Darren Stakey is a Partner in our Litigation, Real Estate, and Condominium Practice Groups.
He enjoys a robust practice across a variety of legal focus areas, but he primarily represents developers in connection with offering plans and handles civil litigation matters. A former law clerk, Darren has developed a reputation for structuring innovative solutions to complex legal and regulatory problems.
Mr. Stakey is admitted to practice law in New York, California, and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted to practice in United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York and the United States Supreme Court, as well as the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Prior to joining Certilman Balin, Mr. Stakey clerked at the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, authoring opinions, orders, and dispositional memoranda, concerning, inter alia, death penalty appeals and substantially important civil matters, including: hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), educational funding subsidies for charter schools, post-separation spousal intestate rights, and renewable energy taxation. He also evaluated proposals from Rules Promulgation Committees and advised the Commonwealth’s high court regarding the practical effect of proposed Rule changes.
He was the 2015 Salutatorian at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, a published member of the Touro Law Review, and a National Quarterfinalist with Touro’s Moot Court Honors Board. During law school, Mr. Stakey interned for United States District Judge, Honorable Leonard D. Wexler, O.B.M., and then-Magistrate Judge, Honorable Gary R. Brown, at the Eastern District of New York. A member of the inaugural class of New York’s Pro Bono Scholars Program, Darren completed his legal coursework in five semesters and spent the balance of law school providing more than 700 hours of pro bono legal service to his local community. At Touro, he garnered awards for superlative achievement in a variety of disciplines, including: criminal law, constitutional law, international law, accounting, and appellate advocacy. Mr. Stakey is an Honorable George C. Pratt Fellowship recipient and received the Suffolk County Bar Association’s 2015 Award for Academic Excellence. In 2019, Touro honored him with the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award.
Mr. Stakey was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Hofstra University and worked in education and the private aviation industry before becoming an attorney. A professional singer/songwriter, he is also a member of the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers, with a catalog maintained by BMG. He is an active author of legal scholarship and has co-published articles with nationally-recognized experts and practitioners, including Benjamin Brafman, Esq. and Patricia E. Salkin.
From 2019 to 2023, Mr. Stakey was named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars. He was also named one of the “Ones to Watch in the Law” by Long Island Business News.
Education
Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, J.D., Summa Cum Laude, 2015
Hofstra University, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, 2003
Bar Admission
New York
California
District of Columbia
Court Admission
Supreme Court of the United States
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Bar Associations
American Bar Association
Recognitions
New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2019 through 2023
“Ones to Watch in the Law,” Long Island Business News, 2019
Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Touro Law Center, 2019
Salutatorian (Top 1.36%)
Touro Law Review (Published)
Moot Court Honors Board (National Quarterfinalist)
Honorable George C. Pratt Fellowship Recipient
Suffolk County Bar Association’s Award for Academic Excellence
Touro Law Center Board of Governors Summer Associate
Dean’s List and Honors Program
Pro Bono Service Award
CALI Awards for Academic Excellence in Criminal Law, Accounting for Lawyers, International Human Rights, First Amendment Seminar, Civil Practice Externship, Outstanding Oral Argument, and Best Appellate Brief
Publications
The Supreme Court’s Heightened Retaliation Standard in Nassar: A Prudent Limitation or a Misguided Restriction to Title VII Claims? Touro Law Review: Vol. 30: No. 4, Article 4 (2014)
by Darren Stakey
Further Developments in Land Use Ethics 47 Urban Lawyer 739 (Fall 2015) by Patricia E. Salkin and Darren Stakey
Law of the Land: A Blog on Land Use and Zoning (2014-16) by Patricia E. Salkin (Contributing Author)
Facts Are Stubborn Things: Protecting Due Process from Virulent Publicity, Touro Law Review: Vol. 33: No. 2, Article 8 (2017) by Benjamin Brafman and Darren Stakey
Understanding Licenses and Leases – A Three-Part Series, New York Real Estate Journal (2018-19) by Darren Stakey
Are Rights of First Refusal and Invitation to Litigate? Suffolk Lawyer (2021) by Howard Stein and Darren Stakey
Outside the Office
Singer/Songwriter
Associations
American Society of Composers (“ASCAP”)
Sound Justice Initiative, Board Member