Andrew D. Merrick specializes in insurance, negligence and medical malpractice litigation. He is a graduate of Canisius College (B.S., 1963) and the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1966). Mr. Merrick was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1966 and then served as a captain in the U.S. Army, JAGG, from 1967 to 1971. He joined the firm in 1971.

Mr. Merrick is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County and the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association. He is a native of Buffalo, New York.

Ryan Mills concentrates his practice in civil litigation as well as corporate and estate matters. Ryan is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County, the New York State Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). Ryan also serves on the Clarence Zoning Board of Appeals.

Ryan is a Western New York native and graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Architecture, cum laude. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, where he was a member of the ATLA Trial Competition team and served as President of the University a Buffalo's ATLA chapter. During law school Ryan also served as Senior Associate Editor of the Buffalo Human Rights Law Review and as Business Editor for the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal. Ryan is admitted to the New York State Bar and United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Western District of New York.

Ellen Avery Novak has recently jointed Brown & Kelly providing construction and fidelity and surety law litigation support. She received her undergraduate degree from Kent State University and her J.D. (1983) from the University of Toledo College of Law where she was the recipient of the Bureau of National Affairs award for scholarship.

Prior to her association with Brown & Kelly, Ms. Novak practiced in Ohio for 15 years concentrating in consumer debt collection and domestic relations appellate practice. She was formerly associated with Sharfman, Cohen, Schwab and Novak of Toledo, Ohio.

Ms. Novak is admitted to the bars of Ohio (1983) and New York (1990) and is also admitted to practice in the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern District and Western Division. She is a member of the Toledo Bar Association.

A native of Williamsville, New York, Ms. Novak is the Administrator of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association Arbitration Program.

Nicole Palmerton is a Western New York native and graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. She is a 2001 graduate of State University at Buffalo School of Law, cum laude, where she was a member of the ATLA Trial Competition team. She is a dedicated contributor to the Erie County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyer's Project, and is also a member of the Charles A. Desmond Inn of Court.

Ms. Palmerton, was admitted to the New York State Bar in February, 2002, is fluent in Dutch and speaks conversational French. She focuses her practice in representation of insurers and insureds in liability and coverage disputes.

Julia E. Roberts, Associate

E-mail: jroberts@brownkelly.com

Julia E. Roberts is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., magna cum laude, 2003) and the University at Buffalo Law School (J.D., 2006). Ms. Roberts was admitted to practice law in New York State and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in February 2007 and is a member of the Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. She concentrates her practice in insurance defense litigation.

Ms. Roberts, a native of Buffalo, attended Nardin Academy (1998) and is a long-time volunteer for the Darwin D. Martin House Restoration Corporation. Prior to joining Brown & Kelly in 2008, she practiced with Hamberger & Weiss, a Buffalo-based firm that represents workers' compensation insurance carriers and self-insured employers in the defense of workers' compensation claims.