Corporate
Nationally ranked in Corporate law by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” and recognized by Chambers USA, the worldwide leader in law firm rankings, with a Band 1 rating for Corporate/M&A, Chambers has described the HSE corporate team as having “big market capabilities without NYC prices.”
HSE corporate attorneys provide private and public companies with comprehensive counseling and assistance on day-to-day legal, operational, and regulatory issues, as well as on significant milestones in a company’s lifecycle such as seed and venture financing, acquisitions and mergers, strategic planning, and leadership transitions.
Our clients include companies of all sizes – from entrepreneurs and start-ups to Fortune 100 multinational and nonprofit organizations. Leveraging industry experience to provide strategic advice, we counsel companies in a variety of industries including agriculture, financial services, food and beverage, health care, higher education, manufacturers, retail, and technology.
Our corporate lawyers are leaders in their field, with deep experience advising on matters including:
- Contracts and agreements
- Corporate finance
- Corporate governance
- Entity formation
- Licensing and partnering agreements
- Mergers and acquisitions
- State and federal tax
- Succession planning
We deploy a team and multidisciplinary approach to our client service by utilizing attorneys in the firm’s other areas of practice relevant to a client’s needs and success including employee benefits and executive compensation, environmental, government affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, real estate, privacy and data security, securities & capital markets, tax and trusts and estates.
Keys to Effective and Efficient Contracting: Understanding Business Priorities and Risk Tolerance
Where we started: HSE’s Corporate group is often approached by regional and national companies that have a large volume of contracts with vendors and clients. They want solid legal advice and contracts that protect their interests and business relationships. But they also need efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Our strategy: Whether the agreement is for a licensing arrangement, the provision of goods or services, or other business needs, our Corporate team focuses on understanding a client’s needs, goals, and risk tolerance. Where appropriate, we develop template agreements – reflecting a client’s business priorities – which can be tailored more efficiently and cost effectively to a given circumstance or business relationship. We educate clients on possible risks, while also anticipating and preventing roadblocks or working around them should they surface. We stay attuned to business needs arising from the larger context of a transaction: industry trends, the financial health or distress of the client, economic forces, and other dynamics.
The outcome: With a deep bench of experienced corporate lawyers, HSE’s team handles a large volume of contracts and contract claims while consistently providing market-leading service and cost-effectiveness.
Key Contacts
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Phillip A. Delmont
Partner
Buffalo
716.844.3721
pdelmont@hselaw.com -
Gregory J. Coughlin
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1152
gcoughlin@hselaw.com
Team
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Thomas R. Anderson
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1106
tanderson@hselaw.com -
Brandon M. Ball
Associate
Rochester
585-231-1205
bball@hselaw.com -
Vittoria L. Buzzelli
Associate
Rochester and Albany
585.231.1361
vbuzzelli@hselaw.com -
Joseph G. Casion
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1407
jcasion@hselaw.com -
Daniel W. Collins
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1322
dcollins@hselaw.com -
Matthew A. Eldred
Senior Associate
Rochester
585.231.1487
meldred@hselaw.com -
Claire A. L. Fallone
Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1271
cfallone@hselaw.com -
Philip R. Fileri
Senior Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1225
pfileri@hselaw.com -
Nicholas S. Gatto
Senior Counsel
Buffalo
716.844.3738
ngatto@hselaw.com -
Jonathan R. Jasinski
Senior Associate
Buffalo
716.844.3771
jjasinski@hselaw.com -
Daniel R. Kinel
Retired Partner
Rochester and New York City
585.231.1186
dkinel@hselaw.com -
Kayla E. Klos
Partner
Buffalo
716.844.3751
kklos@hselaw.com -
Andrew J. Latona
Law Clerk
Buffalo
716.844.3706
alatona@hselaw.com -
Alexander R. McClean
Partner
Rochester and New York City
585.231.1248
amcclean@hselaw.com -
Ralph K. Merzbach
Senior Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1349
rmerzbach@hselaw.com -
Edward J. Pelta
Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1178
epelta@hselaw.com -
Jodi A. Reynolds
Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1159
jreynolds@hselaw.com -
Michael Roche
Senior Associate
Rochester
585.231.1364
mroche@hselaw.com -
Rayza Santiago
Counsel
Rochester
585.231.1359
rsantiago@hselaw.com -
Karthik N. Sekharan
Associate
Rochester
585.231.1426
ksekharan@hselaw.com -
Emily R. Shannon
Paralegal
Rochester
585.231.1391
eshannon@hselaw.com -
Brian B. Shaw
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1193
bshaw@hselaw.com -
Steven Y. Solomon
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1222
ssolomon@hselaw.com -
Edward (Ted) H. Townsend
Partner
Rochester
585.231.1254
etownsend@hselaw.com -
Kristian D. Walker
Associate
Rochester
585.231.1240
kwalker@hselaw.com -
Craig S. Wittlin
Managing Partner
Rochester and Buffalo
585.231.1260
cwittlin@hselaw.com
Harter Secrest & Emery and Michael Roche Featured in WROC News 8 Segment on Cannabis Education Event

According to our clients:
“HSE is an outstanding legal partner for our company. Incredibly responsive, very competitive in their rates and they take a real interest in our business. I can call them at any time and know that we will get the resources we need within hours... even internationally during the holidays!”
U.S. News - Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms”
“As our corporate counsel, Harter Secrest & Emery has provided our company not only excellent advice, but across a broad range of expertise that has served us very well. I value our relationship and the quality of every attorney we have interacted with. I would highly recommend them.”
U.S. News - Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms”