Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West LLC (PLDW) today announced the expansion of the firm’s team of attorneys with the appointment of Kristen M. Hector and Steven W. Raffa, each to Senior Counsel.

Ms. Hector, Senior Counsel, also joins PLDW as a member of the firm’s Special Mastership in Prison Monitoring Team for the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, where the team leads the monitoring of the prison systems’ reform compliance and progress. Ms. Hector is an experienced legal researcher and writer, and is highly skilled in the areas of corrections and rehabilitation policies and procedures, and prison monitoring for the State of California. Prior to joining PLDW, Ms. Hector worked as the Staff Attorney/Inmate Patient Relations Manager for California Prison Health Care Receivership, Office of the Receiver and most recently assumed the Receiver’s Office of Legal Affairs Staff Counsel. Ms. Hector earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco where she was a co-founder and articles editor of the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Hector is admitted to practice law in the State of California and is a member of the State of California Bar Association, and is headquartered in the Providence, RI Administrative Office.

Steven W. Raffa, Senior Counsel, was most recently employed as Legal Counsel with the Rhode Island Department of Revenue prior to joining PLDW. Mr. Raffa earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude of Georgetown University’s Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he earned a B.S.F.S. in International Politics. Mr. Raffa is admitted to practice law in the State of Rhode Island and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association. Of special note is Mr. Raffa’s work in the field of education for underserved youths. As a passionate advocate for the well-being of young people and learning, he co-founded in 1994, what is now known as the Textron Chamber of Commerce Charter School in Providence, RI.

“Kristen and Steve bring strong leadership and stellar practice credentials to their new roles, along with a dedication to our values – excellent client service, community involvement and teamwork,” said Gary R. Pannone, PLDW Managing Partner. “Their legal expertise adds to the unique nature of the firm, which is the attributed to the distinction of PLDW having expertise in several specialty areas, including special masterships and municipal infrastructure law, both of which are in high demand and difficult to develop which provides the firm with a competitive edge with the larger firms. The model that we employ is truly a one-firm concept with full integration of the skill sets across legal disciplines with a goal of delivering high quality legal services in a more efficient manner.”

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PLDW was founded in March 2006 by partners in an international law firm and is now recognized as one of the most distinguished law firms in the New England and New York regions. The firm has expanded its footprint in the marketplace each year since it was founded. The platform at Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West is structured to deliver large firm expertise and business consulting in a cost-effective manner. PLDW partners and staff embrace a culture of commitment to ‘client and community’ as is reflected in its recognition as a Best Places to Work in Rhode Island for three years in a row (2008, 2009, 2010) by PBN and The Best Companies firm, an independent research company.

For information about PLDW, contact PLDW Director of Administration David Sweet at 401-824-5100.