Jay A. Smith is a founding member of SDG, and focuses his practice in insurance defense litigation, transactional real estate and general business matters. As a seasoned trial lawyer, Jay continues successfully to represent clients in and out of court in actions involving personal injury, products liability, insurance coverage and business disputes. His litigation background gives him unique perspective and experience as he handles numerous real estate transactions, residential and commercial, for sellers, buyers, title insurers, and lenders while working on personal injury cases for insurance carriers, their insureds and their own and his personal clients.
Jay was a former founding partner at now dissolved Flink Smith Law, LLC circa January 2000- May 2017. Jay ran the firm’s real estate practice, including as title agent for originally First American and now Westcor. He has handled numerous real estate transactions, residential and commercial, for sellers, buyers, title insurers and lenders while working on personal injury defense. Jay also handled Business and Corporate Law matters for CNA/Continental Insurance.
In the mid 1980’s, Jay was associated with an established Capital District general practice that included insurance defense and real estate, having the privilege to be trained by and work closely with several well-respected members of the Capital District bar at DeAngelis, Kaplowitz, Rice & Murphy of Delmar, New York. Thereafter, Jay worked as house counsel for Continental Insurance Company at Moran & Pronti of Clifton Park, New York, where he was allowed to develop his own personal practice which he greatly enjoyed.
Jay graduated from Tufts University in 1982, and received his law degree in 1985 from Albany Law School of Union University. Jay was captain of the Albany Law School Rugby Football Club. He was admitted to the New York State Courts and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York in 1986.
Jay is a member of the New York State Bar Association, is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyer’s and has served as President of the Defense Research Institute of Northeastern New York, and currently remains on its Board of Directors. Jay resides with his wife, Jodie, having raised their three daughters, Emily, Chandler and Amy in Delmar, New York. Jay particularly enjoyed coaching his daughters’ sports teams over the years, having played on the football and baseball teams, and captained the hockey team while at Tufts.
Jennifer L. Dominelli
Jennifer Dominelli is a founding member of SDG
With a reputation in the legal community for successful conflict resolution, Jennifer has obtained consistently favorable results for her clients.
Jennifer’s practice style has always concentrated on being prepared for whatever challenge clients may face while staying focused on their needs and objectives.
With a solid foundation as a litigator in the firm’s insurance defense practice, Jennifer has built a matrimonial practice designed to serve the needs of clients with unparalleled expertise in the law and compassionate guidance through difficult situations.
Jennifer has been practicing for over 20 years, serving clients in the Capital District and throughout New York State. Prior to forming SDG, Jennifer was a partner in Flink Smith, having joined on as the firm’s law clerk in 1996, continuing as an associate in 1998 and being named partner in 2006.
Presently, Jennifer concentrates her practice in the areas of personal injury litigation, matrimonial and family law and real estate. She also serves as general counsel to several business people and entities.
Jennifer is a 1995 magna cum laude graduate of Union College in Schenectady, New York and a 1998 cum laude graduate of Albany Law School of Union University. Upon graduation from law school, Jennifer was presented the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Family Law. She is admitted to practice in all New York State Courts as well as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Jennifer is a member of the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law and Family Law Sections of the New York State Bar Association. She is a member of the Collaborative Divorce Association of the Capital District (CDACD). An organization committed to providing an alternative to litigation for divorcing couples. Jennifer is an active volunteer with Union College, participating as a class agent with the College’s Annual Fund and serves on the Executive Committee of the Annual Business Campaign. Jennifer currently serves on the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit organization Joan Nicole Prince Home, which provides 24 hour bedside care for two residents at a time in a homelike environment. Jennifer enjoys competitive ballroom dancing and is on the Board of Directors, servings as Treasurer of the Capital District Chapter of USA Dance, Inc. Jennifer and her family reside in Glenville.
Christopher A. Guetti
Christopher Guetti is a founding member of SDG
Whether litigating or negotiating, Christopher has a reputation for solving complex issues for clients with thorough preparation.
As a founding member of SDG, Chris has been known for breaking down and addressing complex matters for his clients. He is a dedicated litigator, representing clients in various legal matters, including insurance defense, plaintiff’s personal injury, products liability, and criminal defense matters, as well as real estate. A large portion of his practice also focuses on toxic torts, including lead and chemicals, for both defendants and persons who have been exposed to such substances, and he has litigated at both the trial and appellate levels.
Chris’ litigation skills are well suited to the firm’s active matrimonial and family practice, where there is a need for complex zealous representation in court. Having completed collaborative practice and mediation training, he can also offer his matrimonial clients a more diverse range of options in solving what can be the most difficult and emotional issue in their lives. Collaborative practice has quickly become recognized for its value and efficiency, on both an emotional and financial level. It combines the potential use of experts with the dedication and commitment of the parties to come to a more personal and healthy resolution of disputes. Surprisingly, this can all be accomplished at a reduced cost to the potential litigants.
