Melvin & Melvin, PLLC
Syracuse, NY Courts in New York
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About Melvin & Melvin
Melvin & Melvin, PLLC is a law firm based at 217 South Salina Street in Syracuse, New York.
The firm was founded in 1921 by brothers Myron and Crandall Melvin. It describes itself as a mid-size firm with eighteen attorneys, and its site lists attorneys, of counsel lawyers and retired members.
The practice is split between work for individuals and work for businesses. On the individual side the firm lists estates, trusts, wills and elder law, matrimonial and family law, collaborative family law, Medicaid, personal bankruptcy, personal injury, labor and employment law, litigation, foreclosures and workouts, and real estate and land use planning.
On the business side it lists automotive dealership and franchise law, banking, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring, business and tax law, collections and creditors rights, commercial law transactions and litigation, construction law, dispute resolution, insurance defense, mediation and arbitration, municipal law, real estate and land use planning, and real estate litigation. The site states the firm represents individuals and businesses from across Upstate New York, the United States and beyond, and describes itself as a law firm in Central New York State and the Capital Region.
Editor's Review
VerifiedLawFirms editorialMore than a century in central New York
Founded in 1921 by brothers Myron and Crandall Melvin, the firm has practiced law in Syracuse for more than a hundred years. Melvin & Melvin, PLLC still carries the founders' name, and it describes itself as a mid-size firm with eighteen attorneys. The founding date and the attorney count both come from the firm's own home and about pages.
The footer describes work across central New York State and the Capital Region. The about page adds that the firm's clients include individuals and businesses from Upstate New York, the wider United States, and beyond. The attorneys page lists members next to of counsel and retired lawyers, which is common for a firm that has run this long. In my opinion the clearest thing the site establishes is continuity: the same name, in the same city, across several generations of lawyers.
How the practice areas are grouped
The firm splits its services into two lists, one for individuals and one for businesses. That division shows on the practice areas page, and it suits a general firm that handles both household legal needs and company matters. Each side carries more than a dozen entries, so the range is broad for a firm of this size.
The two lists share some ground. Real estate and land use planning appears on each side, and both bankruptcy and litigation show up in personal and commercial forms. The overlap makes sense for a firm whose clients include property owners as well as the companies that build, finance, or lease property. It also means a single client can bring a personal matter and a business matter to the same office.
What the individual side covers
The individual list covers many of the points where a person needs a lawyer. Estate planning sits with trusts, wills, and elder law, which points to work that helps families arrange assets and plan for later-life care. Medicaid planning appears as its own item, a field built around the eligibility rules for long-term care coverage.
Family matters get two entries: matrimonial and family law, and collaborative family law. Collaborative practice is a settlement-focused process where both spouses and their lawyers agree to resolve issues away from a contested trial. The firm also lists personal bankruptcy, personal injury, labor and employment law, litigation, and foreclosures and workouts. Real estate and land use planning rounds out the personal side, so a property question has a place here too.
What the business side covers
Companies bring a different set of needs, and the business list answers several of them. It names banking, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring, business and tax law, and collections and creditors' rights. Commercial law shows up twice over, once for transactions and once for litigation, so the firm handles both the drafting of deals and the disputes that can follow them.
Construction law and municipal law both appear, which suggests work tied to building projects and to local government. The list also includes automotive dealership and franchise law, insurance defense, real estate and land use planning, and real estate litigation. For companies that want to settle short of a courtroom, the firm names dispute resolution, mediation, and arbitration as options.
How these matters tend to proceed
A little general context helps explain what some of these labels mean in day-to-day work. Estate planning usually starts with an inventory of assets and a set of directives: a will, sometimes a trust, and documents that name decision-makers for health and money. Elder law and Medicaid planning often run together, because the rules for long-term care coverage shape how a family holds property well before care begins.
On the commercial side, creditors' rights and collections work moves through demand letters, filings, and, when needed, court judgments and enforcement. Construction disputes usually involve contracts, payment schedules, and lien claims, often with several parties on one project. As a reviewer, I read the pairing of transactional and litigation labels on the firm's list as a sign that its lawyers can handle a deal and any dispute that grows out of it.
How the team is built
The firm's roster runs to eighteen attorneys, and it uses the standard designations of member, associate, of counsel, and retired. Several of the named lawyers earned their law degrees at Syracuse University College of Law, which gives the group a strong tie to local legal education. Others trained at Cornell, Georgetown, Albany Law School, St. John's, and SUNY Buffalo.
Daniel M. Austin is a member whose work covers real estate, commercial transactions, commercial law, and banking law. He holds a 2012 J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, along with earlier degrees from SUNY Geneseo and the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica. Richard M. Storto, also a member, focuses on business, tax, estate, and trust law, and he belongs to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. His undergraduate and law degrees both come from Cornell.
Kenneth J. Bobrycki handles commercial law, business litigation, estate litigation, and labor and employment matters. Jonathan E. Fox works in real estate, commercial and foreclosure law, debt restructuring, and commercial leasing, and his law degree comes from Georgetown. Louis Levine concentrates on banking, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, creditors' rights, secured transactions, and debt collection. He served on the editorial board of the Albany Law Review while at Albany Law School.
