Hon. Carol A. Heckman, partner and leader of Lippes Mathias’ alternative dispute resolution practice team, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Law Journal as part of the publication’s 2026 New York Legal Awards. 

The New York Legal Awards honor attorneys and judges whose dedication, innovation, and leadership have profoundly impacted the legal profession across New York state. The program recognizes individuals from across the legal community, including mid-market firms. Honorees will be celebrated at a reception to be held on September 3, 2026, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. 

About Hon. Carol A. Heckman 

Hon. Carol A. Heckman has more than 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer and judge. Heckman has an active practice as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and conducts arbitrations in most major metropolitan areas with a particular concentration in New York City. 

Heckman was elected to serve on the board of directors of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, an invitation-only fellowship that promotes the highest standards of arbitrator ethics, standards of conduct, and best practices in alternative dispute resolution. During her four years with the College, she has chaired a series of webinars, co-chaired the College's education committee, and co-authored a new chapter in the College's forthcoming new edition of Best Practices in Commercial Arbitration. She currently serves as team leader in the firm's alternative dispute resolution practice team. 

Heckman also handles litigation counseling and trial work for American Indian tribes and a group of business clients. She is admitted to the American Arbitration Association's panel of commercial and employment arbitrators and to their panel of mediators, and is a certified mediator for the Western District of New York. 

Heckman served as a magistrate judge in the Western District of New York for eight years, during which she was selected to sit on the Federal Judicial Conference's education committee for magistrate judges and served as an officer in the Federal Magistrate Judges Association. She has also served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, an assistant U.S. attorney in Buffalo, New York, and as a law clerk for Hon. John T. Curtin, former chief judge of the Western District of New York. 

Her arbitration experience includes executive compensation, complex and high-dollar commercial disputes, employment litigation, FLSA, non-compete agreements, construction cases, ERISA liability, international cases involving contractual matters, contract claims, mass claims, and process arbitrator assignments under the AAA's Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules effective Aug. 1, 2023. Successful mediations span the full range of federal court cases, including class actions, high-stakes business disputes, employment disputes, environmental claims, products liability and other tort claims, securities claims, patent claims, and §1983 claims. 

Heckman's private client representation includes advising Fortune 500 companies and closely held companies on major litigation strategy in commercial cases, particularly in the areas of health care, false claims act, federal court procedure and strategy, and mediation preparation and strategy. She frequently serves as local counsel for cases in the Western District of New York. 

Heckman is also a member of the firm's Indian law practice team. Her experience representing tribal governments spans state, federal, and tribal courts as well as arbitrations, and has involved taxation, land claims, sovereign immunity, tribally owned businesses, gaming compacts, IGRA, the Nonintercourse Act, insurance, the Indian Child Welfare Act, tribal civil jurisdiction, constitutional claims, tort claims, treaty issues, and contract claims. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm ranked among the top 200 law firms in the U.S. by size, with nearly 230 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.