Bio

Claudia A. Costa is a partner in the New York office of Gordon & Rees and a member of the Employment Law, Professional Liability Defense and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Her practice focuses on the defense of private and publicly held corporations in all aspects of employment-related matters. In her Professional Liability Defense practice, Ms. Costa defends lawyers, accountants, architects and insurance brokers/agents in professional malpractice suits brought against them. She also skillfully defends municipalities and townships in civil rights and municipal liability claims. Ms. Costa's experience spans a range of other practice areas across the professional liability spectrum including representing private and charter schools in school leaders' liability matters. She has served as general counsel for cases involving student expulsion, pregnancy, special accommodations and allergies, course removal, and the defense of wrongful termination and discrimination claims. She is also called upon to provide advice with regard to the disciplinary action of teachers and students, protocols for handling parents, and drafting of institutional handbooks. As a Commercial Litigator, Ms. Costa has represented both publicly and privately held corporations in many aspects of their business litigation, including representing members of boards of directors in class action suits and shareholder derivative lawsuits, and she has represented clients in SEC investigations. Ms. Costa is also frequently called upon to represent the Board of Directors of Homeowner's Associations. Ms. Costa also regularly defends whistleblower (Qui Tam/False Claim Act) actions in federal and state courts. Ms. Costa holds a CLM premium membership and is an active member of the Defense Research Institute, where she has served as one of the marketing chairs of the Professional Liability Section since 2013. Ms. Costa is on the New Jersey Executive Board for CLM. Ms. Costa is also the associate editor of Legal Malpractice Law Review which provides summaries of recent decisions across the country in the area of legal malpractice. She is joined on this website by many noted attorneys in the area of legal malpractice and ethics. In 1989, Ms. Costa obtained her juris doctor from the Fordham University School of Law where she served as editor of the moot court board. She also served as a legal research assistant for Professor Daniel Capra. During this time, Ms. Costa was a legal intern for the Honorable H. Lee Sarokin in the District Court of New Jersey, and she also worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in the Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit. Ms. Costa is bilingual and is able to assist clients in both English and Spanish. She regularly conducts anti-harassment training in both languages.