Brandon Cottrell

Carolyn Nussbaum is a partner in the Commercial Litigation group, and a member of the Securities and Governance Litigation team as well as the Class Action team. Carolyn represents companies and their management and leaders who confront business disputes. She is also the Managing Partner for the Rochester office of the firm, where she oversees policies impacting nearly 300 employees. What do you focus on? I concentrate my commercial litigation practice in four main specialized areas, using mo...

Steven Nonkes is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Steven, who practices law in Pittsford, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mike focuses on litigation involving high exposure and value civil cases involving toxic exposures, motor vehicle accidents, products liability, commercial disputes, labor law claims and construction accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, and mass torts and industry-wide litigation. He represents Honeywell International, which named Harris Beach a Go-To Law Firm® for torts litigation in the In-House Law Departments at the Top 500 Companies as published by Corporate Counsel. M...

Francis (Chris) Affronti is a divorce, family law lawyer and appellate advocate. He handles cases where the marital estate might involve two blue collar employees who own a house and have some retirement accounts. At the same time, he handles high conflict custody cases and divorces with complex financial issues and extensive marital estates. He is a meticulous and strategic thinker. He handles child support, maintenance, and family offense cases in Supreme and Family Court. He prepares QDROs...

Bob Burgdorf’s practice concentrates on general real estate law, zoning, and legal services to higher education institutions. Representative clients include private developers, public utilities, college and universities, energy companies and commercial landlords and tenants. What do you focus on? Land use and zoning I have concentrated much of my practice in representing companies in contested land use and zoning projects, including securing permitting for more than 1,500 cell tower sit...

"You have to be an attentive listener, and appreciate that every situation presents its own unique challenges as well as opportunities. To that end, it is important for me to design and implement solutions that best fit the client’s needs and business.” Dave focuses on corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, business planning, licensing and distribution, private financing transactions, software contracts and general corporate matters. He represents indivi...

I joined The Barnes Firm because I wanted to be part of a team that fights for people who are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. I pride myself on putting forth the hard work and dedication necessary to be the best. I have had the opportunity to work with some of the top legal individuals in New York State including then New York State Senator, Hillary Clinton, and New York State Appellate Division Justice, Samuel Green. I graduated from the University at Buffalo School o...

Eric Paley is a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits team and practice group co-leader of the Labor & Employment practice group. He advises clients on how to comply with the laws governing their employee benefits programs. What do you focus on? Three hallmarks distinguish my practice. Representing nonprofit organizations I work primarily (though not exclusively) with a wide range of nonprofit organizations—hospitals/health systems, colleges/universities, iconic arts/cultural...

Emily Crowley is dedicated to representing hospitals, health care providers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult care homes in Pittsford, New York. Her practice focuses on clinical operations, patient rights, risk management, medical staff privileges, medical ethics, and professional discipline. Emily provides guidance on matters related to EMTALA, HIPAA/HITECH compliance, and privacy issues. She actively works with clients to ensure their policies and procedures comply with ...

I am the Chief Trial Counsel for The Barnes Firm in New York and California. In addition, I am the Co-Chair for the Labor Law Department at The Barnes Firm. I began practicing law in 1989. I have focused my practice to the representation of people who have been injured in construction accidents, motor vehicle crashes and while using defective products. I have won numerous million dollar verdicts and settlements for my clients in the more than three decades as a personal injury trial lawyer. I...