Vermont

Christopher J. Maley

Burlington, VT

Christopher J. Maley is a Vermont personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation. He has been recognized annually in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2007 and has received multiple 'Lawyer of the Year' awards for Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation in Burlington, VT. He is also listed in New England Super Lawyers® and holds Martindale Hubbell’s highest attorney rating of AV Preeminent®.

Peter F. Langrock

Burlington, VT

Peter founded the firm in 1960. He is a trial lawyer and a counselor to all. He is also a farmer, an author, a painter, a world traveler, and a chef. Peter handles matters from traffic cases to arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was elected State’s Attorney of Addison County in 1960, just months after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School. Since then he has been involved in virtually every type of trial, in every county and every Federal courthouse in Vermont, and as far away as Sitka, Alaska. He twice argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and four of his cases were carried on Court TV.

Richard W. Affolter

Essex Junction, VT

Dick Affolter received his B.A. in 1963 from DePaul University. He received his L.L.B. law degree from Cornell University in 1966. He has been practicing as a Vermont trial lawyer for 45 years. Recognized as one of Vermont’s elite lawyers, he has been AV rated in Martindale Hubbell for over 45 years. For years Dick represented doctors and hospitals charged with medical negligence. He was successful as a defense lawyer who authored a publication used by Vermont doctors to avoid malpractice claims. Years ago, Dick chose to switch teams and represent victims of medical negligence. Dick is well known and respected in the medical and insurance communities. While Dick’s role these days is of counsel and not full time practice, his expertise still provides our clients with an advantage in negotiating and resolving claims.

David L. Cleary

Rutland, VT

David L. Cleary, the senior partner and President of the firm, has practiced law in Vermont since 1970. For over 45 years, he has litigated both plaintiff and defense cases, including personal injury, toxic tort, product liability, aircraft disaster, professional liability, and commercial litigation, trying over 250 cases to verdict. He is currently very active as a mediator and arbitrator in these areas in Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. He served in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam, and was awarded the Bronze Star. He was a long time member of and counsel to the Vermont Professional Conduct Board, counsel to the Board of Medical Practice in Vermont, and past-Chairman of the Governor’s Tort Reform Commission. He continues to serve on the United States District Court Advisory Committee for Vermont and lectures frequently.

Terence P. O’Connor

Burlington, VT

Terry O’Connor is a 1980 graduate of St. Lawrence University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. In pursuing his undergraduate degree, he also studied in Copenhagen, Denmark. Terry received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1983. Terry is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been voted by his peers on an annual basis as one of the Top 10 Upstate New York Attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine. In addition, Terry has been named the Best Lawyer, Lawyer of the Year for both Medical Malpractice Law (defendants) and Products Liability Law (defendants). In 2011 he was honored with the Albany County Bar Association’s President’s Award. In 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Terry is a trial lawyer who defends physicians, dentists, nurses, hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York State and Vermont. Over the course of his career, Terry has tried upwards of 125 cases to verdict. In defending physicians, he has handled cases involving licensing issues, wrongful death and birth trauma claims. In addition, Terry has handled a wide variety of other civil litigation matters, including cases involving Labor Law violations, trucking accidents, motor vehicle accidents, products liability and premises liability. Terry has been appointed by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York as a mediator/arbitrator/early neutral evaluator. Over the past decade, Terry has mediated and arbitrated approximately 200 cases.

Michael Hanley

White River Junction, VT

Michael Hanley has practiced law in northern New England since 1976, primarily representing patients in medical malpractice cases and parties to complex commercial litigation. He has a demonstrated record of obtaining fair and just outcomes for clients, often handling complex or difficult matters referred by other lawyers. Michael was the lead attorney in several landmark cases that significantly changed the law in areas such as legal malpractice, wrongful termination, dram shop actions, and childhood sexual abuse. He has achieved numerous notable recoveries for his clients.