Joseph D. "Joe" Whelan

Mark Mandell graduated from Georgetown University Law Center receiving his J.D. in 1974. When Mark graduated from Georgetown he served as a law clerk for the Honorable U.S. District Judge Edward W. Day in the United States Federal District Court in Providence for a year before entering private practice. Mark is certified for his expertise in civil trials by two national organizations. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. Attorn...

Diana M. Ducharme is the Founder and sole member of Ducharme Law LLC, a Rhode Island women-owned business law firm. She practices in the area of commercial real estate finance, development and leasing, representing a broad range of clients on a variety of projects. Diana's real estate finance practice is focused on the representation of regional financial institutions in all aspects of commercial real estate finance, including construction and term lending, participations and syndications. On...

Erin A. Hockensmith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. Erin A., who practices law in Providence, Rhode Island, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Erin A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Heather Pierce is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Heather, who practices law in Providence, Rhode Island, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Heather is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matt O'Connor is an associate in Pierce Atwood’s Litigation Practice Group, focusing on construction, commercial, and ERISA litigation. In his construction work, Matt represents contractors and other entities in all manners of disputes, including mechanics' liens, construction defects, contract drafting, and navigating clients' interactions with state agencies. Matt has experience in state, federal, and bankruptcy courts and the American Arbitration Association in all aspects of litigat...

Stanley Pupecki is an experienced civil litigator who represents clients in a variety of industries, including insurance and health care. His representation encompasses all aspects of litigation, from inception through trial, including mediations and arbitrations, appellate practice, and motion practice in municipal, state, and federal courts. Before joining Pierce Atwood, Stan was a partner at Rice Dolan & Kershaw, where he practiced for 19 years. During law school, Stan interned for the...

Ralph R. Liguori is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Ralph R., who practices law in Providence, Rhode Island, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ralph R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Katharine Kohm focuses her practice on business dispute resolution and construction law. In her construction practice, Katie has represented owners, general contractors, design professionals, and subcontractors in state and federal courts and at arbitration and mediation proceedings throughout New England. In that capacity, Katie has provided advocacy to assert and defend claims involving bid protests, breaches of contract, change orders, cardinal change, default, defective work, delay, desig...

Steven Richard is a highly experienced trial and appellate lawyer who handles complex commercial, employment and higher education cases throughout the federal and state courts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Steve is especially active in the Rhode Island Federal District Court, where he serves as the Chair of its Local Rules Committee. What do you focus on? I handle a broad array of commercial, civil rights and higher education cases, using more than 20 years of pretrial and c...

Chris Whitney has more than 30 years of experience as a commercial litigation attorney, with extensive trial experience, jury and non-jury, in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He has also successfully mediated and arbitrated countless disputes. Cases he has handled include bankruptcy and state receivership actions, insurance coverage disputes, corporate divorce/shareholder litigation, partnership disputes, class actions, real estate title disputes, products liab...