Craig H. Handler is a Partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C., where he is the Chair of the firm’s Construction Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Commerical Litigation Department. Mr. Handler is an experienced attorney with a broad commercial practice focusing primarily on matters involving construction, real estate, insurance and technology. Mr. Handler represents a wide range of clients, including individuals, municipalities and businesses varying in size from sole proprietorships to large national corporations. Some of Mr. Handler’s clients include general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, property owners and developers, and local government agencies.

Mr. Handler’s successful litigation practice involves complex commercial and civil matters in State and Federal courts at all levels, including appellate courts and at mediations and arbitrations. Mr. Handler frequently litigates construction disputes involving defective construction, delay, scope of work disputes, mechanic’s lien foreclosure and defense, OSHA and ECB violations, and Labor Law claims. In addition, Mr. Handler’s real estate litigation practice often involves disputes over residential and commercial sales and leases, environmental issues, boundary disputes, easements and adverse possession claims. Mr. Handler also possesses years of experience working with the insurance industry, and frequently handles disputes involving insurance coverage issues, including tenders, denials, bad faith claims and wrongful cancellations.

In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Handler regularly represents clients in transactional matters, including contract drafting and negotiation, and providing general advice to clients for their day-to-day legal needs. Through careful and considered counsel, Mr. Handler thinks outside the box, helping to guide his clients toward cost savings and limiting their risks and exposure.

Recently, Mr. Handler was recognized as one of the few attorneys on Long Island with expertise in local, state and new federal legislation regulating the use of unmanned aerial vehicle systems for use in non-hobbyist and commercial applications. In this cutting-edge area of his practice, he assists clients, such as contractors, surveyors, farmers, photographers and real estate industry professionals, with navigating the certification, registration and operational guidelines imposed by Part 107 of the United States Code, as well as with flight compliance guidelines enacted by Towns and Villages across New York State.

As a certified firearms safety instructor, Mr. Handler also enjoys assisting clients with firearms and concealed-carry weapon licensing and permitting issues in Suffolk and Nassau Counties, and has been successful in expediting the approval of permit applications. Similarly, Mr. Handler helps clients in understanding and complying with the complex and always evolving firearms laws in the State, including the provisions of the New York State SAFE Act and the Concealed Carry Improvement Act.

From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Handler served as a Judge Advocate assigned to the 7th Legal Support Detachment, 88th Brigade, New York Army Guard. Mr. Handler ended his service with the rank of Captain, and is honored to continue assisting active duty, reserve, retired and veteran soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines with all of their legal needs.

Mr. Handler is admitted to practice law in New York State and is a member of the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. In addition, Mr. Handler is a member of several professional and civic associations, including the New York State Bar Association, the Marine Corps League, the Marine Corps Association, The American Legion, and The Judge Advocates Association.

Finally, Mr. Handler is a frequent lecturer. He has spoken on the topics of civil and criminal uses of unmanned aerial systems, construction contracts for property owners, New York State laws regulating firearms and the use of deadly force, legal careers in the military and law enforcement, and the exercise of religious freedom for military personnel before the New York County Lawyers Association, the Brehon Law Society, the Columbian Lawyers Association, First Judicial Department, the Half Hollow Hills School District Continuing Education Program, the Department of Security Systems and Law Enforcement Technology at Farmingdale State College, SUNY, The Chai Center – Dix Hills, New York Jewish Center and the Defense Association of New York.