HoganWillig

I have practiced corporate and business law since admission to the New York State Bar in 1990. I received my J.D., cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School and her B.A. in economics and political science from Canisius College, magna cum laude.

In addition to managing the firm, I also am the head of HoganWillig's Corporate & Business Law Department. I assist clients with business formations (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporations, and limited liability companies), acquisitions, sales or dissolutions, as well as the preparation of any commercial document/contract, ranging from an employment agreement to a lease. In addition, I counsel non-for-profit organizations on nonprofit law and governance, obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status and 501(c) classifications. I also counsel individuals with bankruptcy issues (Chapter 7 and Chapter 13) as well as assisting many creditors with protecting their rights in bankruptcy. I am able to provide assistance to creditors with their general collection needs. I oversee the representation of an automobile lender statewide.

In partnership with our Litigation Department, our Business & Corporate Law Department engages in civil litigation in all courts in Western New York with regard to commercial issues such as breach of contract, fraud, collections, foreclosure and business disputes. I have also presented at seminars on landlord/tenant matters.

I serve as the President on the Board of Directors of the Amherst Meals on Wheels, is a Vice President and 2010 Volunteer of the Year for Southeast Works, a local not-for-profit serving individuals with developmental disabilities, and volunteers for the Western New York Food Shuttle.

From New York City originally and now residing and practicing law in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Cohen has been successfully trying civil and criminal cases, including numerous civil rights and constitutional law cases, for the past 20 years. In addition to corporate clients and individuals, he regularly represents local, state and federal law enforcement officers from numerous agencies, defending them in civil, criminal and administrative proceedings.

Admitted to practice in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, he has been admitted pro hac vice to conduct trials in six other states. Mr. Cohen is frequently brought in as special trial counsel by other law firms in civil rights and complex litigation cases. Steven M. Cohen has appeared on local and national media, including Good Morning America, Dateline NBC, CNN and Geraldo Rivera to discuss cases he has been involved with. Mr. Cohen is a co-founder of the Law Enforcement Officers Advocate's Council (LEOAC) and lives in Williamsville, New York with his wife Pamela and sons Scott and Marc.

Linda Stravalaci Grear is Chair of HoganWillig's Estate Planning & Elder Law Department. She practices in areas of probate estates, estate planning, trusts, and guardianship law. Mrs. Grear has practiced in the field of Elder Law, Estates, Estate Planning & Trusts since 1995.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York College at Buffalo in 1991, she then attended the University of Akron School of Law where she attained her Juris Doctor degree in 1994.

"At HoganWillig, I have learned not only the mechanics of probate estates, estate planning, trusts, and guardianship law, but the importance of compassion and understanding in dealing with clients who are enduring emotionally trying times. I receive immense satisfaction from helping clients in their time of need, with a team of dedicated individuals who share a common goal of excellence in the legal profession."

Mr. Grossman received his Bachelor's degree from Indiana University and initially pursued a career as an advertising copywriter. He then attended the University of Toledo College of Law. His father was a prominent personal injury attorney in Niagara Falls and Mr. Grossman was quite fortunate to have been mentored by him and his partners.

For over twenty-five years, Mr. Grossman has given his best effort to his clients. He feels honored that they have entrusted him with their legal claims. Although he is unable to guarantee a monetary recovery for his clients, he can ensure them that their cases will be handled as expeditiously as possible, with professionalism and diligence. Mr. Grossman strives to promptly return all phone calls and to allay any client concerns about the legal process. Over the years, he has handled personal injury cases ranging from car accidents, no-fault disputes and scaffold collapses to animal bites, wrongful death, premises liability and Love Canal toxic torts claims. Many of his cases are referred to him by other attorneys or former satisfied clients.

Whether it is an arbitration, trial or appeal, Mr. Grossman's clients have relied on his skill and guidance from the inception of each case through the conclusion. Mr. Grossman chose to work at HoganWillig because of the firm's exemplary image and its fundamental belief that the clients' best interest is paramount.

Mr. Grossman has also served on the Judicial Ratings Committee of the local bar association for many years.

