Barry Black

Barry Black | partner

212-382-4303   

Barry Black has practiced primarily in the fields of civil and criminal litigation, contract negotiation and dispute resolution.

An  ordained and practicing clergyman for thirty years until stepping down to form Nelson Madden Black in 2016, he has focused much of his law practice on religious institutions and clergy, from employment issues to dispute resolution and criminal matters.  Mr. Black has extensive knowledge of and experience with administration and governance issues.  In particular, he has counseled and represented both religious institutions and ministers on clergy-related issues, from parsonage and tax matters to intraorganizational disputes.

Mr. Black practiced law independently from 2011 to 2016.  Prior to that he was a litigation partner at a New York City law firm.  His clients have ranged from major banking institutions to individual investors in a multi-million-dollar interstate investor fraud scheme and federal RICO claims.  In representing several hundred criminal defendants over the course of many years, Mr. Black is experienced in trial and post-verdict litigation.

Mr. Black is the Religion Law columnist for the New York Law Journal.

Education

• Hofstra University, B.B.A. 1991
• Hofstra University School of Law, J.D. 1994

Bar Admissions

• New York State
• United States District Court, Southern District of New York
• United States District Court, Eastern District of New York

Publications

• “Exceptions and Exclusions Benefit Religious Institutions and Clergy,” New York Law Journal (2017)
• “When Can State Courts Decide Religious Disputes?,” New York Law Journal (2017)