NEWS
Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown Welcomes New Partner Joseph P. Petito
Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, PLLC is pleased to announce that Joseph P. Petito has joined the firm as a new partner. Mr. Petito brings almost two decades of valuable experience as an attorney representing families and individuals; and eight years of experience serving on the bench as a judge. Robert Irving Miller, cofounder of the firm stated, “We are excited to have Joseph P. Petito on board and we are confident that his expertise will greatly benefit our clients and the firm.”
Mr. Petito focuses his practice in the areas of criminal law, DWI/DWAI, personal injury law and family law (excluding matrimonial law). Mr. Petito has successfully represented hundreds of clients in open court. He conducted numerous trials and hearings in County, Supreme, and Family courts. In addition to his vigorous representation at the trial level, Mr. Petito has also been successful on the appellate level. One of his appeals was published on the first page of the prestigious New York Law Journal.
Mr. Petito formerly worked as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Dutchess County District Attorney’s office in both the vehicular and major crimes bureaus, where he handled serious felony cases from inception through hearings and trial. Mr. Petito’s caseload included major gun, drug, and violence related criminal matters. Mr. Petito also handled pistol permit revocations and is well versed in the Second Amendment and New York State firearms legislation.
Mr. Petito is a former judge who served on the Town of Hyde Park bench for eight years. He presided over thousands of cases, issuing hundreds of decisions, both written and from the bench. None of his decisions have ever been overturned on appeal. Before taking the bench, Joseph was a member of the Town of Hyde Park board and a fire commissioner.
After graduating Cum Laude from the Thomas Cooley Law School, Mr. Petito became an associate attorney for the Law Office of Bruce A. Petito. Soon after, he partnered with his father and created Petito & Petito, LLP. While a partner at Petito & Petito, Mr. Petito practiced several areas of law, including personal injury, criminal law, family law, and matrimonial law. Mr. Petito was also an Attorney for the Child, representing children of all ages in various Dutchess County Family Court proceedings.
Leilani J. Rodriguez Sworn in as Vice President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association
Attorney Leilani J. Rodriguez, of Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, has been inducted as Vice President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association. The Puerto Rican Bar Association and the Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Fund proudly inducted their new Board of Directors and Executive Officers on January 22, 2025 in Ms. Rodriguez’s favorite courthouse, the Appellate Division, First Department, in Manhattan.
The Puerto Rican Bar Association, Inc. was founded in 1957 by a group of Puerto Rican and Latino attorneys who began gathering socially to offer one another both personal and professional support in an era when it was difficult for attorneys of color to be accepted as members in established bar associations. The Association focuses on advocacy, community, and professional excellence. Current priorities include expanding opportunities for members, advocating for greater Latin-X representation on the bench, and empowering young attorneys and law students.
Leilani J. Rodriguez is an attorney and shareholder at Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, PLLC. She has a diverse legal background having practiced in both the private and public sectors in state and federal court. Her practice focuses primarily on medical malpractice defense, personal injury (non-medical malpractice), criminal defense, general litigation, civil rights and professional liability. She is well versed in both trial and appellate litigation.
Ms. Rodriguez is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, as well as all four New York Federal District Courts and the Second and Third Circuit, Courts of Appeals. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Mid-Hudson Women’s Bar Association, The Association for Healthcare Risk Management of New York, the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association, and served as Corresponding Secretary and Chair of the Community Affairs Committee for the Puerto Rican Bar Association before her recent induction as Vice President. She has recently been included on Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2025 Top Lawyers list.
Attorneys included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s List of 2025 Top Lawyers
The team of attorneys at Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, PLLC have once again been included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s list of Top Lawyers. Inclusion in the list is based on responding lawyers in the region. The list is compiled by an online peer-voting and an internet research process.
The team of attorneys at Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown are honored to be included on the 2025 list. They strive to serve their clients with the highest standards of integrity and excellence during 2025 and beyond. The firm’s attorneys and practice area acknowledgements are listed by the magazine as follows:
Robert Irving Miller, Jr., Civil Law Litigation
Kimberly L. Brown, Medical Malpractice Defense
Leilani J. Rodriguez, Medical Malpractice Defense
Mary Pat Burke, Medical Malpractice Defense
Robert R. Haskins, Personal Injury
Randy L. Braun, Labor and Employment (listed under Randy L. Braun, Attorney at Law)
Click here to see our attorneys featured in Hudson Valley Magazine.
Robert Irving Miller is selected to the 2024 Super Lawyers List
Robert Irving Miller, co-founder and equity partner of Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, PLLC has been selected to the 2024 Hudson Valley Super Lawyers list for Medical Malpractice Defense. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Mr. Miller was also included on the 2023 Super Lawyers list in the same category.
Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in each state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The attorney selection process is peer influenced and research driven, resulting in a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.
