William Ciszewski

Terry is a former presidentially appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of New York and co-leader of the firms Government Compliance and Investigations Practice Group. He represents businesses across industries in both civil and criminal government investigations which include conducting internal corporate probes and independent monitorships. He has advised clients among the Fortune 50 and large privately held companies, including Facebook and United/Continental Airlines, o...

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...

Scott Philbin is a Buffalo-based litigation attorney handling a broad array of business and commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal court. He routinely represents corporations, insurers and financial institutions in issues relating to breach of contract, the leasing of heavy construction equipment, enforcement of non-compete agreements, banking litigation, investor claims and commercial paper disputes. Scott also has experience in toxic tort cases involv...

Allison Fiut is a dedicated civil litigator at Harris Beach Murtha, located in Buffalo, New York. Her practice is primarily centered on commercial litigation, offering legal representation in New York state and federal courts as well as through alternative dispute resolution processes. Her work involves representing clients in a variety of commercial dispute areas such as: Business divorce Breach of contract Non-compete agreements Trade secret misappropriation Shareholder issues Commercial le...

John P. Comerford is a Senior Partner at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He grew up in Lewiston, New York, a small historic town near the Canadian border. As a young child, Mr. Comerford grew up in the shadows of Love Canal and personally observed the consequences of environmental pollution. After graduating from high school, he attended Cornell University and studied Environmental Science. Mr. Comerford devotes the majority of his time to asbestos personal injury matters. He has liti...

James T. Scime is widely recognized as one of the region’s most skilled and respected attorneys. He practices in the areas of personal injury, construction accidents, products liability, medical malpractice, and automobile accidents. He devotes the majority of his time to trial and litigation matters. Mr. Scime is widely respected among his peers for his trial and negotiating skills. Many local attorneys refer matters to him when their clients have sustained serious injuries. Over the c...

Joseph J. Gumkowski practices in the areas of general business law, e-commerce, taxation, and intellectual property. His practice is concentrated in servicing select clients of the firm in the entertainment business. Mr. Gumkowski is an active member of the Sports Car Club of America; the Sports Car Club of America, Western New York Region; the South Towns Motor Club; and the Central New York Ice Racing Association. Mr. Gumkowski earned second place in the 2002 New York State Road Racing Cham...

Erik Goergen is a litigator, based in Buffalo, who represents a diverse array of local, national and international clients in complex commercial disputes and product liability matters at both the trial and appellate levels. My focus My practice focuses on litigating disputes in a wide range of complex commercial litigation and product liability matters, representing international, national, and local clients in the aviation, healthcare, manufacturing, and commercial real estate industries. My...

Justin D. Ginter is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Justin D., who practices law in Buffalo, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Justin D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael Ponterio is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Michael, 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 Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.