Thomas McKevitt, Special Counsel to the Firm, concentrates his practice in zoning and land use planning, litigation, appeals, municipal law and telecommunications law. He represents clients in zoning board and town board hearings, as well as counsels municipal clients.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. McKevitt served as a Deputy Town Attorney for the Town of Hempstead, where he represented the Town in zoning and land use proceedings and litigation, and provided counsel in a variety of areas, including federal civil rights cases, building code enforcement and economic development. In his position with the Town, he argued and won cases in the New York Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
He has lectured around New York State to building departments and building official associations on legal procedures for code enforcement. He has also presented Continuing Legal Education seminars on zoning and building issues, as well as to the New York Conference of Mayors for municipal officials.
Mr. McKevitt has twice served as Chair of the Municipal Law Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association, and is a member of the Professional Ethics Committee. He has served as Editor-in-Chief and Focus Editor of the Nassau Lawyer, the Association’s monthly newspaper. His article, “Legislature Responds to Foreclosure Issues,” appeared in the September 2013 issue of the publication. He is a member of the American, New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations and is a past officer of the East Meadow Kiwanis Club and a member of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. McKevitt was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1997 and in the District of Columbia in 1999. He was admitted to practice before the United States District Courts in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York in 1998, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1999, and the United States Supreme Court in 2000.
Mr. McKevitt was Phi Beta Kappa at Hofstra University (B.A., 1993, summa cum laude) and received his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 1996), where he was the articles editor of the Law Review. In 2009, the college honored Mr. McKevitt with the 40th Annual Hofstra Alumni George M. Estabrook Distinguished Award for his support and dedication of the Hofstra Alumni Association. The Hofstra Law School Public Justice Foundation presented him with the Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2014.
Mr. McKevitt is a member of the Nassau County Legislature. He previously served in the New York State Assembly representing the 17th Assembly District. As an Assemblyman, he served as the Minority Leader Pro Tempore, the number two ranking position in the Minority Conference, where he led debates and managed all floor operations.
