Woodhaven, NY

Sean Schaefer

Sean Schaefer is the firm’s Chief Trial Counsel and manages the Personal Injury Division. He previously worked at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office and became a partner at a prestigious litigation firm before co-founding Peknic, Peknic & Schaefer, LLC in 2006.

Catherine Papandrew

Catherine Papandrew joined the firm in 2017. Her practice areas include insurance defense, personal injury litigation, matrimonial law, and wills, trusts, and estates. She previously worked as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the New York City Law Department.

Thomas Chojnacki

Thomas Chojnacki is an experienced trial attorney handling personal injury and property damage litigation, including New York State Labor Law, motor vehicle accidents, and premises liability. He previously served as Acting Village Justice for East Rockaway.

Frank H. Guzmán is a licensed Attorney and Counselor at Law in the State of New York. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law and a Bachelor's Degree from Central Washington University. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, various U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and all New York State Courts. Mr. Guzmán is a decorated Combat War Veteran and is fluent in Spanish. He is a member of several legal associations including the American Bar Association and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Sean Kiely

Sean Kiely joined the firm in 2025, specializing in civil litigation, particularly complex personal injury cases. Originally from Ireland, he qualified as a Barrister-at-Law and has secured multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for clients.

Charles Peknic

Charles Peknic is the managing partner of the firm’s Corporate, Real Estate, and Criminal divisions. He has been a member of the New York State Bar since 1994 and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx.

Brian Peknic

Brian Peknic is a founding partner, managing the insurance and no-fault defense division, as well as the wills and estates division. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1998.