Hartford, CT

Stephen P. Cooney

Steve joined the firm in 2003 and is a Partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He is a cum laude graduate of the University of New Hampshire in 1997 and Roger Williams University School of Law in 2002, where he served as Articles Editor of the Roger Williams Law Review. He served a judicial clerkship with the Rhode Island Supreme Court Clerk Department. He is admitted to practice in all Rhode Island and Massachusetts state and federal courts, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Steve’s work focuses on civil litigation, including defense of products liability, toxic tort, premises liability, transportation litigation and insurance claims. He handles complex litigation from inception through trial for many local and national corporations. He has also practiced extensively in alternative dispute resolution and has argued before the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Steve has recently focused on the defense of asbestos-related claims by manufacturers, distributors and premises owners, across the country.

Attorney James A. Welcome provides comprehensive legal advocacy for clients throughout Connecticut, focusing on personal injury, workers' compensation, immigration law, and criminal law. He offers in-depth representation for trials, arbitration, mediation, and appeals. He has been recognized as a 'Top 40 Under 40' lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers Association and holds a Superb Rating on Avvo. He has been included in the Super Lawyers® list as a top Immigration Attorney from 2013-present. With over two decades of experience, he handles each case personally from start to finish. His staff is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and he serves clients across Connecticut, New York, and in certain immigration cases, nationally and internationally. He is also involved in community service and is a member of several legal associations.

Rashmi N. Patel

Rashmi N. Patel is the founder and principal member of the firm, specializing in immigration, family, and personal injury law. She has nearly 20 years of experience and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2020. Attorney Patel is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, English, and Spanish, and is known for her client-focused approach and effective advocacy.

Paul Levin

Attorney Paul Levin was admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut beginning in 1989 and in the New York Federal district court beginning 1992. He is a member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Connecticut Bar Association, and the National Association for American Justice. Presently, attorney Levin serves on the AAJ’s National Public Affairs Committee which is by invitation only. He is rated by AVVO (Independent Lawyer Research Organization) as “Superb” and has been recognized by Hartford Magazine as a Top Personal Injury Lawyer in the Greater Hartford, CT area (2010,2018), selected to “ Superlawyers” in the personal injury category multiple years (2013-2022). Paul co-founded Levin, Rojas, Camassar & Reck, LLC in order to pursue lawsuits in the U.S. on behalf of premature infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis along with his partners, attorneys Rojas, Camassar & Reck. Since that time in the early days of the Covid pandemic, the Firm has gone on to expand its mission to represent and advocate on behalf of other vulnerable populations and individuals. Attorney Levin along with his partners are actively representing military veterans and their family members who were exposed to contaminated underground water while on base in Camp Lejune, North Carolina. The Firm has also taken on other corporate entities ignoring public health and safety problems associated with unclean cabin air bleeding into the passenger and crew compartment during flight operations which are known to be associated with aerotoxic syndrome and filed one of the first cases against Airbus Industries in Federal District Court in New York. Attorney Levin and his partners believe that there are many more individual and mass tort cases to come that the Firm will advance in order to secure justice and good financial outcomes for those affected.

Steven J. Errante

Steven J. Errante is a partner in the law firm of Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante, where he practices primarily in the areas of medical malpractice and personal injury law. Attorney Errante lectures and teaches extensively. He is also active in the Connecticut Bar Association and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. Steve has been with the law firm for 36 years, 31 years as a partner and over 15 years on the firm’s management committee. His principle areas of practice involve complex cases representing individuals with catastrophic personal injuries. Steve has obtained verdicts and settlements of millions of dollars throughout the state of Connecticut in both state and federal court. In addition to managing the civil litigation portion of the firm, Steve teaches and lectures extensively. He has taught trial practice as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law for 25 years and before that taught at the university level for 10 years. He has been lecturing to lawyers around the state of Connecticut since the mid 1980s and continues to conduct several lectures every year. Steve has served as Chairperson for the Connecticut Lawyers Advisory Committee from 1990-2013. The advisory committee is in charge of the publication of the official Connecticut Bar Association magazine called The Connecticut Lawyer. Steve has also chaired, since 2004, the New Haven County Bar Association Committee on Recommendations for Admission to the Bar from 2001-2014. This committee makes recommendations to the Statewide Grievance Committee regarding various lawyers and whether or not they are fit for the practice of law. Steve also devotes time to community service, having served on the Board of Directors of the South Central Connecticut Red Cross and presently on the Executive Board of the Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut, Inc., as vice president. This nonprofit corporation’s mission statement is to provide diverse and creative support services to children and families throughout Connecticut to ensure that “every child counts.”

Valerie B. Calistro

Valerie B. Calistro is the Managing Partner of Ventura Law, specializing in Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Mass Torts, and Complex Litigation. She also represents victims of sexual assaults and traumatic brain injuries. She has successfully handled thousands of civil cases, many exceeding a million dollars, in Connecticut and New York state and federal courts. She is proficient in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.

James A. Ruggieri

Jim has maintained a broad-based litigation practice for approximately 40 years. Among his many accomplishments during his distinguished career, he was named chief defense liaison counsel for the landmark Station Fire mass tort litigation by the Presiding Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court. He has devoted a substantial part of his practice to the defense of product liability claims, including automotive/trucking product liability, manufacturing machinery and equipment, electrical components, building products, medical devices and other products. Jim is also actively involved in the defense of asbestos product liability claims on behalf of manufacturers of heating and cooling equipment, valves, pumps, compressors, building products manufacturers, and aircraft manufacturers throughout New England. His practice regularly involves insurance coverage matters in the areas of extra-contractual liability, claims handling, coverage and bad faith. On issues of employment law, Jim actively represents employers across a wide range of industries in the defense of employment discrimination claims at both the administrative level and in the state and federal courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He is also involved in the defense of the transportation industry in connection with trucking accident claims as well as labor and employment issues. Jim has tried more than 30 cases to conclusion in the state and federal courts and has represented clients in numerous appellate proceedings in both state and federal courts. Jim began his legal career as a law clerk to the Justices of the Rhode Island Superior Court during the 1982-1983 term. He served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Florence K. Murray during the 1983-1984 term. He joined Higgins Cavanagh & Cooney in 1984 and became a partner in 1990. Jim has participated in hundreds of mediations throughout his career and is currently expanding his mediation practice. He has successfully completed the 40-hour Harvard Mediation Intensive at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Executive Education.