Cattaraugus County Lawyers

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 high profile civil rights and constitutional law cases, for over 30 years. In addition to corporate and individual litigation clients, he regularly represents local, state and federal law enforcement officers from various 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 handle matters in many other states. Mr. Cohen is frequently brought in as...

Chair of the largest residential real estate department in Western New York. Extensive third party relocation, REO, commercial and residential lending representation. Recently closed a $3 Million dollar refinance, and a $965,000 commercial purchase secured by properties in Western New York and Florida. Experienced in time share, zoning, land use, condominiums and cooperatives, real estate negotiations and litigation. Voted for inclusion in "Best Lawyers in America" for the past four years.

I am a Personal Injury and Malpractice Attorney practicing all over New York and Pennsylvania.

I started my career as a felony prosecutor with the Chemung County DA's Office, prosecuting the most serious crimes in Chemung County. From there, I became head of the legal department for the Chemung County Department of Social Services, where I supervised an office of seven attorney and was responsible for prosecuting all child abuse, child neglect, juvenile delinquent and PINS cases occurring in Chemung County

In 2004, I joined the Ziff Law Firm, where I handle all types of personal injury cases.

Throughout my...

Alex M. Neurohr is an Associate Attorney currently focusing his practice in our Corporate and Business Department, handling contract formation and enforcement, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate matters regarding formation, restructuring, and dissolution.

Mr. Neurohr also assists our Real Estate Department with property-related matters, including partition actions and boundary disputes, post-closing issues, and mortgage foreclosures.

Mr. Neurohr received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing from Nova Southeastern University in 2011. He went on to obtain his Juris Doctor from State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, cum laude, in 2014.

Prior to joining HoganWillig,...

William A. Lorenz, Jr., joined HoganWillig as an Associate Attorney in the fall of 2013. He currently focuses his practice in the areas of Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, and Real Estate Law.

Mr. Lorenz brings a variety of legal experience with him to HoganWillig, having worked in the areas of civil litigation, criminal practice, family law, intellectual property law, landlord-tenant law, and real estate law. Since admission to the New York State Bar, Mr. Lorenz has appeared in courts in both Erie and Niagara County on various matters, including evictions and civil litigation. Recently, he lobbied in Albany for the Child...

Kenneth Olena has worked for the last 35 years as a family law practitioner. He specializes in divorce proceedings, ranging from small to multi-million dollar settlements. Since 1981, Kenneth has practiced across upstate New York and predominantly in the Western New York region, helping clients with over a thousand divorce cases; prior to his work at Tiveron Law, Mr. Olena also provided excellent support to clients with Siegel, Kelleher & Kahn for more than 21 years. With expertise, he has handled actions of varying financial complexity involving difficult custodial battles, hardships regarding property ownership, and management of clients' personal businesses...

Keli Iles-Hernandez is an attorney with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham’s Matrimonial & Family Law Department. She handles divorces, separations, adoptions and Assisted Reproductive Technology matters, custody, child support, and other related proceedings; with experience representing families with diverse family dynamics and LGBTQ legal matters. Ms. Iles-Hernandez also currently serves on the Attorneys for Children Panel (4th Judicial Department) representing children in child abuse, neglect and custody matters.

Keli Iles-Hernandez brings a vast variety of life experience with her to Rupp Baase, having served in the U.S. Army for 4 years as an active-duty Medic and then as a Special Education...

Mike Bersani is an experienced and highly respected New York State trial lawyer concentrating his practice almost entirely on personal injury claims. He is a widely published author on personal injury law. He has published numerous articles on the subject, and wrote and published the book "Understanding Your New York Personal Injury Claim", which can be ordered on his website.

Mike Bersani graduated Magna Cum Laude (top 5% of his class) from Syracuse University College of Law in 1993. He went on to a two-year clerkship with an appellate court in Rochester, NY. Since then he has devoted...

With nearly three decades of experience practicing Bankruptcy law and Social Security law in Buffalo, Paul Pochepan is able to help consumers facing financial hardships and disabled individuals and their dependents. He has helped many Western New York consumers navigate the bankruptcy system under chapter 7 or chapter 13. He also helps Buffalo-area residents apply for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or appeal Social Security Administration decisions denying, reducing or revoking benefits. He has accumulated a wealth of knowledge regarding the multiple medical impairments afflicting disability claimants and dealing with the medical profession to secure the...

