, he worked as a law clerk at Binghamton City Court while attending law school and as student judicial law clerk to Judge Thomas J. McAvoy of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. His practice focuses on estate planning, trust and estate administration, and municipal and public-sector law.
Cortese began his legal career as an appellate court attorney for the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department. From there, he became senior law clerk to the Third Department Justice Robert S. Rose before entering private practice with Costello, Cooney and Fearon, PLLC in Syracuse, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2017, the Binghamton native joined Coughlin & Gerhart, where he primarily practices in the firm’s public law group. He represents municipalities, school districts, fire districts, and emergency-services providers on a wide range of legal issues. Cortese also focuses on appellate special proceedings and real-property tax litigation, as well as administrative hearings and investigations.
Coughlin & Gerhart, founded in the 1890s, has more than 50 lawyers, with offices in Binghamton, Ithaca, Bainbridge, Cortland, Owego, Hancock, and Walton, as well as Montrose, Pennsylvania.
