New partner, Hunt, comes on board at Gale law firm

FAYETTEVILLE — Kevin Hunt, formerly at the Sugarman Law Firm in Syracuse, has joined Gale & Dancks, LLC of Fayetteville.

The firm’s name will change to Gale Gale & Hunt, LLC as Hunt comes on board. He is joining the firm as Thérèse Wiley Dancks, who helped Catherine Gale found the practice in 1997, leaves for an eight-year appointment to the federal bench as magistrate judge for the Northern District of New York.

Gale and Dancks previously worked together at Syracuse–based Mackenzie Hughes LLP.

When the firm announced Dancks was leaving, Gale says she started getting lots of calls — inquiries from attorneys looking to join up with her firm and calls from other firms looking to merge.

When she received a call from Hunt, she says she knew she had found her answer.

“He’s very experienced in the trial world,” Gale says. “He’s well known in upstate New York. A lot of our clients know him. The judges know him. It was just a natural fit.”

Gale Gale & Hunt focuses on litigation and represents corporations, hospitals, and doctors, frequently in malpractice cases. The firm often takes its cases to trial, Gale says, so landing a lawyer with experience in the courtroom was a boon.

“Kevin called and immediately, we knew he was the person for us,” she adds. “He’s tried 50 cases to verdict.”

Hunt and Dancks were actually law-school classmates, Gale says, and graduated the same year from the Syracuse University College of Law.

Hunt also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington & Lee University. His practice focuses on defense of medical, dental, and legal malpractice claims and the defense of catastrophic personal injury claims.

Hunt’s hiring comes on the heels of a growth spurt for Gale Gale & Hunt, Gale says. The firm added three new attorneys in 2011 and now has seven on staff.

The law firm also employs five paralegals and added a nurse practitioner last year as well. Many of its cases involve medical matters so the nurse helps with those and educates the staff on various health-care issues, Gale says.

The growth has been driven by the firm’s reputation and word of mouth from clients, Gale says. Two new clients in insurance that came on board last year had actually faced off against Gale Gale & Hunt in court.

“We were on the other side and they were impressed with the work we did for their opposition,” Gale says. “They’re both out-of- state companies. So when they needed local counsel, they called us.”    

FAYETTEVILLE — Kevin Hunt, formerly at the Sugarman Law Firm in Syracuse, has joined Gale & Dancks, LLC of Fayetteville.

The firm’s name will change to Gale Gale & Hunt, LLC as Hunt comes on board. He is joining the firm as Thérèse Wiley Dancks, who helped Catherine Gale found the practice in 1997, leaves for an eight-year appointment to the federal bench as magistrate judge for the Northern District of New York.

Gale and Dancks previously worked together at Syracuse–based Mackenzie Hughes LLP.

When the firm announced Dancks was leaving, Gale says she started getting lots of calls — inquiries from attorneys looking to join up with her firm and calls from other firms looking to merge.

When she received a call from Hunt, she says she knew she had found her answer.

“He’s very experienced in the trial world,” Gale says. “He’s well known in upstate New York. A lot of our clients know him. The judges know him. It was just a natural fit.”

Gale Gale & Hunt focuses on litigation and represents corporations, hospitals, and doctors, frequently in malpractice cases. The firm often takes its cases to trial, Gale says, so landing a lawyer with experience in the courtroom was a boon.

“Kevin called and immediately, we knew he was the person for us,” she adds. “He’s tried 50 cases to verdict.”

Hunt and Dancks were actually law-school classmates, Gale says, and graduated the same year from the Syracuse University College of Law.

Hunt also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington & Lee University. His practice focuses on defense of medical, dental, and legal malpractice claims and the defense of catastrophic personal injury claims.

Hunt’s hiring comes on the heels of a growth spurt for Gale Gale & Hunt, Gale says. The firm added three new attorneys in 2011 and now has seven on staff.

The law firm also employs five paralegals and added a nurse practitioner last year as well. Many of its cases involve medical matters so the nurse helps with those and educates the staff on various health-care issues, Gale says.

The growth has been driven by the firm’s reputation and word of mouth from clients, Gale says. Two new clients in insurance that came on board last year had actually faced off against Gale Gale & Hunt in court.

“We were on the other side and they were impressed with the work we did for their opposition,” Gale says. “They’re both out-of- state companies. So when they needed local counsel, they called us.”