Profile

Jennifer has more than 20 years of experience counseling clients facing significant litigation exposure and also serves as outside general counsel for multiple private and municipal entities, including more than a dozen school districts. She is experienced in representing hospitals, physicians, nurses, physician's assistants and other medical providers in medical malpractice lawsuits, professional discipline matters and other commercial disputes. Above all, Jennifer is a trusted advisor who assists clients to manage risk and achieve their desired business outcomes.  

Representation of Health Care Providers

Jennifer has particular experience defending medical malpractice claims on behalf of hospitals, physicians, nurses, physician's assistants and other medical providers, and has obtained several favorable medical malpractice verdicts. She has also had great success resolving medical malpractice cases through dispositive motions.

Jennifer also counsels health care institutions with regard to various facets of operations, risk management, contracting, medical staffing, and professional service arrangements, and represents those institutions in adversarial proceedings.

General Litigation

Over the last two decades, Jennifer has also litigated and tried personal injury, premises liability, employment discrimination, toxic tort, labor disputes, zoning, land use, and professional discipline matters.

School Districts 

Jennifer also represents school districts throughout Western New York. She provides counsel on special education, general education, and labor and employment matters, and represents schools districts in special education due process hearings and appeals, Commissioner of Education appeals, Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Section 504 meetings, and student and employee discipline hearings. She counsels school districts on student residency, homelessness, records and privacy, discipline, DASA, and FOIL compliance. She also provides guidance to boards of education regarding Education Law, Open Meetings Law, and school district policy and procedures.

In addition to her active practice, Jennifer serves as Deputy Managing Member of Bond’s Rochester office. Prior to joining Bond, she was a partner at another law firm in Rochester. Before that, she was an associate at a large Mid-Atlantic law firm for nine years, during which time she taught legal writing as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. 

  • Listed in:
    • The Best Lawyers in America®, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2021-2024
    • The Daily Record, Power 20 - Litigation, 2022
    • The Daily Record, Power 50 - Law, 2022, 2023
    • Rochester Business Journal, Women of Excellence, 2021 
    • Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow, 2017-2020
    • The Daily Record Top Women in Law, 2016
    • New York Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2013-2016
  • New York State Bar Association
    • NYSBA Task Force on COVID-19 Immunity and Liability
  • Monroe County Bar Association
  • Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys 
  • Monroe County School Attorneys Association

  • An Interview with Jennifer Schwartzott, Litigation, Legally Bond Podcast, October 18, 2021
  • Immunities in the Face of the COVID-19 Human Rights and Public Health Crisis, New York State Bar Association, June 30, 2020
  • Healthcare Compliance Legal Updates, Western New York Healthcare Association, Virtual Compliance Meeting, April 28, 2020
  • Field Trips 101: Staying Inside the Law When Outside the Classroom, Monroe County School Boards Association Labor Relations Meeting, November 28, 2018
  • How to Successfully Handle Student Discipline Matters in Your School District, Monroe County School Boards Association Fall Law Conference, September 27, 2018

  • Bond Schoeneck Deputy Manager On Rochester Office PlansLaw360, January 12, 2022 
  • Quoted in "COVID-19 Sparks Innovation in Networking Opportunities for Women," Rochester Business Journal, March 22, 2021
  • "COVID-19 Vaccinations: Can Private Sector Employers Require Employees To Be Vaccinated?," nsyba.org, February 4, 2021

  • The Harley School, Board of Trustees, 2020 - Present
    • Member of Executive Committee, 2021 – 2023
  • The Harley School, Health Advisory Board, 2020 - 2022
  • ROC Women Forward, Co-Founder, 2017 - Present
    • Non-partisan PAC dedicated to supporting and empowering women in the greater Rochester community to run for local and state office
  • Planned Parenthood of Central and Western NY, Board of Directors, 2017 - 2022
    • Vice-Chair and Governance Committee Chair, 2019 - 2022
    • Secretary and Governance Committee Chair, 2018
  • Sarah Clark for Assembly, Campaign Treasurer, 2020
  • Churchville Soccer Club, Coach, 2016 - 2019
  • Federal Employees Parents Association, Board of Directors, 2011 - 2016 
    • Board President, 2014 - 2016
  • Chili Soccer Association, Coach, 2010 - 2016
  • Planned Parenthood of Maryland, Board of Directors, 2007 - 2010