About Zachary T.
Zachary T. Ruetz built his legal foundation in classrooms and courtrooms. He completed his J.D. at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2013 after earning a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University in 2010. During law school he combined academic work with practical training, a pattern that has continued through his career.
Early in law school he served as a certified legal intern at the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender in 2012. That placement gave him hands-on exposure to client interviews, case preparation and courtroom procedure. In 2013 he worked as a judicial extern for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and then as a judicial law clerk for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Superior Court. Those roles offered sustained time inside the judicial process and routine contact with written opinions and courtroom management.
Following his clerkships he spent a year as a law clerk at Moyer & Russi in 2015. The position bridged his judicial experience and practice-side responsibilities, and it preceded a move into private practice. In 2016 he joined Tully Rinckey PLLC as an associate. That role placed him within a firm environment where litigation and federal practice intersect. It also marked his transition to practicing in New York and before federal court in the Western District of New York.
Ruetz remained active in scholarly and competitive law programs while at Thomas Jefferson. He was a notes editor for the Thomas Jefferson Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, and a competitor in the Jessup International Moot Court. He also belongs to Phi Alpha Delta. Those activities reflect a focus on legal research, written advocacy and appellate-style argumentation developed early and sustained through his professional work.
Across clerkships, public defender work and firm practice, he has handled research, drafting and courtroom tasks in both trial and appellate settings. His background shows a mix of institutional court experience and practical defense-side exposure. He is admitted to practice in New York and in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. He currently practices in New York and before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
