Risk vs. Reality: Untangling the Costly Mess of DIY Agreements

Yenisey Rodriguez-McCloskey, Esq. is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Brooklyn-based Rodriguez-McCloskey PLLC. With over 25 years of dynamic legal experience, she advises businesses—including those in the construction, real estate, technology, digital media, and internet sectors—as well as entrepreneurs and executives through complex legal challenges with a strategic, business-minded approach. Admitted to practice in New York and multiple federal courts—including the Second Circuit, SDNY, and EDNY—Yenisey’s practice covers business law, commercial litigation, employment, construction, arbitration, and appeals. Acting as outside general counsel, she has secured multimillion-dollar victories, including a seven-figure defense verdict in a COVID-related construction arbitration and serving as a key litigator in complex $176 million real estate Ponzi scheme cases. She has also successfully defeated complex foreclosures and won a precedent-setting telecommunications appeal that established new industry standards nationwide. Recognizing that prolonged litigation is not always the best business decision, Yenisey expertly navigates alternative dispute resolution. She is a certified FINRA Arbitrator, a trained EEOC mediator, and a Volunteer Mediator for the New York Center for Interpersonal Development. Fully bilingual in English and Spanish with basic French proficiency, she serves a diverse, international client base. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, she has called Brooklyn home since 1997. Yenisey graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science from Northeastern University in just two years. A Sears B. Condit Scholarship recipient, she entered New York Law School on a scholarship at the age of twenty to earn her Juris Doctor. She remains an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association.

Justin Benjamin McCloskey is a Partner at New York-based Rodriguez-McCloskey PLLC, practicing commercial litigation, dispute resolution, and strategic counseling for domestic and international clients. He combines rigorous legal advocacy with over 20 years of executive leadership experience. During his executive tenure, Justin mastered contract negotiations, institutional risk mitigation, and early-stage dispute resolution. Navigating complex employment dynamics, high-stakes internal escalations, and compliance hurdles firsthand gave him ground-level insight into the operational challenges business owners face. He approaches litigation as a former executive who understands precisely how legal risks impact the bottom line. His practice encompasses managing complex arbitrations, navigating civil disputes, and structuring agreements that preempt conflicts and safeguard institutional interests. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, cum laude, from Northeastern University and earned his Juris Doctor from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Admitted in Connecticut and New Jersey, he champions fiercely protective legal counsel meticulously aligned with clients’ commercial ambitions, empowering them to operate with absolute clarity and confidence.