Stephen R. Coffey

Founding Partner, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense

Some lawyers make a career. Steve Coffey built a legacy.

From the moment he stepped into the Albany County District Attorney’s Office—where he became the youngest Felony Bureau Chief in county history—it was clear that Steve’s path would be anything but ordinary. His commanding presence in the courtroom and instinct for justice quickly set him apart, earning respect from colleagues, judges, and adversaries alike.

Over the decades that followed, Steve helped shape O’Connell & Aronowitz into one of upstate New York’s most respected legal institutions. As Founding Partner of the Personal Injury and Criminal Defense practices, he has spent his career fighting for people whose lives hinge on the outcome of a verdict—and his record speaks for itself.

Steve has secured verdicts exceeding $100 million for his clients, including some of the largest in the region’s history:

• $43 million verdict in a medical malpractice case
• $20 million verdict in a product liability case
• $11 million verdict for 2 sexually abused children
• $6 million settlement in a medical malpractice birth injury case
• $6.3 million settlement in a motor vehicle collision case
• $4 million settlement in a construction accident case
• $2.8 million settlement in a slip and fall case
• $1.5 million settlement in a ski injury case

Steve has also represented clients in high-profile criminal cases and political trials, where reputations, livelihoods, and futures were at stake. Steve served as lead counsel for a Defendant in the Buffalo Billions criminal defense case, which was litigated in the Southern District of New York and ultimately successfully appealed to the United States Supreme Court. He has secured numerous acquittals over the years. 

Whether in the civil or criminal courtroom, Steve brings the same fierce advocacy, creative strategy, and compassion that have defined his career for more than four decades.

Steve’s story is not just about courtroom victories—it is about people. He has long identified with the underdog, shaped by a humble upbringing that instilled empathy, grit, and a deep respect for fairness. Steve is committed to his clients and his community, where he has been an active supporter of organizations serving individuals with disabilities, including long-standing involvement with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

A graduate of Siena College and Albany Law School, Steve is admitted to practice in New York State and the Northern and Southern Districts of New York. His excellence has earned him the AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, recognition in The Best Lawyers in America, and a feature cover in Super Lawyers magazine.  Steve was awarded the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association’s Daniel Mahoney Memorial Award.  This award is presented to an attorney who demonstrates outstanding commitment and service to clients, the bar and the profession, and a commitment to the tradition of the “shirt-sleeve lawyer” – a lawyer known for hard work, accessibility and service to ordinary people rather than prestige alone. 

Outside the courtroom, Steve is known for his deep love of family and his genuine zest for life. A devoted husband and proud father of two sons, Ian and Quinn, and a grandfather of two, he finds enjoyment in reading history and nonfiction, spending time in Maine, and travelling annually with friends to civil war historical sites.

For Steve, the law has never been a job. It is a calling—a chance to stand beside those who need someone in their corner, to fight for justice when the odds are steep, and to keep proving, case after case, that integrity and courage still matter in the courtroom.