By Langston McFadden
They sit at the table with representatives from some of the country’s most powerful corporations and individuals. They are not there to merely observe the conversations, transactions and negotiations taking place but to be integral parts of shaping the events that are soon to play out. They have paid their dues. They have put in the hard work. They have studied long hours and have undertaken a mission to serve the interest of their clients--both large and small--with vigilance, dedication and honor. Langston McFadden, Esq., Partner, and Jennifer (Wright) Berrios, Esq., Senior Counsel, both with the Law Offices of Pullano & Farrow, PLLC are showing the legal world that not only is justice blind; but here in America it can and should be colorblind!
McFadden graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo Law School in 2003 and began his legal career as a business and personal litigation attorney with Brown & Hutchinson LLP. After practicing at Brown & Hutchinson for a number of years, McFadden accepted a position with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP as Litigation Associate Attorney in the firm’s Trial Practice Group. Berrios graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005.
She spent the first 10 years of her career practicing in the commercial real estate groups of Harter Secrest & Emery LLP and Nixon Peabody LLP. After more than a decade of practicing law at large firms in the Rochester and Western New York markets, McFadden and Berrios decided they wanted and needed more out of their respective careers. They needed something different. They needed a chance to take control of their careers and pursue a more entrepreneurial and client-relationship focused approach to practicing law. Their chance came in 2013 when two of their friends and colleagues, Brett E. Farrow, Esq. and Patrick Pullano, Esq., left Harter Secrest & Emery, the firm for which they all currently worked, to start something new - the Law Offices of Pullano & Farrow, PLLC (P&F). P&F created as a result of a desire to reconnect with clients in a manner that working for a large law firm did not afford them the opportunity to do. P&F is a firm that combines the experience and expertise of the big regional and national law firms with the personal touch of a local firm.
McFadden joined Pullano & Farrow as a Member (Owner) in January of 2014 and Berrios followed shortly thereafter, joining the firm in October of 2014, as Senior Counsel heading up and managing the firm’s Commercial/Residential Real Estate Group. McFadden and Berrios were both attracted to Pullano & Farrow because of the firm’s collaborative, team-centered approach to practicing law and its commitment to providing a “Different Client Experience.” The firm has grown since its inception in May of 2013 from two attorneys with a focus and wealth of knowledge in the field of healthcare and cooperate law to a full- service firm with 12 attorneys who specialize in business/ commercial and personal litigation; commercial and residential real estate; wealth management; wills, trusts and estates; healthcare; and labor and employment law. McFadden specializes in business/commercial litigation and Berrios specializes in commercial real estate, which includes leasing, purchase and sales, financing, real estate development and real estate investment.
The desire to impact and give back to the community has guided both McFadden and Berrios throughout their careers. McFadden was drawn to litigation because it is an area of law that demands someone to fight, often for the little guy, or else be walked over or taken advantage of by the giants in the room. He has devoted numerous hours to representing pro-bono clients in family law and prisoners’ rights matters and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Urban League; Mental Health Association of Rochester, Greece Basketball Association, New York State Bar Association’s Special Committee on Youth Courts and the New York State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee. Berrios is extremely passionate about the renaissance taking place in the Greater Rochester Area, especially in downtown Rochester and loves that her commercial real estate practice has allowed her to be a part of important real estate development projects that transform communities. She has been active with the Monroe County Bar Association’s Lawyers for Learning Program and has served on the Board of the Rochester Black Bar Association and Rise Up Rochester, a local not for profit organization dedicated to assisting families of victims of homicide.