Mr. Ikefugi has limited his practice to the area of real estate law since admission to the New York State Bar in 1990. His practice focuses on residential and commercial purchases and sales, mortgage lending, statewide foreclosure and relocation services. He has negotiated, drafted documents, and closed numerous commercial loans on behalf of numerous commercial lenders. Mr. Ikefugi has also represented several municipalities relative to foreclosures in connection with various grants and municipal liens.
Mr. Ikefugi has presented to corporate clients, real estate agents, sellers and homebuyers on a variety of topics related to real estate law, including foreclosures, mortgage financing and home purchases.

John Licata's practice is centered on civil litigation and helping people who need to rely on the courts to resolve a problem. Regardless of whether Mr. Licata represents a plaintiff or a defendant, many of his clients would rather resolve their case through negotiation and compromise.
At HoganWillig we are always seeking to get the best results for our clients, and in many cases it is appropriate to pursue a solution through mediation, arbitration, or some other alternative dispute resolution forum. However, when the other side can't, or won't, listen to reason we have advanced technology and experienced people ready to bring your case to court. HoganWillig has an established reputation for unflinching representation of our clients and we believe that you can reach a compromise with integrity only if you never compromise your integrity.

For 30 years, Nelson Zakia has limited his area of practice to family law. Throughout his legal career, his goal has been to maintain the highest level of integrity and professionalism while providing for his clients the very best counsel and professional service.

For fourteen consecutive years, Mr. Zakia has been honored to be named in the Best Lawyers in America. In 2007, he was selected as one of the Best Matrimonial Lawyers in Upstate New York and in addition, he was honored as one of the Top 50 Attorneys in the Buffalo Area. For more than 25 years, Mr. Zakia has had the privilege of lecturing and speaking to various legal and related groups throughout the State of New York on a multitude of issues related to Family Law. Throughout this period, he has spoken on behalf of the New York State Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association, as well as The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

In 1998, HoganWillig was established through a merger of The Law Office of Ronald Willig, founded in 1966, and Corey J. Hogan and Associates.
Mr. Willig established his private practice, The Law Office of Ronald Willig, in 1996 and has focused his practice in real estate for over forty years, with an emphasis on residential and commercial purchases and sales, mortgage lending and relocation.

Throughout his career, he has served as director of the New York State Home Builders Association, as well as been involved as an active member of the Greater Buffalo Association of Realtors. Mr. Willig has been an approved Mortgage Closing Counsel for a number of prominent lenders, Title Examining Counsel for several national title underwriters, as well as Legal Counsel to a local mortgage lender's association.

Additionally, he is an active participant in efforts to help arts organizations through Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and is a mentor in the Amherst Middle School system.

"My initial entry into the practice of law was as a trial attorney in the area of Personal Injury Law. After several years, I found that my interest was more in the area of Real Property Law and gradually began to focus my practice there. The ability to interact in a productive and personal way with people has been the biggest attraction to being a real estate lawyer.My philosophy toward life has always been 'to enjoy each moment of every day.' Aside from my law-related activities, I have enjoyed the opportunity of extensive travel throughout the world and participation in exciting eco-adventure trips. I also greatly enjoy running, skiing, and biking, and am an avid fan of theatre and the fine arts as well."

Hon. John J. LaFalce has been Special Counsel to HoganWillig since 2007. As a respected figure in the local and national political landscape for over three decades (in fact, he was named one of the "smartest" Members of Congress, and in April 2010 was named one of Buffalo's leading celebrities), Buffalo native Congressman LaFalce graduated from Canisius High School (1957), Canisius College (1961) and Villanova University School of Law (1964).

From 1965 to 1967 Congressman LaFalce served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era, leaving active duty with the rank of Captain. In 1970, he ran successfully for the New York State Senate, and in 1972 was elected to the New York State Assembly. Congressman LaFalce served Western New York in the U.S. Congress for 28 years, from 1975 through 2002. His congressional career spans six United States Presidents, from President Gerald Ford to President George W. Bush, and for many of those years Congressman LaFalce was Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, with jurisdiction over all Small Business laws, and Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, with jurisdiction over all financial issues, including banks, housing and community development, international financial institutions such as The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund, etc.

