Melanie Franco
About Melanie Franco
Melanie Franco is a lawyer based in Albany, NY and has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America since 2026. Melanie Franco is recognized in the following practice area:
- Albany, New York
- Energy Law
Current Firm: Couch White LLP
Education: Pace University, J.D., graduated 2019
Location: Albany, NY
It takes just a few minutes to optimize your profile for clients looking to engage and lawyers who are ready to refer.
Activate your profile and highlight why your peers recognized in Best Lawyers today.
Nearby Lawyers
JEFFREY M. SELCHICK is an attorney and is engaged in the full-time practice of labor arbitration and employment dispute resolution. Serving on labor arbitration panels of the American Arbitration Association and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, as well as the arbitration panels of many local agencies, Mr. Selchick has arbitrated and/or mediated disputes in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia, and Ohio. Mr. Selchick is available to travel throu...
Kelly J. Mikullitz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Kelly J., who practices law in Latham, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kelly is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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 ...
Ryan M. Finn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Ryan M., who practices law in Albany, New York, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Greg A. Riolo is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Greg A., 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 Greg A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Vincent E. Polsinelli is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Vincent E., who practices law in Albany, New York, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Vincent E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Whitney Phelps represents healthcare clients in corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters. She has extensive experience in health care benefits, managed care and value-based contracting. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Whitney also served as Director of Managed Care and Associate Counsel at the Healthcare Association of New York State. My focus I am a healthcare strategist. I provide practical and solution-oriented options for healthcare stakeholders of all kinds on a broad range of co...
Steve is the founding partner and chair of the Personal Injury and Criminal Defense practices at O’Connell and Aronowitz. Under his leadership, our firm has become one of the most active personal injury and criminal defense law firms in upstate New York. Few lawyers in the area have excelled in both the personal injury and criminal defense fields. With over thirty five years of experience at the state and federal levels, Steve is considered one of the most successful trial lawyers in th...
Mark R. Ustin is a regulatory attorney and lobbyist. Mark has extensive experience assisting health and human services providers and related entities navigate the complicated statutory, regulatory, and policy landscape surrounding service delivery and payment. He assists clients with promoting and responding to legislation, regulation, and other government actions impacting their interests. He also steers clients through state processes to secure millions of dollars in government grants and o...
Mike is the President at O’Connell and Aronowitz. He handles plaintiff’s personal injury cases and criminal defense at our firm. He has handled or supervised over three dozen homicide prosecutions, trying many of those cases to verdict, and he is a court-appointed special prosecutor in homicide cases in Albany and Rensselaer counties. While in law school, Mike was an Associate Editor of the Albany Law Review. Upon graduation, he entered the Albany County District Attorney’s ...
Explore and Learn
Recognizing Legal Leaders: The 2027 Best Lawyers Awards in Australia, Japan and Singapore
by Jamilla Tabbara
Market drivers, diversity trends and the elite practitioners shaping the legal landscape.
Musk v. Altman: The Lawyers Behind the Case
by Jamilla Tabbara
Meet the Trial Lawyers Shaping One of AI's Biggest Legal Disputes.
The Best Lawyers in France 2027: Peer-Reviewed Excellence
by Jamilla Tabbara
Seventeen editions of peer trust, a growing profession and a dynamic legal market.
Announcing the 2027 Best Lawyers Awards: Austria, Germany and Switzerland
by Jamilla Tabbara
Celebrating the legal professionals throughout Central Europe.
The Legal Teams Behind the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni Settlement
by Grace Greer
A closer look at the legal teams and attorneys involved in the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni litigation and its resolution.
Can You Go to Jail at an Arraignment?
by Bryan Driscoll
Understanding What Happens at Your First Court Appearance.
When Is It Too Late to Stop Foreclosure?
by Bryan Driscoll
Understanding the foreclosure timeline, critical deadlines and the legal options that may still protect your home.
How AI Is Changing the Way Clients Find Lawyers
by Jamilla Tabbara
Best Lawyers CEO Phil Greer explains how AI-driven search tools are reshaping legal marketing and why credibility markers matter.
When to Get a Lawyer for Work Injury
by Bryan Driscoll
Understanding your rights and navigating the complexity of workers’ compensation claims.