Two of the lawyers carry the family law work. Joseph P. Morawski handles child custody, divorce and separation, child support, and prenuptial matters, and he also prepares qualified domestic relations orders, guardianships, trusts, and wills. Louis P. Dettor covers custody, child support, and domestic violence, together with DUI, DWI, and other criminal defense work. He served as Deputy County Attorney in the Onondaga County Family Court Division from 2009 to 2020.
The group's law degrees span from the late 1960s to 2012, which points to a mix of long-tenured lawyers and mid-career ones. Susan E. Otto is of counsel, with a practice in personal injury, commercial litigation, employment litigation, commercial real estate, and insurance matters. Michael R. Vaccaro is an associate who handles personal injury defense and insurance defense. Robert S. Scalione works in business, employment, and tax law and studied at SUNY Buffalo Law School.
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Daniel M. Austin
Daniel Michael Austin is a Member at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a B.S. from the State University of New York College at Geneseo in 2002, an M.S. from the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica in 2004, and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 2012. His practice covers real estate, commercial transactions, commercial law, banking law, bankruptcy, municipal law, business law, and taxation.
Frank J. Vavonese Retired
Francis John Vavonese is Of Counsel at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He received a B.A. from Canisius College in 1971 and a J.D. from Boston College in 1974. His practice areas include family law, real estate, personal injury, business law, criminal law, trusts and estates, and litigation.
Holly Salop Wallace
Holly Salop Wallace is a Member at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York, where she practices real estate law, foreclosure law, and eminent domain. She earned a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 1985, and also holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.A. from New York University. She is a member of the Onondaga County and New York State Bar Associations, including its Real Estate Section.
Howard J. Woronov Retired
Howard Joel Woronov is a Retired Partner at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He received a B.S. from Syracuse University in 1961, an LL.B. from Syracuse University in 1964, and a J.D. from Syracuse University in 1968. His practice focuses on family law, divorce, child support, taxation, and insolvency matters. His representative cases include Smolen v. Smolen, Reader v. Reader, and Mary C. v. John G.
Jennifer C. Driver Of Counsel
Jonathan E. Fox
Jonathan E. Fox is a member at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a B.A. from the College of William & Mary in 1965 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1968. His practice covers real estate, commercial and foreclosure law, debt restructuring, and commercial leasing.
Joseph P. Morawski
Joseph P. Morawski is an attorney and a member of Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. His practice focuses on family law, including child custody, divorce and separation, child support, and marriage and prenuptial matters. He also handles qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs), guardianship, trusts, and wills.
Kenneth J. Bobrycki
Kenneth J. Bobrycki is a member at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He received a J.D. from Syracuse University in 1977 and a B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University in 1973. His practice focuses on commercial law, business litigation, litigation, estate litigation, and labor and employment matters.
Louis Levine
Louis Levine is a member of Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a B.A. from Northwestern University in 1974 and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University in 1977, where he served on the editorial board of the Albany Law Review. His practice focuses on banking, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, creditors' rights, secured transactions, and debt collection. He is a member of the Commercial Law League of America and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Louis P. Dettor
Louis Philippe Dettor earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ithaca College in 1990 and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1996. He served as Deputy County Attorney in the Onondaga County Family Court Division from 2009 to 2020. His practice covers family law matters such as custody, child support, and domestic violence, along with DUI and DWI and other criminal defense matters. He is a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association.
Michael R. Vaccaro
Michael R. Vaccaro is an associate at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a B.A. from Fordham College in 1970 and a J.D. from St. John's University in 1975. His practice focuses on personal injury defense and insurance defense.
Patrick K. Greene Of Counsel
Peter M. Battaglia
Richard M. Storto
Richard Michael Storto is a Member at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a B.A. from Cornell University in 1971 and a J.D. from Cornell University Law School in 1974. His practice focuses on business law, tax law, estate law, and trust law. He is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Robert G. Smith Retired
Robert G. Smith is an attorney with Melvin & Melvin PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He attended the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and the State University of New York at Binghamton, earned an A.A.S. from Sullivan County Community College in 1981, and received his J.D. from Syracuse University in 1988. His practice covers estate planning, estate administration, trusts, elder law, real estate, business, and general practice matters.
Robert S. Scalione
Robert Stephen Scalione is an attorney with Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He completed his legal education at SUNY Buffalo Law School. His practice focuses on business law, employment law, and tax law. He works with clients in English.
Roger W. Bradley Of Counsel
Roger W. Bradley practices at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. He earned a JD from Syracuse University College of Law in 1969 and a BA from Colgate University in 1966. He was a member of the Order of the Coif, served on the staff and editorial board of the Syracuse Law Review, and clerked for the Hon. Louis M. Greenblott of the Appellate Division, Third Department, of the New York Supreme Court. His practice focuses on business and commercial real estate law, construction and development, and litigation.
Susan E. Otto Of Counsel
Susan Elizabeth Otto is Of Counsel at Melvin & Melvin, PLLC in Syracuse, New York. She earned an A.B. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1983 and a J.D. from Syracuse University in 1986. Her practice covers personal injury, commercial litigation, employment litigation, commercial real estate, and insurance matters.
Tracy Dam Chieco
Contact Melvin & Melvin
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Map of 217 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY (see the address above for a text alternative).