Denis Serkin
Denis Serkin is a Partner in Peckar & Abramson’s New York and New Jersey offices and focuses his practice on construction law and construction dispute resolution. He provides guidance on a wide variety of construction project types through construction, and, if necessary, in the resolution of disputes through litigation, arbitration, and mediation. He is chair of the firm’s International Practice.
Denis Serkin
Chair - International Practice
Partner
New York, NY
P +1 212.382.0909
F +1 212.382.3456
River Edge, NJ
P +1 201.343.3434
F +1 201.343.6306
P 201.343.3434
F 201.343.6306
"As clients expand their capabilities abroad, P&A is uniquely poised to provide effective and successful management of international construction disputes. We understand that the key to solving any such dispute requires a thorough understanding of the contract, the prevailing laws, and the unique cultural issues at play."
Bio
Denis advises clients working on a variety of construction projects, including power/energy generation, pipelines, general infrastructure, and commercial, industrial, and manufacturing facilities. Denis regularly handles breach of contract, defects, delay and disruption, productivity, and surety claims. He also handles matters involving mechanics’ liens and public bidding challenges. He has extensive dispute resolution experience litigating cases in federal and state courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitration. Denis also helps clients draft and negotiate construction agreements that utilize both custom and industry standard forms.
Denis’s experience includes the representation of clients across the United States and internationally, and routinely assists clients with compliance issues—particularly those regarding the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In 2021, he completed FIDIC Certified Course Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Denis was a project engineer at a major New Jersey government agency, where he managed numerous projects through design to procurement and construction. Denis is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics where he teaches a course in Prevention and Resolution of Construction Disputes. Previously, Denis was an Adjunct Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he taught a course on the legal aspects of various types of construction contracts and specifications.
Denis has been named to the New York-Metro Super Lawyers list from 2019 to 2023, the New York- Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2011 to 2018, the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2008 to 2018 and the New Jersey Super Lawyers list from 2021 to 2024. He has been recognized from 2023 to 2025 by Best Lawyers. He is also recognized as a Future Leaderby Who’s Who Legal and selected as one of Legal 500’s 2022 “Recommended Lawyers”, a 2016 “Top Construction Lawyer” and one of the “New York Top-Rated Lawyers” in 2019 by ALM & Martindale-Hubbell.
Highlights
Admissions
• State of New York
• State of New Jersey
• United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York
• United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
• United States Patent and Trademark Office
Memberships
• International Bar Association
• American Bar Association (Construction Industry Forum and Litigation Section)
• New York State Bar Association
• New Jersey State Bar Association
• New York County Bar Association
Education & Courses
• Stevens Institute of Technology, B.S.
• Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
• FIDIC Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution
Awards & Recognitions
• Best Lawyers, 2023-2025
• Who's Who Legal, Future Leaders - Partners, 2022-2023
• Who's Who Legal, Construction, 2023-2024
• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, 2019-2023
• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2011-2018
• New Jersey Super Lawyers, 2021-2024
• New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2008-2018
• Lexology, Client Choice Award - U.S. Construction, 2024
• ALM & Martindale-Hubbell "New York Top-Rated Lawyers", 2019-2020
• The Legal 500: United States, “Recommended Lawyer,” 2022
• The Legal 500, Top Construction Lawyers List, 2016
Publications & Presentations
• United States Chapter, Lexology Panoramic: Construction 2025, Law Business Research Ltd. (co-editor; co-author)
• “AI in Construction Law: Managing Risks and Opportunities,” National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) Surety Learn, June 2024 (Speaker)
• “Futuristic DBs: A Look at the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Dispute Boards,” Dispute Resolution Board Foundation’s (DRBF) International Conference & Workshops, May 2024 (Speaker)
• “Beyond Borders and Bytes: Understanding the Global Landscape of Technology and Dispute Resolution in the Construction Industry,” 2024 American Arbitration Association’s Construction Conference, March 2024 (Speaker)
• “The Risks and Opportunities of AI in Construction Law,” New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), November 2023 (Speaker)
• “Artificial Intelligence in Construction Law,” XI IBDIC International Congress hosted by the Brazilian Institute of Construction Law (IBDiC) and International Construction Law Association (ICLA), August 2023 (Speaker)
• “Commencing a Lawsuit: Evaluating Whether to File Suit (NJ),” Practical Guidance® Practice Note, May 2022 (co-author)
• “Design Build: General Considerations When Using Design Build: Part 2,” ACCNJ, October 2021 (co-presenter)
• “Design Build Construction Services Procurement Act: Part 1,” ACCNJ, October 2021 (co-presenter)
• “Understanding the Risks of International Construction,” Construction Executive, April 2021 (Co-Author)
• “Construction Disputes Series: Session 1 - Tackling Subcontractor Disputes,” Peckar & Abramson Webinar, September 2020 (Speaker).
• “Dispute Resolution in Construction Projects,” The Projects and Construction Review 4th – 10th Editions, 2014-2020 (Co-Author)
• “The United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the International Construction Industry”, Obras Magazine – May 2013 (Co-Author)
• “Significant Change to Contractors’ Registration Act for Home Improvement Contractors”, Peckar & Abramson Newsletter, October 2013
Languages
• Russian
News & Events
• 13 Peckar & Abramson Attorneys Named 2024 Top Lawyers by Bergen Magazine
• DRBF Mena Regional Conference – “Best Practice Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence During Dispute Board Proceedings”
• YSIAC – “Best Practices in International Arbitration: Challenges and Trends in Megaprojects Arbitration Procedures”
• 21 Peckar & Abramson Attorneys Named to 2024 New York Super Lawyers® List; Gregory H. Chertoff, Paul Monte, and Robert S. Peckar Earn Top 100 Honors