Since 1994, Robert Irving Miller has successfully represented businesses, health care professionals and individuals in litigation, at trials and in appeals. His primary focus is medical malpractice defense, health law and all matters related to the administration of health care facilities. Mr. Miller’s experience in both the fields of law and healthcare has made him an ideal advocate for hospitals, nursing homes, physicians and other health professionals. Mr. Miller is licensed to practice law in both New York and Connecticut as well as in federal courts in the Northern and Southern Districts of New York. He has been honored with numerous awards for his professionalism and community service, including the 2022 Gartland Award for Community Service from the Dutchess County Bar Association.
Sholes & Miller Attorneys included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s List of 2024 Top Lawyers
The team of attorneys at Sholes & Miller have once again been included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s list of Top Lawyers. Inclusion in the list is based on responding lawyers in the region. The list is compiled by an online peer-voting and internet research process.
The attorneys and practice areas are listed as follows by the magazine:
Robert Irving Miller, Jr., Civil Law Litigation
Mary Pat Burke, Medical Malpractice Defense
Kimberly L. Brown, Personal Injury
Robert R. Haskins, Medical Malpractice Defense
Randy L. Braun, Labor and Employment (listed under Randy L. Braun, Attorney at Law)
The attorneys at Sholes & Miller are honored to be included on the 2024 list. They strive to serve their clients with the highest standards of integrity and excellence during 2024 and beyond.
You can see the complete list of Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2024 Top Lawyers online here: https://hvmag.com/life-style/top-lawyers-hudson-valley.
Sholes & Miller, PLLC Names Attorneys Ellen A. Fischer and Kimberly L. Brown as Partners
Sholes & Miller, PLLC is pleased to announce the promotion of Ellen A. Fischer and Kimberly L. Brown as Partners in the firm. Both attorneys were promoted on August 1, 2023. Sholes & Miller, PLLC is a law firm that serves the varied legal needs of health professionals and facilities, while also offering an array of other diverse legal services.
“We are delighted to have both Ellen and Kimberly become Partners at the firm. They have both shown themselves to be exceptional attorneys with stellar records of proven results for our clients.” said Robert Irving Miller, the firm’s managing partner.
Ms. Fischer concentrates her practice in appellate and motion practice. Her other practice areas include medical malpractice defense and personal injury. She also is well versed in Mental Hygiene Law, including involuntary retention and medication hearings; federal motion practice; defense of physicians in civil rights actions by patients; and defense of premises liability actions. Ms. Fischer earned her Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Binghamton University. Ms. Fischer is a life-long resident of Dutchess County, where she lives with her husband and their two children.
Kimberly L. Brown focuses her practice on medical malpractice defense. Personal injury, premises liability, product liability, automobile accidents and labor law are other active practice areas for Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law within the top 20% of her class, and received a B.A. from Binghamton University, graduating summa cum laude. Ms. Brown was a judicial intern for New York City Civil Court Justice Shlomo S. Hagler (who is now a State Supreme Court Justice). She is admitted to practice law in New York State and Massachusetts. Ms. Brown resides in Dutchess County with her husband and their three children.
Sholes & Miller Named One of the 2023 Best Companies to Work for in New York by Best Companies Group
The law firm of Sholes & Miller earned the distinction of being named one of the 2023 Best Companies to Work for in New York by Best Companies Group. The firm has been ranked six out of thirty-three in the Small Employer Category (15 – 99 employees). Best Companies to Work for in New York identifies, recognizes and honors the best places of employment in New York in three categories: small, medium and large companies.
The team at Sholes & Miller is honored to be included on the 2023 list. They strive to serve their clients with the highest standards of integrity and excellence during 2023 and beyond.
Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings. There were two parts used to determine the rankings. The first consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices and demographics, worth approximately 25 percent of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience, which consisted of 75 percent of the total. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings.
Since 2004, Best Companies Group has specialized in identifying and recognizing great employers to work for. Best Companies Group is an independent research firm that ranks companies based on established research methodology. The surveys provide actionable, hard-to-obtain data that companies use to improve employee recruitment and retention.
“This year’s Best Companies to Work for in New York know the importance of communication, onboarding, feedback loops, flexibility, and diversity and inclusion in a successful work environment. They make sure their staffers feel appreciated, engaged and successful,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media. “Along with our partners, the New York State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Best Companies Group, we are honored to recognize the accomplishments of these outstanding businesses.”
To view the complete list of 2023 Best Companies to Work for in New York, visit: https://bestcompaniesgroup.com/best-companies-to-work-for-in-new-york/winners/2023-best-companies.
Sholes & Miller Attorneys included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s List of 2023 Top Lawyers
The team of attorneys at Sholes & Miller have once again been included in Hudson Valley Magazine’s list of TOP LAWYERS. Inclusion in the list is based on responding lawyers in the region. The list is compiled by an online peer-voting and internet research process.
