Profile

George is of counsel to the firm and concentrates his practice on white collar criminal defense and complex federal civil litigation. He also uses those skills he developed on the bench to serve as a mediator and arbitrator. In addition, George continues to play a significant role in pro bono matters and other service to the Bar.

George was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York in February 2004. Before taking the bench he was a member (partner) at Bond for 21 years, concentrating his practice in white collar criminal defense and federal court civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm, George served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, and before that appointment he was an Assistant United States Attorney for five years.

George is a past President of the Onondaga County Bar Association and a former Chair of the Fifth Judicial District’s Committee on Character and Fitness. He has served on the boards of Legal Services of Central New York, the Onondaga County Bar Foundation, the Central New York Women’s Bar Association and the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, Inc. While in practice George received numerous honors for his service in pro bono cases, and from 2007 to 2014 he was co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Access to Justice. From 2010 to 2016 he was a member of the Chief Judge’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice. In 2015, the “George H. Lowe Center for Justice” was dedicated to house under “One Roof” the legal services organizations of Onondaga County.

In 2007, George received the Onondaga County Bar Association’s Distinguished Lawyer Award. In 2012, the Northern District of New York’s Federal Court Bar Association presented him with its James R. Duane Award for commitment to public service. In 2018, George was the recipient of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society’s “Justice For All” award for his “sustained engagements in promoting projects that serve Central New York’s most marginalized residents.” Also, from 2012 through 2022, the New York State Bar Association designated George as an “Empire State Counsel” for his pro bono services.  In 2022, the Federal Court Bar Association created “The George H. Lowe Pro Bono Recognition Award” to be given annually to a member of that Association who has performed significant pro bono work during the year.

George is a faculty member with the Center for International Legal Studies, headquartered in Salzburg, Austria,  and he has taught courses on the Bill of Richts and American Criminal Law in Odessa and Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine, in Pristina, Kosovo, and in Szczecin, Poland.

  • Hiscock Legal Aid Society “Justice For All” Award, 2018
  • New York State Bar Association, Co-Chair, Committee on Access to Justice; 2007-2014; Empire State Counsel
  • Onondaga County Bar Association, Past President; 2007 Distinguished Lawyer Award; 
  • Federal Court Bar Association, James R. Duane Award, 2012;
  • Chair, Fifth Judicial District, Committee on Character and Fitness