Throughout his career, Congressman LaFalce has been a passionate consumer advocate, his efforts prescient in working to reform a troubled financial system and winning many legislative battles for workers, taxpayers, consumers and small business. Additionally, his efforts provided a legal framework for corporate reform and accountability, for the clean-up of abandoned toxic waste sites like Love Canal, for expanded housing and community development opportunities, etc.

As former Chairman of the Small Business Committee, Congressman LaFalce took a special interest in the needs and concerns of women business owners. He recognized that women business owners represented an untapped goldmine in America, and despite starting new businesses twice as fast as men, women still faced subtle and overt forms of gender-based discrimination. In 1988, Mr. LaFalce authored and saw signed into law H.R. 5050, the Women's Business Ownership Act. The bill ensured that commercial lending practices would be applied equally to all businesses based on the financial merits of the business. The bill eliminated any discrimination based on gender. This landmark legislation continues to provide opportunities for women in today's marketplace. In 1998, for his devoted efforts, Rep. LaFalce was honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners as Congressional Advocate of the Year, and in 2008 by the National Women's Business Council in honor of the 20th anniversary of H.R. 5050.

Congressman LaFalce has been awarded four prestigious Honorary Doctorate Degrees, and is the first non-alumnus to be given the distinguished alumnus award by the University of Buffalo School of Law. He also received the Liberty Bell Award from the Erie County Bar Association for his significant governmental contributions. From 2003-2006 Congressman LaFalce was The Peter Canisius Distinguished University Professor at Canisius College; from 2007-2009 he was the Vincentian Distinguished University Fellow at Niagara University.

Prior to joining HoganWillig, Mr. London spent five years in the offices of HoganWillig as a sole practitioner. He is a valuable addition to the Corporate & Business Law department serving as Special Counsel.

In law school, Mr. London specialized in taxation and after graduation joined a large firm in Buffalo where his practice emphasized tax planning for businesses, individuals and estates. In 1977, Mr. London established his own practice which over the years grew through referrals from clients, accountants and lawyers. His business clients are both small and large U.S. and Canadian companies and credit unions. "When clients have had unusual challenges I have often been able to fashion unique solutions which enabled a transaction to occur. I believe it is not sufficient for a lawyer to tell a client why something can't be done - it is a lawyer's responsibility to try to figure out a way to do it."

Mr. London has also represented individual clients in most areas of the law including estate planning, real estate transactions, creating trusts, administering estates and representing credit unions and private foundations. Over the years he has had experience in nearly all areas of the law.

He also believes a lawyer has a responsibility to the community in which he or she practices. Mr. London has been the incorporator of two not-for-profit corporations of which he has had the privilege of serving as an officer and director for more than 25 years.

For the past 20 years, Kevin J. Miller has focused his practice within the areas of trusts and estates and corporate law.

With respect to trusts and estates, Mr. Miller provides estate planning recommendations for high net worth individuals and businesses, including Wills, trusts, succession planning for closely held businesses and medical practices and sophisticated income and estate tax research and planning; administration of high net worth trusts and estates; evaluation of fiduciary accountings, and settlement agreements. In addition, Mr. Miller has also represented and interacted with corporate and bank Trustees for administration, settlement and assistance for compliance with regard to changing New York fiduciary statutes.

Mr. Miller also assists with Surrogate's Court litigation, including Will contests, contested estate or trust accountings, and much more.

For business clients, Mr. Miller assists with asset and stock purchases; commercial real estate transactions; cost-benefit and tax analysis; as well as preparation of various agreements, including shareholder agreements; general business purchase and sale agreements.

Mr. Miller has also served as a financial planning consultant, providing comprehensive financial planning for high net worth individuals and businesses. He has provided a complete review and analysis of asset allocations, spending and accumulation needs, review of documentation for personal and corporate planning (i.e. Wills, trusts, shareholder agreements, retirement plan documentation, etc.). Additionally, Mr. Miller has reviewed balance sheets, income statements and other financial documents to determine appropriate planning considerations for both businesses and individuals.

Mr. Cassano has limited his practice almost exclusively in the area of matrimonial and family law for over 35 years.


