Northampton Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

Thomas Estes has in the practice of law for over 22 years in various capacities, including Associate Justice of the District Court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

After receiving his law degree from William & Mary School of Law, He was a successful Patent and Trademark Litigation Attorney in Virginia, then moved on to becoming a Public Defender in Northern Virginia, where he very passionately defended indigent clients.

Thomas moved to Massachusetts in 2002 where he first worked as a Public Defender and in 2006 was promoted to Attorney-in-Charge for Committee for Public Counsel Services.

In 2014, Thomas became a District...

Marissa Elkins is a proven litigator, comfortable in any courtroom environment. Whether a case involves a trial before a jury of twelve in Superior Court or six in District Court, or complicated legal motions and arguments before a judge, Attorney Elkins has the experience and legal expertise to represent clients zealously and with integrity. With experience in courts throughout Western Massachusetts and the rest of the Commonwealth, she is an attorney that commands respect for her clients and works to get them favorable results at every stage of litigation.

Ryan Schiff is a partner at Elkins, Auer, Rudof & Schiff in Northampton. His practice is focused on appellate litigation and criminal and juvenile defense. He has briefed and argued a wide range of cases before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. His trial-court experience ranges from complex first-degree murder and federal racketeering cases to trespassing and drug-possession cases. Before joining his firm, Ryan was the Director of Juvenile Appeals at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and a staff attorney in CPCS’s Special Litigation Unit. Ryan is...

Peter Vickery focuses on landlord-tenant cases (landlord side). He also welcomes clients with claims of religious discrimination. As Legislative Affairs Counsel for MassLandlords (the statewide membership organization that represents housing providers across Massachusetts) Peter drafts bills, bill summaries, and testimony in the area of housing law, and writes amicus briefs in cases that have strategic significance for rental-property owners. Peter is a graduate of Oxford University (Jesus College), the University of the West of England, Boston University School of Law, and the Center for Public Policy & Administration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a former member of the Governor’s...

Stephen Spelman is an experienced civil and criminal trial attorney. Stephen served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Homicide Unit of the Hampden County District Attorney's Office. He has tried more than 200 cases in state and federal court. Stephen served as a JAG Colonel in the Army Reserve, including two tours in Iraq and one tour as the senior criminal defense attorney for the Army, supervising court martial defense world-wide.

Attorney William S. Smith is the co-author of “Warrantless Searches of Persons or Places” in the award-winning reference manual used by attorneys, “Trying Drug Cases in Massachusetts.” He has been an invited lecturer and instructor at many continuing legal education seminars and conferences for attorneys. The founder of the first and only website for appellate criminal defense attorneys in the state, he was also a guest on a major television talk show in Boston. As a bar association leader, Attorney Smith has testified before the Massachusetts Judiciary Committee in the Statehouse multiple times with respect to criminal justice legislation. He...

Successfully defending people against criminal charges in Boston and throughout Massachusetts.

Attorney Stephen Neyman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Lehigh University earning a degree in government. He went on to law school in San Francisco at Golden Gate University School of Law. After law school Mr. Neyman was employed by the Law Offices of Wilhelm, Thompson, Wentholt and Gibbs where he was part of a criminal defense team. One year later Steve secured a highly coveted position as a Deputy District Attorney at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. There, Attorney Neyman prosecuted countless cases including drug crimes, sex crimes and murders. Street gang prosecutions were also a focus...

Appellate Attorney William Driscoll credits his professional success to superior research and analytical skills, a keen attention to detail, the tenacity to examine every angle, and the ability to explain complex information simply. He identifies the personal and legal issues and implements creative solutions for his clients best interests.

Attorney Driscoll takes the time to explain the law in simple to understand terms. He explains how our legal system works, from the Massachusetts trial court to the Supreme Court of the United States. He explains your rights and offers options. Ultimately it is his client who must choose his own path,...

I pursue a pragmatic approach in delivering cost efficient solutions to the myriad legal problems encountered by businesses and individuals in areas ranging from forming a new business to litigation and appeals.

Since graduating from Harvard Law School, my practice has concentrated in litigation and other forms of complex dispute resolution. Initially, I worked primarily in constitutional test litigation in New York. Since then, my practice has included a wide variety of substantive matters, including major criminal cases, novel banking matters, legal and medical malpractice, professional licensing disputes for doctors, lawyers and other professionals, real estate and construction disputes, and the representation of high net worth individuals in domestic relations matters such as property division and alimony. I was the managing partner of my previous firm's branch representative office in...

Nussbaum Family Law provides mediation and collaborative representation in family law matters such as prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, contested and uncontested divorce, modification or contempt involving issues such as paternity, child custody, parenting time, and support. We believe in a collaborative approach to solving family law issues peacefully whenever possible, to save you the expense, stress, uncertainty and loss of privacy of a court case. In addition to collaborative law and mediation, Nussbaum Family Law provides mediation support services including consulting and document review services. When court is unavoidable, we offer skilled, effective negotiation-based advocacy to achieve your goals and...

I have been practicing law in Massachusetts since 1984, and have devoted my career to helping people who have been injured as a result of negligence. My practice includes all types of personal injury matters. I also handle cases against insurance companies for bad faith and unfair claims practices; I represent lawyers in disputes with their firms; and I handle business litigation, including claims by businesses against insurance brokers. It is my goal to serve the needs of my clients, and to solve their problems as best I can. I have successfully handled personal injury cases of all types, including...

Marc Breakstone has established a reputation as one of the top personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers in Massachusetts and New England. He has practiced law in Massachusetts since 1986 and is a partner at Breakstone, White & Gluck. Mr. Breakstone works tirelessly to ensure his clients receive full and fair compensation as well as achieve the most favorable medical result. He has been recognized as a Top 100 New England Super Lawyer, a Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer and a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice. Mr. Breakstone has also been recognized with a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating...

Sean is a partner and founder of the firm, O'Connor, Carnathan and Mack, LLC and focuses his practice in complex business litigation with a particular emphasis on insurance coverage, closely held businesses and trust and estate litigation.

Since 1993, although Massachusetts based, Sean has been litigating cases all over the country, from Texas to Minnesota and from California to Maine. He has tried or arbitrated over 25 cases in the state and federal courts of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Sean has secured millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients. He regularly advises corporate executives in transition regarding their...

Peter Calabrese is the firm's founding member and chair of the Construction, Litigation and Real Estate practices; he also handles Appellate Litigation cases. Mr. Calabrese's practice covers a broad spectrum of litigation matters related to commercial and residential real estate, condominium association and construction disputes, and he maintains a niche practice that focuses on high stakes appellate litigation, administrative law and regulatory matters. Upon graduating law school, Mr. Calabrese began his legal career at one of Boston's largest law firms where he represented international investment banks involved in complex securities fraud/contract litigation. While in law school, Mr. Calabrese...

I started my legal career by working as a judicial law clerk for a judge on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Thereafter I worked as an attorney for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company for over eight years. I learned how insurance companies handle claims. I learned how to deal with an insurance company. In 1999, I started the law firm of Bates & Riordan with my partner. The firm focuses on personal injury law and criminal appeals. Our personal injury clients have been in accidents that range from construction site injuries to car accidents. Our criminal appeal involve everything from...

Michael is an experienced criminal defense attorney, concentrating in state and federal CRIMINAL APPELLATE, HABEAS CORPUS, AND POSTCONVICTION LITIGATION. Michael has defended homicide, serious felony, and misdemeanor cases and has handled complex federal sentencing and parole matters. Michael devotes a significant part of his practice to the representation of professors, physicians, postdocs, and other scientists accused of SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH MISCONDUCT and also of students accused of plagiarism, ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT, & sexual misconduct at area law schools, medical schools, hospitals, and colleges in Boston and in other parts of the country, including at Babson, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Brown, Cal...

Emma Quinn-Judge focuses her litigation practice on appeals, criminal defense, and employment law. She has obtained excellent results for her clients including a nearly $10.9 million jury verdict for her client in a race discrimination and retaliation case against the City of Boston (now on appeal).

Emma was selected for the 2017 Top Women of the Law list by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Emma has been selected to the Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers each year since 2015 and is listed in Best Lawyers of America. She has also been awarded the highest possible rating for professional excellence in litigation –...

Attorney Alexander Conley is an experienced criminal defense and OUI attorney, representing clients throughout Massachusetts. Attorney Conley represents clients charged with crimes throughout Massachusetts, including assault crimes, drug crimes, OUI offenses, sex crimes, property crimes, and theft crimes. Attorney Conley also represents clients in criminal appeals in front of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

Attorney Conley graduated manga cum laude from New England Law | Boston. During law school, Attorney Conley worked for a judge in Boston, as well for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Attorney Conley grew up in North Carolina, where he graduated magna...

By any objective measure, Attorney David R. Yannetti has reached the top of his profession. Attorney Yannetti has achieved an acquittal in a first-degree murder case after first obtaining a new trial for his client, who had served sixteen years in state prison after being wrongfully convicted. Later in the year, Attorney Yannetti was selected to compete in the annual "Battle of the Lawyers," sponsored by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Attorney Yannetti's re-creation of his famous closing argument in the Jeffrey Curley murder case earned him top honors, as he took home the trophy for having presented the...

Attorney Cappetta is a Juvenile and Criminal Defense Attorney dedicated to fighting for the rights of his clients. Attorney Cappetta is committed to providing high quality defense services to his clients at a price that is fair and reasonable. All fees are charged on a flat fee basis so that clients always know the total cost of representation before making a decision about hiring him. Attorney Cappetta is a graduate of Stonehill College in North Easton, MA. After college he graduated from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA. He has spent almost...

Attorney Lefteris K. Travayiakis is a very experienced criminal defense lawyer handling all misdemeanor and major felony crimes. Over the last 20 years, he has successfully represented hundreds of clients and obtained acquittals in extremely complex and serious cases, including murder.

Attorney Travayiakis' trial litigation practice focuses exclusively on criminal defense, including major felony crimes such as homicide/murder and related crimes of violence; rape and other sex crimes; gun crimes; drugs crimes; and OUI/DUI.

Additionally, Attorney Travayiakis also handles appeals and post-conviction matters before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court.

Matthew Fabisch is the Managing Attorney of Fabisch Law, L.L.C. and assists elderly clients and their children with a full range of elder law services including estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, business successions, Medicaid planning, disability planning, tax planning, and IRS tax problem resolution. Attorney Fabisch also fights for his personal injury clients rights in court.

The Law Office of Russell J. Matson, P.C., represents criminal defendants in all Massachusetts State, Federal and Appellate court systems, from investigation through trial. The firm handles every type of criminal matter and employs skilled trial attorneys who are in court on a regular basis. As Senior Trial Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Attorney Berman brings 20 years of experience as a criminal and civil litigator - as an Assistant District Attorney, insurance defense attorney, Criminal Defense Attorney and Special Prosecutor - to ensure that your matter is handled in a professional, aggressive and efficient manner. Andrew is a...

David Russcol’s practice encompasses all aspects of litigation, from preliminary investigation to filing suit, through trial and pursuing appeals. He focuses on university sexual assault and discipline matters, appellate advocacy, employment and other civil actions, civil rights, and criminal defense. David is quick to grasp complex factual situations and legal principles, but he takes the time to develop a thorough understanding of all aspects of his cases. David’s experience clerking for state and federal judges and his attention to detail enable him to make forceful and innovative arguments on behalf of his clients. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, David Russcol...

Timothy Cornell focuses on complex litigation, particularly securities fraud, FINRA arbitration and the False Claims Act. This year, Timothy has represented whistleblowers before courts and U.S. Attorneys around the country. He settled a lawsuit brought by shareholders against a high tech company based in India, and represents a Mexican oil industry company in a contract dispute against a New Hampshire company. Timothy graduated from the University of Chicago and had a career in journalism before heading into law. Writing for the Boston Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other newspapers, he covered courts, crime and education. While...

Sean is an attorney at Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP where he represents employers in labor and employment matters. Sean represents both public and private sector clients in litigation before federal and state courts as well as administrative agencies throughout the country. Sean litigates and counsels clients on the full range of labor and employment matters. Some of the most common issues he handles concern: claims of discrimination, retaliation and harassment; disability accommodation and leaves of absence matters; wage and hour disputes; non-competition and non-solicitation violations; trade secret misappropriation; claims of wrongful discharge; and unfair labor practice charges. In...

I founded Boston Employment Law PC in 2016, continuing my practice in employment law, business litigation and appeals, which began in 1986. In the employment area, I represent both employers and employees before state and federal administrative agencies and courts in cases involving: wage payment and overtime claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Massachusetts law; sexual harassment; age, race, disability and sex discrimination; wrongful termination; and trade secrets and non-competition agreements. I also counsel clients regarding day-to-day employment law issues involving COBRA; the Family and Medical Leave Act; reasonable accommodation to disabled employees; employment contracts; severance;...

Brad Bailey, a Massachusetts native, graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1980. He received his J.D. in 1983 from the University of Virginia, one of America’s premier (top 10) law schools. He began his legal career working for the New York County (Manhattan) D.A. as an Assistant District Attorney in the Nation’s largest and busiest D.A.’s Office. From there, he returned home to Massachusetts and joined the Middlesex County D.A.’s Office, where he continued his career as an Assistant District Attorney. Brad moved on from the Middlesex D.A.’s Office to the prestigious United States Attorney’s Office for the District...

Mr. Plante is the founder of General Counsel LLC. He was General Counsel at Perkins School for the Blind, where he handled all legal affairs of the organization. He performed legal work including contract, employment, regulatory, education and litigation. He drafted, reviewed and negotiated private and governmental agreements. Mr. Plante advised the Board of Trustees, the President and CEO, the CFO and Senior Management on legal and business issues. He served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Mr. Plante supervised and managed all outside counsel. He handled all disputes including litigation, administrative proceedings, settlements and internal investigations. He regularly...

I am an experienced Trial Lawyer with significant trial and litigation experience in both the U.S. Bankruptcy, U.S. District, and State Superior & Appellate Courts. I represent businesses, high net-worth individuals and families, and corporations both in and out of Court. As a season trial attorney and bankruptcy practitioner, I handle high-profile and serious federal, internal, state and local investigations.

My experience from both sides of the courtroom aisle brings a significant layer of insight to the advice I provide clients. I have experience prosecuting embezzlement and corporate shareholder disputes as well as defending felonies, securities fraud, and homicide cases. I...