My New York Story | New York Lifestyles Magazine

My New York Story
Randy Zelin, Leading Trial Lawyer

By Harry Brads

He’s a trial attorney with a concentration in white-collar criminal defense as well as complex civil litigation matters. Meet Randy Zelin who has been named a New York Super Lawyer (2011 through 2020) and has over 30 years of experience defending individual and corporate clients in both State and Federal Courts in the U.S.

Zelin was recently appointed head of Wilk Auslander’s Criminal Law Practice. The noted attorney started his career as a prosecutor, has represented many types of business organizations, boards of directors, special committees, professionals, and individuals in all aspects of criminal, regulatory, self-regulatory, and civil matters, including frauds related to securities, banking, tax, customs, bankruptcy and insurance to name a few. In other words, Zelin is a true trial lawyer, having built his career trying complex fraud and business crime cases.

A highly sought-after legal commentator for the media, Zelin regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business Channel, CNN, CBSN, CNN Headline News, Bloomberg i24 News, AP News, Law and Crime, Yahoo Finance, and local network television. He has contributed to the New York Law Journal, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, where he offers his expertise on a wide range of legal issues and cases.

We caught up with Zelin to learn a bit more about this dynamic attorney, his career, and some of his high-profile cases

What was your inspiration to become an attorney? I grew up in Merrick on Long Island. I went to Hofstra and Touro Law School. Being an attorney is a natural extension of my personality. I can’t explain it. Since I was a little kid, I wanted to be an attorney—and certainly after I looked at the photos in Gray’s Anatomy. Like a professional athlete where the game seems to slow down, the same thing happens to me in a courtroom. Advocacy, problem-solving, being in a thick of a crisis, the pressure-cooker, the incredible stakes—none of it has ever been work for me. I’ve never worked a day in my life.

You have handled many high-profile cases over your career. What are some of the most challenging cases you have won?Every case is challenging. Every case is the most important case in the world to my client. It doesn’t matter whether the case is newsworthy or not to the client. Whether the media cares, the stakes can’t get higher when someone’s liberty is on the line. I’ve also been lucky enough to be media trained due to the time I’ve spent as a legal analyst on cable and network news. So much of the challenge in terms of being in the glare of the spotlight has become second-nature to me.

How has the justice system changed over the years since you started your practice?Technology for sure. These days? I don’t remember life before COVID-19. The world is a different place. The justice system has been turned upside down. My court appearances are by Skype or Microsoft Teams. My meetings are by teleconference or by Zoom. I’m happy to be back in the office.

How has the rise of social justice affected your practice, and what future changes do you see in the justice system? (Editor’s Note: Zelin is presently representing Akbar Rogers in the high-profile police brutality case in Freeport, New York.)
My representation of Akbar Rogers has had a sea-change impact on me. It has opened my eyes and my heart to the rampant, systemic racism and threatens us all. It has drawn me into seeing that people of color are treated differently—that they are seen first by their skin color. And that is horrifying. I understand the importance of doing all that I can to get us to a place where we all demand that justice be delivered. And that should certainly include being colorblind.

For more information on Randy Zelin, visit wilkauslander.com.