Member News

Rochester, New York, August 15, 2024 – Underberg & Kessler LLP is proud to announce that 14 attorneys were recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and two attorneys were selected to the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

The attorneys selected by Best Lawyers and their areas of recognition are:

• James A. Coniglio – Municipal Law, Geneseo, NY
• Patrick L. Cusato – Real Estate Law, Rochester, NY
• David H. Fitch – Health Care Law; Litigation - Health Care; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Rochester, NY
• Steven R. Gersz – Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law; Corporate Law; Corporate Governance Law; Health Care Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Rochester, NY
• Timothy P. Johnson – Real Estate Law, Buffalo, NY
• Katherine H. Karl* – Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Finance Law; Commercial Transactions/UCC Law; Real Estate Law, Rochester, NY
• Paul F. Keneally – Commercial Litigation; Labor Law – Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment; Litigation - Municipal; Municipal Law, Rochester, NY
• Thomas F. Knab – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Construction; Litigation – Insurance; Litigation - Labor and Employment, Buffalo, NY
• Anna E. Lynch – Corporate Law; Elder Law; Health Care Law, Rochester, NY
• Colin D. Ramsey – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants; Litigation – Insurance; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Buffalo, NY
• Margaret E. Somerset – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Rochester, NY
• David M. Tang – Health Care Law; Litigation - Health Care, Rochester, NY
• George S. Van Nest – Environmental Law; Litigation – Construction; Litigation – Environmental, Buffalo, NY
• Helen A. Zamboni – Real Estate Law, Rochester, NY

*Also awarded 2025 “Lawyer of the Year.”

Katherine H. Karl was selected by The Best Lawyers in America^® as the recipient of the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” award in Real Estate Law in Rochester, New York. Best Lawyers awards "Lawyer of the Year" accolades to individual lawyers who received the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the "Lawyer of the Year" for a specialty and metropolitan location per edition.

Kate is chair of Underberg & Kessler’s Commercial Lending practice group and a partner in the Real Estate & Finance practice group, Kate’s practice covers commercial real estate transfers, development, and financing. She has broad experience representing commercial lenders, owners, developers, and businesses in all aspects of acquisitions, sales, construction, development, and lease negotiations. Kate is a cum laude graduate of Union University at Albany Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Bucknell University, where she earned her B.S.

The attorneys selected by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch and their areas of recognition are: 

• Ericka B. Elliott – Litigation - Labor and Employment, Rochester, NY
• Andrew M. Washburn – Real Estate Law, Rochester, NY

Best Lawyers recognitions are based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review^® evaluation. More than 184,000 industry leading lawyers from around the world are eligible to vote and provide evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas.

About Underberg & Kessler LLP
Underberg & Kessler LLP is a full-service law firm with offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Canandaigua, and Geneseo, New York. For nearly 100 years, the Firm has been serving business and individual clients with commercial lending, construction, creditors’ rights, corporate & business, environmental, estates & trusts, family law, health care, labor & employment, litigation, municipal law, real estate & finance, and tax matters. Since 2013, Underberg & Kessler has been highly ranked by Best Law Firms^® and 16 of our attorneys were recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^®. For more information, visit underbergkessler.com.