Managing Partner
A Summa Cum Laude graduate, Phi Beta Kappa member, and 1978 graduate of Villanova University School of Law, Michael Anthony DeFino has tried a multitude of high-profile cases reported by CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, ABC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Chicago Tribune and New York Times.
Michael is the lone attorney to secure an acquittal for his client in one of the most complex multi-defendant federal criminal cases in Philadelphia’s history. He has represented a plethora of civil clients in medical malpractice and personal injury suits and obtained several multi-million dollar settlements.
Michael has appeared before every level of state & federal court in Pennsylvania and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. He has served as a senior hearing officer of the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board.
Voted a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” Every Year Since 2005
Michael DeFino has been voted as a member of the Pennsylvania Super Lawyer List for sixteen consecutive years (2005 – 2020). Super Lawyers are nominated and voted on by other lawyers in the state. Only 5% of all lawyers in the Commonwealth of PA reach Super Lawyer status in a given year, and Michael DeFino has made it for 16 years in a row!
Vincent Anthony DeFino
Managing Partner
A 1990 Graduate of Temple University and 1993 Widener Law, Vincent has excelled in the field of civil law. Vincent’s skills in negotiations have allowed him to settle millions of dollars in personal injury claims each year, while his personable disposition, charm, and sense of humor endear him to all his clients, and has forged unparalleled ties in the legal and business community.
Vincent performs a multitude of pro-bono work representing community groups as well as the South Philadelphia Business Association, a community organization dedicated to helping small businesses thrive in South Philadelphia. Vincent served as President of the South Philadelphia Business Association from 2004 through 2007, and is currently a board member.
Vincent was the winner of the South Philadelphia Business Association Person of the Year Award for 2017. He was instrumental in creating The South Philadelphia Business Association Scholarship Fund and has since assisted in raising and doling out scholarships in excess of several hundred thousand dollars to graduating South Philadelphia High School seniors from diverse and multicultural backgrounds.
Vincent resides in South Philadelphia with his wife, Nella, their three children: Nicole, Rose, and Vincent, and his Yorkie, Bubba.
Partner
A 1988 graduate of Villanova University School of Law, Nick Starinieri is the managing attorney for DeFino Law Associates, P.C. Nick has handled the firm’s most complex civil litigation cases, setting legal precedent in the case of Suburban Delivery v. W.C.A.B., where the Court established workers’ compensation claimants’ right to keep more of their recoveries from accident cases involving structured settlements. He focuses his practice on personal injury, probate & estate, real estate, and other civil litigation matters, including medical malpractice. Nick is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is an associate member of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.
Education
- Villanova University School of Law – 1988
- Villanova University – 1985
Bar Licenses
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of New Jersey
- United States for the District of New Jersey
Partner
Nicholas is an experienced Philadelphia trial attorney. Since litigating personal injury cases in 2010, he quickly realized his greatest assets were not learned in a classroom or a courtroom, but were learned growing up on the streets of South Philadelphia – it all comes down to grit and relatability.
Since embracing his litigation skillset, Nicholas collected over forty million dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients in only 13 years. He was one of the youngest lawyers in the state to ever obtain a verdict in excess of one million dollars.
Personal injury law is a people business, it is about relationships; this is the fuel that motivates Nicholas to take on corporations and insurance companies who constantly place their own profits over the safety of our citizens.
Nicholas resides in Philadelphia with his wife and their children.
Super Lawyer Rising Star
Nicholas has been voted as a member of the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star List for 6 consecutive years (2017 – 2022). Rising Star status is reserved for the top attorneys under age 40 in PA. Attorneys are nominated and then voted on by other PA attorneys. Only 2.5% of all attorneys in the Commonwealth of PA are given the prestigious honor of “Rising Star,” and Mr. Palazzo has reached this status in every year of his practice since 2017.
