Marilla Lawyers

Michael Reiser is an Associate Attorney practicing in the firm’s Corporate and Business Department, and handles contract formation and enforcement, corporate matters, collections, and property matters.

Mr. Reiser obtained his B.A. in English, with a minor in Political Science, from John Carroll University, in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Reiser received his Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 2016, graduating cum laude.

Before joining HoganWillig, Mr. Reiser practiced in real estate, mortgage servicing, mortgage foreclosure litigation, and title resolution.

For over 30 years my law practice has been concentrated in Social Security and SSI disability claims, and disability claims for other public benefits (teachers, police, state troopers, firefighters, corrections, other state and municipal employees).
Before practicing law I was a Social Security Disability Analyst for medical adjudications, and also a Social Security Claims Representative for nonmedical claim adjudications.
I was admitted to practice law in 1986, in New York. When I first started practicing law my focus was on civil trial practice, primarily in domestic relations. I took my first Social Security Disability client in 1988 and have never...

Stephen K. Underwood is a Buffalo New York lawyer that practices in the New York State and Federal Court systems. Mr. Underwood is a graduate of the Binghamton University School of Management with a concentration in Finance (B.S. 1992) and obtained his Juris Doctorate from OCU School of Law in 1997. Mr. Underwood was duly licensed and admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1998.

Brown Chiari is an expert team of personal injury lawyers with decades of experience and successful verdicts for our clients. We have consistently obtained stellar results in many areas of personal injury, including automobile and truck accidents, food poisoning, defective products, nursing home abuse and neglect, and construction accidents. At Brown Chiari, we devote our thorough knowledge, expertise and time to obtaining optimum results for our clients. We have a close relationship with many experts in the areas of science, medicine and finance and engineering which gives us an edge. Brown Chiari has recovered millions...

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...

Diane Tiveron is a Partner and the Chairperson of the Corporate & Business Law Department at Tiveron Law PLLC. With over 29 years of legal experience and a educational background in economics and business administration, Ms. Tiveron assists 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. She counsels non-for-profit organizations on nonprofit law and governance, obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status and 501(c) classifications. Ms. Tiveron also advises individuals and businesses with bankruptcy issues (Chapter...

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...

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...

We are Western New York's largest bankruptcy law firm. We have been in business for 25 years and have helped more than 15,000 individuals and businesses through the bankruptcy process. Our chapter 7 fees start at just $795, and we can file chapter cases with as little as $100 in legal fees up front. We offer free online bankruptcy evaluations, and we also offer free telephone consultations, which can generally be scheduled within 24 hours. We have 12 offices located in the Buffalo and Rochester region.

Jeffrey Tyrpak, an Amherst native, attended Fordham University and obtained his BA in International Political Economy in 2010. In 2013, he earned his JD at UB Law School with a concentration in Finance Transactions.

He started practicing law at a small firm in New York City before returning home and joining our team in December of 2016. While working in New York City, Mr. Tyrpak handled litigation in federal court regarding collective bargaining agreements and ERISA for employee benefit funds. He also worked on government compliance matters under the Affordable Care Act and ERISA.

Currently, Mr. Tyrpak resides in HoganWillig's Real Estate...

Mr. Saraceno has offices in Buffalo, NY as well as Nashville, TN. He has handled many of the most high profile cases in Western New York over the last two decades, winning homicide trials, rape trials, kidnapping trials, assault trials, larceny trials and DWI/DUI trials. Mr. Saraceno has often appeared on national news networks like CNN, Fox News and the NBC Nightly News. Additionally, Mr. Saraceno has been featured on local television networks, the Buffalo News, and the Niagara Gazette defending his clients in high profile criminal defense cases.

Whether you are charged with a DWI/DUI or a...

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...

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....

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...

Sandra K. Cassidy practices in HoganWillig’s Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, and Criminal Defense departments, she brings with her extensive experience as a former criminal prosecutor for the Erie County and Genesee County District Attorney’s office. Ms. Cassidy also served as legal counsel for the famous environmental advocate Erin Brockovich, investigating complaints of chronic cancers in two separate towns in New York, one of which involved the cross-border dumping of illegal toxins. Prior to joining HoganWillig, Ms. Cassidy also practiced law in the Western New York area for several years under her established law practice. Ms. Cassidy has a passion for guiding young...

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...

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...

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...

Laraine Kelley is recognized as one of the Western New York region's preeminent medical malpractice attorneys. She has significant experience representing victims of medical malpractice, fighting for clients' rights, finding answers to what happened, and obtaining successful results so justice is served for clients. Her legal skill, track record of results, and professional ethics have been acknowledged by peers, earning her several industry recognitions, including "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers in America; inclusion in Super Lawyers; and an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Brett Tokarczyk currently practices in multiple areas at HoganWillig, including personal injury, medical malpractice and litigation. Mr. Tokarczyk assists a wide range of clients across these matters and works extensively on appellate proceedings, one of his particular specialties. Mr Tokarczyk's, admitted to practice in the State of Georgia in 2011 and State of New York in 2013, received his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia Law School. He was an associate at Brick, Brick and Elmer, P.C. where he dealt primarily with family law and estate planning matters; upon joining HoganWillig, he brought his experience in family law to clients...

