New Windsor, NY

Alexander E. Mainetti

Alexander E. Mainetti, Esq. is a personal injury trial attorney and partner at the law firm of Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. Alex along with his brother and father formed Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C., in 2018, a law firm designed exclusively to handle personal injury cases. Since then the firm has grown from 1 to 3 law offices including Kingston, Poughkeepsie and now New Windsor, NY, has doubled their attorney and paralegal staff and was voted the #1 Personal Injury Law Firm in the Hudson Valley. Within the firm, Alex is focused on personal injury trial advocacy. He has obtained millions of dollars in trial verdicts and settlements in Supreme Courts and Federal Courts throughout the State of New York. He was voted #1 lawyer in the Hudson Valley in the 2022 Chronogrammies. He has been ranked as 10 out of 10 on AVVO, Top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association, Top 10 nationally by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Top Lawyers of Upstate New York, America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, Ranked Nationally as Top 10 under 40 by NAOPIA and nominated as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year consistently since 2016. Alex is dedicated to helping his clients who have been wronged and promises to provide them with the highest level of representation. Alex is a graduate of Queens College and a 2013 graduate of Albany Law School. Outside of the law, Alex was elected and served as President of Ulster County Community Action (UCCA), a not-for-profit organization focused on helping poverty-stricken families in the Hudson Valley community. He spent countless hours at UCCA developing strategies to grow the organization and provide a better quality of life to all those in need. In 2019-2020 Alex was also elected and served as President of the Ulster County Bar Association. UCBA is an organization comprised of Ulster County Justices presiding over Village, Town, City, County, Supreme and Appellate Division Courts, as well as Hudson Valley attorneys. Most recently, in 2023 Alex proudly joined Kingston Uptown Business Association (KUBA) as a Board Member and in 2024 was elected Vice President. KUBA is a tremendous organization largely responsible for the revitalization and continual improvement of the Uptown Kingston Business District.

Alfred Mainetti

Alfred Mainetti is a partner at Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. Alfred is a personal injury trial attorney. He graduated from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois with a J.D. Al works hard to make sure each client receives the maximum compensation they deserve. He gets to know each client as individuals and regularly communicates with them to update them on their case and to better serve their needs. He has successfully litigated multiple multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for his clients. Alfred obtained over $5,000,000 for an injured motorcyclist, one of the largest recoveries for an injured motorcyclist in Ulster County history. Al is active in the community and regularly sponsors charitable events and functions across the Hudson Valley.

Michael Forrester

Michael Forrester has been practicing law since 1968. A Westchester County native, he moved to Newburgh in 1969 and in 1982 joined the predecessor of the law firm of Silver, Forrester & Lesser. Mr. Forrester attended Syracuse University, studied in Florence, Italy, received his Bachelor Degree from New York University and his law degree from Fordham University. He is a member of the New York State Bar and is admitted to the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Forrester has handled trials in Federal Courts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey. In addition, he has argued cases before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York State. Over the course of his legal career, Michael Forrester has fought to ensure justice for personal injury victims and consumers in a wide variety of cases (including auto accidents, trip and fall, construction and dog bit injuries) and to hold negligent or reckless corporations, government agencies, and other wrongdoers accountable for the harm they cause. In the 1970’s he achieved fourteen consecutive acquittals, after trial, in the City Court of Newburgh, a record that still stands. He was former town attorney for the Town of Plattekill and past president of the Newburgh Bar Association. He has served on the board of the McQuade Foundation and the Newburgh Jewish Community Center.

