Michael S. Zetlin is the Managing Member of

Zetlin Dispute Resolution Services, LLC. Mr. Zetlin

co-founded New York City-based construction law firm,

Zetlin & De Chiara LLP in 1992. 

​A graduate civil engineer and attorney, Mr. Zetlin has successfully litigated and arbitrated claims on projects ranging across all project types, including aviation, cogeneration, biofuels, solar power, wind power, tunnels, roads, bridges, transportation hubs, sports and entertainment venues, manufacturing facilities, data storage centers, telecommunications, education and cultural facilities, retail, residential, mixed-use, commercial and hotels. 

​Mr. Zetlin, a Fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers, is a mediator certified by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and serves as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association’s Mega Construction and Large Complex Construction panels.  He is a member of and has recently been appointed as General Counsel to the National Academy of Construction.  He has also served for over twenty-five years as the General Counsel of the New York Building Congress, a prominent industry organization uniting all stakeholders involved in the building industry in New York City. He previously served as General Counsel to the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter.  An author and lecturer, he served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University for nearly twenty years, teaching with one of his partners the graduate program “Legal Issues in Building Construction.” He is the co-editor of New York Construction Law, the definitive treatise on construction law in New York.

​Mr. Zetlin holds the notable AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is consistently recognized in Band 1 by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, Super Lawyers, and The Best Lawyers of America as a leading litigator in construction law. He been named three times as the "Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Construction in New York and twice for Construction Law in New York. He has been appointed to the International Who's Who of Construction Lawyers by Who's Who Legal. In 2025, Mr. Zetlin was named to The Legal 500 US Hall of Fame for the Construction practice area. The Hall of Fame list honors lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work. ​