MEMBERS OF FIRM
Thomas J. Kelly (Member) born Buffalo, New York, September 8, 1927; admitted to bar, 1952, New York. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.S.C., 1949); University of Buffalo (J.D., 1952). Associate Editor, University of Buffalo Law Review, 1951-1952. Lecturer in Law, University of Buffalo School of Law, 1952-1960. Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate and General Business Law; Probate Law; Estate Planning Law.Email: Thomas J. Kelly
Frederick D. Turner (Member) born Buffalo, New York, June 6, 1937; admitted to bar, 1963, New York; U.S. District Court, Western and Northern Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: Dartmouth College (B.A., 1958); Cornell University (J.D., 1963). Member: Erie County and American (Member: Fidelity and Surety Committee, Tort and Insurance Practice Section; Forum Committee on the Construction Industry) Bar Associations; International Association of Defense Counsel (Chairman, Fidelity & Surety Committee, 1991-1992) Practice Areas: Construction Law; Fidelity and Surety Law.Email: Frederick D. Turner
Paul Michael Hassett (Member) born Buffalo, New York, May 9, 1941; admitted to bar, 1965, New York; 1966, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; 1969, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: Canisius College (B.S., cum laude, 1962); Georgetown University (J.D., 1965). Fellow: The New York State Bar Foundation. Member: Erie County (Member, Deputy Treasurer, 1986-1987; Treasurer, 1987-1988; Vice President, 1991-1992; President, 1992-1993; Lawyer of the Year, 2000) New York State (Member, House of Delegates, 1990-1994, 1995; Executive Committee, 1996-2002; Vice President, 8th Judicial District, 1997-1999; President-Elect, 1999-2000; President, 2000-2001) and American (Member, House of Delegates, 1999) Bar Associations; Erie County Bar Foundation (Director, 1988-1991, 1993-1999; Treasurer, 1995-1996; Vice President, 1996-1997; President, 1997-1998); The New York Bar Foundation (Member, Board of Directors, 2000); New York State Conference of Bar Leaders (Executive Council, 1992-1998; Chair, 1995-1996); Metropolitan Bar Caucus (Executive Committee, 1993-2000; Secretary-Treasurer, 1996-1997; President-Elect, 1997-1998; President, 1998-1999); National Conference of Bar Presidents (Member, Executive Council, 2001-2004); New York State Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Program Board of Governors (Member, 2001-2007). [Captain, U.S. Army, 1966-1968]. Practice Areas: Probate Law; Estate Planning Law; Real Estate Law.Email: Paul Michael Hassett
Donald B. Eppers (Member) born Buffalo, New York, October 17, 1944; admitted to bar, 1970, New York. Education: Gettysburg College (B.A., 1966); State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 1969). Member: Erie County (President, 1999-2000) and New York State (Member, House of Delegates, 1997-2001) Bar Associations; Western New York Trial Lawyers Association (President, 1997). Practice Areas: Insurance Law; Negligence Litigation.Email: Donald B. Eppers
Andrew D. Merrick (Member) born Buffalo, New York, July 22, 1941; admitted to bar, 1966, New York. Education: Canisius College (B.S., 1963); Georgetown University (J.D., 1966). Member: Erie County Bar Association. [Captain, U.S. Army, JAGC, 1967-1971]. Practice Areas: Malpractice Litigation; Negligence Law; Insurance Law.Email: Andrew D. Merrick
William P. Wiles (Member) born Buffalo, New York, December 7, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, New York; U.S. District Court, Western District of New York and U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York.. Education: Le Moyne College (B.S., Accounting, 1976); St. John's University (J.D., 1979). Town Attorney, Grand Island, New York, 1992-1999. Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Real Estate Law; Municipal Law; General Business Law; Estate Planning and Administration; Elder Law.Email: William P. Wiles
William D. Harrington (Member) born Buffalo, New York; admitted to bar, 1979, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: Colorado College (B.A., 1975); Albany Law School of Union University (J.D., 1978). Instructor in Business Law, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management, 1987-2006. Member: Erie County, New York State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: General Corporate and Business Law; Estate Administration and Planning; Elder Law; Real Estate, Zoning and Land Use.Email: William D. Harrington
