Top best E Lawyers in Buffalo | 1754 available

Kathleen Devereaux, along with her husband Chris Pashler, is a founding partner of the law firm Pashler & Devereaux.  Kathleen earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Northwestern University.  Kathleen is admitted to practice in New York and is a member of the Erie County Bar Association and the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates.. Kathleen has a longstanding interest in administrative law and in helping the disadvantaged.  Prior to founding  Pashler & Devereaux, Kathleen worked at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP in Washington, D.C.  In addition to having a focus in litigation involving securities enforcement, compliance and disclosure, Kathleen advocated for clients in custody, adoption, and landlord tenant cases before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.. Following her work as assistant corporation counsel for the City of Chicago, Kathleen pursued her interest in administrative law and in helping the disadvantaged.  She managed a solo practice that focused primarily in family law.   In addition to helping the disabled, Kathleen regularly advocates for working families in Erie County Family Court.  She has also enjoyed her experiences as an adjunct professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School.. Kathleen lives in Kenmore, New York.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, reading, and exploring as many of Western New York’s outdoor activities as possible.

Katherine joined the Workers’ Compensation practice at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC in 2020. She focuses her practice on the representation of injured workers and their families in front of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Prior to joining the firm, Katie spent six years representing employers and insurance carriers in civil litigation, including Workers’ Compensation cases. She also spent time working for a non-profit, representing low income individuals with various housing matters.

Kara handles all aspects of litigated matters, from pre-suit discovery through post-trial appeals, in both New York State and Federal Courts. She concentrates her practice in professional liability, medical and dental malpractice defense, municipal and police liability, products liability, Labor Law and workplace accidents, sports and recreation law, commercial litigation, and personal injury. She represents individuals, professionals, local and national businesses, hospitals, and municipalities. Kara frequently handles appeals and complex motions in high exposure matters. She also counsels clients regarding strategies to limit future exposure.. Prior to ACB, Kara was Co-Chair of the Professional Malpractice Group at a regional litigation firm. She started her career as a litigator at one of Western New York’s largest law firms.. Kara is involved in the community. She currently serves as a Director of the Bar Association of Erie County. She is a Past President of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, Western New York Chapter and previously served on the State Board of Directors, as well as serving as a Chair of several committees of WBASNY, WNY. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association, and the Buffalo Law School Alumni Association. She has provided pro bono representation for indigent clients in a variety of matters. Kara has served as a mentor for a college student through the Buffalo Urban League and Buffalo Renaissance Foundation, and for a high school student through the Williamsville Public Schools.. Kara has been honored to be named Buffalo Business First’s Legal Elite and 40 Under 40, The Daily Record’s Top Women in Law, and a Super Lawyers Rising Star.. A native of Western New York, Kara resides in Amherst, New York with her husband and five children.

Joshua is a partner at Lippes & Lippes who is engaged in the general practice of law with a primary focus in environmental, education, and mass tort litigation. Joshua grew up in Western New York where he attended the Nichols School for high school. Joshua was awarded a B.A. in History & Political Science in 2001 from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2004. Joshua was admitted to New York State's 4th Department and the Western District of New York in 2005. Joshua was admitted to the State of Florida bar in 2013. Joshua is a member of the Erie County Bar Association and the New York Bar Association.

Joseph T. Kremer is a Partner at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He is an experienced trial lawyer, who has represented personal injury victims since 1989. Mr. Kremer practices in the areas of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Litigation, Product Liability, Construction Accidents, Medical Malpractice and Automobile Accidents. Historically he has worked closely with local labor unions, including the UAW and USW in educating workers of the hazards of toxic exposures in factories, mills, power plants and construction sites. He has lectured and written on the available remedies to those workers who have developed occupational illnesses.

Joseph J. Welter is chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Toxic Tort and Environmental Practice Groups. Over the past 28 years, Joe has successfully defended the interests of companies and insurers, serving as national, regional, and local trial counsel in toxic tort and environmental litigation across the country. His experience has included cases involving alleged exposure to asbestos, Legionella bacteria, excess zinc, adulterated food, benzene and lead paint, pending in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, and other jurisdictions. Joe is a nationally recognized lecturer and author on emerging toxic tort issues, and a Continuing Education Instructor approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services. He is also the editor of Goldberg Segalla’s Asbestos Case Tracker, which has been hailed as the “go-to” resource for significant asbestos decisions and developments throughout the country, and which was recently named to the ABA Journal's prestigious Blawg 100 and named the Best Litigation Blog for 2016 by the Expert Institute in its annual legal blog contest.. Joe has also served as national science and trial counsel in mass toxic tort litigation, which has included federal court multi-district litigations and state court mass tort programs. Joe has also handled environmental contamination class action litigation.  Joe has worked with clients to develop effective litigation plans, trial strategies, and settlement matrixes for mass tort and class action claims in these litigation settings. On the science side, Joe has worked with clients to develop effective scientific and medical defenses, which includes extensive vetting and retention of expert witnesses and effective use of Daubert and Frye motions to preclude plaintiffs’ experts.. Joe possesses an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest available rating, and has been selected for inclusion in Business First's Who's Who in Law, New York Super Lawyers, and Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition.

Joseph J. Gumkowski practices in the areas of general business law, e-commerce, taxation, and intellectual property. His practice is concentrated in servicing select clients of the firm in the entertainment business.. Mr. Gumkowski is an active member of the Sports Car Club of America; the Sports Car Club of America, Western New York Region; the South Towns Motor Club; and the Central New York Ice Racing Association. Mr. Gumkowski earned second place in the 2002 New York State Road Racing Championship.

Joseph Hanna is a commercial litigator and legal adviser nationally recognized for his work in media and entertainment law, as well as for being a leading voice for diversity in the legal and business communities. Joe is the founder and chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Practice Group, chair of its Retail and Hospitality Practice Group, editor of the Sports and Entertainment Law Insider blog, and chair of the firm’s Diversity Task Force. He is the founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad, a nonprofit that collects and sends golf equipment to U.S. soldiers and veterans worldwide to aid in recreation and rehabilitation from injuries.. In 2015, Joe was the youngest honoree ever to be named Lawyer of the Year in the Bar Association of Erie County’s 130-year history, and multiple times he has ranked among the top 10 attorneys in Western New York in Business First’s annual Legal Elite.. Joe dedicates his practice to serving the sports and entertainment, retail, hospitality, and commercial development industries. He represents national-league sports franchises, professional athletes, movie studios, and others in the sports and entertainment world on a wide range of high-value matters involving licensing, contracts, and day-to-day business management. Major retail and restaurant chains, global hotel and hospitality enterprises, shopping centers, property owners, and developers rely on Joe to find creative and cost-efficient resolutions to disputes with other parties, to represent them in commercial litigation, and to handle a broad array of legal and business challenges. An accomplished mediator, he is also a member of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution’s Panels of Distinguished Neutrals, a group of global leaders in providing and promoting alternative dispute resolution.. A Law360 Rising Star in 2014 and now a member of the organization's Sports Editorial Advisory Board, Joe is nationally renowned a for his work in media and entertainment law and for his authorship of leading articles on high-profile issues in these areas — including the first truly comprehensive examination of the legal issues in the National Football League concussion litigation controversy.. In 2014, Joe was one of just over 160 lawyers under 40 in the entire country to receive Law360's Rising Star honor, and one of only five in the Media and Entertainment category, that year. Then, in 2017, the American Bar Association (ABA) placed Joe on its prestigious “On the Rise — Top 40 Young Lawyers” list, honoring him alongside only 39 others from a competitive crop of over 2,800 nominees nationwide.. Joe is widely recognized for his extensive work as an innovator, mentor, author, editor, and speaker on diversity and inclusion in the legal world. He has held diversity-related leadership positions at national organizations like DRI as well as the ABA, where he served for several years as chair of the Minority Trial Lawyer Committee and editor-in-chief of Minority Trial Lawyer. He has received accolades that include the Minority Corporate Counsel Association George B. Vashon Innovator Award, the New York State Bar Association Diversity Trailblazer Award, and the University at Buffalo George W. Thorn Award. In 2014 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) selected Joe for their Fellows program; he now chairs the New York chapter for the LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program. He is also a mentor with New York Legal Education Opportunity (NY LEO), an organization designed to ensure a diverse legal community by promoting academic success in law school for individuals historically under represented in the legal profession, and administered through the New York State Judicial Institute.. Bunkers in Baghdad, which Joe founded in 2008 and still runs as its president, has sent 9 million golf balls, nearly 700,000 clubs, and messages of thanks from “Bunkers Buddies” — students in 500 schools — to U.S. soldiers and veterans in 65 countries.. In 2016, Joe participated in Harvard Law School's Executive Education Program, an intensive accelerated program designed to enhance leadership development in law firm partners. He graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo and cum laude from its law school. He received his Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration on Public and Nonprofit Management from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2014, graduating in the top 5 percent of his class. In 2018, he received a Master's in Sports Administration from Canisius College, graduating summa cum laude.

