Syracuse law firm plans to build new, larger office building in DeWitt

DeWITT — The Syracuse–based firm DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers plans to move to a new building it seeks to construct at 6739 Myers Road in DeWitt. The firm is currently situated at 121 East Water St. in Syracuse, which it has called home since it was founded in 2002.

The new facility will be about 7,200 square feet in size, according to Charles Falgiatano, one of the firm’s two partners, along with Jeffrey DeFrancisco. The firm’s current space in Syracuse is less than half that size, comprising between 3,000 and 3,300 square feet between three floors. Falgiatano says it has outgrown that space.

The firm anticipates using 4,000 to 4,400 square feet of space at the new office at first.

“One of the things we may do early on is rent out portions of the building,” preferably to other attorneys, says Falgiatano. Some spaces he expects will be shared with the hypothetical lessees.

The parcel on which the new office will be built is an undeveloped 3.2 acre plot, says Falgiatano. It is located on the southwest corner of the intersection between the New York State Thruway and Interstate 481. “That location is very conducive to getting wherever we need to go,” he says.

The total cost of the project has not been estimated yet because interior design details have not been completed, but Falgiatano says it will cost more than $800,000. The firm expects to receive a loan from Solvay Bank that will cover about 80 percent of the project cost, he says, although the loan hasn’t been finalized. The remaining amount will be covered by the firm’s internal funds, he adds.

DeFrancisco & Falgiatano hopes to break ground this fall and have the structure up in time for winter, to allow for interior work to continue throughout the cold months, says Falgiatano. Ideally, construction will be completed and the building occupied in March or April of 2016, he says.

Independent contractor Martin Merola, a family friend of Falgiatano’s, is serving as general contractor. Holmes King Kallquist & Associates, Architects, LLP, is the building’s architect, while the Syracuse office of Clough Harbour & Associates LLP is the project engineer.

Falgiatano says the partners are forming a new LLC to own the property, which it is closing in on acquiring. He says they are waiting on final approval for the acquisition to be finalized.

The property is currently owned by Jamesville–based HGX, LLC, and has an assessed value of $61,000, according to Onondaga County’s property records. Falgiatano declined to disclose the expected purchase price.

Signage

The DeWitt planning board has approved the project, according to Falgiatano. The only thing that remains to be settled before ground can be broken, he says, is a request for variance regarding signage made by the firm to the DeWitt zoning board.

The firm wants to place signs that would face both highways, but the town’s code requires signs be placed only on the side of the building for the main entrance and exit, he says. Myers Road is a dead end, so the firm is requesting a variance so it can advertise more effectively. The issue will be addressed at a July 20 meeting. This is the first experience he has in this area, but Falgiatano says he doesn’t expect it to be much of an issue.

The firm, which is owned by Falgiatano and DeFrancisco, currently has 10 employees — the two partner attorneys, one associate attorney, one office manager, and 6 paralegals — all currently working from the Syracuse office, according to Falgiatano.

The firm’s lone associate attorney, Jean Marie Westlake, is currently serving as the president of the Onondaga County Bar Association. All employees work full time except for two paralegals, says Falgiatano. The firm also has one or two interns working for it at almost any given time.

Falgiatano says they would like to hire more attorneys and staff in the future, but have no solid time frame for doing so.

The new building will contain offices in three corners, with the fourth occupied by a large conference room, according to Falgiatano. It will also have about four offices for associate attorneys, and 10 more for paralegals, he says, as well as large filing rooms, a kitchen, and two additional conference rooms, smaller than the corner one.

Apart from spatial constraints, the firm is moving out of the city because it no longer has a strong need to be downtown, which Falgiatano says is due to the firm’s type of work as personal-injury lawyers, and how much can be handled online. The new location will also provide the firm with greater visibility, he adds.

Falgiatano declined to disclose the firm’s revenue history, emphasizing that it is client-driven, so it measures success through client results. The firm has been successful in adding more clients recently, which he says slightly increased revenue.

He also attributes the firm’s success to the work of its paralegals, and the limited turnover it has seen in those positions. Two paralegals have been with the firm for more than a decade, and two others for around five years. The two part-time paralegals were hired in 2014, according to Falgiatano.

The law firm has satellite offices in Cortland, New Hartford, Oneida, Oswego, and Watertown, according to its website. They are used by appointment only and are not staffed, according to Falgiatano.

Jeff DeFrancisco and his father, New York State Senator John DeFrancisco, founded the law firm in 2002. Falgiatano says he was there at the beginning, employed as an associate attorney.

In 2008, Senator DeFrancisco removed himself as a partner to focus on his work as a state senator, and became of counsel to the firm, which allowed Falgiatano to buy a share and become a partner with Jeff DeFrancisco. Senator DeFrancisco’s current involvement with the firm is minor, says Falgiatano.        