Joseph M. Schnitter (Member) born Buffalo, New York, July 14, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, New York, Florida and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; 1985, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., summa cum laude, 1976; J.D., 1979). Phi Beta Kappa. Co-Author: "Litigation of Catastrophic Injury Cases in the No-Fault Era: The New York Experience," New York State Bar Journal, February, 1986. Contributor, "Survey of New York Law Regarding Insurance," Syracuse Law Review, 1993-1994. Speaker: New York State Bar Association Seminars: "UnderinsuranceIts Meaning and Application," May, 1990; "Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Issues in New York for the 1990's," May, 1992; "How to Handle Neck and Back Injuries," October 23, 1998; "Insurance Coverage Issues," October 30, 1998; "Insurance Issues in Personal Injury Cases," May 5, 2000; "Automobile Liability," September, 2003; "Successful Strategies For Automobile Litigation," October 2004; "Keeping Current With Automobile Litigation," September 2008; "2009 General Auto Liability," May 2009. DRI Seminar, Toronto, Canada, " Cross-Borders Litigation: The New York Experience With No-Fault," January 1995. Member: Erie County Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: General Civil Litigation; Insurance Coverage and Defense Law; Trial Law.Email: Joseph M. Schnitter
Lisa T. Sofferin (Partner) born Toronto, Ontario, 1955; admitted to bar, 1984, California; 1990, New York; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second, Seventh and Ninth Circuits; U.S. District Court, Western, Northern and Southern Districts of New York; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; U.S. District Court, Central District of California; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York and Central District of California. Education: University of Michigan; Loyola Law School (J.D., 1983). Lisa T. Sofferin represents companies, organizations and individuals in state and federal courts in a wide range of disputes. She has been counsel in cases involving trademark, internet and domain name disputes, copyright infringement, trade secrets and claims of unfair competition. She handles cases involving claims of employment discrimination, wrongful termination and non-competition agreements. In addition, her practice includes contract litigation involving manufacturers, distributors, shareholders and partnerships as well as litigation matters related to real estate, construction and manufacturing. Ms. Sofferin has been counsel in proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She has also represented clients in Article 78 proceedings, municipal tort litigation and civil rights claims, tax assessment proceedings and disputes regarding historic properties. She also represents insurance companies in contract interpretation and coverage disputes, including coverage for intellectual property and advertising liability claims. Ms. Sofferin heads the Firm's federal court practice and cross-border practice teams. She is a certified federal court mediator. Member: Erie County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Trade Secret Misappropriation; Trademark Litigation; Copyright Litigation; Employment Litigation; Insurance Defense; Insurance Coverage; Historic Preservation; Municipal Liability.Email: Lisa T. Sofferin
Kenneth A. Krajewski (Managing Partner) born Buffalo, New York, March 3, 1956; admitted to bar, 1992, New York and U.S. District Court, Western, Northern and Southern Districts of New York; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Empire State College (B.S., 1987); Capital University (J.D., cum laude, 1991). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; Western New York Trial Lawyers Association; Western New York Defense Trial Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute; International Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Products Liability; Toxic Torts; Automobile Insurance Defense.Email: Kenneth A. Krajewski
Patricia S. Ciccarelli (Member) born Buffalo, New York, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, Pennsylvania; 1994, New York; 1995, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: State University of New York at Binghamton (B.A., 1990); State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 1993). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; Western New York Trial Lawyers Association. Languages: Italian. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Coverage and Defense; Toxic Torts; Trial Law; Appellate Practice.Email: Patricia S. Ciccarelli
Renata Kowalczuk (Member) born Gdansk, Poland; admitted to bar, 1998, New York; 1999, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; 2005, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., magna cum laude, 1994; J.D., 1997). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; DRI; Defense Trial Lawyers Association; Western New York Trial Lawyer's Association; Charles S. Desmond Inn of Court. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Mental Health Law; Elder Law; Personal Injury Litigation; Insurance Coverage; Insurance Defense.Email: Renata Kowalczuk
H. Ward Hamlin, Jr. (Member) born Buffalo, New York, 1946; admitted to bar, 1972, New York; U.S. District Court, Northern and Western Districts of New York. Education: Hamilton College (A.B., 1968); Albany Law School of Union College (J.D., 1971). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; Western New York Trial Lawyers Association; Defense Trial Lawyers of Western New York. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Insurance; Negligence; Products Liability; Construction Accidents; Automobile Insurance Defense; Public Liability.Email: H. Ward Hamlin, Jr.