Jonathan W. Brown is a senior partner in the Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria's Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation Practice Areas. Mr. Brown focuses his practice on the following areas of law:. Mr. Brown has handled numerous matters in both California and New York, including disputes over contracts, employment law and discrimination claims, license disputes, Lanham Act claims, copyright infringement claims, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board and the U.S. International Trade Commission.. Mr. Brown also helps to manage international trademark portfolios for several multimedia and entertainment companies.

Jonathan Schapp is an accomplished litigator with more than two decades of experience handling complex insurance, professional liability, and commercial matters in New York and numerous other jurisdictions. Jon defends insurers under commercial general liability and excess liability policies against claims for coverage for construction accidents, advertising injuries, and sexual harassment claims. He also represents insurers in complex first-party property claims, as well as in pursuing other insurers for the proper stacking of coverage under various applicable policies, resulting in recoupment of millions of dollars in settlements and judgments for his clients. In addition, Jon defends insurers against fraud claims.. Jon has represented a wide variety of clients in construction disputes, including owners and contractors in defeating claims of contractors and subcontractors, and contractors and subcontractors seeking to obtain payment for work performed. Jon has successfully handled appeals on a variety of issues and has resolved cases through mediation and arbitration.. His victories include BP Air Conditioning v. One Beacon, in which Jon was able to convince the New York Court of Appeals to enforce the policies’ other insurance clauses as written, thus settling a complex and ambiguous aspect of New York coverage law.. Jonathan has been selected for inclusion in Upstate New York Super Lawyers and is peer-rated AV, the highest possible rating, from Martindale-Hubbell.

John P. Ford handles all aspects of litigated matters, from pre-suit discovery through trial. He is experienced in personal injury matters, motor vehicle/trucking accidents, injuries on property, products liability, and construction accidents. He represents individuals in all New York State Courts and in Federal Court, the Western District of New York.Attorney Ford was recently named a 2014 Rising Star for General Litigation, as named by Super Lawyers magazine.Attorney Ford received his J.D. from the University of Buffalo Law School in 2004. While attending law school, Attorney Ford was actively involved with the University's National Trial Team Program, earning Finalist awards as a member of the National Trial Competition and Texas Young Lawyer's Association teams. He earned his undergraduate degree from Canisius College where he played goaltender for the Golden Griffins' Soccer Team and was a walk-on guard for the Men's Basketball Team.Currently, Attorney Ford is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County and New York State Bar Association. He serves as an instructor and coaching assistant for the University of Buffalo Law School Trial Team and is a board member for the Northwest Community Mental Health Facility. In the past, Attorney Ford served as a radio color commentator for the Canisius College Men's Basketball Team on 710 AM.

John P. Comerford is a Senior Partner at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He grew up in Lewiston, New York, a small historic town near the Canadian border. As a young child, Mr. Comerford grew up in the shadows of Love Canal and personally observed the consequences of environmental pollution. After graduating from high school, he attended Cornell University and studied Environmental Science. Mr. Comerford devotes the majority of his time to asbestos personal injury matters. He has litigated cases throughout Upstate New York in cities which include Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton. Over the course of his career, he has helped hundreds of people recover financial awards for injuries. In June 2009, Mr. Comerford became an accredited attorney for the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims for veterans’ benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

John Ned Lipsitz is a founding partner of the Buffalo, New York law firm of Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He has represented workers suffering from industrial diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, since 1985. From 1981 through 1985, Mr. Lipsitz served on the clinical faculty of the Buffalo Law School of the State University of New York, where he instructed students in professional legal representation of consumer debtors, occupational safety and health law, constitutional rights and habeas corpus, and where he taught Research and Writing and Legal Ethics. Between 1979 and 1981, he was a staff attorney at the Buffalo Office of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York.. During his forty-one years of legal practice, Mr. Lipsitz has represented clients in a wide variety of cases, including class actions to vindicate constitutional rights and to preserve lifetime health insurance benefits for retired workers, wrongful employment termination, negligent exposure to HIV infection, childhood lead poisoning, automobile accidents, medical malpractice, immigration law, construction accidents, workers compensation, and claims of radiation induced cancers. Mr. Lipsitz represented the plaintiffs in the first chronic beryllium disease cases in New York State.. In addition to his trial experience. Mr. Lipsitz has briefed and argued numerous appeals before state and federal appellate courts, and has handled hundreds of motions on significant legal issues in New York State trial courts. Mr. Lipsitz has successfully argued several appeals in New York’s highest appellate court.

