Robert D. Kalish retired as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court, in the First Judicial District of New York in December, 2020. He was first designated an Acting Justice of the New York County Supreme Court in 2015. Two years later, Justice Kalish was certificated to the position. 

Before joining the Supreme Court bench, he served as a judge for the Queens County Civil Court after receiving an appointment in 2005. He was subsequently reappointed to the Civil Court in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. He was also appointed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve as a judge for the Kings County Criminal Court in 2008 and reappointed in 2010.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Kalish served in various capacities with the New York Law Department beginning in 1980. He was a deputy borough chief in Queens from 1980 to 1982 and a borough chief in Brooklyn from 1982 to until 1986. It was at that time, Kalish then became the chief of its Special Trials and Medical Malpractice Division, a position he would hole until 1989 when he left briefly to work in private practice. The following year, he returned to the City’s Law Department, this time serving as the Brooklyn Chief of the Tort Division. Kalish remained
in that position until assuming the bench.

Before joining the Law Department, he worked as a law assistant with the New York County Supreme Court (1978 to 1980) and was an assistant corporation counsel with the Family Court of
the City of New York for five years.