News & Events

Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara Promotes Two Attorneys to Senior Counsel

Rhode Island – January 18, 2023 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) Managing Principal Gary R. Pannone today announced that Joshua J. Butera and Michael F. Ryan, Jr. were promoted to Senior Counsel. “At PLDO, we are committed to providing each team member with an opportunity to grow personally and advance professionally.  We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of Joshua and Michael during their tenure at the firm and this change in status recognizes their accomplishment and contributions,” said Attorney Pannone. “Advancing in a law firm requires the dedication to develop exemplary legal skills, as well as a to enhance one’s profile in the legal community. Since joining PLDO, Joshua and Michael have consistently...

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Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara Named a 2023 “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®

Rhode Island – November 3, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) announced today that it has been named to the 2023 “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® for 16 practice areas in Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. This marks the 13th consecutive year PLDO has received the designation for its professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. The practice areas cited for legal excellence in Metropolitan Tier 1/Rhode Island include: Employment Law – Management; Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Government Relations Practice; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor & Employment; Nonprofit/Charities Law, and Securities/Capital Markets Law. Practice areas recognized in...

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PLDO Attorneys Named 2022 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Rhode Island – October 12, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) is pleased to announce that several attorneys have been named to the 2022 Rhode Island Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. PLDO attorneys selected as Super Lawyers include: William P. Devereaux, Principal (Civil Litigation: Defense) Matthew A. Lopes, Jr., Principal (Criminal Defense) William E. O’Gara, Principal (Employment & Labor Law) Bernard A. Jackvony, Of Counsel (Estate and Trust Litigation) PLDO attorneys recognized as Rising Stars include: Patrick J. McBurney, Partner (Land Use/Zoning) LaTri-c-ea McClendon-Hunt, Senior Counsel (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Rebecca M. Murphy, Partner (Estate and Probate) Benjamin L. Rackliffe, Partner...

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Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara Principal Matthew A. Lopes Jr. Honored with Justice Assistance’s 2022 Neil J. Houston, Jr. Memorial Award

Rhode Island – October 3, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) announced that Matthew “Matty” A. Lopes Jr., a principal and founding member of the law firm, was selected to receive a 2022 Neil J. Houston, Jr. Memorial Award by Justice Assistance, a nonprofit organization that has been in the vanguard of providing criminal justice services and improvements to the Rhode Island community since 1978. Matty will be presented the award at a ceremony on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at the Marriott in Providence. The Neil J. Houston, Jr. Memorial Award is recognized as the most prestigious award presented within Rhode Island's criminal justice system. Along with Matty, other distinguished Rhode Islanders receiving the award...

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PLDO Partner Matthew C. Reeber to Present “New Wage Equity Law is Coming Soon. Are You Ready?” to the Rhode Island Assisted Living Association

Rhode Island – September 27, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) Partner Matthew C. Reeber, a prominent employment lawyer and litigator, will present “New Wage Equity Law is Coming Soon. Are You Ready?” to members of the Rhode Island Assisted Living Association (RIALA) on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Attorney Reeber will host the event at PLDO’s Johnston office at 1301 Atwood Ave., Suite 215N and be joined by Steve Loffredo, President, STELA Consulting, and Brian Zartarian, Assistant Vice President, Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage. Beginning January 1, 2023, Rhode Island employers will be subject to a new and sweeping law designed to promote pay equity and fairness in the...

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PLDO Partner Brian J. Lamoureux Speaks on Social Media in the Courts at the 2022 Rhode Island Fall Judicial Conference

Rhode Island – September 27, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) Partner Brian J. Lamoureux, a prominent business litigator and employment attorney who is a national voice on social and digital media law, presented “A View from the Trench: Tweets, Snaps, TikTok and Social Media in the Courts” to members of the Rhode Island Judiciary at the 2022 Fall Judicial Conference on Friday, September 23, 2022. Attorney Lamoureux’s presentation addressed how the widespread use of social and digital media have the propensity to complicate court proceedings, particularly when it comes to using a person or businesses’ profile page, posts, tweets, photos, and videos as evidence in legal proceedings. “As people continue to share many...

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PLDO Partner Gene M. Carlino to Present at ACTEC’s 2022 New England Regional Meeting

Rhode Island – September 6, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) Partner Gene M. Carlino, a highly respected attorney with more than 25 years of experience in all areas of estate and tax planning and administration, will present a “New England States Trust & Estate Update” at the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel’s (ACTEC) New England Regional Meeting on September 12, 2022, in Rockport, Maine. Attorney Carlino is a Fellow of ACTEC, the most prestigious organization in the United States for estate planning and trust counsel comprised of approximately 2,400 lawyers and law professors from across the globe. Fellows are peer-elected and chosen by the Board of Regents based on their “outstanding reputation,...

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PLDO Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 – William E. O’Gara Recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in his Practice Area

Rhode Island – August 18, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) is pleased to announce that fourteen (14) attorneys in multiple practice areas have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 in the Providence/Metro Region and Massachusetts. Best Lawyers® compiles its lists of Best Lawyers and Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch by practice area and geographic location by conducting peer reviews in which hundreds of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch attorneys are those lawyers recognized for their “outstanding professional excellence” who have been practicing for less than 10 years. In addition, the firm announced that PLDO...

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PLDO Partner Benjamin L. Rackliffe to be a Featured Speaker at Providence Business News “2022 Business of Cannabis Summit”

Rhode Island – July 19, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) Partner Benjamin L. Rackliffe, a leading authority and advisor to cannabis industry business owners and investors, will be a featured speaker at the “2022 Business of Cannabis Summit,” sponsored by Providence Business News, on Thursday, September 15 from 9:00am - 11:00am at Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Avenue in Warwick. With the recent passage of the bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Rhode Island and with retail sales set to be effective December 1st, the Summit will feature panel discussions with various cannabis industry, business and community leaders who will discuss the expected impact and growth of this burgeoning sector,  legal/human resources...

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PLDO Client Sweetspot Dispensary Opens Innovative Consulting and Delivery Service Facility for RI’s Medical Marijuana Patients

Rhode Island – June 21, 2022 – Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO) is pleased to announce that its client, Plant Based Compassionate Care, d/b/a Sweetspot Dispensary, opened a new medical marijuana dispensary in South Kingstown, becoming the first compassion center to open in Rhode Island in eight years. Plant Based Compassionate Care was one of five marijuana dispensary applicants selected in the Rhode Island Office of Cannabis Regulation lottery last fall to pursue a final license within the State by satisfying rigorous regulatory requirements. The new medical marijuana center will serve as a consulting and delivery services facility for patients throughout Rhode Island. PLDO Partner Benjamin L. Rackliffe served as legal...

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