Mr. Cassano was appointed to the New York State Matrimonial Law Advisory Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. He was previously Chairman of the Matrimonial and Family Law Committee of the Bar Association of Erie County. Since 1981, Mr. Cassano has been a Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a former Vice President of the organization's New York Chapter.

Mr. Cassano was also appointed to the Board of Governors of the State of the New York Attorney's Client Fee Dispute Resolution Program. In addition, he also served for 6 years on the Grievance Committee for the Eighth Judicial District.

Mr. Cassano has written articles and lectured numerous times for the state and local bar associations and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Given his wealth of experience and esteemed career, Mr. Cassano enjoys working with younger lawyers and developing their talents and channeling their energy to become outstanding and committed family law practitioners.

J. Michael Kelleher (Mike) graduated cum laude from St. Bonaventure University with a B.A. in 1967, and received his legal education at the University Of Notre Dame, graduating in 1970. Mr. Kelleher has been Town Justice for the Town of Lancaster since 1975 and is Senior Counsel at HoganWillig since joining the firm in 2011.

Mr. Kelleher has focused his practice in commercial and residential real estate as well probate, estate planning and corporate law since 1970. He is a member of the Real Estate and Estate Practice and Procedure Committees of the Erie County Bar Association.

Mr. Kelleher has lectured extensively for professional and local community groups. He has a strong civic commitment and is a member of many local organizations.

Since admission to practice law in 2004, Cheryl Aloi has focused her practice almost exclusively on matrimonial and family law issues. Over the years, she has handled numerous cases in both Family Court and Supreme Court throughout several counties in Western New York. She assists clients in resolving issues through settlement, or by litigation when necessary by preparing cases for judicial relief through trial. For clients who choose not to litigate and prefer an alternative form of dispute resolution, Ms. Aloi is trained and experienced in both mediation and collaborative law.

In addition to representing spouses when marital difficulties arise, Ms. Aloi also represents children in contested custody and visitation proceedings as an active member of the Attorney for Children Panels for Erie and Niagara Counties.

Since admission to the New York State bar, Teresa Bailey has focused her practice to the representation of individuals who have been injured due to the negligence of others. Ms. Bailey represented clients in a wide range of personal injury cases, ranging from auto accidents, premises liability cases, products liability, construction site injuries and more. Ms. Bailey as handled all aspect of cases including discovery, depositions, mediations, arbitrations and has she conducted or participated in many trials.

In addition to her work representing injured clients, Ms. Bailey does civil litigation and has also worked for the American Society of International Law in Washington, DC in Judicial Outreach and has edited several legal publications.

Anastasios L. Bechakas, Esq. is an attorney at HoganWillig in the firm's Estate Planning and Trusts Department. He practices in the areas of estate planning, probate estates, trusts and guardianship law, as well as real estate law.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991, Mr. Bechakas attended Michigan State University College of Law and attained his Juris Doctor in 1994. Mr. Bechakas also received an L.L.M. in Taxation from Villanova University in 1995. After spending the bulk of his career as a real estate attorney with a large Buffalo Firm, Mr. Bechakas joined HoganWillig in 2010.l Outreach and has edited several legal publications.

Cheryl H. Bechakas has concentrated her practice in the areas of bankruptcy and real estate law since her admission to the New York State Bar in 1996.

Ms. Bechakas has focused upon the advancement of her clients' interests by providing assistance to individuals, creditors and financial institutions in areas of bankruptcy, insolvency matters, credit disputes, debt collection, foreclosure, asset sale and recovery, and financial restructuring. She has extensive experience in transactions that require litigation and appears in Supreme, County, Bankruptcy and Local Courts throughout Western New York in matters relative to bankruptcy, foreclosure and creditor's rights.

In addition to the above, Ms. Bechakas has assisted clients in all phases of real estate matters involving residential and commercial acquisition and sales, mortgage lending and title insurance.

Ms. Bechakas has also presented seminars on topics relative to consumer bankruptcy issues and was an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo teaching classes in Consumer Law.

