Patrick B. Naylon

Patrick B. Naylon, a partner in Goldberg Segalla’s Rochester office, is among the firm’s senior litigators, with over 35 years of litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) experience. Acknowledged by his peers as an AV Preeminent attorney and recognized by Best Lawyers in America as among the top five percent of attorneys practicing in his field, Pat has taken dozens of trials to verdict in the state and federal courts and has achieved countless successful resolutions as a mediator for both state and federal matters. A former police officer, Pat seeks, whether proceeding as a litigator or a mediator, to reach the best possible resolution for his clients by practicing exhaustive investigation and founding all legal decisions and counsel on a comprehensive understanding of the matter at hand.

Pat’s experience in litigated matters runs the gamut from inception through appeals. He has taken trials to verdict in federal and state courts involving civil rights, product liability, and labor law claims, as well as claims of professional malpractice, negligence, and catastrophic injury.

While a seasoned litigator, Pat understands the inherent value of early resolution and has pursued this when it is the most efficient and strategic way to meet his clients’ short-term needs and long-term goals. He has resolved hundreds of his own cases via all avenues of ADR and was among a small and select group of attorneys invited by the Western District of New York federal judiciary to become a Certified Federal Court Mediator.

As a mediator, he has successfully resolved a very high percentage of employment discrimination and personal injury cases. Pat likewise mediates state court cases as selected by individual attorneys, serving as a panel mediator for Resolute, Inc. and National Arbitration and Mediation Services. Pat helps parties and their attorneys reach prompt and cost-efficient dispositions, drawing on his distinct career background, holistic understanding of the nature of disputes, extensive litigation experience, and common-sense guidance.

Experience Highlights

Municipalities and Public Entities

Goldberg Segalla is proud to offer comprehensive counsel to a wide range of municipal entities and to defend them in state and federal courts, as well as in all types of alternative dispute resolution. Whether our clients need day-to-day advice on issues affecting municipalities or representation in litigation, our team has the depth and experience to help. Among Pat’s successes in this area are the following:

•Summary judgment dismissing an action against a local sheriff’s office involving a bystander injured by a suspect in a police pursuit
•Summary judgment dismissing an action against a municipality relative to an injury claimed to have suffered due to a design defect

Product Liability

Goldberg Segalla is recognized as a leader in product liability litigation and risk avoidance. Our product liability attorneys work together as a single integrated team, with the sole purpose of helping our clients win or avoid product liability disputes. These lawyers have tried product liability cases on behalf of Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States and FTSE 100 in the United Kingdom. Pat’s successes in product liability include winning a trial verdict for a nationally prominent exercise equipment manufacturer.

Employment and Labor

Pat represents several municipalities not only in litigation but also in day-to-day counseling and in negotiation with respect to labor and employment matters. His successes in this area include an arbitration victory dismissing an employee for misconduct.

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers in America

•Lawyer of the Year (Rochester), Personal Injury Litigation, 2020
•Personal Injury Litigation Defendants, 2013 - 20

Upstate New York Super Lawyers 2013 - 19

Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating AV Preeminent

Community Involvement

•Volunteer Mediator for the Rochester Center for Dispute Settlement
•Huntingtons Disease Bill Lawler 5K Board Member
•Rochester Irish Festival Committee, Past Member
•Ancient Order of Hibernians: Past President

Training and Certifications

•Certified Federal Court Mediator, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
•New York State Certified Mediator pursuant to New York State Unified Court System Part 146
•National Arbitration and Mediation Services Mediator
•Resolute Systems, Mediator

Publications & Events

Publications

•Quoted in “Panel Cautions Judge, Revives Foreclosure Proceeding,” New York Law Journal, March 22, 2013
•Quoted in “Judge Sanctions Bank, Law Firm in Foreclosure Case,” New York Law Journal, December 28, 2011

Presentations

•Presenter, “Sexual Harassment Training: Training the Trainer,” New York Municipal Insured Reciprocal to Western and Central New York Law Enforcement, Syracuse, NY, May 2019
•Presenter, “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: What You Can Do to Prevent It, and the “Me Too” Movement,” for Western New York Municipal Supervisors on behalf of New York Municipal Insured Reciprocal, Geneseo, NY, March 2018
•Presenter, “Primer on Antidiscrimination Statutes Applicable to the Workplace,” New York Association of Counties Workshop, Syracuse, NY, September 2017
•Presenter, “Municipal Highway Superintendents: Roads, Streets, and Highway Liability,” for Western NY Highway Superintendents on behalf of New York Municipal Insured Reciprocal, Batavia, NY, November 2015
•Presenter, “Municipal Highway Superintendents: Roads, Streets & Highway Liability,” for Central NY Highway Superintendents on behalf of New York Municipal Insured Reciprocal, Auburn, NY, October 2015

Recent Insights

Judge Dismisses Civil-Rights Suit against School District, Superintendent

January 8, 2020

The Best Lawyers in America 2020 Names Thomas P. Bernier and Patrick B. Naylon Lawyers of the Year, Lists 37 Goldberg Segalla Attorneys Nationwide

August 15, 2019

Super Lawyers Honors Nearly Two-Thirds of Goldberg Segalla’s Upstate New York Attorneys

August 13, 2019

Sixty-One Goldberg Segalla Attorneys Featured in 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers

August 13, 2018

The Best Lawyers in America 2019 Names Thomas F. Segalla, Albert J. D'Aquino, John P. Freedenberg Lawyers of the Year, Lists Thirty-four Goldberg Segalla Attorneys

August 15, 2018

The Best Lawyers in America 2018 names Neil A. Goldberg, Thomas P. Bernier, Albert J. D'Aquino, and David L. Brown Lawyers of the Year, Lists Thirty-two Goldberg Segalla Attorneys

August 17, 2017