Chris has taken cases to trial in the personal injury, matrimonial and family law fields. He is admitted to practice in all New York State Courts as well as the federal United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chris is a proud graduate of La Salle Institute, a military preparatory school in Troy, New York, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After completing some graduate work, he decided to focus on the practice of law, attending Albany Law School of Union University. During his tenure, he worked with the NYS Department of Health’s Medicaid Fraud Division and the Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau. He also worked with the New York State Bar Association in the publications and CLE units. Soon thereafter, his practice focus changed after joining a local firm dedicated to personal injury and family law, where he assumed considerable responsibility for the firm’s matters, including the firm’s appellate practice in those areas.
Chris is currently a member of the New York State Bar Association, its Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law and Family Law Sections, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the New York Trial Lawyers Association. He is now a three-time President of the Defense Research Institute of Northeastern New York. He is also one of the few male attorney members of the Collaborative Divorce Association of the Capital District (CDACD) and served as its President for the 2018-2019 term, organizations committed, as he is, to providing an alternative to litigation for divorcing couples.
For more than 39 years, Paul has been a trial lawyer involved in cases ranging from automobile accidents and slip and falls to complicated products liability, construction accidents, toxic torts and oil spills. Paul has also provided hundreds of coverage opinions to insurance companies and has represented carriers on first party claims and subrogation matters. He has also represented municipalities and property owners in tax certiorari matters. Although his concentration is insurance defense litigation and insurance coverage issues, Paul also represents seriously injured plaintiffs.
Paul is a 1976 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and obtained his law degree from the Albany Law School of Union University in 1979. He is admitted to practice law in all New York State Courts as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern District Courts of New York.
Paul has been actively engaged in professional organizations, including years of service on the Executive Committee of the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, as a Fourth District representative. Paul has also served on the Board of Directors of the Defense Research Institute of Northeastern New York, from 1989-2001, and served as its President in 1992. Paul is presently a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Mass Disaster Response. Paul has also lectured on issues including insurance coverage, New York State Labor Law and contractual indemnification.
Chris Meyer joined the SDG in January of 2023 after working at the Office of Ed Ryan in downtown Albany for the past 27 years. A graduate of Union College and Hofstra Law School, he started his legal career in 1985 at the Nassau County Attorney’s Office in Mineola, New York in its Litigation Bureau. There he defended the County from personal injury cases brought against it. He had a caseload of over 200 files and tried numerous cases in Nassau County Supreme Court.
In 1988 he moved on to the firm of McDonald and O’Connor as a defense attorney representing General Accident Insurance Company in venues throughout downstate New York. During this time he also served as Prosecutor for the Village of South Floral Park and was later elected as its Village Justice. In 1991 Chris moved with his family to the Capital District to be part of a newly formed defense counsel office for General Accident and was thereafter promoted to Senior Trial Attorney. With that office he litigated cases across upstate New York involving construction accidents, defective products, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, dog bites, fire damage and other types of injury suits.
In 1995 Chris went to work with Ed Ryan as his firm’s litigation attorney. There he personally represented well over a thousand clients over the years in their claims for personal injuries. He handled all aspects of their cases from start through trial, if necessary, and dealt with a huge variety of injuries; from soft tissue to broken bones to severe burns to brain injuries. Over the years Chris has won well over 50 million dollars for his clients. A number of his verdicts and settlements have been published in the New York Verdict Reporter and he has also appeared on local TV news as a guest legal analyst.
Lisa E. Brown
Partner
Lisa E. Brown joined SDG in 2024 and has been practicing Matrimonial and Family Law in the Albany area since 1997. Mrs. Brown grew up in Kingston, New York and she moved to the Capital District to attend Albany Law School in 1993. Mrs. Brown graduated Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1993 and Albany Law School with honors in 1996.
Mrs. Brown focuses her practice on divorce, custody, child support, spousal support and maintenance, drafting of prenuptial agreements, separation and marital settlement agreements, paternity and grandparent rights.
Mrs. Brown was appointed to serve a five-year term for the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Third Judicial Department in 2018 and was reappointed in 2023 to another five-year term. She is a member of the Albany County Bar Association, the Capital District Women's Bar Association, Schenectady County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.
Mrs. Brown is also an active member in her local community. She is a Board Member of the Voorheesville Community & School Foundation and the President of Kids Club Board, an after-school care program serving Voorheesville Elementary & Middle School children. Mrs. Brown is also a graduate of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce Capital Leadership Program. She resides locally with her Husband and two daughters.