Michael T. Benz is an associate attorney in the firm’s litigation department; handling personal injury, medical malpractice, and criminal defense cases. His motto and practice is to prepare every case as though it will be a jury trial; and he is confident that his trial preparation is the key to getting the best result for his clients.

Mr. Benz brings vast trial experience with him to HoganWillig, having tried hundreds of cases as an Assistant Defender at the nationally recognized Defender Association of Philadelphia, before starting his own private criminal defense practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a native “Buffalonian” he...

Our founding member and principal, Russel Morgan has concentrated in commercial and contract litigation, trust and estate planning, business and personal asset protection, wealth preservation and dynasty succession planning. Russel has also assisted clients with all forms of commercial and personal transnational work, including the preparation, re-structuring and litigation of various types of contracts. Our estate law office also includes; Eldercare planning, nyc healthcare proxy, beneficiary in a Will, Medicaid planning trusts, mltc plan, Medicaid planning strategies, help with drafting wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts. Russel Morgan was raised in Brooklyn, New York and has remained loyal to his origins...

Jed Dietrich Esq. has settled 31 cases for 1 Million Dollars or more since 1999.

Jed Dietrich Esq. has personally obtained over 150 Million Dollars for the injured since 2007.

Jed Dietrich Esq. has been named a New York Superlawyer from 2010 to the present.

Jed Dietrich Esq. is a highly competitive person who was a 14 time National Champion in the sport of rowing.

It is Jed’s passion to represent the seriously injured to the very best of my ability.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C., has been established to FIGHT for our clients to obtain MAXIMUM COMPENSATION for every person that we...

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...

40 years experience, the last 25 of which have been devoted exclusively to matrimonial and family law, including appeals, division of retirement plans, and high net worth matrimonial matters. I have been a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs for local and NYS Bar Association programs as well as for judges.

Were you injured in an accident? Did your loved one die due to the negligent or wrongful actions of another person or party? Turn to the personal injury team at Richmond Vona, LLC for reliable legal representation and compassionate, one-on-one counsel. Based in Buffalo, the firm serves clients throughout Western New York. Over the course of more than two decades of combined experience, the firm’s partners have secured more than $150 million for their clients, including over $17 million in jury verdicts. They have the skills, tenacity, and resources to advocate for you.

Because Richmond Vona, LLC takes on fewer...

Described by his clients as an attorney of the “highest quality”, Jeff DeFrancisco, Esq. has made a career achieving top results in his field of medical malpractice and personal injury. A few examples of his many great achievements include: PARALYSIS: $10,000,000 jury verdict following a 3-week trial against 3 defense lawyers for a case where an individual became paralyzed due to medical malpractice. BRAIN INJURY: $17,500,000 in payments: $3,000,000 cash; $12,000,000 expected payout between a lump sum payment and lifetime monthly payments to an individual who sustained a brain injury; and $2,500,000 in guaranteed lifetime payments to the child of the...

Jillian Stenzel is an associate attorney with the Real Estate Law Department, focusing her practice on Residential Purchases & Sales, Mortgage Lending, and Title Insurance. Jillian’s past legal experience has been varied, but she became skilled at transactional law while clerking for a solo real estate practitioner. Ms. Stenzel provides legal guidance for real estate closings for private home sales and adeptly represents lending partners when closing real estate contracts. Ms. Stenzel obtained her undergraduate degrees in Social Work and Sociology from SUNY Buffalo State College and her Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Law. While at...

I was born and raised on the east side of Buffalo, NY. After graduating high school, I served in the United States Marine Corps, and then became a City of Buffalo Police Officer. I completed my B.S. and J.D. while working full-time as a police officer. I left the department in 2005 to start practicing law. After a long stent with a local law firm, I partnered up with another attorney from the same firm to form Richmond Vona, LLC. Our firm extensive experience handling asbestos cases (Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer), as well as other...

