Attorneys
Founding Partners
Donna M. Lamontagne
Founding Partner
Practice Areas
- General Insurance Defense
- Construction
- Insurance
- Coverage
- Bad Faith
- Employment
- Environmental
- Product Liability
- Complex Personal Injury Litigation
Donna M. Lamontagne has 30 years of jury trial and civil litigation/appellate experience in courts throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Ms. Lamontagne is a recognized Super Lawyer among her peers; a distinction given to the top 5% of attorneys.
In addition to trial work, Attorney Lamontagne has volunteered her time for the improvement of civics education through the iCivics program pioneered by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She was Rhode Island State Coordinator for iCivics from 2010-2014 and is now an iCivics Ambassador. As a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, Attorney Lamontagne has served as the Treasurer, Vice President and President of the IADC Foundation Board. She is currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the IADC Board. She has Chaired the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the IADC and serves as Rhode Island State Membership Chair and IADC Ambassador. She is a registered arbitrator for the Rhode Island Superior Court-Annexed Arbitration Program. Ms. Lamontagne has also served as a private mediator and arbitrator in civil litigation matters involving general liability, construction and employment issues.
Education
College of the Holy Cross, AB cum laude, 1990; Boston College Law School, JD cum laude, 1993
Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court; United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; United States District Court for the Districts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; Rhode Island Supreme Court and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Professional Associations
International Association of Defense Counsel; Rhode Island Bar Association; Massachusetts Bar Association; Defense Counsel of Rhode Island; Defense Research Institute; American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); Litigation Counsel of America (LCA).
Honors/Leadership Positions
Rhode Island Super Lawyer 2013-2023; iCivics, Rhode Island State Coordinator, 2010-2014; iCivics State Ambassador, 2014-2015; IADC Foundation Board Member, 2014-2020; IADC Board Member, 2019-present, Secretary/Treasurer, 2020-present. Chair, IADC Rhode Island State Membership Committee, 2013-present; Chair, IADC Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, 2014-2016; Vice Chair of First Party/Property; Insurance and Reinsurance Committee, 2009-Present; Vice Chair of Programming, ADR Committee, 2013; Vice Chair of Social Media, ADR Committee, 2010-2012; Member IADC Employment Law Committee, 2009-present; Member, IADC Finance Committee, 2019-present; Member, IADC Audit Committee, 2019-present; Member, IADC Investment Committee, 2019-present; IADC Website Task Force, 2012; Chair of Rhode Island Superior Court Bench/Bar Medical Malpractice Subcommittee, 2003-2005; Superior Court Mediation Subcommittee, 2003-2005; Superior Court Rules Revision Committee. Member Bishop Feehan High School, President’s Advisory Board, 2016-2021; Chair, Bishop Feehan President’s Advisory Board, 2020-2021; Chair, Bishop Feehan, Board of Trustees, 2021-2022. Member, Central Catholic School Board, Diocese of Fall River, 2020-present.
Publications
A Practical Guide to Discovery and Depositions in Rhode Island, Chapter 22 – Attorney-Client Communications Privilege and the Work-Product Doctrine, 2010, Volume Update 2014; “So We’ve Decided We Need It…Now What?” Integrated Practice Management Software, For the Defense, Annual Law Practice Management Review, 2010.
Seminars
Rhode Island Bar Association, Annual Meeting, 2013, Civil Motions for Default & Default Judgments; Rhode Island Bar Association, Annual Meeting, 2013, Amendments to Medical Affidavits Statute; Rhode Island Association for Justice, Medical Affidavits Statute Revisions, 2012; Defense Research Institute: Best Practices for Law Firm Profitability Seminar, 2010, Integrated Practice Management Software; Rhode Island Bar Association, Annual Meeting, 2010, Client Advocacy Outside the Well; Rhode Island Association for Justice, Taking Arbitration and Mediation to a New Level, 2008; The Art of the Settlement, National Business Institute, 2007; Rhode Island Bar Association, Annual Meeting, Medical Malpractice Mediation: A Model Worth Expanding, 2007; Rhode Island Bar Association, Annual Meeting, 2005, Superior Court Rules Revision.
Honors
Distinguished Service Award Recipient, for service as Trustee of Bishop Feehan High School, 2022.
Cathryn Spaulding
Founding Partner
Practice Areas
- General Insurance Defense
- Automobile Liability
- Bad Faith
- Commercial Litigation
- Complex Personal Injury Litigation
- Construction Litigation
- Construction Defect
- Negligent Security
- Product Liability
- Premises Liability
- Environmental
- Toxic Torts
Cathryn Spaulding has over 30 years of jury trial and civil litigation experience in courts throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Her trial experience has encompassed a wide variety of matters including general insurance defense, insurance coverage, complex personal injury litigation, construction litigation, premises liability, automobile liability, breach of warranty, breach of contract, bad faith litigation, commercial litigation, negligent security, product liability, environmental and toxic torts. Attorney Spaulding has participated extensively in Alternative Dispute Resolution, including arbitrations and mediations.