The attorneys and practice areas are listed as follows by the magazine:
Robert Irving Miller, Jr., Civil Law Litigation
Mary Pat Burke, Medical Malpractice Defense
Kimberly L. Brown, Personal Injury
Ellen A. Fischer, Appellate Law
Robert R. Haskins, Medical Malpractice Defense
Randy L. Braun, Labor and Employment (listed under Randy L. Braun, Attorney at Law)
The attorneys at Sholes & Miller are honored to be included on the 2023 list. They strive to serve their clients with the highest standards of integrity and excellence during 2023 and beyond.
You can see the complete list of Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2023 Top Lawyers online here: hvmag.com/life-style/top-lawyers.
Attorney Robert R. Haskins Awarded 2022 Distinguished Rating® by Martindale Hubbell®
Robert R. Haskins, Esq. earned a 2022 ‘Distinguished Rating®’ from Martindale Hubbell®. Mr. Haskins was awarded this very high rating in ‘Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards.’ The Distinguished Rating® is earned through a strenuous peer review process that is managed and monitored by Martindale Hubbell®, a trusted global legal resource.
Robert R. Haskins, of counsel to the firm Sholes & Miller PLLC, has over 37 years of experience as an attorney. Mr. Haskins is involved in all aspects of medical defense litigation including case assessment, fact and medical investigation reviews, depositions, motions, and appeals. Mr. Haskins’ law practice centers on the defense of physicians, nurses, hospitals, and nursing homes in medical malpractice litigation. In addition, he represents plaintiffs in personal injury litigation. Mr. Haskins is also an experienced, certified mediator.
Martindale Hubbell® is an information services company to the legal profession and a trusted source in attorney ratings for over 150 years, providing reviews of lawyers and law firms for consumers and professionals. Martindale.com contains the profiles of over one million lawyers and firms globally.
Attorney Robert I. Miller, Jr. Awarded Gartland Award for Community Service
The Dutchess County Bar Association awarded the Gartland Award for Community Service to Robert Irving Miller, Esq., during its annual Law Day Luncheon on May 19, 2022. The Locust Grove historic site, in the town of Poughkeepsie, was the setting for the luncheon and awards ceremony. The keynote address was delivered by the Honorable Anne E. Minihan, Administrative Judge, 9th Judicial District.
Mr. Miller’s extensive experience in the fields of health care, business and law has made him a valuable asset to the many organizations at which he has volunteered over the years. Mr. Miller holds the distinction of being a nurse-attorney, as he is both a registered nurse and a practicing attorney. He is the managing attorney at Sholes & Miller, PLLC, based in Fishkill.
The award is named in honor of the late John “Jack” Gartland, Jr., who was a founding trustee of the James J. McCann Charitable Trust and the McCann Foundation. Mr. Gartland’s commitment to the community left a legacy that continues to provide opportunities for Dutchess County residents. The Dutchess County Bar Association presents the Gartland Award annually to a member whose dedication to making their community a better place exemplifies the legacy of Mr. Gartland. The Dutchess County Bar Association is a professional nonprofit legal organization, serving both attorneys and the community at large since 1919.
Mr. Miller currently contributes his time and resources to the betterment of the Community at Brookmeade, a non-profit senior living retirement community located on 75 country acres in Rhinebeck, NY. He has served for seven years on their board of trustees. For the past three years he has also served as treasurer. Because of his work at Brookmeade, Mr. Miller was awarded the 2021 New York Trustee of the Year Award from LeadingAge NY, an association of more than 600 not-for-profit organizations serving New Yorkers.
Robert also serves as trustee and treasurer of the East Fishkill Community Library District. This active public library offers a multitude of services to the people it serves. They even have a Free Little Food Pantry where community members can donate or receive non-perishable food and other essential items.
During 2020, in reaction to the COVID pandemic, Mr. Miller recognized the need and donated funds from Sholes & Miller to Dutchess Outreach, to help meet basic needs for people requiring food during the economic shutdown.
Robert’s past volunteer positions include:
- Vice President and Member, Dutchess County Board of Health
- President, Abilities First (then Rehab Programs, Inc.) Board of Directors
- Institutional Review Board Member, Vassar College
- Service on ethics committees for several hospitals and nursing homes
- Board Member, Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce
- Board Member, Rebuilding Together Dutchess County
- Board Member, Catskill-Hudson Area Health Education Center
- Member, East Fishkill Rotary Club
- Walden Volunteer Ambulance Corps
From building homes – to feeding people – to serving as president for a non-profit that benefits people with developmental disabilities, Mr. Miller has always demonstrated his empathy for others through his community service.
