Anderson Kill PC is building out a government relations practice through a tie-up with New York-based government relations, lobbying and regulatory advocacy firm Gerstman PLLC.

The deal announced Wednesday adds four professionals to Anderson's ranks. Gerstman's founder, Brad Gerstman, will chair the government relations team, which will focus on governmental, political, regulatory and public policy matters in New York City and New York state.

He arrives at Anderson Kill alongside Nicole Epstein Schwartz, who joins Anderson Kill as a shareholder. She advises clients on matters involving land use, zoning, construction, building departments, education, transportation, healthcare and agency law. Schwartz is the current chairwoman of the Nassau County Bar Association's government relations committee.

Two nonattorney professionals are coming on board as well. Rick Chandler, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, is joining as a special adviser. Oliver Graf, a former associate at Gerstman PLLC and former intern for Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, joins Anderson Kill as a government relations manager.

"At a certain point in time, I realized that I needed a bigger platform," Gerstman told Law360 Pulse on Thursday. "I get a lot of inbound calls for services that I don't provide, and I found myself referring them out."

One of the firms he had been referring clients to was Anderson Kill, which stood out to him as a potential match in part due to the complementary practices it maintains in areas like construction and real estate.

"I think clients now more than ever are looking for an integrated approach where they have various professionals," he said.

Gerstman also admired Anderson Kill's approach to practicing law.

"It was the hard-nose litigator — scorched earth, full attack mode all the time," he said, "and I kind of like that vibe."

Gerstman founded Gerstman PLLC in early 2025 to advise clients on commercial leasing and government relations. Before this, he practiced at Gerstman Schwartz LLP, a firm he founded alongside David M. Schwartz, currently chairman of Gotham Polling & Analytics LLC.

Gerstman's work at Gerstman Schwartz included representing a Long Island resident accused in 2020 of price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic in sales of N95 face masks and other personal protective equipment in a first-of-its-kind federal criminal prosecution under the Defense Production Act. The case was resolved
through a deferred prosecution agreement that included the donation of medical items.