Attorneys and Staff
A law firm at your service
At DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian, we have assembled a top-notch team of attorneys, administrators, and investigators to represent our New York State clients in criminal and civil cases the best way we know how. Through hard work, client focus, and commitment to professionalism, we have developed a track record of success.
We invite you to take a look at our biographies. Just click the links below.
Contact us
When you need a New York State attorney who values client relationships and works to the utmost of his or her ability to represent you, call DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian at 1-800-675-6420 or contact us online.
Paul DerOhannesian II
Paul DerOhannesian is a member at the firm. Born and raised in the capital region of New York, Paul has deep roots in the community, where he continues to live and work.
Paul graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with his B.S.F.S. cum laude in 1975. There, he received the prestigious Ernst Reilchenfeld Award for outstanding dedication and achievement to international organization. Paul graduated from Albany Law School with his J.D. in 1978. He speaks French and German.
Armed with his law degree, he immediately took an integral role in the practice of law. He became assistant district attorney with the Albany County District Attorney's Office and for 22 years headed the D.A.'s Special Assault Unit.
He is admitted to practice in New York, the State of New York Appellate Division Third Judicial Department, the U.S. District Court for the Western and Northern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Paul has received the AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review RatingSM by Martindale-Hubbell® for the highest quality demonstration of legal abilities and adherence to ethical standards. He has also been named a 2009 New York State SuperLawyer for criminal defense. He is the author of a definitive two-volume text, Sexual Assault Trials, Third Edition (LexisNexis, 2006). For more information on Paul's publications, click here.
Media call upon Paul for his commentary, including Court TV. Click here to see clips of his televised legal analysis and commentary. Federal and state executive and legislative bodies tap his expertise and he has testified before such groups as the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, the New York State Commission on Investigations, and the New York State Senate Committee on Crime and Correction.
He is also a frequent speaker at conferences and events. Paul has conducted more than 300 presentations for local and legal organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the American Prosecutors Research Institute, and the National College of District Attorneys. Further, he provides extensive training for many local, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Postal Service, and the New York State Police. For more about upcoming events, click here.
New York State Governor Pataki appointed Paul to the Advisory Board of the New York State Department of Children and Family Services. Paul is also a member of the New York State Children's Justice Task Force Forensic Interview Steering Committee.
During the course of his three-decade legal career, Paul has won several prestigious awards, including the NAACP's Thurgood Marshall Award in 2004 for his legal work defending the rights of African-American citizens. He also received the coveted Lecturer of Merit Award by the National College of District Attorneys in recognition for his teaching.
Paul handles cases in the following practice areas:
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Jennifer C. Zegarelli
Associate attorney Jennifer Zegarelli joined DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian in 2003. Her interest in law began unconventionally when she was a young girl. Her father, then a high school teacher, announced at the dinner table one night that a former student of his had been accepted to law school and what an incredible honor that was. That conversation stuck with her. An outstanding student, Jennifer graduated magna cum laude from William Smith College with a B.A. in Economics. She was named to the Dean's List and was a scholar-athelete all four years.
In 2003, she received her J.D. from Vermont Law School.While in law school, Jennifer expanded her legal education through a variety of venues. During the summer of 2001, for instance, she interned at the Monroe County Courthouse, Seventh Judicial District of New York. She reviewed and maintained court procedures in the district attorney's office, county clerk's office, and city court's office and attended various court proceedings. During the summer of 2002, Jennifer worked in the office of Fix, Spindelman, Brovitz, and Goldman, P.C. in Rochester, New York. From January to April 2003, she interned at the South Royalton Legal Clinic in South Royalton, Vermont, where she received high honors for her work. While there, she represented people unable to afford private counsel in various civil cases. All of this hard work and dedication prepared her for a law career.
She is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, the New York State Appellate Division, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She has also been admitted pro hac vice in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
Jennifer sits on two local boards—The Salvation Army-Albany Area Services and Unity House. She maintains memberships in the New York State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Albany County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Penn Yan Elks Club. While away from the office, Jennifer enjoys playing soccer and spending time outdoors.
Her areas of practice include the following:
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Jennifer defines her law career by the words of French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu:
"In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law."
She wears her unequivocal sincerity and passion for her clients' causes on her sleeve, living by de Montesquieu's words daily.
Kristin Bruno
Kristin Bruno has been a legal assistant and paralegal at DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian since 1990. She handles all aspects of case management and administration for the firm and is often the primary contact for our clients. Kris graduated cum laude with her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee. She spends her time as an active community volunteer and public advocate for several organizations, including local Challenger League sports programs and Parent to Parent.
Kris has expertise working with cases from their inception to closure in the following areas:
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Paul DerOhannesian
Paul DerOhannesian was a founding member of the firm and a highly accomplished, multifaceted and well-respected Albany attorney. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 80. A native of Troy, NY, he later moved to Albany and graduated from Albany High School. He entered the New York State College for Teachers, but he answered the draft in 1941 to serve his country in the U.S. Army during World War II. While in the army, Paul pursued his education studying electrical engineering at Penn State University and Georgetown University. In 1949, he chose to study law instead and attended Albany Law School. He eventually opened his own general practice, including criminal law and personal injury, and subsequently focused on estate work. He served as counsel to many organizations and groups in the community.
