Merolla & Accetturo

Merolla & Accetturo Attorneys at Law is a full service law firm, which practices in all types of civil litigation, including Personal Injury, Products Liability, Business, Arbitration, Bankruptcy, General Insurance Defense, Admiralty, Partnership Contracts, Mergers and Acquisitions, Government Relations, Communications, Commercial and RICO Litigation, Administrative, Business and Corporate, Construction, Appellate, Family, Education and Environmental and Regulatory Law, Real Estate, Municipal, Zoning and Land Use Law, Estate Planning, Taxation, Trusts and Estates, Trust Administration, and Probate.

Amedeo C. Merolla, the Firm's Managing Partner, served as a Chief Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, Legal Counsel to Congressman James R. Langevin; General Counsel for the Rhode Island Public Buildings Authority; General Counsel to the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Administration, Assistant Solicitor for the City the Providence, and the Judge Advocate General for the State of Rhode Island. At various times he was appointed by the Rhode Island Supreme Court to the Alternate Dispute Resolution Task Force, the Committee to draft the new Rules of Evidence for all Rhode Island Courts, and the Committee on Clerkships for Admission to the Bar.

Katherine A. Merolla has over thirty years of litigation experience and served as General Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, which included the Divisions of Corporations, Partnerships, UCC, Elections, and Archives and legal Consultant to Congressman James R. Langevin. She is also a Superior Court Annexed Arbitrator. She currently is the Solicitor for the Town New Shoreham.

Steven B. Merolla has over seventeen years of litigation experience and served as Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Secretary of State for eight years. He currently serves as a Town Solicitor for the town of New Shoreham and is the criminal prosecutor for Town of New Shoreham. Currently, Steven B. Merolla is a five term Councilman for the City of Warwick, and is the Warwick City Council's Vice President. He has served as the Warwick City Council Chairman of the Ordinance/ Zoning Committee, Chairman of the Public Properties Committee, Chairman of the Land Use Committee, Chairman of the Community Affairs Committee, Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, Chairman of the Airport Land Use Committee, appointed by the Council to serve as its representative to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee; appointed by the Mayor of Warwick as Warwick's representative to the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and appointed by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns as its representative to Grow Smart Rhode Island.

Joseph P. Accetturo, has over five years of litigation experience and is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, and served as the Chairman of the Johnston Housing Authority. Joseph also served as the Chairman of the Johnston Housing Authority. Joseph also served as Director of the Northwest Head Start, and a member of the Memorial Park 50th Anniversary Committee, the Providence Industrial Development Loan Review Committee, Rhode Island Home Mortgage Opportunity Committee, Rhode Island Chapter of CLU and ChFC, and the Johnston Charter Review Commission. He is currently a law professor at Bristol Community College.

Christopher A. D'Ovidio has over seven years of litigation experience. He serves as the special assistant solicitor for the general municipal matters the Town of New Shoreham, and is a professor of Land Use at Roger Williams University School of Law. He previously served as Legal Counsel to the Conservation Law Foundation Rhode Island Advocacy Center (a non-profit public interest organization), and on various state and local boards, committees and commissions.

Gregory Schultz is of counsel to the firm, and has over eleven years of litigation practice. He previously served as legal counsel for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Timothy Pavilonis is of counsel to the firm, and has over eight years of litigation and administrative law experience in the practice areas of construction and surety law, environmental law, military justice and maritime law. He has served on the legal staff of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, practiced as a Boston law firm specializing in construction and surety litigation, and was a senior associate at Olenn & Penza, LLP, a Rhode Island based defense firm, prior to his affiliation with Merolla & Accetturo.

Not only have these attorneys provided counseling and litigation skills for their public and private sector clients, but have also been public servants themselves. Amedeo C. Merolla served in the United States Marine Corps and the Rhode Island Army National Guard. He is a graduate of the United States Marine Corps Infantry School and United States Army Command and General Staff College. His last assignment as a Brigadier General was the Deputy Commanding General of the Rhode Island School Committee and Chairman of the Warwick Bicentennial Commission. He is one of the founders of the Warwick Boys and Girls Club and its former President.

Steven B. Merolla currently is a five term Councilman for the City of Warwick, and is the Warwick City Council's Vice president. He has served as the Chairman for numerous Warwick City Council Committees.

Joseph P. Accetturo, is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, and is currently Chairman of the Johnston Housing Authority. Joseph also served as Director of the Northwest Head Start, and a member of the Memorial Park 50th Anniversary Committee, the Providence Industrial Development Loan Review Committee, Rhode Island Home Mortgage Opportunity Committee, Rhode Island Chapter of CLU and ChFC, and the Johnston Charter Review Commission.

Christopher A. D'Ovidio is currently the Chairman of the Warwick Land Trust Committee, and Vice President of Groundwork Providence. He previously served on several State of Rhode Island committees and boards concerning our rivers, lakes and Bay, renewable energy, water allocation, and moderate-low affordable housing. He also was an environmental scientist for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Timothy Pavilonis, a 1991 graduate of U.S. Coast Guard Academy, is presently serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, where he is assigned to the Coast Guard First District legal office, in Boston, Massachusetts. Tim has previously taught constitutional law and military justice at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, has had active duty and reserve tours of duty at the Providence Marine Safety Office, and also served aboard the CG Cutter Tahoma as a shipboard engineer. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1984 and became a Marine Science Technician, Third Class, prior to being appointed as a Cadet at the Academy. Through his years of service in the Coast Guard and on the DEM legal staff, Tim has substantial, and unique, experience in marine environmental law and pollution response, at both the federal and state jurisdictional levels.

Gregory Schultz currently serves on the Zoning Board for the Town of Middletown, Rhode Island. He previously served on the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission and Aquidneck Island Land Trust. In sum, Merolla & Accetturo has amassed a formidable set of resources to serve our clients, including knowledge of law, research capabilities, litigation skills, proven experience and decades of experience. Over the years, our clients have benefited from our efforts in countless ways. Our daily diligence, effective representation, and public service have afforded our clients the ability to avoid expensive and protracted litigation.