Emily Cobb, admitted to practice law in 2011, is an attorney at HoganWillig primarily focusing in the firm's Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Departments. Prior to joining HoganWillig in the fall of 2010, Ms. Cobb attended Vermont Law School with a concentration in Environmental Law. She served as a Staff Editor and Managing Editor of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and also interned at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Michael Colletta currently practices in the areas of Matrimonial & Family Law at HoganWillig. He assists clients in all aspects of divorce and separation, as well as Family Court issues including custody and support matters.
Mr. Colletta, admitted to practice in 2010, received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining HoganWillig, Mr. Colletta was in private practice in Elmira, New York, where he dealt almost exclusively with matrimonial and domestic relations matters.

Mr. Colletta received his B.A. from Ithaca College in 2003, and taught high school social studies before attending law school.

Mrs. DiPirro understands and appreciates the significant emotional and financial turmoil that people may experience during a break-up of their relationship and families. Over the course of her tenure as a matrimonial/family law practitioner, she has strived to assist her clients in resolving these highly sensitive and important matters in a way which minimizes anxiety and hopefully, enables them to move forward as positively as possible.

Mrs. DiPirro is also certified in the areas of mediation and Collaborative Law.

Ms. Farrar's practice includes corporate and business law, labor and employment law, civil litigation, and debt collection. She assists clients with the commercial transactions, including preparing and reviewing documents and contracts and litigates breaches arising out of such transactions. She also assists clients with forming business entities and museums, and applying for liquor licenses or seeking 501(3)(c) exemption status. Ms. Farrar also counsels individuals regarding employment issues and wrongful termination.

As a member of HoganWillig's litigation team, Ms. Farrar works on civil cases ranging from civil rights violations to constitutional law issues. She is also well versed in both federal and state debt collection practices, and is responsible for implementing and enforcing specific procedures for the firm's Debt Collection Department based on the requirements of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Ms. Farrar is also proactive in her efforts to counsel debtors regarding reorganizing their debts to avoid bankruptcy. She also counsels individuals with bankruptcy and financial issues.

Jennifer Fay currently practices in the areas of personal injury and medical malpractice. Ms. Fay obtained her B.A. in Political Science and Legal Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo, summa cum laude, and her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
In June 2009, Ms. Fay served as co-counsel for a man who suffered from a bone infection that occurred when a doctor used the wrong sized artificial hip. The client required multiple surgeries and hospitalizations and remains permanently injured. The jury awarded its Genesee County's first medical malpractice verdict in 10 years to our client.

In January 2010, Ms. Fay served co-counsel for a 24-year-old woman who suffered with stage 3 breast cancer as a result of delay in her diagnosis. Nearly one year before her breast cancer diagnosis, the young woman went to a surgeon with a lump in her breast and a bloody breast discharge. The doctor reassured the patient that she did not have cancer without performing a biopsy. The next year, another practitioner performed a biopsy on the woman's breast which showed invasive stage three cancer that had spread to other parts of the body outside of the breast. The young woman required the total removal of her breast, chemotherapy and radiation and her chance for survival went from 95% to less than 50% because her cancer remained undiagnosed and untreated for nearly a year. A jury awarded the client the third highest medical malpractice award in Monroe County history for $5.1 million dollars.

After raising her family and working as a legal assistant, Patricia Fay decided to continue her education and pursue a law degree. She received her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. While pursuing her degree, she worked at several law firms as a legal assistant and a paralegal. Ms. Fay has experience in many areas of law such as family and matrimonial law, personal injury, civil litigation, estates and estate planning. This has provided her with valuable practical experience in the area of estate planning and probate.

Patricia concentrates her practice area in Estates and Estate Planning. She also prepares Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) for the division of retirement assets after a divorce.

Mr. Gismondi represents plaintiffs and defendants in the diverse area of civil litigation in cases ranging from complex commercial litigation to contract matters. He also serves as a legal advocate for a wide range of clients in administrative proceedings and devotes a substantial amount of his practice to criminal defense work and appellate practice.

He received a B.A. in Political Science from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Mr. Gismondi served on the Board of Editors of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review and received the Dawn C. Beachnau Law Review Award in recognition for his service as Articles Editor. He also held an externship position with Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. After graduating from law school, Mr. Gismondi co-authored a law review article in the area of constitutional law with Professors William Wagner and John S. Kane, entitled Physician-Assisted Killing Laws, Constitutional Authority, and the Conscience of a Nation: Two Worldviews, 24 T.M. Cooley L. Rev. 123 (2007).

