About Michael
Michael D. Pinnisi is a attorney based in Ithaca, New York, with over 40 years of experience in the legal field. He earned his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1985, following an undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1982. After law school, Mr. Pinnisi began his career as an Honor Program Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he represented the United States in civil and criminal cases. He then served as an Assistant U.S.
Attorney for the Southern District of New York, handling many cases, including those of national significance. In 1991, he joined Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton as a litigation associate, focusing on products liability and mass tort cases. The following year, he became a litigation associate at Shearman & Sterling, dealing primarily with commercial and bankruptcy litigation. From 1992 to 1999, Mr. Pinnisi co-founded and served as a senior litigator at Brown, Pinnisi & Michaels, P.C. in Ithaca, handling commercial litigation, contracting, corporate governance, and intellectual property matters. In 1999, he transitioned to the role of General Counsel and Vice President for Business Development at Kionix, Inc., a leading company in silicon micro-machines.
In 2003, he became a partner at Pinnisi & Anderson, where he continues to provide general counsel, contract negotiation, commercial dispute resolution. Internal corporate investigations for corporate clients nationwide. Mr. Pinnisi has also been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School since 1992, teaching courses in negotiation, pretrial litigation, trial advocacy, and appellate advocacy. He is admitted to practice in New York and before several federal courts, including the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Northern. Western Districts of New York, and the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Pinnisi has been actively involved in various community organizations. He has served on the boards of the American Red Cross, the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST), Historic Ithaca, Inc., and the Ithaca Community Childcare Center. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors for The Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Inc. Mr. Pinnisi's experience and commitment to both his clients and community underscore his distinguished career in the legal profession.