Michael Kavanagh

Michael Kavanagh is an associate at Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. He is a personal injury trial attorney with extensive criminal law experience. Mike graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Psychology in 1993, and then attended law school at Widener University in Harrisburg, PA where he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1998. Mike then started his legal career in the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, where he spent nearly eight years as a prosecutor. After being admitted to practice law in Texas, Mike then moved to Austin, TX where he went into practice with his best friend from Law School, working as a defense attorney and civil litigant. After spending two years in Austin, he decided to return to his lifelong home in Ulster County where he joined the firm Mainetti, Mainetti & O’Connor and specialized in criminal defense and personal injury cases for almost 5 years. During this time, Mike also served as legal counsel for the Ulster County Legislature, as well as a Special Prosecutor for the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. In 2011, Mike joined the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, where he served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney before being appointed by DA Holley Carnright to the position of Chief Assistant District Attorney in 2015. During his nine years with the DA’s Office, Mike was assigned to the most serious cases, including the prosecution of offenders charged with murder, bank robbery, gang violence, rape, and many more. Mike handled many of the highest profile trials in Ulster County, and within the legal community is considered one of the finest trial attorneys in the area. As an associate with Mainetti & Mainetti, Mike uses his vast trial and courtroom experience to help clients who have been hurt as a result of negligence receive the maximum compensation possible for their injuries. For clients charged with crimes, Mike’s experience as a former prosecutor makes him a uniquely qualified and strong advocate with a thorough understanding of the criminal justice system.

Michael A. Mainetti

Michael A. Mainetti is a partner at the law firm of Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. Michael is a 2005 graduate of Ithaca College and a 2010 graduate of Albany Law School. Following law school, Michael immediately began practicing personal injury law, and additionally started working for the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office, representing people who could not afford private counsel. Although working for the Public Defender’s Office was a rewarding way to give back to the community in which he was born and raised, Michael stepped down from the position in 2018 in order to follow his passion for personal injury law and to form the law firm of Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. with his father Alfred and brother Alex. Michael’s focus is on personal injury law and trial advocacy, and he has taken verdicts in Supreme Court in the counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Sullivan and Delaware. Michael has also found success arguing in the Appellate Division, 3rd Department. Michael’s advocacy has resulted in his clients receiving millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, and he has been ranked as a Top Attorney in Upstate New York and Hudson Valley and as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2015-2018, was nationally ranked in 2018 in the Top 10 under 40 by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys and as one of America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys. Michael feels privileged for the opportunity to be working in the area where he was born and raised and is dedicated to helping his community both in and out of the courtroom.

Louis Dauerer

Louis M. Dauerer began working for the Firm in 1990 while still in Law School. His astute legal acumen and diligent work ethic made him a natural fit to remain with the Firm and dedicate his legal career to the advancement of the rights of injured workers. Lou is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident who graduated from Arlington High School. He holds degrees from Dutchess Community College (A.A.), State University of New York Binghamton (B.A.) and St. Johns University School of Law (J.D.). Lou is active in several organizations dedicated to assisting injured workers. He sits on the Board of Directors of the New York injured Workers Bar Association (as Past President) and is a founding member and one of the Directors of the New York Workers Compensation Alliance, a political action committee dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers. Lou also serves on the Board of the non-profit Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial, which raises scholarship funds for the children of permanently injured and deceased workers. Lou enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews, participating in sports car club activities and shooting sports events. He is also an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Joseph Pugliese

Joseph M. Pugliese is an associate at Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. Joseph graduated summa cum laude from Marist College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 2017, and then immediately attended law school at Brooklyn Law School thereafter where he graduated with high honors. At Brooklyn Law School, Joseph served as a member of the school’s Moot Court Honor Society National Team and obtained numerous awards for his work in litigation, including winning the Regional Championship in an American Bar Association Trial Advocacy competition. Joseph is a Hudson Valley native, having been born and raised in Kingston, New York. He graduated from Kingston High School in 2013, where he served one-term as Student Body President. Prior to joining the firm, Joseph worked in the Kings County District Attorney’s office as a student Assistant District Attorney and as an associate in private civil practice. Joseph has dedicated his career to trial advocacy, civil practice, and personal injury. As an associate of Mainetti & Mainetti, Joseph uses his litigation and courtroom expertise to ensure that negligent defendants are held liable and to maximize the possible compensation for his injured clients. Joseph feels honored and excited to return to his lifelong home in Ulster County to help bring justice to individuals in need of representation.