Eugene Welch is a Partner in Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Rochester office, where his practice encompasses federal and state litigation and governmental issues. After being specially invited to do so by all of the Federal Judges in the Western District of New York, Gene is a Certified Federal Court Mediator available to mediate your litigation. Gene’s experience as a Federal Prosecutor, trial instructor for Justice Department attorneys and his experience in the New York State Attorney General’s Office give him unique qualifications to assist clients to make sure they are in compliance with both New York State and Federal laws and...

Brady and Nave Law have joined forces to strengthen the firm's expertise in Personal Injury law. As the Senior Attorney specializing in Personal Injury & Civil Litigation, Brady brings over ten years of courtroom experience across all regions of New York State. In the past nine years alone, he has successfully handled fourteen jury trials in twelve different counties, consistently achieving favorable outcomes in intricate and high-stakes litigation cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. During the initial decade of his career, Brady served as an associate and partner at the prominent statewide litigation firm, Smith, Sovik, Kendrick &...

Brooke Barron is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Matrimonial & Family Law and Estate Planning & Administration Practice Groups.

Ms. Barron obtained her B.S. in Business Administration from SUNY Geneseo, and received her Juris Doctor in 2018 from American University- Washington College of Law.

While in law school, Ms. Barron was an Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition winner. Additionally, Ms. Barron was a law clerk for Commissioner Feldblum at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Washington, D.C. and a student attorney for American University- Washington College of Law’s Civil Advocacy Clinic. Ms. Barron had also previously been employed at HoganWillig as...

Dzifa Gan is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Real Estate Law Department; handling all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. Ms. Gan has varied legal experience having previously worked as a family and matrimonial attorney in London. Her priority across practice areas has always been her clients and ensuring that their needs are met.

Ms. Gan obtained her B.A. in Psychology and concurrently her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Western Australia in 2008. Ms. Gan is admitted to practice law in New South Wales, Australia; England & Wales, UK and New York State, USA.

Before joining HoganWillig,...

Michael A. Ponterio is a founding partner of Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. Since 1985, Mr. Ponterio has represented families who have suffered injuries as a result of exposure to asbestos. He also practices in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, defective products and motor vehicle accidents. Mr. Ponterio has dedicated his practice to securing justice for clients who have suffered catastrophic and life-changing injuries. Since 1985, Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford has obtained over one billion in settlements or verdicts on behalf of the firm’s clients. Mr. Ponterio has been representing people suffering from mesothelioma caused by asbestos for...

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 Tiveron Law'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...

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...

Ms. Cronauer is an attorney working with the firm’s Litigation department. She has experience in the full range of client representation including Supreme Court and Appellate oral arguments, complex motion and appellate brief production and representation of clients in mediations, arbitrations and trials.

Ms. Cronauer attended Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science in political science and a minor in economics. At Saint Vincent College, she played varsity tennis and was a George Washington Fellow. Following her undergraduate education, she attended Ohio Northern University College of Law from which she graduated...

Nina Juncewicz, Esq. has 25 years experience in representing those internationally seeking to obtain physical access to the United States market for commercial work and/or family reunification. Her experience was developed early as an outstanding scholar for the agency formerly known as INS at the U.S/Canadian border, and later in its Buffalo District Office’s litigation Department. This experience brought her first-hand knowledge of the technical nuances of complex U.S. immigration law and the government adjudication process which experience she uses for her client’s benefit. She later practiced business and family Immigration in a statewide corporate law firm before opening her...

My practice pattern at the Cimasi Law Office is focused on DWI, criminal defense, and traffic matters (e.g. speeding, mechanical violations, unlicensed operation, etc.) in courts across Western New York. I also represent clients on parole violations and landlord-tenant matters. I am a highly meticulous and diligent practitioner who seeks to provide dedicated service to each client, regardless how big or small the matter. I am always available by phone, and there is no fee for initial consultations.

I also teach courses in sociology and legal studies to undergraduates at the University at Buffalo ("UB") and Buffalo State College....

Scott Michael Duquin focuses his practice on Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Civil Litigation. Prior to joining us, Scott spent the first 11 years of his career doing insurance defense. He holds an AVVO Super rating, Martindale Distinguished, and has been named a Super Lawyer in Personal Injury every year since 2013.

