Attorney Profiles
- William J. Dreyer
- Donald W. Boyajian
- Craig M. Crist
- John B. Casey
- James R. Peluso, Jr.
- April M. Wilson
- Aaron E. Connor
- John J. Dowd
William J. Dreyer
For more than 30 years, William J. Dreyer has been practicing law in New York, concentrating in criminal and civil litigation. He is admitted to practice before all New York State courts, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Dreyer lectures frequently in the areas of federal civil practice and federal criminal practice at law schools and for the New York State Bar Association.
Mr. Dreyer graduated from Bowdoin College in 1966 and from New York Law School in 1969. After law school, he served as Captain, JAGC, in the United States Army before becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. From 1976 to 1980, he served as Chief Assistant in that office. In private practice since 1980, Mr. Dreyer is widely considered by his peers as an authority in the area of federal practice and trials. He is listed in the first and all subsequent editions of "The Best Lawyers in America."
Mr. Dreyer is a member of the Albany County Bar Association; New York State Bar Association; Federal Bar Counsel; Northern District of New York Federal Bar Association (Vice-President); Executive Committee Commercial and Federal Litigation Section; and the Albany Law School American Inns of Court. He has served on various merit selection panels for the appointment of United States magistrates and bankruptcy judges.
Contact Mr. Dreyer at wdreyer@dreyerboyajian.com
Donald W. Boyajian
Donald W. Boyajian personally handles or oversees all personal injury cases prosecuted by the firm. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Boyajian has compiled an impressive record of success both in the courtroom and in his negotiations on behalf of injured clients. His record includes numerous million dollar settlements and verdicts. He has successfully prosecuted several high profile personal injury claims and has served as lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in several class action and multi-party claims. Mr. Boyajian has received the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been featured on the cover of New York Super Lawyers, and frequently lectures on personal injury matters.
Mr. Boyajian is a graduate of Union College and the Franklin Pierce Law Center. Prior to founding Dreyer Boyajian LLP, he was a confidential law assistant for the New York State Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, Assistant District Attorney for Saratoga County, and served as counsel to the New York State Senate Ethics Committee. He is a member of the Albany County, Saratoga County, and New York State Bar Associations, the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Boyajian’s practice is devoted to serious personal injury litigation arising from motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, and environmental and toxic torts.
Contact Mr. Boyajian at dboyajian@dreyerboyajian.com
Craig M. Crist
Craig M. Crist earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Fordham University in 1992, graduating summa cum laude. He received his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1995, graduating cum laude. Mr. Crist is admitted to practice before all New York State courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Crist, who is a member of the Albany County, New York State, and American Bar Associations, practices primarily in the areas of civil and criminal litigation, municipal law, environmental law, and real estate law.
Contact Mr. Crist at ccrist@dreyerboyajian.com
John B. Casey
John B. Casey joined the firm in 1996 as an associate attorney. He concentrates his litigation practice in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, and criminal defense. He is admitted to practice in all New York State courts and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of New York as well as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel for the Northern District of New York.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Casey served for two years as an Appellate Court Attorney for the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Fourth Judicial Department, in Rochester, New York. Mr. Casey has participated as a speaker in continuing legal education seminars on topics including discovery, trial practice, and personal injury litigation. He is an instructor of the Dale Carnegie Course.
Mr. Casey is a 1994 summa cum laude graduate of Albany Law School, and a 1991 cum laude graduate of Villanova University. He resides in Latham, New York with his wife, Kristen, and son, Kieran.
Contact Mr. Casey by e-mail at jcasey@dreyerboyajian.com
James R. Peluso, Jr.
James R. Peluso graduated magna cum laude from Siena College in 1997, earning a Bachelors of Business Administration. He received his Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School in 2000, where he served as President of the Student Bar Association and Executive Editor for Symposium of the Albany Law Review.
Mr. Peluso is admitted to practice before all New York State courts, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Northern District and Southern District of New York. He is a member of the Albany County Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and Northern District of New York Federal Bar Association.
Mr. Peluso handles civil and criminal litigation, including business counseling, commercial litigation, municipal law, personal injury, mass tort, and class action matters.
Contact Mr. Peluso by e-mail at jpeluso@dreyerboyajian.com
April M. Wilson
April Wilson’s practice focuses primarily on the areas of criminal defense and personal injury. She also practices in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, child sexual abuse, entertainment law, and criminal and civil appellate practice. April Wilson has significant trial experience and has participated in the successful mediation and settlement of many substantial cases.
Ms. Wilson received a B.A. cum laude from the State University at Albany in 1998. She earned her law degree at Albany Law School, where she graduated cum laude and served on the Executive Board of the Albany Law Review as a Note and Comment Editor. Ms. Wilson is admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court; all New York State courts, the United States District Courts for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court of Vermont, and all state courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Ms. Wilson is an active member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). April is a member of the AAJ New Lawyers Division, has published articles nationally with AAJ, and is the Albany Law School AAJ Ambassador. Ms. Wilson is also an active member of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association, NYS Bar Association, and Albany County Bar Association, where she served as the immediate past co-chair of the Young Lawyers Committee.
Contact April Wilson at awilson@dreyerboyajian.com
Aaron E. Connor
A litigator who has focused his practice in the areas of corporate, municipal, and environmental law and criminal defense, Aaron E. Connor holds a B.A. from the State University at Albany. A native of Waterford, New York, he received his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 2006. Mr. Connor is admitted to practice before all New York State courts and the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. He is a member of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and the New York County Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar.
Mr. Connor volunteers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Contact Mr. Connor at aconnor@dreyerboyajian.com
John J. Dowd
John J. Dowd is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College (B.A. 1994) and a graduate of Albany Law School of Union University (J.D. 1997). He is admitted to practice in New York State as well as the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of New York. Mr. Dowd is a member of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.
Prior to joining Dreyer Boyajian, Mr. Dowd served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Litigation Bureau of the Office of the New York State Attorney General and was a partner at the law firm of Couch White, LLP. As an assistant attorney general, Mr. Dowd represented several state agencies, including the New York State Department of Correctional Services and the New York State Police, in civil actions commenced in both federal and state courts. Mr. Dowd also tried several jury civil cases in federal court. While at Couch White, LLP, Mr. Dowd served as a member of the firm’s Construction and Commercial Transactions/Litigation group.
Mr. Dowd has represented a wide-variety of construction industry clients, including project owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, design professionals, and surety companies. Mr. Dowd has extensive experience in contract law, surety law, lien law, construction trust law, commercial litigation, and real property law. He has extensive litigation experience, both jury and non-jury, having served as counsel in trials, arbitration, and mediation. Mr. Dowd also is a member of the Associated General Contractors of New York State, LLC, the Eastern Contractors Association, the Northeastern Subcontractors Association, and the Saratoga Builders Association, Inc.
Mr. Dowd possesses considerable experience in defending commercial companies in massive tort actions involving alleged asbestos exposure. He also handles vehicle and traffic matters.
Contact Mr. Dowd at jdowd@dreyerboyajian.com
