Michael D. Gadarian

Biography

Michael D. Gadarian has served as Senior University Counsel for Litigation since June 2026. In this role, he manages in-house litigation matters and coordinates with outside counsel. He also focuses on internal risk assessment and mitigation to reduce the University’s exposure and best position the University in the event of litigation.

Mike previously worked at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions. While in the Civil Division, he handled primarily affirmative civil enforcement matters. In the Criminal Division, he focused on white collar and Project Safe Childhood investigations and prosecutions. He served in multiple leadership and coordinator roles while at the USAO, including as Senior Litigation Counsel, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Co-Civil Rights Coordinator, and Health Care Fraud Coordinator. He also was a member of the Justice Department’s Mission Critical Management Consulting team that evaluated United States Attorneys’ Offices for compliance with the Department’s management standards and is a member of the Northern District of New York Federal Court Bar Association.

Prior to joining the USAO, Mike was a partner at the Syracuse-based law firm Bousquet Holstein PLLC in the Litigation Department. 

He has served as judicial law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Mike earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University.