DeWITT — The Syracuse–based firm DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers plans to move to a new building it seeks to construct at 6739 Myers Road in DeWitt. The firm is currently situated at 121 East Water St. in Syracuse, which it has called home since it was founded in 2002.

The new facility will be about 7,200 square feet in size, according to Charles Falgiatano, one of the firm’s two partners, along with Jeffrey DeFrancisco. The firm’s current space in Syracuse is less than half that size, comprising between 3,000 and 3,300 square feet between three floors. Falgiatano says it has outgrown that space.

The firm anticipates using 4,000 to 4,400 square feet of space at the new office at first.

“One of the things we may do early on is rent out portions of the building,” preferably to other attorneys, says Falgiatano. Some spaces he expects will be shared with the hypothetical lessees.

The parcel on which the new office will be built is an undeveloped 3.2 acre plot, says Falgiatano. It is located on the southwest corner of the intersection between the New York State Thruway and Interstate 481. “That location is very conducive to getting wherever we need to go,” he says.

The total cost of the project has not been estimated yet because interior design details have not been completed, but Falgiatano says it will cost more than $800,000. The firm expects to receive a loan from Solvay Bank that will cover about 80 percent of the project cost, he says, although the loan hasn’t been finalized. The remaining amount will be covered by the firm’s internal funds, he adds.

DeFrancisco & Falgiatano hopes to break ground this fall and have the structure up in time for winter, to allow for interior work to continue throughout the cold months, says Falgiatano. Ideally, construction will be completed and the building occupied in March or April of 2016, he says.

Independent contractor Martin Merola, a family friend of Falgiatano’s, is serving as general contractor. Holmes King Kallquist & Associates, Architects, LLP, is the building’s architect, while the Syracuse office of Clough Harbour & Associates LLP is the project engineer.

Falgiatano says the partners are forming a new LLC to own the property, which it is closing in on acquiring. He says they are waiting on final approval for the acquisition to be finalized.

The property is currently owned by Jamesville–based HGX, LLC, and has an assessed value of $61,000, according to Onondaga County’s property records. Falgiatano declined to disclose the expected purchase price.

Signage

The DeWitt planning board has approved the project, according to Falgiatano. The only thing that remains to be settled before ground can be broken, he says, is a request for variance regarding signage made by the firm to the DeWitt zoning board.

The firm wants to place signs that would face both highways, but the town’s code requires signs be placed only on the side of the building for the main entrance and exit, he says. Myers Road is a dead end, so the firm is requesting a variance so it can advertise more effectively. The issue will be addressed at a July 20 meeting. This is the first experience he has in this area, but Falgiatano says he doesn’t expect it to be much of an issue.

The firm, which is owned by Falgiatano and DeFrancisco, currently has 10 employees — the two partner attorneys, one associate attorney, one office manager, and 6 paralegals — all currently working from the Syracuse office, according to Falgiatano.

The firm’s lone associate attorney, Jean Marie Westlake, is currently serving as the president of the Onondaga County Bar Association. All employees work full time except for two paralegals, says Falgiatano. The firm also has one or two interns working for it at almost any given time.

Falgiatano says they would like to hire more attorneys and staff in the future, but have no solid time frame for doing so.

The new building will contain offices in three corners, with the fourth occupied by a large conference room, according to Falgiatano. It will also have about four offices for associate attorneys, and 10 more for paralegals, he says, as well as large filing rooms, a kitchen, and two additional conference rooms, smaller than the corner one.

Apart from spatial constraints, the firm is moving out of the city because it no longer has a strong need to be downtown, which Falgiatano says is due to the firm’s type of work as personal-injury lawyers, and how much can be handled online. The new location will also provide the firm with greater visibility, he adds.

Falgiatano declined to disclose the firm’s revenue history, emphasizing that it is client-driven, so it measures success through client results. The firm has been successful in adding more clients recently, which he says slightly increased revenue.

He also attributes the firm’s success to the work of its paralegals, and the limited turnover it has seen in those positions. Two paralegals have been with the firm for more than a decade, and two others for around five years. The two part-time paralegals were hired in 2014, according to Falgiatano.

The law firm has satellite offices in Cortland, New Hartford, Oneida, Oswego, and Watertown, according to its website. They are used by appointment only and are not staffed, according to Falgiatano.

Jeff DeFrancisco and his father, New York State Senator John DeFrancisco, founded the law firm in 2002. Falgiatano says he was there at the beginning, employed as an associate attorney.

In 2008, Senator DeFrancisco removed himself as a partner to focus on his work as a state senator, and became of counsel to the firm, which allowed Falgiatano to buy a share and become a partner with Jeff DeFrancisco. Senator DeFrancisco’s current involvement with the firm is minor, says Falgiatano.