Adam W. Perry

A partner at Hodgson Russ with over 30 years of experience in a variety of roles and practice areas, Adam W. Perry leads the firm’s Cannabis Practice and its Government Relations Practice and co-leads the firm’s Employment Litigation and Gaming Practices. He advises and defends clients on their most complex matters, representing businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governmental entities and their officials. Adam’s depth and breadth of experience enable him to counsel and represent a diverse and broad base of clients.

As the leader of the firm’s Cannabis Practice, Adam brings advanced knowledge of New York State cannabis law to clients. In September 2021, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie appointed Adam to a three-year term on New York’s inaugural five-member Cannabis Control Board. While on the Board, Adam played a key role in oversight of the administration of the state’s projected $6 billion adult-use cannabis market. Through his role and as an advisor to public authorities and other highly regulated entities, Adam worked on complicated policy, regulatory, and litigation matters during the state’s cannabis program’s formative years.

As a seasoned business litigator, Adam counsels entrepreneurs and policymakers on their most complicated needs, including regulatory, transactional, and dispute resolution matters. Known for his courtroom success, Adam has handled nationally significant cases and has numerous published opinions reflecting his expertise in high-stakes employment litigation. Adam began his legal career at Hodgson Russ in the early 1990s, focusing on employment litigation during the emergence of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992. As Co-Leader of the firm’s Employment Litigation Practice, he represents a wide range of employers in high-profile cases in state and federal courts.

In addition, Adam is the longest-serving member of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, upstate New York’s only multi-modal transportation authority with bus, rail, and two airports. Adam was appointed by Governor Spitzer in 2007 and reappointed by Governors Paterson, Cuomo, and Hochul. Since 2009, he has served as Chairman of Aviation, overseeing NFTA’s two international airports within its multi-modal transportation system.

Adam exclusively practices U.S. law and is admitted to practice in New York and Florida, as well as to several federal District courts and Courts of Appeal.

Services

Education

Erie Community College, A.A.S., with highest honors

University at Buffalo, B.A., magna cum laude

University of Michigan Law School, J.D.

Admissions

• New York
• Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. District Courts for the Western, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York
• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Sixth, and Eighth Circuits