Forestport Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

Laura K. Gasiorowski, Esq. has been practicing criminal defense law since 1994 and joined Stahl Gasiorowski Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2005. For almost thirty years she has concentrated her career on representation of individuals and corporations in state and federal courts, in a wide variety of criminal matters, from complex white collar cases involving mail and wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud, structuring, tax evasion and bank fraud to offenses like terrorism, kidnapping, gambling, narcotics violations, murder, VICAR, and RICO. She also represents students in college and university disciplinary hearings.

Jason A. Richman , Esq., Construction worker injury; medical malpractice; car accidents; wrongful death; other serious personal injuries. Since 1997.

Spolin Law P.C.’s founder, Aaron Spolin, is a former prosecutor and award-winning criminal appeals attorney. He has achieved successful outcomes on hundreds of criminal cases, including numerous dismissals of major felony cases; non-criminal resolutions to complex fraud and insurance fraud defense cases; successful appellate outcomes from various appellate courts; and multiple not-guilty jury verdicts at trial. Innocent Spolin Law clients wrongfully accused of murder and other serious crimes are now free because of his work. Aaron is the recipient of various awards for his advocacy, including the American College of Trial Lawyer’s Medal for Excellence in Oral Advocacy as well as...

Peter is a passionate and dedicated advocate. Peter has represented clients in various forums, including the United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, as well as in New York State Courts in the region. Throughout his career that has spanned more than a decade, Peter has served as defendants' and Plaintiffs' counsel in single and class action employment related litigation. Most recently, Peter won a jury trial on a First Amendment retaliation case in Federal Court. Additionally, Peter has appeared extensively in cases before arbitration tribunals and administrative agencies, including...

Jacob is a Partner with The Zoghlin Group and Chairs the firm’s Zoning & Land Use Law and Cannabis Law practice group. His practice focuses on environmental, zoning, land use, cannabis, energy, & municipal law. He counsels individuals, businesses, & municipalities, and helps them resolve their issues by advocating, educating, advising, & litigating on their behalf. In his municipal practice, Jacob provides special counsel services to municipal boards, and advises clients on a wide range of procedural and legal issues. His practice also focuses on ensuring government entities comply with the law, and has included litigation related to New York’s Administrative...

Steven M. Silverberg is a founder of the firm and Of Counsel to Silverberg Zalantis LLC. He has extensive experience in representing developers and municipalities in land use, zoning and environmental law matters including litigation and appeals in the New York State and Federal Courts. Starting his career as an assistant district attorney and then working as a town attorney, providing counsel in such diverse areas as contracts, construction, telecommunications and employment law, prepared him for the services he has provided to businesses, municipalities and individuals. In addition to his experience with the approval process for residential and commercial developments...

Annette Gifford has obtained successful outcomes for clients in both state and federal courts, including in connection with reversing or vacating convictions before multiple circuits of the United States Circuit Courts of Appeal. Ms. Gifford’s primary work for Spolin Law clients includes post-trial direct appeals and writs of habeas corpus. She received her B.S. degree from Cornell University and her J.D. from Cornell Law School and is licensed to practice law in California and New York.

For over 35 years Ingrid Gherman has dedicated her New York family law practice exclusively to all aspects of matrimonial law, focusing on divorce and child custody. This specialization has enabled her to accumulate extensive knowledge and robust experience in matters including divorce, child custody and visitation, marital agreements, equitable distribution of marital property, child support, spousal support and maintenance (alimony), prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, enforcement and modification proceedings, same sex marriage and divorce, contempt of court proceedings, domestic violence, and interstate and international child abduction.

Her skill as a litigator and appeals attorney is equaled by her ability...

Attorney John L. Calcagni, III from the Law Office of John L. Calcagni, III is a highly skilled, aggressive, and experienced criminal defense trial attorney. He is a former military prosecutor in the U.S. Army JAG Corps where he prosecuted hundreds of complex felony cases in the United States and abroad. Attorney John L. Calcagni, III also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. As a prosecutor, attorney John L. Calcagni, III never lost a single case. He is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York,...

Clifford J. Petroske was born and raised on Long Island, the son of public school teachers. He graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School, and earned his undergraduate degree, cum laude, in 1986 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Thereafter, Mr. Petroske attended Hofstra University School of Law, where he was editor of the Environmental Law Digest, and earned his law degree in 1989. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1990. Since handling his own divorce twenty years ago, Mr. Petroske has devoted his practice to matrimonial and family...

Attorney Caitlin Dukes is a former prosecutor who handles criminal appeals, writs, and other post-conviction relief for the criminal appeals firm Spolin & Dukes P.C. She has a wide array of experience in state and federal courts. Besides having served as a Deputy District Attorney, her background includes work for multiple judges and government entities (including Federal District Court Judge James Knoll Gardner and the United States Department of Homeland Security) as well as private sector experience defending clients wrongfully accused of crimes. Ms. Dukes’s primary goal on any given case is to identify the strongest arguments, clearly and succinctly present...

I am an employment lawyer, and a partner at Rabner Baumgart Ben-Asher & Nirenberg, P.C. I represent employees in New Jersey and New York. I handle a wide range of employment law disputes, including ones involving employment discrimination, workplace harassment, retaliation, employment contracts, severance agreements, non-compete agreements, unpaid commissions, family and medical leaves, reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and overtime and minimum wage claims. I have been practicing law since 1998, when I graduated from Cornell Law School.

Vincent A. Antoniello is a Member with Resnick Law Group, a New Jersey and New York employment law firm. He began practicing law in 2000 and has more than two decades of experience as an employment lawyer. He concentrates in representing employees in all aspects of employment law. Prior to joining Resnick Law Group, Vincent practiced employment law at Lowenstein Sandler PC, representing businesses and management in employment law litigation and counseling matters. Having practiced employment law from the employer-side, Vincent now leverages that invaluable experience to benefit his employee clients. In addition to being a strong advocate for his clients,...

Peter is the Managing Partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Rochester Office, where he practices criminal defense.

With over 30 years of criminal defense experience, Peter has handled thousands of criminal cases, including violations, misdemeanors, felonies and appeals. He has primarily represented defendants in felony cases in both state and federal courts. Peter is certified as “learned counsel” in federal court capital cases. Prior to New York State’s abolishment of capital punishment, he was likewise certified to handle death penalty cases in state courts.

On multiple occasions, Peter has won acquittals or verdicts to lesser charges for clients charged with murder. Additionally, he...

I am a trial lawyer and litigator. I also provide corporate advice and representation to religious institutions and represent foreign nationals in applications for religious asylum. I have actively practiced as a lawyer since graduating from law school in 1983. After eight years of training in big firms in Chicago and New York, I established my own law office in New York City. In summer, 2016, I joined with two other experienced lawyers to form Nelson Madden Black LLP. Our firm focuses on the representation of churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other religious institutions, and individuals who have legal...

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...

As one of the nation’s top white collar and criminal defense attorneys, former prosecutor Vinoo Varghese takes on trials and appeals other lawyers won’t—and wins. Yet, he prides himself on the fact that he has repeatedly convinced prosecutors to end cases against his clients without charges or gaining public attention, allowing those he defends to resume their lives. Varghese is a visiting faculty member at Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 list has included Varghese for nine consecutive years, he is ranked as a New York Metro Super Lawyer for the past eight years and...

Mr. Pace has briefed and argued cases in federal appellate courts around the country and in several state supreme courts. His clients have included sitting U.S. Senators, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the ACLU of NJ, as well as several startups. He has extensive experience litigating a wide array of matters, including: civil rights, First Amendment, consumer rights, FOIL and FOIA, class actions, defamation, arbitration, business disputes, and torts. Prior to founding J. Pace Law, Mr. Pace was senior legal counsel at Reprieve US, where he directed the group's First Amendment and national security litigation. He held the...

In more than nineteen years of law practice based in New York and Connecticut, Bill Lalor has represented a diverse group of individual and commercial clients in an array of litigated and other matters involving business disputes, complex insurance coverage (including coverage-in-place agreements, structured settlements, and other coverage issues), employment disputes and negotiations, probate and estate matters, education, real estate, small business planning, personal injury, toxic torts and mass torts, regulatory matters, education law and other subject areas. Bill has litigated cases involving high-profile clients and adversaries in federal, state and specialized courts throughout the United States, including “CNA” insurers and...

The first-generation son of immigrants, Matthew Borowski is a knowledgeable and compassionate lawyer. He has been featured on news media outlets including CNN, NBC, ABC, and The Buffalo News for his asylum and refugee work. Matthew is licensed in both the U.S. (New York) and Canada (Ontario). Borowski Witmer Immigration Lawyers has locations in Buffalo, NY and in Springfield, VA. He is well-versed in immigration matters including deportation defense, family and business immigration including NAFTA/TN visas and rehabilitation/waivers, federal criminal defense, and post-conviction relief. He appears before Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, USCIS, New York state courts and...

Attorney Andre Sedlak received his Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law. Before he studied law, he spent 21 years working with the New York State Department of Corrections as a Corrections Officer and Corrections Sergeant. His legal experience includes internships with the Westchester County D.A.’s office and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, an Associate Attorney with Klein Varble & Associates, P.C., and The Law Office of Andre Sedlak in Poughkeepsie New York.

Since 1984, I have had the honor of representing clients in civil and criminal appeals, and complex litigation. During that time, I have continually been learning from my colleagues, and also contributing to the advancement of the law by lecturing and authoring articles on appellate practice and other legal topics. A commitment to excellence is the driving force behind my approach to each and every case.

Michael Konopka has aggressively represented his clients for over 34 years. He is involved in complex litigation in both the State and Federal Courts. He is currently the principal of Michael Konopka & Associates, P.C,, located at 277 Broadway, NY, NY. (212 385 4800) His office staff is fluent in Russian, Ukranian, Polish and Chinese. Michael Konopka was born in Detroit. After graduating from Monteith College, he attended New York Law School and received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1982. Michael is a lifetime member of the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the American Bar Association and...

I am a Litigation Attorney that concentrates my practice on Insurance Coverage, Toxic Torts, Environmental, Product Liability & Commercial Litigation. In particular, I represent landlords, small businesses such as manufacturers, distributors, retailers, waste haulers and dry cleaners, and I defend insured businesses for insurance companies. For more than two decades I have defended litigation claims involving lead paint, mold, asbestos, benzene, ink, and other toxic tort and environmental claims as well as related insurance coverage disputes and disputes between insurance companies. I routinely litigate commercial and contractual claims as well as shareholder and partnership disputes for small businesses and I...

Christie Tomm Addona is a Partner at Silverberg Zalantis LLC. She has extensive experience working on Litigation and Appeals, Land Use Applications, and Municipal matters. She represents clients on Article 78 Proceedings, defending and challenging administrative decisions. Additionally, Christie also counsels on Employment Law and Commercial Litigation issues.

Christie has prior experience in several Civil Litigation firms. She has worked from the beginning of lawsuits through trials and appeals for Insurance Defense, Tort, Maritime, Contract and Employment Law cases. Christie has represented a vast array of clients including individuals, large corporations, and non-profit corporations.

In 2005, Christie received...

I am dedicated to my clients' causes. I use an intelligent approach of strategizing every angle, starting from when I first talk to my client. I use over 30 years of legal experience that I gained from some of the most controversial high profile cases to work towards winning your case. My keen knowledge of law and procedure leads to very creative solutions to handle your case quickly and efficiently, including my use of the latest technology and research tools.

Klose & Associates offers various legal services to individuals and businesses, including business entity formation, contract preparation and negotiation, litigation, buying and selling personal and business assets, and wills and estate matters. Our clients have sought representation for business, environmental, insurance, intellectual property trademark and copyright), personal injury, professional malpractice (accountant, legal, medical), real estate and probate or estate matters. Clean Sweep Divorce. (www.cleansweepdivorce.com) I didn’t set out to become a divorce coach, but looking back, I realize my passion for problem-solving and helping others guided me to this promising and rewarding profession. As a lawyer, I enjoy the intellectual challenge of untangling...

Joel R. Brandes, of the New York Bar, concentrates his practice in New York divorce and family law appeals. He also consults with and advises attorneys on appellate, trial court and international child abduction matters in all of the New York state and federal courts. He has been recognized by the New York Appellate Division as a "noted authority and expert on New York family law and divorce ” (See Matter of Brandes, 2015 WL 4664743, 2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 81096(U) (2d Dept.,2015)). He is the author of the treatise Law and the Family New York 2021-2022 Edition...

Named a Super Lawyer for 2023, Michael Ciarlo has been practicing Real Estate law since 1999, providing successful and experienced results for his clients. During this time, his extensive knowledge of commercial, business, and real estate litigation has benefited the clients of the firm. He has a wide range of experience negotiating, analyzing, resolving, and litigating all aspects of real estate, business, co-op, condo, and landlord/tenant matters. Mr. Ciarlo brings a significant depth of understanding to his role in advising large and small businesses, co-ops, condominiums, landlords, tenants, and individuals in their disputes and litigation. Mr. Ciarlo graduated from New...

Jonathan Cooper represents businesses and individuals in business and commercial litigation cases including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, as well as New York child accidents, construction site accidents, and personal injury cases. Mr. Cooper is the author of six books, including "To Compete or Not to Compete: The Definitive Insider's Guide to Non-Compete Agreements in New York," and "When the Schools Fail to Protect Our Kids: A Parent's Guide to School & Daycare Negligence in New York." He has also delivered a number of Continuing Legal Education seminars, including before Lawline, the National Law Institute and NACLE, and has...

Barry Covert focuses his practice New York State and federal criminal trials and appeals; constitutional law, including First Amendment, Second Amendment, and civil rights actions; Qui Tam Act, also known as the False Claims Act; defending against allegations of scientific misconduct, scientific fraud, research misconduct, research fraud, plagiarism, and fabrication of evidence; defense of professional licensing, including for attorneys, doctors, and nurses. Mr. Covert has represented numerous professional clients relating to licensing issues and defended a prominent research scientist against allegations of scientific fraud and misconduct involving several federally funded research projects involving the Office of Research Integrity (ORI)....

Anthony M. La Pinta is one of Long Island’s most accomplished and respected trial attorneys. Practicing law for over 30 years, he specializes in all phases of federal and state criminal defense, civil rights and plaintiff's personal injury litigation.

Described by members of the judiciary as "an attorney of the highest caliber," and "one of the finest lawyers on Long Island," Mr. La Pinta represents the highest standards in the legal community. He has been selected to the 2014-2020 editions of "Super Lawyers" magazine and has earned the “Preeminent - AV” rating with the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Attorney Peer Rating System....

Bruce Barket is a founding partner at Barket, Marion, Epstein & Kearon LLP. He specializes in criminal defense cases representing individuals charged with serious offenses in federal and state courts. Mr. Barket has won numerous acquittals in high-profile cases involving such crimes as securities/mail fraud, murder and racketeering. Through grit, tenacity, and the use of his courtroom skills, he has put together an impressive string of both criminal and civil trial victories that span more than two decades. He is also known for obtaining uncanny results in the appellate and post-judgment process for clients previously convicted. Based upon his...

Rebecca Kujawa concentrates her practice in Litigation and Appellate Practice. Rebecca has experience in various types of civil litigation in state court as well as with administrative agencies. Rebecca assists in many aspects of the litigation process, including pleadings, discovery and motion practice. Rebecca received her JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, where she served as a Publications Editor for the Buffalo Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif (highest academic achievement). As a law student, Rebecca also gained extensive insight into civil litigation as a student law clerk to...

I am a commercial litigator specializing in federal litigation, including trials. I work extensively with online businesses, specifically in connection with the use of intellectual property on the Internet in both litigation and non-litigation roles. My firm is also recognized for its strength in civil rights, employment and free speech law. I am known for my work as the lead attorney for Simon Tam in the U.S. Supreme Court case Matal v. Tam, which held that the disparagement clause of the trademark statute violated the First Amendment's free speech clause. I have successfully represented clients of every size in...

Brad Henry represents entities and individuals in criminal and regulatory litigation and investigations, international arbitrations, and internal investigations. Brad is a board-certified criminal trial specialist and has represented and defended clients in trials and investigations involving U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in over fifteen different districts around the country.

Brad represents clients in investigations and litigation involving the Department of Justice (National Security Division, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division), Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Office of Foreign Assets Control, as well as other federal, state and local agencies. He also conducts internal investigations...

Karen Charrington is a highly-skilled trial attorney. She is a former prosecutor who was trained in the Bronx County District Attorney’s office, which has one of the highest volumes of cases in New York City.

Ms. Charrington began her career as a Criminal Court Line Assistant and rose to the ranks of a Major Case Assistant handling the most serious criminal cases in the office. As an Assistant District Attorney, she was able to sharpen her skills as a no-nonsense litigator and trial attorney.

Trial attorneys always have a leg up on the competition because they can see a case from the...

Brooke Dana Youngwirth represents both employees and private and public-sector employers before state and federal agencies, including the New York State Division of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Brooke also defends private and public employers against employment harassment and discrimination, labor violations, and various other federal and state claims.

In addition, Brooke frequently provides counsel to individuals, school districts, police departments, and other private employers on a range of topics such as wrongful termination, student disciplinary matters, employment discrimination, and the implementation of employment policies and handbooks. Brooke has held client training sessions and continuing legal education seminars...