Daniel Podhaskie

Daniel Podhaskie built a career as a litigator in New York City firms, representing real estate investors and developers such as the Trump Organization and Tishman Speyer in addition to financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America. Though he’s prevented from discussing his work in specifics, Podhaskie says coming in-house has changed his focus from litigating cases as they come up to handling a variety of tasks from start to finish. At the same time, decisions often need to be made quickly, because Podhaskie knows he represents clients who’ve been very successful, often by acting when others have stayed still.“ In becoming a generalist, Podhaskie says learning the intricacies of protecting intellectual property—something he hadn’t encountered much as a litigator—was his biggest challenge. To be sure, explaining how IP laws affect a client in terms of trademarks and licensing can be far more difficult than explaining court procedures and litigation. Podhaskie took stock of himself when he moved in-house, knowing it would suit him better than litigating. It’s that self-knowledge and self-awareness, he says, that matter most to how he does his job. One outside counsel Podhaskie has relied on in his role is Neil Sunkin, who attests to Podhaskie’s ability to forge a path that keeps his clients’ interests at heart. Sunkin says Podhaskie is also creative in his approach to solving legal issues. While in law school, Podhaskie worked as an intern at the Marwood Group, which provides advisory and financial services to the health care industry. Helping draft contracts and conducting legal research while advising the firm’s in-house counsel, provided the first realization he’d enjoy being a general counsel. Despite his desire to work in-house, when Podhaskie was contacted by a recruiter about his present job, he wasn’t certain it was something he wanted to try. He gave it more thought and felt he owed it to himself to at least have an interview. Though real estate developers can be demanding clients, Podhaskie says the role has upped that ante and sharpened his resourcefulness. A native of Malverne, New York, on Long Island just outside Queens, Podhaskie has never strayed far from his roots. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from St. John’s University, followed by a J.D. from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2010. His career was built on litigation as an associate attorney at three New York City firms before joining his current employer in June 2018.