The Honorable Joseph Covello: A Leader in a Profession of Leaders

Quatela Chimeri is extremely proud to announce that the Honorable Joseph Covello, one of our esteemed Partners, was recently inducted into the Hofstra Hall of Fame based on his outstanding contributions to the Law School and legal profession. We’d like to take this virtual moment to share some of the defining moments of his life and work and highlight the impact he continues to make in our profession.

Even as a young man, Joseph Covello followed a deep interest in law and justice. He served in the United States Army, where he was selected to become one of the prestigious US Army Presidential Honor Guard, focused on excellence, discipline and integrity.  Covello went on to graduate magna cum laude at SUNY Buffalo and earn his law degree from Hofstra University, where he was awarded the George M. Estabrook Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award.

Covello then embarked on a career in law that follows a clear trajectory from private practice and distinguished judicial appointments to his culminating work at QC Law. Throughout his years in private practice, Covello presided over a diverse range of civil disputes and built a reputation for success in litigation, mediation and arbitration. He served five years as a trial judge in Nassau County Supreme Court, with one year concurrently on the Appellate Term for the Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts, and as a trial judge in Nassau County District Court. This led to appointments by the Governor, first as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, and ultimately to the Second Department’s constitutional bench.

There are notable moments in Judge Covello’s 38-year career that continue to inspire many of us, such as his service as associate lead counsel in the celebrated case of In Re: Agent Orange, and counsel to the Nassau County Police Indemnification Review Board and Town of Oyster Bay Zoning Board of Appeals. Appellate law has become an area of expertise for Judge Covello and he was involved in several landmark family law and child custody appellate cases, including Stone v. Weinberg.  He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of Law where he taught, among other classes, advanced appellate advocacy.

Judge Covello is known as a leader in a profession of leaders. He is a member of Resolute Systems and consistently ranks in the top 10 as a mediator/arbitrator. He was president of both the Columbian Lawyers Association and the Nassau Lawyers Association of Long Island and served four years on the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics. He was also selected to be one of nine members of ADAM (Appellate Division Arbitrators and Mediators), and he even served as a Special Master to the Appellate Division, conducting Civil Appeals Management Program (CAMP) conferences.

There are several awards that we’d like to note, because they shine a light on Honorable Covello’s remarkable history of service. These include the Distinguished Service Award from the Columbian Lawyers Association, The New York State Bar Association Award for Recognition, The Long Beach Lawyers Association Man of the Year Award and The Fraternal Order of Court Officers’ Honorable Edward J. Hart Jr. Memorial Award.

Currently, the Honorable Joseph Covello is a highly esteemed Partner at Quatela Chimeri with a focus in the areas of appellate and state court practice, civil and commercial litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. We are deeply proud of his history of service and success, and the hard-won expertise he wields as a Partner and leader at our firm.