Joel M. Howard III

Kristi Rich Winters is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Kristi, who practices law in Albany, New York, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristi is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Karen Martino Valle is Of Counsel to our firm and focuses her practice on the organization and operation of business and not-for-profit corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, as well as estate planning and administration, contested estate and trust matters and business succession planning. She advises clients on a wide range of business matters, including transactional matters, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning and commercial leasing and financing, with a specific fo...

Eric A. Tepper is a partner in Gordon, Tepper & DeCoursey, LLP, and was born in Schenectady, New York. Mr. Tepper graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, and from George Washington University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree, with honors. He has been selected for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers in America" for the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions. Best Lawyers has s...

Elise C. Powers is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Elise C., who practices law in Albany, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Elise C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Philip Rosenberg represents all types of health care providers, including hospitals, health networks, nursing homes, home health care agencies, medical transportation companies, physician practices, individual professionals, assisted living providers, alcohol and substance abuse providers as well as industry-wide trade associations. What do you focus on? My practice involves representing health care providers in a range of regulatory, transactional and litigation matters, with a particular em...

Kurt Bratten is a partner in our Health Law Department. His practice includes a wide range of civil litigation, transactional work, compliance and other advisory services. Kurt’s primary focus is on counseling health care providers regarding various compliance and transactional matters such as state and federal data security and privacy requirements, managed care and other contractual matters, and state and federal regulatory requirements applicable to various provider groups. He freque...

Marie Flynn Danek is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Marie Flynn, who practices law in Albany, New York, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Marie Flynn is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James E. Hacker is a 1981 graduate of Hamilton College and a 1984 graduate of Albany Law School. Mr. Hacker holds an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell and is recognized as a “Best Lawyer in America” in the fields of commercial litigation and personal injury by “Best Lawyers”. Mr. Hacker is a member of the Board of Trustees at Albany Law School and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Albany County Bar Association. He is a Regional Vice President of the New Yor...

Michael J. Hutter is a Professor of Law at Albany Law School of Union University, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1976. He is also Special Counsel to the Albany law firm of Powers & Santola, LLP. Professor Hutter is an honors graduate of Brown University and Boston College Law School. In law school, he was the Editor-In-Chief of Boston College’s law review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. After graduation, Professor Hutter served as law clerk to Judge Matthe...

Brian Goldstein focuses his practice in the areas of executive compensation, employee benefits, and ERISA fiduciary counseling. He is a founding member of the firm’s ESOP class action practice. For over 30 years, Brian has assisted clients with the design and implementation of all types of pension, profit sharing, 401(k), employee stock ownership, stock-based compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation and tax-sheltered annuity plans. His practice has a particular concentration on ...