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William J. Brongo, Esq.

If you've reached this page, I am sure you have questions regarding who I am and about my experience. There used to be a saying that “the clothes make the man.” I think the experience makes the person. Here’s mine.

I earned my undergraduate degree  "cum Laude" from the University of Buffalo with an Ad Hoc degree in "Historical Perspectives on Comparative Religion and Ethics." Upon graduation, I found that there was a temporary lull in corporate demand for ethicists. I worked a variety of “hard labor” jobs: A logging job in the Cascade mountain town of Index, Washington; Driving truck for a division of Allied Eastern Distributors; Loading trucks and freight cars for an army surplus business; Loading bread trucks for a division of  International Brands. Let me say that I learned the value of a dollar the hard way.

After a few years I decided that there must be an easier way to make a living. I went to Law School and graduated from the University of Buffalo. Just before I graduated, I was run over by a drunk driver.  After spending the better part of a year recovering, I began my practice of law.

I have now been in practice 42 years. In reverse chronological order;

  • I have been in private practice, working exclusively in Surrogate's Court (the Court that determines the validity of a will ,and determines who is to be appointed to be the fiduciary of an estate)  for 11 years;

  • I was Chief Clerk of Surrogate's Court for about 9 years, during which time I was the chief administrative officer of the Court, and supervised the lawyers, law clerks (lawyers employed by a judge to be legal advisors on matters before the Court), court clerks and other professional staff. I was also the author of many of the Court's written decisions;

  • I was a Law Clerk to the Surrogate for a year before becoming Chief Clerk;

  • I served as the Seventh Judicial District's first matrimonial referee for 2 years, presiding over about 1200 cases;

  • I was Law Clerk to New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles Siragusa for 5 years;

  • For 8 years I was the Chief of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office, supervising a staff of attorneys and investigators in narcotics, gambling and organized crime cases;

  • Prior to that I was an Assistant District Attorney in both the litigation and the appeals departments of that office;

  • I started my career as a trial lawyer in the Monroe County Public Defender's office. 

This experience has given me the opportunity to help thousands of people from all walks of life; from victims of crimes to grieving families, from to judges facing difficult legal questions to people making similarly difficult decisions about their life's work and fortunes, and above all to those who are no longer with us and put their trust in our system of law to carry out their final wishes.

I look forward to discussing how I can help you.

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