Leslie M. Connolly, Lucrecia Z. Knapp, Anna S.M. McCarthy, and John P. Bringewatt named Excellence in Law Winners
Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, a full-service business law firm with offices throughout New York, announced that Leslie M. Connolly, Lucrecia Z. Knapp, Anna S.M. McCarthy, and John P. Bringewatt have been honored by The Daily Record as winners of the publication’s 2019 Excellence in Law awards.
Connolly was recognized in the Top Women in Law category, which honors the accomplishments of female attorneys making notable contributions to the legal profession while inspiring a positive change in the community.
As Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Corning office, Connolly has over two decades of experience counseling clients in a broad range of environmental, health and safety compliance matters, land use and zoning projects, and alternative energy developments. She contributes significantly to the community through her work with the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, where she serves as President of the Board of Directors; the Corning Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Council, where she serves as Chair; and through her membership in the Women Presidents’ Organization, Rochester I Chapter, among others. Connolly is a graduate of Emory University and Fordham University School of Law.
Knapp, McCarthy, and Bringewatt were recognized as Up & Coming Attorneys who demonstrate professional accomplishment, community service, and a strong commitment to the legal profession early in their careers.
Knapp is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Immigration practice group. She represents companies, universities, and medical institutions on all aspects of complex and ever-changing employment-based and family-based immigration and I-9 compliance. She assists students, medical professionals, executives, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, persons of extraordinary ability, and immigrant investors in a wide range of immigration matters. She contributes to the community through her work as a member of the Board of Directors of Lollypop Farm, Humane Society of Greater Rochester, serving as the Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Upstate New York Chapter, and as a pro bono attorney for the Monroe County Volunteer Legal Services Project. Knapp graduated from Queens College and Brooklyn Law School.
An Associate member of Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment practice group, McCarthy focuses in employment litigation and counseling. She advises clients in the development of employee policies, wage and hour issues, discipline and termination decisions, discrimination and harassment claims, development of clients’ affirmative action programs and in ensuring compliance with employment-related federal and state regulations. McCarthy also represents clients that are involved in business-related disputes, and she counsels clients on best practices for maintaining compliance with federal and state cybersecurity regulations. McCarthy serves as a Board Member and Employment Law Committee Chair for the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY), Western New York Chapter, as well as serving as a Board Member on the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York. McCarthy is a graduate of Wellesley College and SUNY Buffalo Law School.
Bringewatt is a Senior Associate and a member of the Government and Internal Investigations practice group. His represents corporations and individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative investigations, including investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Office of the New York Attorney General. In addition, he assists clients in conducting internal investigations and in preparing self-disclosures to law enforcement and administrative agencies, and he represents clients in complex, high stakes civil litigation. Bringewatt is active in several civic organizations including serving as a member of the Empire Justice Center Board of Directors. He is a magna cum laude graduate of both Colgate University and the University of Michigan Law School.
The 2019 Excellence in Law winners will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, June 6, at the Hyatt Regency Rochester, 125 E. Main Street.
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