In addition to her trial work, Attorney Spaulding has volunteered her time in various trial groups. She is a member of the DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar (DRI), American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); and Massachusetts Defense Lawyer’s Association (MassDLA).
Education
Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, BS cum laude, Criminal Justice, 1983; New England School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, JD 1993
Bar Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; United States District Court for the Districts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; Rhode Island Supreme Court and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Professional Associations
Massachusetts Bar Association; Rhode Island Bar Association; DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar; Massachusetts Defense Lawyer’s Association (MassDLA); American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
Leadership Positions
She has served as a Board of Director and as the President for the MassDLA. Attorney Spaulding has served on the Board of Directors and also held officer positions as the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the MassDLA.
Of Counsel
Steven T. Hayes
Of Counsel
Practice Areas
- Civil Litigation
- Product Liability
- Automobile Liability
- Bad Faith
- Construction Litigation
- Toxic Torts
Attorney Steven Hayes’ practice focuses on civil litigation, including the defense of product liability, transportation, toxic tort, insurance bad faith and construction litigation.
For more than a decade, Mr. Hayes has represented the interests of several national automobile insurers in all of Rhode Island’s courts. This portion of his practice has incorporated all aspects of civil defense litigation, from the inception of a case through an appellate end point. It has included arbitrations, mediations, trials, and appeals. It has involved managing the efficiency of a high volume of automobile negligence cases and achieving consistently favorable results.
Mr. Hayes’ legal career began representing the various entities that comprise one of Rhode Island’s largest religious institutions. The practice involved a wide variety of matters, including employment matters, special education rights, and clergy abuse litigation.
Education
Roger Williams University Law School, 1998 Top 10% ; Boston College, 1993
Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court, United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Supreme Court
Professional Associations
Rhode Island Bar Association (Insurance Committee), Defense Counsel of Rhode Island, DRI, Moses Brown School Alumni Association and Boston College Varsity Club.
Partner
Amanda Prosek
Partner
Practice Areas
- Product Liability
- Tort and Liability Defense
- Environmental and Toxic Torts
- Employment and Labor
- First Party Property
- Bad Faith
- 93A Claims
Attorney Prosek’s practice focuses on auto and premises liability, the defense of bad faith claims and insurance coverage disputes. Her practice also includes handling high exposure personal injury cases, including traumatic brain injuries and wrongful death. For almost two decades Attorney Prosek has defended claims in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including extensive experience with binding arbitration and mediations. She has tried cases in Rhode Island Superior Courts and both Massachusetts Superior and District Courts, as well as appearing before the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Lamontagne, Spaulding & Hayes, LLP, Attorney Prosek spent over a decade working for a mid-size insurance defense firm and for the Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, in the Tort Claims Divisions with a concentration in medical malpractice.
Education
Georgetown University, 2003; Roger Williams University Law School, 2007
Bar Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, United States District Court for the Districts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; Rhode Island Supreme Court and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Professional Associations
Massachusetts Bar Association, Rhode Island Bar Association, Defense Counsel of Rhode Island
Honors
Best Lawyers: “Ones to Watch” Product Liability Litigation (2021)
Associate Attorneys
Karen M. Connors
Senior Associate
Practice Areas
- Civil Litigation
- General Insurance Defense
- Automobile Liability
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Insurance Coverage
- Environmental and Toxic Torts
- Employment Matters
Karen M. Connors has significant civil litigation experience and has represented clients and corporations in Massachusetts courts as well as in various state and federal forums throughout the US. She has practiced in boutique insurance defense firms and as in-house counsel to an international public corporation. Her experience has encompassed general insurance defense, insurance coverage, complex personal injury litigation, products liability, environmental and toxic torts. She also has experience with a variety of employment matters including issues relating to ADA, FMLA, FLSA, ADEA, counseling management in internal investigations and with policy-making decisions, and drafting and negotiating non-competition agreements and termination agreements.
Education
Boston College, B.A., Honors Program graduate, cum laude, 1992; Tulane University School of Law, JD cum laude,1995, certification in environmental law.
Bar Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts; District of Columbia; and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Lynn G. McCarthy
Senior Associate
Practice Areas
- Civil Litigation
- General Insurance Defense
- Automobile Liability
- Premises Liability
- Construction Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Bad Faith
Ms. McCarthy has extensive experience defending insurers and insureds in first and third-party civil litigation. She has represented clients and corporations in Massachusetts courts and in alternative dispute resolution forums. Her work has encompassed general insurance defense, motor vehicle liability, premises liability, commercial and construction litigation and insurance coverage. Prior to joining Lamontagne, Spaulding and Hayes, LLP, she worked for many years defending insurers and their insureds in matters involving insurance fraud.
Education
Providence College, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1985; Suffolk University Law School, J.D., Cum Laude, 1988.
Bar Admissions
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court; United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Memberships
Massachusetts Bar Association and Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association.
Paralegals
Heather Fontes
Paralegal
Sandra Mullen
Paralegal & Billing Coordinator