Derrick Spatorico

Derrick Spatorico

Managing Partner, Pheterson Spatorico

Years in current role: 20

What changes in the legal industry do you believe will have the biggest impact on clients over the next few years?

In 30 years of practice, I’ve watched the legal industry absorb a great deal of change, but the shift now underway strikes me as more fundamental than most. Artificial intelligence and document automation are quietly reshaping how routine legal work gets done, and clients are right to expect that the benefits — speed, lower cost, predictability — reach them and not just the firm. I welcome that. What technology cannot replace, and what I believe clients should value most, is judgment: the experience to anticipate how a transaction will actually unfold, the local knowledge of our courts and the people who practice in them, and the willingness to pick up the phone and give a straight answer.

What is one challenge currently facing the legal profession that deserves more attention?

The expectation was that AI and automation would relieve pressure: less drudgery, fewer late nights, more breathing room. In practice the opposite often happens. When routine work compresses, the saved time rarely becomes rest. It becomes more matters, faster turnaround expectations, and an always-on responsiveness that clients increasingly treat as standard. The tedious work that used to provide a kind of low-stakes recovery time — the hours of document review where no one expected brilliance — gets stripped out, leaving a workday that is denser with high-stakes judgment and client-facing pressure, with fewer troughs between the peaks. The lawyers feeling this most are often solo and small-firm practitioners, who absorb the responsiveness expectations.

How do you balance legal expertise with client service and relationship-building?

We do not believe these to be mutually exclusive. Our legal expertise is what helps build a strong relationship and our size tremendously helps us be responsive to client demands to provide only the highest-level service.

How important is community involvement or pro bono work within your organization?

It is a priority within our organization and every lawyer contributes.

What is one accomplishment — professional or personal — that you are especially proud of?

While growing your practice has been a lot of fun, I am probably most proud of my daughter graduating from grad school. Raising her has been a tremendously rewarding experience.

This profile is part of our Real Estate Law Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at nydailyrecord.com.