Jamestown, NY

Charles S. DeAngelo

Charles S. DeAngelo is an attorney at Fessenden, Laumer & DeAngelo, PLLC, in Jamestown, New York. Mr. DeAngelo practices in the areas of general practice, employment law, estate planning, real estate transactions, personal injury law, and civil litigation. He is experienced with litigation and alternative dispute resolution methods such as arbitration and mediation. Mr. DeAngelo has been practicing since 1981 and represents clients in Jamestown, Fredonia, Dunkirk, and Olean, as well as throughout Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and southern Erie counties. His clients include individuals and unions in the private and public sectors. In addition to his role as a private attorney, he is a regional attorney for the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc. Over his time in practice, Mr. DeAngelo has negotiated many major settlements for his clients. When litigation is necessary, he is prepared to fight for his clients’ rights in the courtroom. In recognition of his success, he is AV Preeminent® peer-review rated through Martindale-Hubbell. This is the organization’s highest rating, reflecting high legal capability and ethical standards. He also has received the “Super Lawyer” distinction for a number of years. An active contributor to his legal community, Mr. DeAngelo is a member of the Eighth Judicial District Character and Fitness Committee and a former president of the Jamestown Bar Association. He has also been involved with community organizations including the Jamestown Boys & Girls Club, Chautauqua County Youth Hockey Association Sled Hockey program, and Hunter’s Hope Foundation. Mr. DeAngelo earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Cornell University and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He was previously employed as an attorney for the Teamsters International Union at its international headquarters in Washington D.C. and was the campaign manager for former Congressman and Lt. Governor Stan Lundine. He holds licenses to practice law before the state and federal courts of New York, United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit, and Federal Circuit.

Allan M. Lewis

Allan Lewis, Senior Partner and son of Norman Lewis, founder of our firm, has lived in the Buffalo area for over 70 years; 45 of those devoted to the practice of personal injury law. Allan’s success as a trial lawyer is unquestioned in the Western New York legal community. He has championed his client’s rights in all phases of legal proceedings, including a well-noted victory in New York’s Court of Appeals. Allan has obtained multimillion-dollar verdicts in cases involving medical malpractice, product liability, and motor vehicle accidents. He has had great success in the area of construction site accidents. By consistently putting in the time and effort necessary to obtain the best possible outcomes, Allan sets the standard for all of Lewis & Lewis’ attorneys. Allan’s breaks from the litigation world focus on time with family and his love of golf.

Michael T. Coutu

Mike Coutu has over 20 years of experience as an injury lawyer. He has successfully resolved hundreds of cases for his clients and has substantial court room experience at both the trial court and appellate level. He also has training and experience as a mediator and arbitrator. He has been honored to be selected by other attorneys to help resolve cases for their clients. As a former defense attorney, Mike particularly enjoys counseling clients injured through the negligence or fault of others. Our clients often have Workers’ Compensation and/or Social Security Disability claims in addition to personal injury cases from their construction site injury, injury on property, motor vehicle crash or injury due to a defective or dangerous product. It is only by helping our clients understand the relationship between all aspects of injury law that our clients can receive maximum compensation for their injuries. Mike is active as an educator and speaker regarding various personal injury topics and is a member of various bar associations including the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, New York State Bar Association, Western New York Trial Lawyers Association, and the Erie County Bar Association. Mike enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with his family and coaching youth baseball. He is active in youth sports, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and throughout the Grand Island community.

Peter Pillittieri was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1993. Mr. Pillittieri earned his Associate degree from Jamestown Community College, his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1989, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron in Akron, OH, in May 1992. His practice areas consist of criminal law, family/matrimonial law, personal injury, and real estate. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Jamestown Bar Association and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Federal Courts. He presently serves on the Jamestown Area Midget Football Mediation Panel. Living in Jamestown with his wife and two daughters, he is a member of Moonbrook Country Club and St. Mary of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church.

Mary has been practicing law since 1988. As the principal personal injury partner, Mary has extensive experience in negotiating settlements, securing experts, handling witness depositions, and the numerous other aspects of litigation. Mary has been active in various community organizations, including the Chautauqua County Humane Society. She is a past president of the Jamestown Bar Association. Mary has previously served upon the Eighth Judicial District Attorney Grievance Committee, as Town Justice for the Town of Chautauqua, and as an Assistant County Attorney for Chautauqua County. Mary is a graduate of Duke University and SUNY Buffalo Law School.

Emily L. Downing

Emily Downing earned her undergraduate and law degree from the University at Buffalo. Both her BA and JD were awarded cum laude. Her undergraduate degree in Communications prepared her well for both law school and lawyering. While in Law School, she was a member of the Buffalo Law Review and served as the publication’s book review editor. She interviewed with Lewis & Lewis during the Spring of her final year of law school, accepted our offer of employment and has been with us ever since. Although her studies earned her certificates in both taxation and environmental law, Emily chose Lewis & Lewis based on her desire to work directly with clients. She values the opportunity to help real people, with serious problems. During her two decades with Lewis & Lewis, Emily has worked in all aspects of our practice, including trials of serious personal injury cases. Her focus, and favorite job, is counseling injured workers and prosecuting their Workers’ Compensation claims. Emily is passionate about helping the “little guy” battle the big insurance company. As a working mother, she understands the difficulties of work-life balance, and the devasting effects a work injury or job loss can have on a family. Beyond her legal career and family, one of Emily’s proudest accomplishments is the founding of a club aimed at bonding friendship through charitable work. More than 15 years ago, Emily invited a group of her closest friends to gather for monthly dinners, and each month one of them would pick a charity or group in need of help. Over the years, “The Giving Chix” have donated thousands of dollars, pounds of food, bundles of clothing, books for children and a variety of other items to those in need. Emily is life-long resident of the Buffalo area and finds it essential to give back to the community however she can.

Galena Duba-Weaver

Galena began practicing law in 2014. She concentrates her practice in SSD, matrimonial and family law. She is proud to have assisted hundreds of sick or injured claimants receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Galena earned a Master’s Degree in English Literature with honors from the State University of New York at Fredonia and is a graduate of University at Buffalo Law School. While in law school, she participated in an externship with the New York State Attorney General’s Office and served on the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal. She was selected to receive a LAWR Writing Fellowship. Galena is admitted to the New York state bar, as well as the Western District of New York federal court. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet.