Stacey P. Nakasian

Stacey prosecutes and defends cases before Federal and State courts across the country, as well as in private arbitration settings. She has tried numerous cases to a jury, regularly appears in court to present or defend issues before judges, and has argued many appeals.

CONSTRUCTION & REAL ESTATE

• Secured summary judgment in favor of a condominium developer defending a claim by the condominium association regarding the exact property submitted to the condominium.  In affirming the developer’s ownership of the disputed tract, the Court clarified how real estate deeds and condominium documents are interpreted under Rhode Island law.
• When a business owner refused to pay a D&S client for construction of a warehouse claiming the warehouse had construction defects, Stacey overcame the allegations and secured an arbitration award for the general contractor for the full amount due

BROKER-DEALER LITIGATION

• In a five-day FINRA arbitration, Stacey succeeded in proving that an investment advisor, his supervisor and firm were liable for losses resulting from the advisor’s unsuitable investment recommendations to her clients. The FINRA arbitration panel awarded Stacey’s clients $347,000, including punitive damages.
• Secured a $268,000 award in an action against an investment advisor, the advisor’s supervisor and the investment firm in a six-day arbitration, building the case that the brokers and firm had violated various securities regulations and common law duties by recommending and purchasing unsuitable investments
• Won a $438,000 award, including punitive damages, in an arbitration against brokers and brokerage firms on claims for churning and failure to supervise

FIDUCIARY & TRUST LITIGATION

• Stacey succeeded in obtaining a Court order removing the trustees of a trust based on conflicts of interest. Stacey and Nicole also successfully argued that the successor trustee named in the trust shared the same conflict.  The Court removed the successor trustee and approved the appointment of an independent trustee to administer the trust for the benefit of the firm’s client.
• Successfully defended trustees against fiduciary claims and obtained an award of both executor and trustee compensation after an 11-day trial in Superior Court

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LITIGATION

• Secured a $1.2 million judgment, including attorneys’ fees and punitive damages, in a trade secrets case tried to a jury on behalf of a manufacturer against its former employee and competitor
• In a trade secret and unfair competition case in California Superior Court against one of the nation’s largest video publishing companies and its wholly-owned video game developer, Stacey obtained an injunction requiring the developer to turn over work product it was withholding

Stacey has been recognized as Lawyer-of-the-Year in the Providence metro region by Best Lawyers five (5)  times:  in 2023, 2019 and 2015 as Lawyer-of-the-Year for Trusts and Estates Litigation, and in 2022 and 2013 for the practice area of Intellectual Property Litigation.

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Stacey was noted for Excellence in Law by Rhode Island Monthly in the practice area of Arbitration & Mediation. She is certified as an arbitrator by both the American Arbitration Association and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Stacey  was named the 2014 “Industry Leader for Professional Services” in the Providence Business News Business Women Awards program.

She was part of the Top 50 Female New England Super Lawyers for 2013 and has been included in Super Lawyers since 2010, recognized in the categories of business litigation, IP litigation, and estate & trust litigation.

Whether your litigation needs involve disputes related to shareholders or M&A, real estate, healthcare and physicians groups, intellectual property and technology issues or any other business matter, we handle high-stakes cases throughout the country and internationally, focusing time, energy and skills to understand and satisfy both the litigation and the ongoing business needs of our clients.

Our commercial litigation attorney team aggressively and effectively represent clients throughout every phase of the litigation process, from pre-litigation counseling through discovery, trial and appeal, as well using alternative dispute resolution, when appropriate.  We use litigation not merely an end in itself, but as a method to deliver the best business solution to each individual client.

“It feels like you’re getting a top-tier firm with better, regional pricing – they’re the equal of any firm in Boston and they cost less.” | Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business

Celebrating 25 years in business in 2021, Duffy & Sweeney, LTD provides strategic legal counsel and personalized attention to U.S. and international businesses and individuals ranging from start-ups and emerging growth entities to established, private and public companies. We successfully represent clients in a wide range of legal services spanning business law and litigation. Our client-centered, team approach ensures top-notch client service delivered on-time and on-budget.

At Duffy & Sweeney, we recognize that our primary strength rests with the knowledge and experience of our people and their ability to respond to the needs of our clients; in fact, the high-level expertise of our professionals and our unswerving commitment to service are the hallmarks of our practice. Our diverse knowledge and expertise results from our collective experience working at national firms and in private industry, as well as our leadership positions in Bar activities and the community.

Our firm constantly competes and wins at the highest level, … locally, nationally and internationally. Our corporate attorneys serve as general counsel to established and emerging businesses. They handle sophisticated business deals and cutting-edge technology transactions. Our litigators have earned a national reputation, based on their skill both in and out of the courtroom, handling high-stakes and precedent-setting cases.