Cell: (267) 767-5218
Email: npalazzo@definolawyers.com
Ben Simmons
Partner
Ben practices in plaintiff’s personal injury, medical malpractice, criminal defense and civil rights litigation, to name a few. Ben’s diverse practice allows him to help his clients find a solution, whatever their problem. He has successfully represented clients throughout the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania in jury and bench trials, arbitrations, binding arbitrations and administrative hearings, and has litigated appeals in the Pennsylvania Superior Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list every year since 2017.
Ben graduated cum laude from the Drexel University School of Law with a concentration in Business and Entrepreneurship after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in political science and public administration from Bloomsburg University. Prior to joining DeFino Law, Ben completed a Drexel University co-op placement with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in their Corporate Finance and Business Litigation departments and a clerkship with Koller Law PC in Plaintiff’s civil rights and employment litigation. He was also a founding member of the fellowship program at Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, performing due diligence evaluations of growth-stage companies for private investment.
Ben lives in Graduate Hospital and enjoys distance running, traveling, and exploring Philly’s food scene with his wife Tracy.
Bar Admissions
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court – Middle District of Pennsylvania
Practice Areas
- Premises liability, slip/trip-and-fall accidents
- Civil rights and prisoner litigation, including medical neglect, excessive force, malicious prosecution, and state-created danger
- Criminal defense (drug offenses, assault, DUI, firearms offenses, etc.)
- Medical/nursing malpractice
- Motor vehicle accidents (third-party liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits)
- Breach of contract and small business representation
- Landlord/tenant disputes
- Property forfeiture
- Property code violations
- Firearms permits
- Traffic offenses
Associate
Natalie concentrates her practice on representing individuals injured as a result of the negligence of others.
Prior to attending law school, Natalie spent more than a decade as a leading Sales & Marketing Executive managing hundreds of business accounts for her clients in the Philadelphia market. Wanting more personal fulfillment from her career, Natalie gave up her position at a prestigious sales and marketing firm to start helping injured individuals and their families.
While in law school, Natalie worked part time at a Philadelphia personal injury law firm as a law clerk and completed internships with the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and Delaware Superior Court in their civil and criminal divisions.
Prior to joining DeFino Law Associates, Natalie worked at a prominent personal injury law firm in Center City Philadelphia where she represented injured individuals in a variety of complex personal injury matters.
Natalie’s prior experience gives her unique insight and strategy for securing the best result for her clients.
Natalie graduated from Widener University Delaware School of Law after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University. Natalie was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and resides in South Philadelphia with her rescue dog.
Bar Admissions
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Business Litigation
Of Counsel
As a former trial court Judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia – given almost 40 years of complex litigation involvement – Judge Melchiorre is a seasoned trial lawyer that now brings his experience and skill to bear at DeFino Law Associates, P.C.
Before his appointment to the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Judge Melchiorre owned and managed his own Center City Philadelphia firm for over 30 years, concentrating his practice in serious personal injury matters, wrongful death, business transactions/litigation, real estate, along with his active wills & estates practice. After transitioning his practice to an Of Counsel role with the prestigious DeFino firm, Judge Melchiorre continued to serve his clients, individuals and businesses, while also expanding into the handling of medical malpractice and products liability litigation. Judge Melchiorre has a long history of prosecuting complex and occasionally contentious civil litigation. He has tried numerous cases to verdict, but just as importantly – he has substantial experience with alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation, and neutral evaluations. While employed by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, before taking the bench, Judge Melchiorre reviewed and handled hundreds of civil matters, which were successfully resolved, having spent in excess of 18 years as a Settlement Master and Judge Pro Tem. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU) and currently acts as its litigation counsel.
Judge Melchiorre (“Vince,” to his many friends) is also committed to a healthy lifestyle and physical fitness. Often in the gym or practicing Tang Soo Do, the indigenous Korean Martial Art, he was named the International Student of the Year for the World Tang Soo Do Association and currently holds the rank of Senior Master in the Association. He served as the Chief Legal Counsel for the organization for over 16 years and is currently litigation counsel for this organization, as well.
A lifelong Philadelphian, Judge Melchiorre was born and raised in South Philadelphia, where he currently resides with his family. He’s a proud alumnus of La Salle University and the Widener University School of Law.