Matthew A. Toporowski is a commercial litigator and the founding attorney of Toporowski Law, PLLC, an Albany litigation boutique he launched in 2021. A former prosecutor, appellate court law clerk, and Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Albany, he brings nearly 15 years of courtroom experience to businesses, individuals, property owners, and community associations across New York — in state and federal court and in arbitration.
He litigates in the Commercial Division and arbitrates before the AAA and FINRA — business divorce, breach of contract, fraud and fiduciary, trade-secret, non-compete, and shareholder disputes. On appeal, he helped defend a $7 million jury verdict before the Appellate Division, First Department, and has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for eight consecutive years.
Every side of a dispute
Matt has spent his career on the side of people and businesses with something real on the line — a contract gone wrong, a property dispute, a license under threat, a fight with a government agency. He has seen these disputes from every angle: as a prosecutor in the courtroom, as a clerk inside an appeals court, as a complex commercial litigator, and as senior counsel to a city. He brings that full perspective directly to the clients who need it.
Commercial litigation and appeals
Matt litigates and tries business disputes in the Commercial Division and in federal court, and arbitrates before the AAA and FINRA — breach of contract, business divorce, fraud and fiduciary claims, trade-secret and non-compete disputes, and shareholder and partnership conflicts. His years inside an appeals court show in how he positions a case for trial and protects a win after it: among other appellate work, he helped defend a $7 million jury verdict before the Appellate Division, First Department.
A prosecutor’s courtroom experience
Matt’s path into the law started early. As an undergraduate at The College of Saint Rose, he worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, learning how cases are built before he ever sat for the bar. From his earliest days as a prosecutor he was in court daily, handling hearings and trying cases to judges and juries in a high-volume city court. As an Assistant District Attorney in Albany County and downstate New York, his work spanned misdemeanors, felonies, and appeals, along with long-term investigations conducted with local law enforcement — and County Court judges appointed him to serve as a Special Prosecutor when a District Attorney’s Office had a conflict.
Counsel to the City of Albany
As Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Albany, Matt advised the Mayor and the Chief of Police, drafted and revised the police department’s General Orders, and represented the department and the Chief in litigation. He successfully defended the validity of duly enacted city laws in declaratory-judgment actions in New York Supreme Court and on appeal before the Appellate Division, and he launched a community conviction-sealing clinic for the City. Clients facing a municipality, a board, or a regulator benefit from a lawyer who has sat on the other side of that table — and today other municipalities and public officials call on him as well.
A licensed real estate broker and investor
Matt is also a licensed New York real estate broker and an active investor with a portfolio of rental properties across upstate New York. He works deals from offer through closing — negotiating terms, structuring and reviewing financing, examining contracts and leases, and handling title, appraisal, and landlord-tenant issues — and manages those properties himself. That fluency carries into his practice: he is at home across the table from lenders, agents, brokers, appraisers, and inspectors, and he counts real estate professionals among his clients, including a well-known home-inspection company. When a real estate dispute reaches court, his clients get a litigator who already understands the transaction from the inside — how the financing was structured, how the deal was supposed to work, where it broke down, and what the documents actually say.
Practice Areas
- Commercial Litigation
- Real Estate Disputes
- HOA & Condominium
- Employment & Labor (including professional license defense)
- Municipal Law / Article 78
Honors & Recognition
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, eight consecutive years (2019–2026)
Clerkship & Judicial Experience
- Law Clerk, New York Appellate Division, Third Department
- Judicial intern, Hon. Paul G. Gardephe, U.S. District Court (SDNY)
- Judicial intern, Hon. Randolph F. Treece, U.S. District Court (NDNY)
Education
- New York Law School, J.D., cum laude — Law Review staff editor; Dean’s List and High Honors
- The College of Saint Rose, B.A., magna cum laude (History & Political Science)
Bar & Court Admissions
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Courts: SDNY, NDNY, and EDNY
Community & Personal
Former Vice President, Capital Region Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; former Board Chair, Green Tech High Charter School; former President, Ten Broeck Triangle Neighborhood Association. The son of a Cuban immigrant, Matt speaks conversational Spanish; he completed Ironman Lake Placid in 2015 and qualified for the 70.3 World Championship in 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of cases does Matthew Toporowski handle?
Commercial litigation, real estate disputes, HOA and condominium matters, employment cases, and municipal law and Article 78 proceedings — for businesses, individuals, property owners, and community associations.
Where does he practice?
In New York’s state and federal courts — including the Commercial Division and the SDNY, NDNY, and EDNY — and in arbitration, serving clients in Albany, the Capital Region, the Hudson Valley, and New York City.
Does he handle appeals?
Yes. A former law clerk at the Appellate Division, Third Department, Matt handles appellate work and has helped defend a $7 million jury verdict on appeal.
