Atty. Nicholas Rostow

Atty. Nicholas Rostow

Nicholas Rostow is Senior Partner at Zumpano Patricios & Popok. He also is a Senior Research Scholar at the Yale Law School.

New York New York 43 yrs experience 43 year
Call (917) 540-0025 Email Book Appointment

Profile Summary

About Nicholas Rostow at a glance

Nicholas Rostow is a Senior Partner based in New York, New York, practicing at Zumpano Patricios P A. They have 43+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 1983. Their practice focuses on business, education, government, adr, and appellate. Admitted to practice in New York District of Columbia U.S. District Court, District of Columbia U.S. District Court, Souther (1983). Educated at Yale Law School (J.D., 1982) and Yale University (B.A., 1972). Serands clients in New York, NY and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Verified attorney profile · Updated June 2026

About

  • Nicholas Rostow is Senior Partner at Zumpano Patricios & Popok
  • He also is a Senior Research Scholar at the Yale Law School
  • Mr. Rostow’s career has spanned private law practice, more than two decades of Federal and State government service in national security, diplomacy, international trade, and intelligence, and higher education, including as University Counsel to the State University of New York, the largest system of public higher education in the United States under a single board of trustees
  • He has led a research center and engaged in teaching and scholarship in a wide range of fields and subjects
  • He began his legal career at Shearman & Sterling in New York
  • His Federal service includes: Special Assistant to the Legal Adviser, U.S
  • Department of State
  • Counsel to the investigation of the Iran-Contra scandal led by the late John Tower
  • Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W
  • Bush and, simultaneously, Legal Adviser to the National Security Council (NSC) under National Security Advisers Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft, 1987-1993
  • He has held senior staff positions in Congress
  • In 1998-99, Mr. Rostow served as Counsel and Deputy Staff Director to the U.S
  • House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S
  • National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China (chaired by former Congressman Chris Cox) and then, in 1999-2000, as Staff Director of the U.S
  • Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
  • The Cox Committee investigated high technology transfers to China and discovered evidence of Chinese theft of U.S. nuclear weapons design information
  • The Senate Intelligence Committee oversees U.S. intelligence activities
  • He subsequently conducted a management review of the intelligence community before going to the Naval War Colleges as Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law
  • After 9/11, he served as the General Counsel and Senior Policy Adviser to the U.S
  • Permanent Representative to the United Nations
  • In this position, he worked for Ambassadors John Negroponte, Jack Danforth, and John Bolton
  • He represented the United States on the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and worked on all aspects of UN counter-terrorism efforts in addition to handling the legal portfolio of the Mission
  • His other responsibilities included international criminal tribunals, the Middle East, including the Arab-Israeli conflict and Iraq, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and investigations into the oil-for-food controversy
  • His business experience includes serving as a director of Toreador Resources Corporation, a public company involved in oil and gas exploration
  • His not-for-profit experience has involved board and advisory positions of the American Jewish International Relations Institute, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, the John Tower Center at Southern Methodist University, International House, and the American Ditchley Foundation, among others
  • Mr. Rostow served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade, 1995-98, under Governors William F. Weld and Argeo Paul Cellucci
  • In that capacity, he assisted small- and medium-sized businesses in Massachusetts to find appropriate international partners
  • He was responsible for the Governor’s trade missions to Canada
  • India, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Philippines, and Vietnam
  • In addition, he was responsible for Massachusetts’ trade offices in China and made trade related trips to Hong Kong, and Japan
  • Mr. Rostow’s university experience has included teaching law, history, and political science, in addition to providing legal counsel and leading a research center focused on strategic questions
  • His private legal work also has involved higher education
  • Mr. Rostow was one of the first University Professors at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., 2014-15
  • He also held the Charles H. Stockton Professorship of International Law at the U.S
  • Naval War College (2001)
  • Recently, he served as the Charles Evans Hughes Visiting Professor of Government and Jurisprudence at Colgate University (2016-2018) and as the Sol
  • M. Linowitz Visiting Professor at Hamilton College (Spring 2018)
  • Mr. Rostow is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
  • Higher Education Legal Experience • University Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs, the State University of New York, 2006-10 • Senior Counsel, The Research Foundation, the State University of New York, 2005-06 • Legal Counselor, University of Mary, Bismarck, ND, 2018-19 Government Service • General Counsel and Senior Policy Adviser to the U.S
  • Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, 2001-05 • Staff Director, Select Committee on Intelligence, U.S
  • Senate, 1999-2000 • Counsel and Deputy Staff Director, Select Committee on U.S
  • National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China, U.S
  • House of Representatives, 1998-99 • Special Assistant to the Present for National Security Affairs and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, 1987-93 • Special Assistant to the Legal Advisor, U.S
  • Department of State, 1985-87 Not-For-Profit Company Experience • Executive Director, Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, 1995-98 • Board of Directors, American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists • Board of Directors, American Jewish International Relations Institute • Advisory Council, American Ditchley Foundation • Board of Governors, Henry M. Jackson Foundation • Board of Trustees, International House, 2006-2012 For Profit Company Experience • Board of Directors, Toreador Resources Corporation, 2006-09 • Audit Committee • Compensation Committee • Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee

Practice Areas Explained

Nicholas Rostow's Areas of Practice

Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Nicholas Rostow handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.

Business & Corporate Law

Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.

Nicholas Rostow is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in New York →

Education Law

Education attorneys for special education (IEP), school discipline, Title IX, and student rights.

Nicholas Rostow is one of 24,079 education attorneys indexed nationally. Browse education attorneys in New York →

Government & Administrative Law

Attorneys for administrative law, agency hearings, government contracts, licensing, and public benefits.

Nicholas Rostow is one of 132,225 government attorneys indexed nationally. Browse government attorneys in New York →

Mediation & Arbitration

Mediators and arbitrators for civil, commercial, family, and employment dispute resolution.

Nicholas Rostow is one of 73,906 adr attorneys indexed nationally. Browse adr attorneys in New York →

Appellate Practice

Appellate attorneys for civil and criminal appeals at state and federal court.

Nicholas Rostow is one of 86,319 appellate attorneys indexed nationally. Browse appellate attorneys in New York →

Jurisdictional Context

Why local counsel matters in New York

Practicing law in New York. Legal matters in New York are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in New York are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate New York state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in New York brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in New York courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.

Looking for additional New York attorneys? Browse all attorneys in New York or all attorneys in New York.

Frequently Asked

Common questions about Nicholas Rostow

Where is Nicholas Rostow's law office located?
Nicholas Rostow's law practice is located in New York, New York. The firm is Zumpano Patricios P A. You can contact the office directly through this profile page.
What practice areas does Nicholas Rostow handle?
Nicholas Rostow focuses on business, education, government, adr, appellate. Each practice area listed reflects experience handling cases of that type in New York.
How long has Nicholas Rostow practiced law?
Nicholas Rostow has 43+ years of legal experience and has been licensed since 1983.
Where did Nicholas Rostow go to law school?
Nicholas Rostow earned their education at (J.D., 1982); (B.A., 1972).
How can I contact Nicholas Rostow for a consultation?
You can contact Nicholas Rostow directly through this profile page. Click "Ask the Attorney" to submit a question, or "Schedule a Consultation" to book a meeting. Most claimed-profile attorneys respond within one business day.

Education

J.D.
Yale Law School
- 1982
B.A.
Yale University
- 1972

Bar Admissions

New York District of Columbia U.S. District Court, District of Columbia U.S. District Court, Souther
Admitted: 1983

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