As a father of six children and eight grandchildren I understand and appreciate what it means to serve our family and communities. As a trial attorney, I also enjoy the task of righting the wrongs that happen to innocent people. I also pride myself on winning cases and leveling the playing field so that the rich and powerful corporations and insurance companies do not win the battle due to their wealth and power over the average citizen. Having over 35 years of experience and the track record of supervising over 2 billion dollars in settlements for our...

Patrick C. O'Reilly focuses his practice on matrimonial litigation, handling all aspects of divorce and separation and representing clients in matters related to the modification or enforcement of existing matrimonial judgments and orders. He is a member of the firm's Management Committee and is chair of the Matrimonial and Family Law Practice Area. For more than 25 years, Mr. O'Reilly has served as a panelist and speaker on matrimonial and family law topic for numerous seminars, workshops, and symposiums sponsored by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, New York State Office of Court Administration, New York State Bar Association...

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...

Stephen R. Silverstein concentrates his practice in the areas of estate and disability planning, estate administration, guardianships and elder law.

He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. He is a former bank trust officer, where he worked on administration of estates, trusts and employee benefit plans.

Mr. Silverstein is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County Surrogate’s Court Committee and serves as the Committee’s Recording Secretary. He is also a member of the Bar Association of Erie County Elder Law Committee and...

For over thirty-five years, initially as a physician and surgeon and subsequently as an attorney representing injury victims, I have worked to help individuals overcome the physical, emotional, and financial devastation inflicted by serious injury. It is a privilege for me to represent seriously injured individuals and their families against insurance companies, corporations, companies, doctors, hospitals, and individuals who were negligent. No matter how extensive or advanced the medical treatment, an individual and his or her family is never the same after trauma alters their lives. Additionally, I am called upon to assist physicians as personal counsel in lawsuits against them,...

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...

The attorneys at Rosenblum Law have more than 50 years of combined experience handling personal injury cases in both NJ & NY and have office locations in both states.

Experienced and skilled personal injury attorneys, the Firm has a reputation for aggressive representation for victims of personal injury including those injured in car accidents, medical malpractice, construction accidents, and those injured by faulty products and medicines.

Regardless of how simple or complicated the case, the Firm has helped thousands of clients get excellent results. The attorneys at the Firm pride themselves on giving an honest evaluation of the case,...

James R. O’Connor, Esq. is a labor and employment law associate in Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Buffalo office, where he focuses his practice on representing clients in federal and private sector employment law claims, including claims involving the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), New York Labor Law, New York Executive Law and Qui Tam claims.

Prior to joining Tully Rinckey PLLC, James was...

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)....

Jonathan D. Schechter is a shareholder attorney with Gross Shuman P.C. in Buffalo, New York. His practice and experience includes business counseling and corporate law, commercial real estate and financing, estates, trusts, taxation and cross-border and business tax planning. Using his in-depth knowledge of tax law, he assists owners of both publicly traded and closely held businesses with their legal needs as well as their personal estate planning. Jonathan provides day-to-day counsel and representation to publicly traded companies, small business enterprises, charter schools and not-for-profits on a wide variety of legal matters. He prides himself in providing services to clients...

I have seen firsthand the suffering and hardship people endure when they are injured due to the negligence of others. The impact an injury has on a person and their family goes beyond the physical pain. It has devastating consequences in almost every aspect of their life, the lives of their family, and in the community. I joined Cellino Law because the attorneys and staff are committed to helping injured people in their time of need. It is a philosophy and way of thinking I adhere to.

Hard work, communication, and honesty are the keys to success in any field – especially law. I learned about hard work while putting myself through college and law school while working in my father’s business – a “mom and pop” corner grocery store in Hamburg, NY. At this job, I met and spoke with thousands of people from all walks of life. I realized that while every person is different, all should be treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect. Upon completing law school, I joined a firm with experience in civil litigation which handled cases for the insurance companies. I eventually...

Daniel J. Henry, Jr. a partner in the firm Villarini & Henry, L.L.P., is a former Erie County Assistant District Attorney who concentrates his practice in Criminal Defense and Personal Injury/Negligence claims. He has extensive experience defending the rights of people arrested and accused of criminal offenses both in State and Federal Court. He is one of a select group of attorneys who is eligible to handle Death Penalty cases. In addition, Mr. Henry represents clients facing Grand Jury investigations; witnesses called before State and Federal Grand Juries; clients charged under the Federal RICO Statute; clients charged with white-collar offenses;...

Chris O'Brien is a seasoned Buffalo personal injury lawyer and one of the founding partners at O'Brien & Ford Buffalo Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers. He is one of WNY's most experienced and successful trial lawyers. He has built a reputation over thirty years of being client-focused. Having taught both locally, nationally and internationally, Chris brings the latest and most effective trial tactics to every case, resulting in more than 98% of his cases settling before trial. He never charges for an initial appointment and takes the time to explain the law to all of his clients.