Attorney Profiles: Elena DeFio Kean
Elena DeFio Kean, Principal
450 New Karner Road
Albany, New York 12205
Telephone: (518) 452-1800
Direct Dial #: (518) 608-8539
Fax: (518) 452-6435
Email: elena.defiokean@townelaw.com
Elena received her preparatory education from the College of St. Rose, 1989, B.A. (Cum Laude) and her legal degree from Albany Law School of Union University in 1993. She was admitted to the New York State Courts and to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts in 1994. Ms. DeFio Kean was admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1997. She is a member of the Albany County Bar Association, New York State Bar Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Albany County Bar Association and is a former member of the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates. She has been an adjunct professor at the College of St. Rose for a number of years and has taught Business Law, Collective Bargaining, Labor and Employment Law and general Labor Law. She is also a former member of WTEN's Channel 10 Legal Project responding to questions relating to employment.
Ms. DeFio Kean has trial experience as lead counsel in cases in Supreme Court, Albany County and civil rights cases litigated in U.S. District Court. She has dealt with such state and federal agencies as the New York State Division of Human Rights, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U. S. Department of Justice. Ms. DeFio Kean has successfully argued matters before the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, United States District Courts for the State of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She has defended cases involving personal injury arising out of premises liability, federal civil rights, harassment and employment discrimination, as well as various municipal issues. Additionally, Ms. DeFio Kean has represented banks, developers and other businesses in mortgage foreclosures, both commercial and residential. She has represented various developers in commercial litigation matters as well as lease negotiations of major national companies. Ms. DeFio Kean has done extensive training across the state in preventing harassment in the workplace, conducting effective workplace investigations of discrimination and harassment complaints, preventing First Amendment retaliation claims, other related employment issues and has developed training materials for these various subjects for both public and private sector employers. In August of 2008, Elena was a lecturer on Labor, Employment and Immigration Laws Affecting the Equine Industry for the Saratoga Institute on Racing and Gaming Law conducted by The Governemnt Law Center of Albany Law School.
She is a Principal at Towne, Bartkowski & DeFio Kean, P.C.