Ian Jones is an attorney at HoganWillig primarily focusing in the firm's Personal Injury Department. Prior to joining HoganWillig in 2011, Mr. Jones served clients suffering from serious personal injuries at a large Buffalo firm. Mr. Jones has experience with a variety of cases including, but not limited to, automobile accidents, construction accidents, defective machinery and products, workplace accidents, farm accidents, motorcycle accidents, and wrongful death.

Amanda Kelly currently focuses her practice in the areas of Elder Law, Disability Law, Estate Planning and Adoption Law. She has assisted clients in the creation and execution of their Will, Trust, Living Will, Health Care Proxy and Power of Attorney documents. She has also assisted clients with Medicaid planning, guardianship matters, and adoptions. Since admission to the New York State Bar, Ms. Kelly has also handled numerous Matrimonial and Family Law cases in both the Family and Supreme Courts in Niagara and Erie counties, as well as various cases in the areas of Criminal and Traffic Law throughout the Western New York area.

Ms. Kelly has experience in all types of adoptions, including private domestic adoptions and agency assisted adoptions and finalizations. In addition, she routinely represents people in adult adoptions, second parent adoptions, step-parent adoptions, foster care adoptions and re-adoptions of international adoptions that were finalized outside of the United States.

As an attorney in the real estate department, Ms. Letty oversees the everyday operations of all aspects of the real estate practice including buy/sell, mortgage and relocation, as well as becoming more involved in transactions that require litigation or attention beyond the normal closing. She is also the principal title insurance attorney who examines titles, prepares preliminary title reports, resolves title problems, and issues final title insurance policies through various title insurance agencies, in an effort to insure that our clients, whether they are purchasers or banks, are fully protected against adverse title claims that may arise as a consequence of their purchase or financing of a particular piece of real property.

In addition to the above, Ms. Letty assists other departments in the firm with regards to bankruptcy matters, evictions and collections. She appears extensively in Supreme, County, City and Local Courts, including Small Claims Courts in various jurisdictions, relative to collection matters, civil motions, contract disputes, foreclosures and evictions.

Katherine Markel, admitted to practice law in 2011, is an attorney at HoganWillig primarily focusing in the firm's Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Departments. Prior to joining HoganWillig in the fall of 2010, Ms. Markel worked in the Office of Admissions at the University at Buffalo Law School serving as a nationwide recruitment representative. Additionally, Ms. Markel participated in a research assistantship with the University at Buffalo Department of Urban and Regional Planning and was a contributing author for a publication in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

Kevin Mahoney received his B.A., Ed.M and J.D. all from the State University of New York at Buffalo. As a member of HoganWillig's Family and Criminal Law Departments, Mr. Mahoney regularly assists individuals who are in a very difficult time of their lives. He believes it is his task to calmly offer skilled advice and perspective during what is often a difficult or emotionally charged situation.

In the area of family law, Mr. Mahoney and his colleagues assist individuals with family court proceedings which most commonly involve custody/visitation and/or paternity and support proceedings. They also assist individuals in all aspects of Supreme Court matrimonial proceedings, such as actions for divorce, separation, or those seeking an enforcement of a previously entered judgment or agreement (post divorce issues).

Mr. Mahoney is also a member of WNY Collaborative Law Professionals, Ltd. and is trained in collaborative law, a process where the parties and their attorneys agree to work together to problem solve their issues in order to resolve their case by agreement with an express indication at the outset that Court or adversarial negotiation tactics will not be used.

He is also trained as a mediator and can work with separating couples by acting as a neutral guiding their discussions and preparing their necessary legal documents ultimately resulting in a comprehensive agreement which may form the terms of a future Judgment of Divorce or other Court Order.

Although the majority of cases in the family law arena are resolved by agreement, for those cases where litigation is necessary, our office has in the past and will continue in the future to aggressively bring issues of importance to the attention of the appropriate court in order to bring about appropriate relief.

