Who We Are / Partners

Denis P. Duffey, Jr.
He/him/his
dduffey@spivaklipton.com
Tel: (212) 765-2100 ext. 18
Fax: (212) 765-8954

Partner Denis P. Duffey Jr.'s practice predominantly consists of work on behalf of Spivak Lipton’s employee benefit fund clients. He is focused on helping fund trustees to administer the funds’ benefit plans in a way that best serves their participants and beneficiaries.

In his benefits practice, Denis evaluates new legislation that impacts the funds represented by the firm. He drafts plan amendments, Summary Plan Descriptions, and other plan documents. He also prepares memos concerning legal issues affecting the funds, counsels trustees about how to navigate legal risks, and represents the funds in litigation. Denis also works on behalf of the firm’s union clients.

Denis joined Spivak Lipton in 1998 and became a partner in 2013. He serves on the EDI committee for the firm. Denis values the sense of common purpose and collegiality found at Spivak Lipton, where the goal is always to represent clients with knowledge, diligence, and thoroughness.

Prior to joining Spivak Lipton, Denis interned at the Employment Law Center in San Francisco and the National Employment Law Project in New York while obtaining his law degree at Columbia. These experiences solidified his knowledge of the disparity in bargaining power between workers and employers, and eventually led him to join Spivak Lipton.

Soon after joining the firm, Denis took a one-year leave of absence to clerk for the Honorable Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. During that clerkship, Denis developed skills useful in brief-writing, which is one of his strengths.

Denis has a strong interest in English literature, and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in that subject.

Admissions:

  • State of New York

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

  • U.S. District Court, New York, Southern District

  • U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District

Education

Columbia Law School, J.D.

Editor of the Columbia Law Review.

Columbia University, M.A., M.Phil., English Literature

Yale University, B.A., English Literature, cum laude