Nicole B. Palmerton (Member) born Buffalo, New York; admitted to bar, 2002, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: American University (B.A., 1995); State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2001). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Association. Languages: Conversational Dutch and French. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense Litigation; General Litigation.Email: Nicole B. Palmerton
COUNSEL
Peter E. Klaasesz (Counsel) born Buffalo, New York, June 28, 1937; admitted to bar, 1961, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., 1959; J.D., 1961). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Probate Law; Elder Law.Email: Peter E. Klaasesz
Karen Cook Serotte (Counsel) born Buffalo, New York; admitted to bar, 1991, New York. Education: Boston College (B.S., magna cum laude, 1988); State University of New York (J.D., 1991). Karen Cook Serotte concentrates her practice in the area of real property tax assessment and tax certiorari litigation throughout New York State. Ms. Cook Serotte is a graduate of Boston College (B.S., magna cum laude, 1988) and the State University at Buffalo School of Law (J.D., 1991). She was admitted to the State Bar of New York in 1992. Ms. Cook Serotte has been associated with Brown & Kelly since 1991. She has represented large municipalities in the defense of tax assessments on complex commercial and industrial properties including utility properties, transmission and distribution equipment and utility generation stations. She also represents residential and commercial property owners in the reduction of their real estate tax assessments, including multi-unit income properties, industrial buildings, office complexes and residential homes. Ms. Cook Serotte handles cases at the trial court level as well as appeals. She has been counsel in many published decisions clarifying critical issues in real property tax litigation. She was counsel in several cases before the New York Court of Appeals, including a case involving the largest assessment in Erie County. She has also been a lecturer for the Bar Association of Erie County and various assessment organizations on real property tax assessment issues. Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; International Association of Assessing Officers; New York State Assessors Association; Erie County Assessors Association. Practice Areas: Real Property Tax Assessment Law; Estate Planning and Probate Law.Email: Karen Cook Serotte
Judith Biltekoff (Counsel) admitted to bar, 1994, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York. Education: Boston University, School of Communication; State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law (J.D., 1994). Member: New York State Bar Association. Practice Areas: Employment Law; Labor Law; Employment Discrimination; Business Litigation; General Litigation.Email: Judith Biltekoff
ASSOCIATES
Ellen Avery Novak (Associate) born Buffalo, New York, July 20, 1945; admitted to bar, 1983, Ohio; 1984, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1990, New York. Education: Kent State University (B.S., 1968); University of Toledo (J.D., 1983). Member: Toledo Bar Association; Bar Association of Erie County. Practice Areas: Insurance Litigation; Construction Law.Email: Ellen Avery Novak
Mark J. Schaefer (Associate) born Rhinebeck, New York, May 29, 1962; admitted to bar, 1994, New York; U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: Vassar College (B.A., 1984); State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 1993). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Products Liability; Negligence; Insurance Law.
Jessica Burgasser (Associate) born Buffalo, New York; admitted to bar, 2003, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York. Education: Canisius College (B.S., Marketing, 1999); University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 2002). Member: Tonawandas and New York State Bar Associations; Western New York Trial Lawyer's Association; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Personal Injury; Civil Litigation; Corporate Law; Family Law; Products Liability.Email: Jessica Burgasser
Ryan J. Mills (Associate) born East Amherst, New York, March 10, 1978; admitted to bar, 2004, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.P.S., cum laude, 2000; J.D., 2003). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Business Litigation; Corporate Law; Personal Injury.Email: Ryan J. Mills
Carolyn M. Henry (Associate) born Buffalo, New York, April 17, 1964; admitted to bar, 1990, New York and U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.S., cum laude, Business, 1986; J.D., 1989). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations; Women's Bar Association of the State of New York. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Insurance Coverage.Email: Carolyn M. Henry
Tara Waterman (Associate) born Jamestown, New York; admitted to bar, 2007, New York. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., magna cum laude, 2003; J.D., magna cum laude, 2006). Member: Erie County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Environmental Compliance.Email: Tara Waterman
Julia E. Roberts (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, New York and Massachusetts. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D.). Member: Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense.