Heath J. Szymczak

William B. Collins is the owner of the firm. He has been practicing law since 1982, representing people for serious personal injuries throughout the United States. He is admitted to the State Bar of four separate states: New York, Florida, Michigan and West Virginia. His successful litigation in venues throughout the country attests to his ability to perform at the highest level anywhere and under any circumstances. He takes special interest in complex industrial and commercial negligence, in...

Jeff joined this firm in 1993 and became a partner in 1994. He is a lifelong resident of the Olean area and an Olean High School Graduate. Mr. Black obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1990 and graduated cum laude from The Dickinson School of Law (Penn State) in 1993. While in law school he was a member of the Dickinson Law Review and his case note was published. He was also a member of the Woolsack Honor Society. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Bla...

Jonathan D. Schechter’s 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 enterpris...

Terrence M. Connors has been recognized by his peers as one of the pre-eminent trial attorneys in the state. For the past seven years, he has been ranked as the number one lawyer in all upstate New York by Super Lawyers magazine. This year, the Erie County Bar Association named him Lawyer of the Year and, in 2006, the New York State Bar Association awarded him the prestigious Attorney Professionalism Award. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership in that organizati...

William Moore is a senior partner of the firm and represents individuals who have suffered serious injuries. He has a reputation for being an aggressive advocate and for being highly accessible and responsive to his clients. Mr. Moore has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts. Many attorneys, both locally and out of state, refer their cases to Mr. Moore. Doctors also frequently refer their injured patients to him. Mr. Moore has been named to The National Trial Lawyers: T...

When clients select The Barnes Firm to represent them in their personal injury cases, they have the right to expect an attorney who has extensive trial experience, as well as experience in dealing with insurance company representatives. As a senior trial attorney for a Fortune 500 property and casualty insurance company, I learned the inner workings of the insurance business, and how that industry accesses and resolves liability claims. This experience is particularly crucial in the evaluatio...

David H. Alexander practices law in New York and Florida, and serves as a foreign legal consultant in Ontario, Canada. His areas of practice include wills, estates and trusts, estate planning and administration, business counseling, corporate law and taxation. He represents Canadian and other foreign corporations in the establishment of United States subsidiaries and in their conduct of business in the United States. He also represents Canadian and other foreign persons who purchase assets in...

Hon. Erin M. Peradotto, who retired from the appellate bench in 2023, draws on her nearly 17 years of experience as an associate justice with the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, to serve clients of Harris Beach Murtha’s Appellate Practice Group and Business Litigation Practice Group. Harris Beach’s Appellate group is a specialized group of attorneys with experience litigating appeals, as well as other matters involving brief writing, oral advoc...

Dennis Harlow is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Dennis, who practices law in Buffalo, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dennis is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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. 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 Cou...