Deanna Koestel

Bio

Deanna L. Koestel concentrates her practice on commercial litigation, construction law, and general business law matters in New Jersey and New York. She is chair of the firm’s Construction Law practice and a partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice.

Deanna represents both individual clients and business entities in multiple industries including construction, pharmaceutical and healthcare, and food, beverage and hospitality, among others. She routinely handles business disputes including partnership and shareholder matters, business torts, breach of non-competition and non-solicitation actions, breach of contract actions, fraud and consumer fraud actions, and breach of fiduciary duty claims. She often acts as an “outside” general counsel to her clients and regularly assists clients with responses to non-party subpoenas. Given her broad experience with the New Jersey and New York courts, she often acts as “local counsel” for out-of-state firms and the clients they represent. Deanna is experienced in all aspects of commercial litigation from commencement through trial, and has in-depth knowledge and experience advising clients regarding electronically stored information (“ESI” or “e-discovery”), which is a critical component of modern litigation.

Deanna has significant experience in all aspects of construction law. She routinely represents residential and commercial property and business owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers in all phases of the construction process. She also assists clients with drafting construction contracts and with various construction litigation issues including breach of contract, warranty actions, building supply defects, and professional liability disputes. She handles construction and mechanic’s lien issues on behalf of both owners and contractors. Deanna’s experience on the litigation side of construction matters has provided her with valuable insight that she uses to work with her clients in drafting agreements or pre-litigation negotiation settings in order to minimize litigation risks when possible.

Deanna currently serves as a Board Member for the non-profit organization Girls on the Run NYC, where she proudly served as Board President from 2015-2019.  Deanna also serves a member of the Rotary Club of New Paltz. In 2013, the non-profit organization H.A.R.K. (Healthy Active Responsible Kids) honored Deanna as its Volunteer of the Year. She was also a founding board member of Girls on the Run of Central New Jersey.