John Looney has completely dedicated himself to the success of Cellino & Barnes and its clients. Because he believes that client service is one of the most important factors separating our firm from the others, he's committed himself and all of his energy to every case he tries. Mr. Looney's personal strength is an inner drive and motivation to do right by the people who count the most: the clients he has been asked to serve.

John K. Rottaris is a 1989 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School and a 1986 graduate of Niagara University.  He has been with Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, P.C. since receiving his J.D. in 1989.. Mr. Rottaris concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation, creditors’ rights, commercial collections, landlord-tenant law, bankruptcy law and tax certiorari.  He also represents manufacturers and manufacturers’ sales representatives in commission and contract disputes.  Matters are handled from case intake through settlement, trial and appeal.  John has represented clients in all phases of trial and appellate practice before local, state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution forums.. Mr. Rottaris has extensive experience in the area of commercial and business litigation and tax certiorari proceedings.  His clients include individuals, small and large business enterprises and national companies.  He has also successfully represented school districts, municipalities and taxpayers in tax certiorari and tax assessment proceedings.

John Freedenberg, a founding partner of the firm, concentrates his practice in the areas of products liability, catastrophic personal injury, and intellectual property litigation. He has handled over 150 trials, 100 of them to verdict, and has had many summary judgments granted making trial unnecessary.. Jack serves as national coordinating counsel for two major manufacturers, and he has handled the defense of numerous products liability actions around the United States. These have included catastrophic personal injury cases and major fire damage cases, and they have involved appliances, household products, controls, power generating and other heavy equipment, high-end products, lift trucks, electrical systems, and aircraft engines.. As a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI), Jack provides Goldberg Segalla clients with a strong competitive advantage in litigation involving damage and injury from fires. He is actively and deeply involved in the investigation phase of each fire case, and in the courtroom, he brings the weight of fire investigation credentials that often match or exceed those of opposing expert witnesses. He has participated in dozens of fire scene inspections and more than 100 laboratory inspections of fire scene artifacts, and he has conducted hundreds of depositions and dozens of trials in fire-related cases. Administered by the National Association of Fire Investigators through its National Certification Board, CFEI is the largest fire investigator certification program in the world.. Jack has also had the unique opportunity to depose plaintiffs' experts in a wide range of specialties, and he has developed proven techniques for disqualifying "junk science" purveyors under applicable rules of evidence. He utilizes cutting-edge technology and unique strategies in order to, for example, enter into high/low agreements, and achieve the best possible outcome for clients.

Jillian M. Ponterio joined Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC in 2014 as a law clerk. She assisted the attorneys with trial preparation, legal research, as well as drafting and editing motions.. After graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 2017, Ms. Ponterio joined Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC as an associate attorney. Her work focuses on the representation of individuals who have been injured as a result of exposure to asbestos, as well as other toxic substances.

Jeffrey Kingsley is the co-chair of the firm’s Global Insurance Services Practice Group and oversees a team of 65 attorneys, handling matters from cybersecurity to extra-contractual bad faith litigation. He maintains an international practice that focuses on matters involving complex insurance and reinsurance coverage, commercial and regulatory issues, and extra-contractual liability arbitration and litigation. Specifically, he has extensive experience handling and consulting clients on complex allocation issues, regulatory issues, arbitrations, transactional issues, and disputes involving the eco bad faith exposure across the country.. Jeff routinely provides comprehensive legal representation for Fortune 500 companies, insurers, reinsurers, and other businesses to help them manage risk at every stage of business and protect their interests when disputes may arise. He works with clients during the developmental phase of business relationships to analyze agreements, develop potential strategies to reduce liability exposure, and identify issues that may impede growth such as threats to a company’s reputation or intellectual property rights.. Jeff currently serves as national litigation and regulatory counsel for several companies, including one of the largest companies providing vehicle service contracts and extended insurance warranties for both commercial and personal vehicles. In that role, he handles the resolution of coverage claims and disputes with dealers, producers, and competitors, including representing the company in litigation and arbitration, drafting reinsurance agreements to create captive reinsurance companies, assisting with the drafting of vehicle service contracts and warranties, and counseling on a range of regulatory matters such as advertising regulations. Jeff’s recent experience also involves consulting with one of the world’s top auto manufacturers in the development of a national program.. Drawing on his extensive background in environmental law, Jeff represents individuals and companies in matters regarding claims of property contamination and other environmental issues. He has handled cases involving the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other federal and state regulations. His experience includes representing a wine producer in a salt contamination claim and assisting the Department of Justice’s Environmental Enforcement Division in drafting its position relative to compliance-related issues regarding coal facilities.. Jeff lectures and writes extensively on emerging issues in the insurance and reinsurance industry. In 2013, he co-authored the "Duties of Reinsurers" chapter in the New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition. He also regularly presents on extra-contractual exposure, multiple claimant, and insufficient claims at insurance conferences across the world.. At Goldberg Segalla, Jeff is co-editor of the Reinsurance Review, a monthly international publication that provides timely summaries of and access to the latest worldwide reinsurance law developments, as well as the co-editor of the Insurance and Reinsurance Report blog.

Jason Botticelli is an experienced litigator who concentrates his practice on product liability and toxic tort matters. He defends clients in state and federal courts against asbestos exposure claims and claims involving premises, construction site, automotive, and elevator and escalator liability. Jason frequently represents manufacturers, doctors and hospitals, municipalities, and companies sued under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.. Jason serves on the Board of the Better Business Bureau and has as served as an arbitrator for the BBB Auto Line, Commercial Resolution, and New York Fee Resolution programs. He is the co-editor of Goldberg Segalla's award-winning Asbestos Case Tracker, which in 2016 and 2018 was named to the ABA Journal's prestigious Blawg 100 and named the Best Litigation Blog for 2016 and 2017 by the Expert Institute in its annual legal blog contest. He has also contributed to Goldberg Segalla's popular Timely Notice podcast, discussing e-cigarettes and other trends in liability-related litigation.

James “Jamie” Quinn Auricchio is a criminal defense attorney with 20 years of experience in Local, State and Federal Courts. A former State and Federal Prosecutor, he has served on the Faculty of the University at Buffalo Medical School and as an instructor with the New York Prosecutor Training Institute, the Municipal Police Academy for Erie County and the University at Buffalo Trial Team program.. He formerly served as a director for the Erie County Bar Foundation and as committee chair for the Bar Associations Criminal Law Committee.. He has presented lectures on criminal procedure law and client relations for the Erie Institute of Law and the Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society.. After graduating from the Law School at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2000, James served as an Assistant District Attorney in Monroe County and then Erie County in New York. He was then appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Assistant U.S Attorney in the Western District of New York. He founded his private practice, James Quinn Auricchio, Esq., in 2009.. He won his division in the 2017 Key West Olympic Triathlon and the 2017 Cooperstown Sprint Triathlon.  He was named to the all conference team for swimming in College and Highschool and briefly held school records at both levels.  He remains an avid skier.. He is a father of two beautiful children.

James W. Grable, Jr. focuses his practice on complex federal criminal and civil litigation, handling trial and appellate matters in federal and state courts. He has represented multi-national corporations in criminal investigations and civil disputes, and impoverished defendants in assigned criminal and civil matters.

James T. Scime is widely recognized as one of the region's most skilled and respected attorneys. He practices in the areas of personal injury, construction accidents, products liability, medical malpractice, and automobile accidents. He devotes the majority of his time to trial and litigation matters.. Mr. Scime is widely respected among his peers for his trial and negotiating skills. Many local attorneys refer matters to him when their clients have sustained serious injuries. Over the course of his career, Mr. Scime has helped thousands of people recover financial awards for injuries they have sustained.

In practice since 2013, Lauren has focused almost exclusively on insurance defense litigation, including medical malpractice, personal injury, professional liability, and employment law. She also has experience in mental hygiene hearings and general counseling to health care professionals and institutions. Lauren has experience in all aspects of the litigation process and has successfully mediated numerous cases for insureds.

In October 2008, after 30 years of practice and 27 years at large law firms I decided to open my own firm. I enjoyed the large firm experience and training but over the years it seemed that my ability to represent potential clients was being limited more and more often by client and issue conflicts. This may be the inevitable consequence of being in a large firm in the smaller upstate New York market. I feel that the small firm platform will give clients all of the advantages of a "big firm" attorney with none of the disadvantages.

In every case Chris D'Amato handles, he strives to develop a personal relationship with his client so that he can fully understand how the injury has affected their life. As a proud father, he understands how an injury to one family member can affect the family as a whole. It is with that personal knowledge that he's able to help each client through this difficult period. All personal injury cases are different, and some are more catastrophic than others. However, each client deserves – and receives – the same effort, attention and respect from Mr. D'Amato.