SPOTLIGHT ON: HGAR Affiliate of the Year John Dolgetta, Esq.

All in the Family

John Dolgetta, Esq., HGAR’s 2023 “Affiliate of the Year,” has been a part of the association since 2001—back in the days when it was known as the Westchester County Board of Realtors. “When they called my name for this award, I was not expecting this at all,” he admitted. “It really took me by surprise and I’m so grateful for this honor.”

Over the past 22 years, Dolgetta has played a vital role in facilitating all of the subsequent mergers with the Putnam County Association of Realtors, the Orange County Association of Realtors, the Rockland County Board of Realtors, the Manhattan Association of Realtors, and the Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors. In addition, he was involved with the more recent merger of HGAR’s and LIBOR’s MLSs to form OneKey MLS.

“It’s been a great experience,” he shared. “There’s only a handful of attorneys throughout the country who serve as Association Counsels, so this has been really exciting.” Dolgetta’s private practice consists of commercial real estate leasing and sales deals, corporate law, partnerships and shareholder agreements, small business representations and working with brokerage firms on mergers and acquisitions.

For as long as he can remember, Dolgetta was always interested in becoming an attorney. “I don’t know how old I was when I first met our family attorney, but I just got in my head that I wanted to be a lawyer too,” he said. “I guess I liked the idea of working with people and being able to help them.”

That feeling stuck with him all during elementary and junior high school. By the time he got to Fordham Prep High School in the Bronx, he had a clear picture of his career path and years later, graduated from Pace Law School in White Plains. After growing up in the Bronx near the Botanical Gardens, Dolgetta moved to White Plains when he married his wife, Anna, and eventually, the couple purchased a home in Yorktown.

Determined to get a head start in his profession, Dolgetta worked with a small law firm in White Plains while attending law school, and that eventually became his first job as a new attorney.

As a student, he also worked as a part-time wedding videographer and travel agent. “I always wanted to travel so I worked with a family-owned business in Manhattan and Westchester,” he recalled. “My cousin still owns the company today.”

Later he joined the National Economic Research Associates in Manhattan, where he was involved with legal research and consulting for senior economists in the company. His next stop was Rebound International, Inc., a web-based business-to-business E-commerce firm specializing in international trade.

As In-House Counsel, he negotiated a wide range of agreements including strategic alliance agreements, leases, trade, and employments, and more.

In 2001, Dolgetta joined the Edward I. Sumber law firm and eight years later, became a partner. After Sumber retired as HGAR Board Counsel in 2015, Dolgetta bought the practice, which is now Dolgetta Law PLLC.

Dolgetta was honored with HGAR’s Edward I. Sumber Memorial Award in 2018, following Sumber’s passing. “Ed will always be remembered by so many people at HGAR and beyond,” said Dolgetta.

When he’s not busy running his firm, Dolgetta serves on the Tompkins Community Bank Business Development Board, and from his days as a travel agent—he loves to travel. He and his family have visited Europe many times, with a favorite stop in Italy. They also love visiting the West Coast in the U.S., and have placed Japan, China, and Greece on their “to-do” list.

Ironically, all three of his children are also pursuing law careers. His daughter Carmela, 24, plans to graduate from law school next spring, while his son John, 22, just started. His youngest, Matthew, 19, is also leaning toward law as a career. In addition, his wife, Anna, works with him at his White Plains office. “I guess we’re just keeping it all in the family,” he quipped.