A further subset of our family law work may involve child-protective proceedings, family offense cases, and those involving troubled children such as PINS or juvenile delinquency proceedings.

In the criminal law area, Mr. Mahoney has handled numerous cases in local, state, and federal courts. Each case, although different, required a thorough understanding of an individual's background as well as the underlying facts that lead to the charge(s) so that the defense was appropriately presented. Time is spent to investigate these issues and to fully explain various strategies so the client is informed as to the various steps in the case.

He also works in our Emergency Services Department which assists various companies and individual fire and ambulance personnel with a wide range of issues from bylaw modification and contract review to internal (company level) and external (e.g. DOH) discipline.

Mr. Mahoney is a proud father of two, a former competitive women's coach in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic program, an active interior volunteer firefighter and is certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

Ms. Moore-Zeis joined HoganWillig as a law clerk in the fall of 2010. Since that time, she has focused her practice in litigation, with a concentration in the area of Matrimonial & Family Law. Ms. Moore-Zeis now concentrates exclusively in matrimonial and family law matters, ranging from divorces to separations, custody and visitation, support, pre-nuptial agreements and more.

While attending the University at Buffalo Law School, Ms. Moore-Zeis served as an Associate on the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal and was the co-founder and President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, Buffalo Chapter.

Jeffrey Novak, admitted to practice law in 2011, is an attorney at HoganWillig primarily focusing in the firm's Litigation, Civil Rights, and Personal Injury Departments. Prior to joining HoganWillig in the fall of 2010, Mr. Novak served as an intern for the Army Environmental Law Division and as a research assistant at The George Washington University Law School. Mr. Novak also served as a summer Law Clerk for the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York and as a Judicial Intern for the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

Ashlea Palladino currently practices in the areas of Matrimonial & Family Law at HoganWillig. She assists clients in all aspects of divorce and separation, as well as Family Court issues including custody and support matters.

Ms. Palladino received her Juris Doctor from Pace University School of law and graduated with an International Law Certificate. While in law school, Ms. Palladino served as an editor for the Journal of Court Innovation. She also authored a review of Law Lit by Thane Rosenbaum, published in Issue 3: Spring 2009 of the Journal of Court Innovation.

Prior to joining HoganWillig, Mr. Pincus worked in the Erie County District Attorney's Office for more than 25 years, where he was Chief of Narcotics and Chief of Juvenile Justice. In 1987, Mr. Pincus prosecuted the first New York State televised felony trial.
During his career as a criminal prosecutor, Mr. Pincus successfully litigated thousands of cases, including more than a thousand felony cases before New York Superior Courts. His work encompassed investigation, grand jury, plea negotiation, motion practice, trials and appeals.

Mr. Pincus also serves as an adjunct instructor at the University at Buffalo Law School teaching trial technique.

Tammy Riddle concentrates her practice commitment in civil and commercial litigation. She also practices within the firm's Personal Injury and Corporate & Business Law Departments.

Her practice includes plaintiff and defense work, as well as representation of corporations and individuals. Over the years, she has handled an array of cases including Article 78 proceedings, boundary line disputes, premises liability cases, personal injury cases ranging from dog bites to car accidents, business disputes and dissolutions, and residential construction cases.

Mr. Silverstein has concentrated his practice in the areas of estates and elder law for over 20 years. He is a former bank trust officer, where he handled administration of estates, trusts and employee benefit plans.

Mr. Silverstein has often spoken to community groups and has appeared on radio programs, discussing issues from his areas of practice. Mr. Silverstein presently serves as the Recording Secretary of the Bar Association of Erie County Elder Law Committee and the Surrogates Court Practice and Procedure Committee.

Ms. Speyer represents builders and developers making public offerings of condominiums or memberships in homeowners' associations, including compliance with state regulations and negotiations with the New York State Office of the Attorney General. She also represents the Boards of Managers and Boards of Directors of many local condominiums and homeowners' associations in their day-to-day governance.

In addition, Ms. Speyer acts as HoganWillig's in-house ethics counsel, assisting the firm and its attorneys in complying with the Lawyer's Code of Professional Responsibility.