Best Lawyers Near You in Rochester, New York
New York City is one of the most active and complex legal markets in the world. With a dense network of courts, regulations and high-stakes legal matters across every industry, navigating the legal system here requires more than just any attorney—it requires the right one.
Whether you're dealing with a corporate dispute, a criminal charge, or a personal legal issue, experience matters. So does reputation. That’s why this directory exists.
The Best Lawyers New York directory offers a streamlined, trustworthy way to start your search. Every attorney in New York listed has been recognized by their peers for professional excellence and the platform is designed to help you filter by legal need, review credentials and take the next step with confidence.
How the Directory Works
This page serves as a targeted directory for users looking to find a lawyer in New York. Each attorney listed has been recognized in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers—a distinction based entirely on peer nominations and evaluations.
You won’t find ads or sponsored listings here. Instead, you can search by:
- Practice area: filter by the type of legal help you need
- Location: narrow results to your borough or region
- Attorney name: if you’re looking to verify someone you’ve already heard of
Each attorney profile includes a clear summary of their experience, focus areas and credentials—giving you the information you need to make a confident decision.
Legal Help by Practice Area
New York City residents’ and visitors’ legal needs are wide-ranging and so are the attorneys listed in this directory. You can quickly narrow your search by legal focus. This directory includes attorneys who concentrate on some of the most in-demand areas of law in New York, such as:
- Business and commercial law
- Criminal defense and investigations
- Employment and labor disputes
- Real estate and construction law
- Divorce, custody and family matters
- Immigration issues
- Personal injury and malpractice
- Estate planning and probate
Why These Attorneys Are Listed
Every attorney on this page has earned a place through Best Lawyers’ rigorous annual peer-review process—one of the most trusted selection methods in the legal profession.
It’s recognition by fellow attorneys who know the work and understand what excellence looks like. Attorneys are nominated by peers and then evaluated on legal skill, professional conduct and client outcomes. Thousands of lawyers participate each year, providing confidential assessments within their specific practice areas.
To be listed, an attorney must:
- Be nominated by another legal professional
- Receive consistently high marks from peers in their practice area
- Maintain a strong track record of ethical behavior and client success
Only those who stand out among their peers are selected. And only those chosen in the most recent edition of the Best Lawyers awards appear in this directory, ensuring that every listing reflects current, active recognition.
Attorneys also manage their own profiles, so the information you’re reviewing is not only credible, but current. You’ll find clear details about each attorney’s practice focus, background and achievements—everything you need to make an informed decision.
This page is built to support your search—not get in the way of it. Whether you're starting from scratch or narrowing down a list of top attorneys in New York, this directory is a practical, no-frills tool to help you move forward.
Start Your Search
If you're trying to find a lawyer in New York, this directory offers a trusted, peer-reviewed way to start. Whether you're hiring for the first time or looking to verify someone's standing, the attorneys listed here have been selected for a reason.
Begin your search by selecting your legal focus. Then explore profiles, compare qualifications and connect with an attorney in New York who’s already earned the trust of the legal community.
Select a practice area from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Practice Areas
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...
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...
Jennifer Chadwick counsels businesses and their owners in matters involving general corporate, employment, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, financing matters and shareholder and member disputes. Jennifer also counsels financial institutions in commercial loan transactions, creditors’ rights and compliance and regulatory matters. Her goal is to provide clients with enthusiastic, efficient and skilled representation.
Deborah M. Field practices in the area of personal injury litigation, including motor vehicle negligence, medical malpractice, premises liability, construction-related accidents, and products liability. She is an experienced litigator who moved back to Rochester in 2003 to join her family’s law firm started by her grandfather over 80 years ago. Prior to joining Morris & Morris in 2003, Deborah M. Field practiced for eight years in Washington D.C. where she worked for several years a...
Robert Galbraith is the Managing Partner at Davidson Fink LLP. He has extensive experience counseling clients in commercial and residential real estate, development and finance, as well as default related services. Mr. Galbraith's experience with commercial real estate and development throughout the Eastern United States has given him the knowledge to offer effective solutions to lenders and servicers, regional and national developers and investors. Mr. Galbraith has lectured extensively...
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...
The majority of David MacKnight’s practice has been concentrated in insolvency related work for consumer and business debtors in both liquidation and reorganization. He represents creditors, both secured and unsecured, in consumer and business cases. David provides all bankruptcy related services to four credit unions with assets ranging from $50 million to one billion dollars.David has briefed and argued numerous appeals, principally bankruptcy related, in both the District Court and t...
Attorney James E. Morris is an experienced litigator and former judge who is known throughout Upstate New York for his ability to resolve complex disputes through mediation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, an elite nationwide group of mediators and dispute resolution professionals known for their skill, ethical standards, and professional commitment. Morris is a practicing attorney with the longtime Rochester, New York law firm Morris and Morris, and has been ...
Peter Rodgers represents individuals in trials involving personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, wrongful death and business disputes. His work in medical malpractice has involved cardiac, neurologic, obstetrical, orthopedic, vascular and infectious disease lawsuits including the failure to diagnose cancer, heart disease and infectious disease. Peter has represented patients who are victims of surgical error and emergency room neglect. He also has represented those injured or...
Joseph A. Rossi, Jr. focuses his legal practice on plaintiff personal injury litigation, including motor vehicles accidents, medical malpractice (negligence), premises liability (slip/trip and fall), negligence matters, and wrongful death matter. During his entire legal career he has only represented injured people. Joseph grew up and initially practiced personal injury litigation on behalf of injured people “downstate” in NYC before moving back to his wife’s hometown of Roc...
Sharon P. Stiller is a Partner at Abrams Fensterman, LLP and is based in our Rochester office. Ms. Stiller advises businesses and executives about employment law, represents businesses in federal and state labor department audits, and litigates employment matters, including state and federal wage and hour, discrimination, contract, confidentiality, non-compete, and similar claims. She also helps businesses audit their employment practices, and drafts employment contracts, manuals, policies, a...
Jacqueline is a Partner in Lacy Katzen’s Litigation Group and Chair of the firm’s Personal Injury Litigation Department. A trial attorney for over 25 years, her practice is focused in personal injury civil litigation. This includes medical and hospital malpractice, surgical errors, birth injuries, nursing home negligence and abuse, motor vehicle, trucking and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, construction site accidents and dog bite cases. She is also knowl...
Craig Welch is the Chair of Lacy Katzen LLP's Corporate, Business and Banking Law Practice Group. He has been practicing law for more than 34 years, and represents clients who have diverse legal needs that typically involve issues from a variety of practice areas. In representing his clients, Craig is able to provide his business and individual clients with a high level of counseling due to his extensive experience in so many areas of the law. He is also the resident attorney at our Canandaig...
