Cerchione honored for a lifetime of leadership behind the scenes

Gregory T. Cerchione, a past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

Gregory T. Cerchione has held more leadership titles than most lawyers accumulate in a lifetime, but those who know him best say his most important work has rarely depended on a title at all.

Cerchione received the President’s Award, the Brooklyn Bar Association’s most prestigious honor, at the association’s annual dinner on Monday, Dec. 8.

The award recognizes sustained service to the bar and the broader legal community, and Cerchione, this year’s honoree, was described repeatedly as someone whose influence is felt most strongly behind the scenes.

Christina Golkin, the president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, said Cerchione’s leadership begins with the way he views the organization itself.

“He never calls it the bar association. He always calls it ‘our bar association,’ and to Greg, this place is our professional home, a community we share.”

Cerchione’s words match his conduct, Golkin continued, “He reminds us that we are stewards of something larger than ourselves, and that sense of service, fairness and responsibility is what he represents as one of the presidents of our association.”

Judge Barry Kamins, another past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, spoke on Cerchione’s role after his presidency, saying Cerchione has remained the go-to person whenever there is a crisis in the association; “Everybody says, ‘Let’s ask Greg.’”

“He was great when he was president,” Kamins said, “but I think it’s more than being president, sort of like being the elder statesman, somebody everybody feels steers the ship when things get difficult.”

Mario Romano, president of the Columbian Lawyers Association, said Cerchione’s influence across Brooklyn’s legal community comes from his accessibility and his willingness to help without concern for appearances, titles or formalities.

Romano called Cerchione’s style direct and unpolished, but that approach is precisely what makes him effective and trusted across organizations. “When he talks, you can tell he’s from Brooklyn. But anybody who has an issue, a problem, that needs help, he’s the first person to step up.”

Cerchione’s commitment is reflected not just in words, Romano noted, but in the amount of time he devotes to the legal community, often moving from one event to another on the same night to make sure he is present where he is needed.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know how he has the time,” Romano said. “Sometimes he doesn’t get his foot in the door until halfway through the event.”

Grace Borrino, vice president of the Columbian Lawyers Association, spoke of Cerchione’s consistent support of younger attorneys across generations.

“I can remember from being a young attorney that he is always so welcoming and so supportive,” Borrino said. “Even now, there is always an open door, he’s always willing to help, and he’s always willing to give his time to everything.”

Borrino said Cerchione’s influence within bar organizations is structural rather than symbolic, shaping their culture and continuity.

“He’s like the backbone of every organization,” Borrino continued. “I remember meeting him, and he was like the Godfather of the organization.”

Steve Bamundo, executive director of the Columbian Lawyers Association, said Cerchione’s leadership is defined by an aversion to recognition and a focus on service, even though he plays a central role in multiple bar organizations.

Bamundo explained that Cerchione consistently puts the needs of others and the institution ahead of his own visibility.

“He never cares where he sits,” Bamundo said. “He doesn’t want to be announced. He is someone who has a generosity of spirit that I’ve never seen before, both personally and professionally.”

On Cerchione’s willingness to help, Bamundo recalled, “I remember when I became president 17 years ago, whenever I would call him and I say, ‘I need,’ he would say ‘yes’ before I even finished what I was saying. He still does that today, and you’ll never meet a more optimistic and upbeat person than Greg.”

Cerchione concentrates his law practice in plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law. He joined the Brooklyn Bar Association shortly after his admission to the bar in January 1986 and has since served as president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn and the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Brooklyn.

He currently chairs the Brooklyn Bar Association Grievance Committee and serves on judicial screening and character and fitness committees within the Appellate Division, Second Department.

When Cerchione rose to accept the award last Monday, he said the honor was meaningful not only because of its prestige, but because of his long relationship with the Brooklyn Bar Association.

Cerchione credited his late father, Richard Cerchione, a Brooklyn lawyer with a neighborhood practice, with shaping his understanding of the profession and instilling in him what he described as the golden rule of loyalty: treat other lawyers the way you want to be treated.

As he spoke, members of his family were in attendance, including his son, Greg J. Cerchione, a young lawyer himself, who watched as his father accepted an award recognizing decades of service carried out largely without fanfare.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this award,” Cerchione said in his remarks. “It is particularly meaningful to me because my connection to the Brooklyn Bar Association has always been both personal and professional. Our association stands on the shoulders of our past presidents, and I am confident that future generations will continue its legacy, committed to relevance, excellence, integrity and service to our profession.”