Nicholas M. O’Donnell
partner
Litigation and Arbitration | International Business | Intellectual Property/Information Technology | Labor and Employment
nicholas.odonnell@wg-law.com | 212-509-4712 | vCard | LinkedIn
About nicholas
Nicholas is an experienced trial lawyer and Supreme Court advocate with more than two decades of experience representing corporations, financial institutions, cultural organizations, and high-net-worth individuals in complex commercial, art law, employment, zoning and land use, intellectual property, defamation, and cross-border disputes. He is also one of the leading art lawyers in the United States, in which he advises museums, galleries, businesses, dealers, auction houses, and collectors.
Nicholas publishes frequently and lectures regularly. His book A Tragic Fate—Law and Ethics in the Battle Over Nazi-Looted Art (2017) is widely considered the definitive work on the subject, and his recent law review article “Refuge in Exile—The Peculiar Category of Fluchtgut and Art Transferred by Victims in Flight from Nazi Persecution,” KAN. J.L. & PUB. POL’Y., Vol.XXXIII:3(2024) is the first English language article and the first consideration of any kind in over a decade of art sold in non-occupied Europe during WWII.
Prior to joining the firm, Nicholas was a partner at Sullivan & Worcester LLP.
Experience
Practice Areas
Commercial Litigation
Art law
Employment
Zoning and land use
Intellectual property
Defamation
Cross-border disputes
LANGUAGES
German
Spanish
French
Education
Boston College Law School, JD
Williams College – B.A. – magna cum laude
Admissions
New York
Massachusetts
District of Columbia
Bar Associations
New York City Bar Association
International Bar Association (past chair, Art, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law Committee)
Civic Engagement
Co-Chair Responsible Art Market Initiative New York chapter, Geneva Advisory Board
Recognition
Ranked in Chambers High Net Worth (Band 1) for Art and Cultural Property Law 2021-2025
Named “Go To Business Litigation Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2024)
Best Lawyers in America® (Commercial Litigation)
The Legal 500’s Guide to Outstanding Lawyers Nationwide (General Commercial Disputes)