Kathleen V. Wells

Kathleen V. Wells is a graduate of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and Albany Law School. Concentrating primarily in criminal defense work, she has successfully defended clients at trial, suppression hearings, Superintendant Hearings, DMV administrative hearings and on appeal.

Ms. Wells has spoken at Continuing Legal Education seminars about DWI Law and Jury Selection. She also handles name change petitions and adoptions. She finds adoptions to be a very rewarding area of the law.

A devoted student of the law, Ms. Wells never leaves a stone unturned when handling a case. Her thorough attention to detail has not only brought her litigation and motion practice success, but also much appellate success.

Recently, Ms. Wells' leave application in a felony attempted sex crimes case was granted by the Court of Appeals. This is a notable accomplishment given that very few criminal leave applications are granted by the judges of the Court of Appeals. The percentage of leave grants has hovered around 2% in the last few years.

Ms. Wells' appellate work has also resulted in:

• The reversal of a client's youthful offender adjudications for Sexual Misconduct, Forcible Touching and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
• The reversal and dismissal of a client's DWI and Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident convictions because of the insufficiency of the evidence. (Reversals for insufficient evidence are extremely rare!)
• The reversal and dismissal of a client's DWI 1192(2) conviction due to insufficiency of the evidence.
• The reduction of a Level Three sex offender's registration status to a Level Two.
• The vacating of a client's jail sentence imposed because of his conviction for speeding 102 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone.
• The reversal of a client's Integrated Domestic Violence Court conviction of Harassment in the 2nd Degree.

Although it is generally a challenge to win at the appellate level, Ms. Wells' wholehearted dedication, skills and experience best maximizes a client's chance of success.