Martin, Harding & Mazzotti Becomes 'Part of the Community'

May 5, 2009 - PRLog -- UTICA — The Albany-based law firm Martin, Harding & Mazzotti has been serving clients in Utica for more than 10 years, yet the firm’s attorneys still felt they didn’t quite know the city well enough.

So they decided to open a new office in the heart of downtown Utica.

The local office, at 258 Genesee St., will offer an opportunity for the firm’s personal injury and workers compensation attorneys to become more familiar with what Utica is all about.

“The practice has grown so much in Utica during the past several years that we felt we needed to have a physical presence there to better represent the people,” firm partner Paul Harding said Thursday. “We were comfortable serving Utica out of Albany, but we weren’t part of events in the area; we weren’t part of the community.”

When people choose an attorney, they consider several factors, including experience, referrals from past clients and advertisements, Harding said. But, he added, “They also like the fact that they’re working with people that understand who they are and who understand their community.”

The firm was founded in 1994, and last Thanksgiving it began to sponsor a free cab ride program in Utica to offer transportation during major holidays when drunken driving typically spikes, such as New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day.

The office officially opened in December, and six members of the law firm will rotate into the location until a more full-time presence is established. Until that time, Harding said clients can call the firm to schedule an appointment.

The office space will be shared with attorneys Joseph Zappone and Utica native Patrick Fiore.

Establishing such an office more than 70 miles away is something the firm’s partners have been discussing in recent years, Harding explained. While Utica has plenty of fine general-practice attorneys, Harding said the firm felt the area was “a bit underserved” as it pertained specifically to personal injury cases.

# # #

Founded in 1994, Martin, Harding & Mazzotti is a personal injury law firm with offices in Upstate New York and new offices in Utica and Manchester, VT. The firm has attorneys licensed in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan, the District of Columbia and California. The firm sponsors and supports extensive community outreach programs promoting personal safety and will continue to do so in the future. Martin, Harding & Mazzotti is honored to have been voted “Best Law Firm” in the 2008 Times Union Readers’ Poll. For more information, visit http://1800LAW1010.com.