A total of 66 Harris Beach PLLC attorneys have been named to the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the oldest guide of its kind in the legal profession.
The Harris Beach attorneys in this year’s guide were recognized for success in providing legal counsel in more than 45 practice specialties ranging from appeals to trusts and estates. They represent clients across New York and the nation.
Two attorneys — partners Jeffrey Weiss, co-leader of our education institutions team, and Francis L. Gorman, III, co-leader of our real estate developers team — were named to the list for the first time.
Nine Harris Beach attorneys also received designation as Lawyers of the Year in their specialty areas—the most ever. The “Lawyer of the Year” rankings are based on extremely high overall feedback within specific practice and metropolitan areas.
The Harris Beach Lawyers of the Year are Christopher A. DiPasquale in medical malpractice defense; Timothy M. Fitzgerald in real estate law; Christopher D. Jagel in closely held companies and family businesses law; Patrick M. Malgieri in public finance law; Neal L. Slifkin in patent litigation; James A. Spitz Jr. in labor and employment litigation; Joseph A. Turri in construction law; Wendy A. Kinsella in bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights and Lee W. Woodard in bankruptcy litigation.
Attorneys are named to The Best Lawyers in America© based on peer feedback in 146 practice areas. The 2020 edition involved analysis of 8.3 million votes, resulting in a guide that includes about five percent of private practice lawyers in the United States.
Harris Beach attorneys were named Best Lawyers in the following practice areas (* denotes Lawyer of the Year):
Appellate Practice
Victoria A. Graffeo
Vincent Buzard
Banking and Finance Law
Patrick M. Malgieri
Beth Ela Wilkens
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Wendy A. Kinsella *
Lee E. Woodard
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Vincent Buzard
Philip G. Spellane
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Christopher D. Jagel *
Commercial Litigation
Brian C. Mahoney
David J. Edwards
Douglas A. Foss
Svetlana Ivy
Michael J. Masino
Laura W. Smalley
Philip G. Spellane
David M. Capriotti
Construction Law
Bruce L. Maas
Joseph A. Turri *
Corporate Compliance Law
Karl J. Sleight
Joan P. Sullivan
Corporate Governance Law
Christopher D. Jagel
Corporate Law
David M. Clar
Patrick J. Dalton
Christopher D. Jagel
Justin P. Runke
Beth Ela Wilkens
Thomas E. Willett
Criminal Defense: General Practice and White-Collar
Thomas A. DeSimon
Economic Development Law
Christopher A. Andreucci
Russell E. Gaenzle
Education Law
Laura M. Purcell
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Philip G. Spellane
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
David M. Mehalick
Employment Law – Management
Brendan P. Kelleher
Jeffrey J. Weiss
Roy R. Galewski
Daniel J. Moore
Scott D. Piper
Laura M. Purcell
James A. Spitz, Jr.
Edward A. Trevvett
Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law
William M. Flynn
Environmental Law
Gene Kelly
John T. McManus
Frank C. Pavia
Joseph D. Picciotti
Health Care Law
Heidi Schult Gregory
Immigration Law
Danielle M. Rizzo
Russell W. Roberts
Labor Law – Management
Brendan P. Kelleher
Karlee S. Bolaños
Roy R. Galewski
Daniel J. Moore
Scott D. Piper
James A. Spitz, Jr.
Edward A. Trevvett
Land Use and Zoning Law
Joseph D. Picciotti
Litigation – Banking and Finance
Philip G. Spellane
Litigation – Bankruptcy
Wendy A. Kinsella
Lee E. Woodard *
Litigation – Construction
Bruce L. Maas
Joseph A. Turri
Litigation – Environmental
Joseph D. Picciotti
Litigation – Intellectual Property
Neal L. Slifkin
Laura W. Smalley
Litigation – Labor and Employment
Daniel J. Moore
Scott D. Piper
James A. Spitz, Jr.
Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
Joseph D. Picciotti
Philip G. Spellane
Litigation – Municipal
Patrick M. Malgieri
Litigation – Patent
Neal L. Slifkin *
James R. Muldoon
Litigation – Securities
Douglas A. Foss
James Nonkes
Philip G. Spellane
Litigation – Trusts and Estates
Edward D. Bloom
Christopher A. DiPasquale
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Cynthia Weiss Antonucci
Abbie Eliasberg Fuchs
Stanley Goos
David H. Kochman
Michael J. Masino
Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Christopher A. DiPasquale *
Heidi Schult Gregory
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Patrick J. Dalton
Christopher D. Jagel
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Michael J. Masino
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Terrance P. Flynn
Cynthia Weiss Antonucci
Michael J. Masino
Public Finance Law
Robert G. Murray
Patrick M. Malgieri*
Charles I. Schachter
Real Estate Law
Melanie Marotto
Sharon J. Schwartz
Timothy M. Fitzgerald *
Francis L. Gorman III
Patrick M. Malgieri
Kevin Overton
Charles W. Russell
Cathy Kaman Ryan
Securities / Capital Markets Law
Thomas E. Willett
Trusts and Estates
Judy N. Cuzzacrea Wagner
Christopher A. DiPasquale
Barbara R.H. James
David M. Mehalick
Audrey Patrone Peartree
About Harris Beach
Founded in 1856, Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide a full range of legal and professional services for clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. Harris Beach is among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal and ranked as a BTI Elite law firm based on in-depth interviews of more than 600 corporate counsel at the world’s largest and most influential companies. Clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately-held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals. Principal industries Harris Beach represents include education, energy, financial, food and beverage, health care, insurance, manufacturing, medical and life sciences, real estate developers, science and technology, veterinary medicine, and state and local governments and authorities. The firm’s more than 200 lawyers practice among offices throughout New York state in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Melville, Uniondale and White Plains, as well as in New Haven, Connecticut and Newark, New Jersey. For more information, go to www.harrisbeach.com.