Scott has extensive trial and appellate experience representing individuals to multi-national corporations in automobile liability, medical malpractice, products liability, toxic tort and catastrophic personal injury matters. Scott has successfully represented several small business owners in various litigated commercial matters.

In 2016, in a highly publicized case Scott was able to...

Practical, pragmatic advice and representation offered to clients to resolve real world complex problems.
Thoughtful dispute resolution and mediation services offered to litigants and their counsel.
Cost-effective strategies.
Depth of experience.
Individual focus.

The art of representing people.

Jessica Peraza is Counsel working with the firm’s Trusts & Estates Department. She focuses her practice on Estate Planning and Administration, Medicaid and Long-term Care Planning, and Wealth Management. As a law student, she interned for the Hon. Barbara Howe in Erie County Surrogate’s Court and worked in the Public Benefits Unit of Neighborhood Legal Services. Her previous experience includes residential foreclosures, public and private sector labor law, contract negotiations, probate matters, third party credit collections, and representation of clients in administrative hearings and arbitrations. Ms. Peraza attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York where she graduated with a...

A skilled trial lawyer, Craig Small has been practicing law since 1995, and in the State of New York and Buffalo, New York since 1998. Craig Small's law firm, Small Law Firm, focuses its attention on representing injured people. Small Law Firm helps with injuries caused by car accidents, nursing home abuse, nursing home pressure or bed sores, fall-downs, biking, boating, and traumatic injuries including brain injuries, paralysis, fractures, and herniated discs. Craig Small has settled significant cases and has won verdicts throughout Western and Central New York. Small Law Firm is a small law firm...

Nicholas A. Taylor is an Associate Attorney in HoganWillig’s Corporate and Business Department, handling contract formation and enforcement, corporate matters regarding formation, restructuring, and dissolution, and issues regarding commercial leasing of property.

Prior to joining HoganWillig, Mr. Taylor practiced insurance defense litigation, representing insurance carriers, employers, and third party administrators in workers’ compensation proceedings throughout Western New York.

Mr. Taylor graduated from Penn State Law at Pennsylvania State University and is an inducted member of the Woolsack Honor Society, which recognizes academic excellence. He is admitted to practice law in New York and is a member of the New York State and...

John P. Comerford is a Senior Partner at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He grew up in Lewiston, New York, a small historic town near the Canadian border. He grew up in the shadows of Love Canal and personally observed the consequences of environmental pollution. He attended Cornell University and studied Environmental Science. Mr. Comerford devotes the majority of his time to asbestos personal injury matters. He has litigated cases throughout Upstate New York in cities which include Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton. Over the course of his career, he has helped hundreds...

Christopher J. Milne practices in HoganWillig’s Corporate and Business Law department. Mr. Milne has over two decades of experience as a business law attorney, in both law firm and corporate counsel settings. A proven strategic and analytical problem solver, Mr. Milne counsels’ clients in numerous areas related to their business, including corporate formation and restructuring, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, franchise agreements, complex commercial transactions, partnership agreements, and other transactional business-related matters. Mr. Milne received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1999. Mr. Milne has significant experience in the area of veterinary law, and...

Kenneth Kraus helps individuals and families prepare their estate plan, including Wills, asset protection Trusts, Supplemental Needs Trusts (SNTs), Powers of Attorney and Health Care Proxies. He also assists with the probate process including the preparation of income, fiduciary, gift and estate tax returns and the sale of real estate. In addition, Ken works with families to help them understand the complexities of long-term care financing, including Medicare, Medicaid, home care and nursing home planning. Given the ever-changing estate and income tax laws and the increasing concern of special needs and long-term care planning, Ken’s depth and breadth of experience...

Mr. Johnsen is an attorney at Tiveron Law primarily focusing in the firm’s Litigation Department. While attending SUNY Buffalo Law School, Mr. Johnsen was part of the University’s Consumer Financial Advocacy Clinic and was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for his work with the program. While in law school, he was a clerk at New Era Cap Co., Inc. Following law school, Mr. Johnsen has gained exposure to several areas of his litigation practice, including special education claims against school districts, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and work in Erie County Surrogate's Court on...