Sholes & Miller, PLLC is pleased to announce that the law firm is welcoming two additional owners, attorneys Kimberly L. Brown and Leilani J. Rodriguez. The firm’s name has been changed to Sholes Miller Rodriguez & Brown, PLLC as of June 1, 2024. The firm is based in Fishkill, NY and serves clients in the New York metro area, the Hudson Valley, and the capital region.
Robert Irving Miller, Esq., co-founder of the firm, welcomes the new equity partners and the changes to the practice with this message: “Same firm, new name, same commitment to excellence. The promotion of these two very capable attorneys strengthens our ability to provide our clients with legal services provided by an even more experienced team. Our firm has grown and becomes stronger as we enter our 24th year. We look forward to serving our clients for many years to come.”
Kimberly L. Brown focuses her practice on litigation, including medical malpractice defense, personal injury, premises liability, product liability, automobile accidents and labor law. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Mrs. Brown practiced as a litigation associate for over thirteen years at a New York City personal injury/medical malpractice law firm.
Mrs. Brown was a judicial intern for New York City Civil Court Justice Shlomo S. Hagler (who is now a State Supreme Court Justice). Mrs. Brown graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo, School of Law within the top 20% of her class. She was an Article Editor for the law school’s journal, Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. Mrs. Brown earned a B.A. from Binghamton University, graduating summa cum laude. She majored in Philosophy, Politics and Law, and minored in Business. Mrs. Brown was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key Honor Societies.
Mrs. Brown is admitted to practice law in New York, Massachusetts and the Northern District of New York Federal Court. She is a member of the Dutchess County Bar Association and The Association for Healthcare Risk Management of New York. Mrs. Brown was included on Hudson Valley Magazine’s list of Top Lawyers in 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Leilani J. Rodriguez has returned to the firm as an equity partner. 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, personal injury, civil rights and professional liability. She is well versed in both trial and appellate litigation.
Ms. Rodriguez was previously a partner at one of the area’s top insurance defense firms where she primarily represented the interests of prominent hospitals and physicians throughout Westchester, New York City and Long Island. She also previously represented attorneys in legal malpractice actions where the underlying cases were wide-ranging, spanning from matrimonial actions to real estate transactions.
Prior to transitioning to the private sector, Ms. Rodriguez worked for the New York State Attorney General’s Office defending the State in various lawsuits, including general negligence, medical malpractice, municipal law and automobile accidents. She also worked in the Federal Habeas Corpus Unit and has briefed and argued numerous cases in all four New York Federal District Courts and the Second Circuit, Courts of Appeals.
Immediately following law school, Ms. Rodriguez joined the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office where she worked in the Appeals and Economic Crimes Bureaus. In the Economic Crimes Bureau, she handled an extensive misdemeanor and felony caseload. In the Appeals Bureau, Ms. Rodriguez briefed and argued several cases in the First Department and the New York State Court of Appeals. One notable Court of Appeals case was People v Chiddick, 8 N.Y.3d 445 (2007), which has been cited over 400 times by the courts and provided much needed clarification of the definition of “substantial pain.”
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 graduated, with honors, from Pace Law School in 2004 and received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Albany in 2001.
She serves as Corresponding Secretary and Chair of the Community Affairs Committee for the Puerto Rican Bar Association and 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, and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association.
