Attorney General Neronha announces 16 new legal hires Published on Friday, December 15, 2023 Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today announced a significant promotion and 16 recent legal hires within the Office of the Attorney General. Additionally, the Office is also now accepting applications for the 2024 Clifton Clerkship Program, with more information available on the Attorney General’s website. “Our Office attracts employees with a wide range of talents, expertise, and experience, but what unites them all is a profound commitment to public service and justice for Rhode Islanders,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Just within the last few months, we have hired recent graduates from schools like Harvard, Boston College, and Villanova, brought on two attorneys with more than 60 years of litigation experience between them, and welcomed back a talented former Assistant Attorney General. Every attorney and every staff member, whether fresh out of law school or a seasoned veteran, is laser-focused on delivering results for the people of Rhode Island, and our Office has never been stronger.” Attorney General Neronha has promoted Assistant Attorney General Matthew Shaw to Deputy Chief of the Civil Division in charge of the Government Litigation Bureau. As Deputy Chief, Matthew will be tasked with the management and supervision of civil actions against the State assigned to the Government Litigation Bureau, overseeing approximately fourteen attorneys and associated support staff. Matthew has served the Office of Attorney General under three administrations, over two separate tenures, and brings both public and private sector experience to the Office. Matthew is a graduate of George Mason University and Vermont Law School. The Office’s recent legal hires include: Jasmin Anastacio joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Government Litigation Bureau of the Civil Division. Jasmin is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and previously served as a Legal Intern for the Office’s Special Victims Unit; James Arguin serves the Office in the Government Litigation Bureau within the Civil Division. James previously worked as a Senior Justice Advisor at the United States Department of State, served as Chief of the Appeals Division at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and has over 30 years’ experience in civil and criminal litigation. James graduated from George Washington University Law School in 1990; Alex Carnevale serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit within the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Alex previously worked as an Associate Attorney at Thompson Coburn LLP in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2020; Carina Donato serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Carina is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and previously served as a Legal Intern in our Kent County Office; Lionel Dutreix serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Government Litigation Bureau of the Civil Division. Lonnie’s previous attorney experience includes insurance defense and litigation, as well as real property transactions. He graduated from St. Louis University School of Law in 2021; Alex Gatter has joined the Office as a Law Clerk in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Alex is a recent graduate of Boston University School of Law and most recently served as a Legal Assistant for the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice; Richard Gemma joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Government Litigation Bureau of the Civil Division. Richard has more than 30 years of legal practice in civil litigation, with a focus on bankruptcy and insolvency law, and was previously a principal with Wieck DeLuca & Gemma Incorporated in Providence. He graduated from Boston College Law School in 1988; Leonard Giarrano serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Leonard is a recent graduate of Harvard Law School and previously served as a Legal Intern in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice and as an Equal Justice America Fellow in the Asian Outreach Center of Greater Boston Legal Services; Andrea Mauro serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division. Andrea most recently served as the Deputy Chief of the Enterprise, Major, and Cyber Crimes Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in in both Brooklyn and Queens Counties in New York City. She graduated from New York Law School in 2009; Jordan Mickman joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit within the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Jordan previously worked at the Rhode Island Center for Justice, serving as a Supervising Attorney, and graduated from Widener University Delaware Law School in 2012; Zachary Moniz joined the Office as a Law Clerk in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Zachary is a recent graduate of Villanova University School of Law and most recently worked as an Extern for the Office of Disciplinary Council in Philadelphia; Mikala Morrison joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Mikala is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and worked as a Legal Intern at the New London State Attorney’s Office; Penelope Murphy joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Penelope previously served as a Judicial Extern at the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island and as an Intern in our Special Victims Unit; Rebecca Pinsky joined the Office as a Law Clerk in the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit within the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division. Rebecca is a recent graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law and brings her five years of financial law experience to the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit; Tyler Romero joined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Family/District Court Unit of the Criminal Division. Tyler most recently worked as the Assistant City Solicitor of Housing & Equity for the City of Central Falls and graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2021; Ania Zielinski rejoined the Office as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Special Victims Unit of the Criminal Division. Ania served our Office as an Assistant Attorney General from 2005-2021 and graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2003; William C. Clifton Sr. Clerkship Program: Additionally, the Office recently announced it is now accepting applications for its 2024 William C. Clifton, Sr. Clerkship program. Named for Judge William C. Clifton, Sr., the first African American Special Assistant Attorney General in the Attorney General’s Office, the Clifton Clerkship Program provides first- and second-year law students from historically underrepresented populations with the opportunity to spend the summer working on substantive legal matters while building valuable career experience. The program is open to all qualified applicants but is designed to provide qualified members of diverse groups and persons with disabilities with summer opportunities in the Attorney General’s Office where these groups have been underrepresented. Students who have faced social and/or economic disadvantages on their path toward the practice of law, first-generation law students, students from unique educational and family circumstances, and individuals who have overcome significant obstacles are encouraged to apply. Over a 10-week, full-time program, law students will split their time between the Office’s Criminal and Civil Divisions and receive legal assignments in their areas of interest. Students in the program will be assigned a mentor and attend educational and networking events to help them gain exposure to, and build relationships with, members of the legal community. In order to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent qualified individuals from participating, each selected law student will receive a stipend of approximately $3,000 for the summer clerkship. To learn more about the Clifton Clerkship Program and other career opportunities within the Office of the Attorney General, please visit our website. ###