City & State New York has named Kevin J. Cross, managing partner and chairman of Lippes Mathias, and Dennis C. Vacco, Lippes Mathias partner and former New York State attorney general and U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, to its 2025 Law Power 100 list, recognizing them among the most influential figures in New York’s legal community. 

Cross and Vacco are co-ranked at No. 53 on this year’s list, which highlights key figures shaping legal, regulatory, and policy matters across the state. 

As the firm's managing partner, Kevin J. Cross is responsible for all of the firm's offices, attorneys, and staff. He is the conduit to the firm's partnership and its executive operations team. Kevin coordinates the firm's strategic direction, implementation of initiatives and goals, and attorney recruitment. One of his main focuses is centered on positive culture and the promotion of a collegial and collaborative professional environment where team members focus on client objectives and the betterment of the firm as a whole. Kevin has been repeatedly recognized as a skilled and experienced lawyer who concentrates his practice on state and federal business litigation, as well as environmental litigation matters. With 20-plus years of experience, Kevin has handled cases in many areas of complex high-stakes litigation, consistently obtaining exceptional results for his clients. 

Dennis C. Vacco, a partner at Lippes Mathias, serves on the firm’s executive committee and co-leads its government & corporate investigations practice team. Vacco was elected New York State attorney general in 1994 and served until 1999. In 1988, he was appointed U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York by President Ronald Reagan after serving ten years as an assistant district attorney in Erie County.  

Vacco focuses much of his legal practice on government investigations and regulatory compliance matters. He works with clients to ensure their business practices comply with complex and evolving state and federal laws and regulations. Much of his practice involves investigations by state attorneys general, the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security.  

Vacco also leads Lippes Mathias’ Israel-U.S. Cross Border Practice, working in partnership with a leading Israeli law firm to represent Israeli businesses operating in the United States. He frequently travels to Israel and advises Israeli clients on the regulatory environment for U.S. business. As New York attorney general, Vacco expanded the office’s powers by forming the nation’s first Internet Child Pornography unit, targeting online predators. His tenure also included his role as lead negotiator in the multi-state litigation against the tobacco industry, resulting in the historic Master Settlement Agreement. Additionally, he argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court in Vacco v. Quill, a landmark case affirming that physician-assisted suicide is not a constitutionally protected right.  

Before joining Lippes Mathias, Vacco served as president of Waste Management of New York, LLC, a subsidiary of Houston-based Waste Management Inc., further broadening his experience in regulatory and compliance matters. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP