Personal Injury

Cases involving negligence (both defendant and plaintiff), criminal defense, DWI, real estate, wills, collections, and trial work for other attorneys.

Criminal Defense

Information coming soon.

NY, Sep 1976
Bar Number: 2279685

New York State Bar, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York.

Monroe County Bar Association.

I attend continuing legal education seminars pertaining to all of the areas of law in which I practice. I also keep up with new developments and case law through various services available on the internet and by reading professional journals. In addition, several of my colleagues and I keep each other informed of relevant developments and case law via email. I have taught a variety of subjects at paralegal institutes and now regularly teach classes at seminars for new real estate agents.

I had an article published in the University of Minnesota Law Review.

My last four defense trials all resulted in "no cause" verdicts for my clients. My last two felony trials resulted in acquittals:

1. 4/2/09 Thomas v. Fitzsimmons, Hon. John J. Ark, NY State Supreme Court, Monroe County.

2. 2/3/09 Allen v. Illes, Hon. Harold Galloway, NY State Supreme Court, Monroe County.

3. 1/8/09 Mourer-Parrish v. Verni, Hon. Matthew Rosenbaum, NY State Supreme Court, Monroe County.

4. 8/27/08 Ortiz v. Morrison, Hon. Anne Marie Taddeo, NY State Supreme Court, Livingston County.

2

New York

We are a general practice firm with emphasis on litigation and trial work. The bulk of our work for the past several years has been in negligence defense work, including numerous successful trials. We have recently been handling more plaintiff negligence claims. In the past, we have done a great deal of criminal defense work. Now, we handle more civil matters, including insurance law. We handle wills, probate, contract disputes, DWI defense, small claims matters, consumer disputes and collections. We have also defended debtors.

We have perfected numerous appeals in connection with our negligence defense cases and have succeeded in getting many favorable verdicts upheld.

Our firm was established in 1989 when I left a small law firm which limited its practice to negligence defense. I joined my wife, Jo Anne Leegant, who had established a general practice firm several years earlier. I brought in a large insurance company as a client and the firm evolved to the point where negligence defense still constitutes a substantial portion of the practice.

My first job after law school was as an assistant county attorney for Erie County (Buffalo, NY). My first legal argument was made at the New York State Court of Appeals two days after I was admitted to practice. Most of my time as an assistant county attorney was spent prosecuting child abuse cases and juvenile delinquents in Erie County Family Court.

In 1984, we relocated to Rochester, New York, where I worked for a general practice firm which primarily emphasized plaintiff's negligence work. I managed a legal services plan for the UAW, which concentrated on consumer law. My last employment before joining my wife was at a negligence defense firm, where I was the principal trial attorney. My primary focus has always been on trial work. My reputation in the legal community was honed by many years of hard work.

I have served as a mock trial judge and also as a coach for two local high school mock trial teams. My teams have won regional championships and gone on to compete for the statewide championship in Albany.

Leah Colombo

(585) 325-6718

Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Clients can also e-mail or leave voice-mail after hours.

Yes

We generally charge fixed fees for criminal, DWI and traffic matters and charge an hourly rate for everything else. We are flexible and would definitely consider offering a discount for Nolo clients. We would be willing to waive any initial consultation fee for Nolo clients.

$175 - much lower than rates charged by firms of comparable experience and ability.

We always offer a free initial consultation to prospective personal injury clients. In other matters, we will apply any fee paid for the initial consultation to the retainer and/or hourly fee. For most matters, Nolo clients receive a free initial consultation.

The retainer depends upon the specific legal matter and our estimate of the amount of time required to complete the work. We believe that a client should always know how much our representation on any matter will cost. Communication and mutual trust are essential to a successful attorney - client relationship.