General Information

Year founded: 1996
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
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Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

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 represent clients in a wide range of legal services spanning business law and litigation as well as intellectual property and technology law. Our client-centered, team approach ensures top-notch client service delivered on-time and on-budget.

Who We Are

At Duffy & Sweeney, we recognize that our primary strength rests with 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 corporate attorneys serve as general counsel to established and emerging businesses, both regional and national. 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.

How We Work

Business decisions often carry legal implications. Likewise, the way legal issues are resolved affects a company’s ability to achieve its goals. We go beyond answering narrow legal questions to provide practical and seasoned advice and guidance on issues facing businesses today.

Whether structuring a transaction, protecting intellectual property, dealing with employees, negotiating contracts, analyzing tax implications, or initiating or responding to litigation, we become an integral part of our clients’ management teams … resolving current challenges and positioning them for growth and success in the future.

Creating Value

Sometimes a vigorous, preemptive move is the wisest path. In other situations, no action is the best course. Our clients have absolute confidence that the legal advice they receive fits their business or individual situation.

We identify the pivotal issues and recommend solutions designed to protect our clients’ best interests. We achieve successful, positive outcomes for clients through well-planned strategy and preparation combined with ongoing client advocacy. Duffy & Sweeney attorneys provide sound judgment and work with clients to identify their goals now and in the future, keeping a careful eye on legal efficiencies and costs.

Rankings

Duffy & Sweeney, LTD is metro ranked in 17 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

Metro Rankings

Rhode Island
Tier 1 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tier 1 for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

About Our Clients

Our clients are U.S. and international businesses and individuals ranging from start-ups and emerging growth entities to established, private and public companies. We represent clients in a wide range of legal services spanning business law and litigation as well as intellectual property and technology law.

See what our clients say here.

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
Commercial Litigation
I am always pleased and impressed with Duffy & Sweeney's efficient, effective handling of complex matters. They act as a true partner and are consistently aligned with our interests.
William Wray – The Washington Trust Company
Corporate Law
Mike Sweeney of Duffy & Sweeney is the ultimate professional attorney. He is always prepared and always innovative. He genuinely cares about your issues, problems and follows through with keen, expert precision. His depth of the law in his field is unparalleled.
Tom McGowan – Keel
Commercial Litigation
The attorneys at Duffy & Sweeney are professional and diligent in representing their clients with the highest integrity.
John Harpootian – Paster & Harpootian, Ltd.
Corporate Law
We have been using Duffy & Sweeney as our corporate law firm for the past 14 years and have had nothing short of exceptional service. They are responsive, patient and totally understand the law and practices of the business.
Randall Gardner – Gardner Woodwrights, LTD
Litigation - Trusts and Estates
I worked with Stacey Nakasian of Duffy & Sweeney for over two years settling my Aunt's Rhode Island estate. The legal matters included estate gifting, land transfers and time consuming litigation concerning incompetent and conflicted prior estate planning. Not only was Stacey highly legally trained, on point, timely and professional, but she also had the people skills and patience to deal with my elderly father in his capacity as trustee and executor. I have worked with many lawyers over the course of my legal career in Ohio and she exceeded all my expectations. I would highly recommend Stacey and Duffy Sweeney to anyone seeking Rhode Island legal services.
Julia Vail – WLS Companies
Litigation - Securities
Duffy & Sweeney is able to put on a professional legal claim in the matters of elder investment abuse, which made me able to get payment for the claimant in a reasonable manner. They also had a professional hearing demeanor and knowledge and application of law to the relevant case. Their preparation with the client and expert witness was on factual matters only. They had a professional appearance and preparation.
Frank Sullivan – Arbitrator Litigation Services
Corporate Law
Duffy & Sweeney has been a key partner in the successful growth of our organization over the past 16 years.
Colin Kane, Principal – The Peregrine Group LLC
Corporate Law
We've been working with Duffy & Sweeney for the past seventeen years on all our corporate legal matters as well as HR questions, and they have been exceptional to work with. They are knowledgeable, extremely responsive, personal, yet totally professional. I couldn't be more pleased with this firm and all the attorneys I've worked with.
Randall Gardner – Gardner Woodwrights, LTD
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Duffy & Sweeney were sharp, fast. and effective. They helped our client secure over $100M in credits from one of the world's largest firms.
Ken Brindamour – Atrion, A Carousel Company
Commercial Litigation
I was fortunate enough to have found Stacey Nakasian of Duffy & Sweeney last year and she took over my case. Prior to working with Stacey, I was certainly losing an uphill battle and was also completely deflated with the legal system and processes. She managed to fight tooth and nail through mediation to deliver an outcome that I was not only comfortable with but also relieved to reach. Both Stacey and her team at Duffy & Sweeney were understanding, efficient, communicative and provided me with confidence that the fate of my lawsuit was in the best of hands. I couldn't be more grateful of the work that Stacey did, the confidence that she conveyed and the effectiveness of her approach. I would highly recommend her to anyone.
Commercial Litigation
Working with Stacey Nakasian at Duffy & Sweeney on my only arbitration ever was an amazing experience. We won a full award and our team was clearly superior to our competition. It felt good to have the best attorney in the room!
Matt Sluter – New England Construction
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Mike Sweeney at Duffy & Sweeney is a clear and strong leader. The best surprise was the expertise of the firm's attorneys; each was superb in their lane. Each person was responsive, patient and efficient. Each person put their head down when it was time to close the deal. Each understood how and when to hold ground. Each lawyer was confident and assured in a simple, understated manner. This way of being was by far, the firm's greatest strength and a fine reflection of the leadership there. In this line of work, there are a thousand things that can go wrong. Duffy & Sweeney pulled our deal through as we envisioned.
Andy Sigal – Tourtellot & Co., Inc.
Litigation - Trusts and Estates
My experiences with Duffy & Sweeney have been excellent in Litigation - Trusts & Estates. They are incredibly responsive, professional, smart, and easy to work with. I often refer my clients to Duffy & Sweeney.
Litigation - Trusts and Estates
The attorneys at Duffy & Sweeney are extremely knowledgeable, respond to questions quickly and treat their clients and other professional with profound respect. It is a pleasure working with them.
Marylu Nadeau – Nadeau and Associates CPAs, LLC
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Duffy & Sweeney provided excellent counsel and administration for the sale of our business to a large international manufacturing company. They were instrumental to the transaction's success, flexible and effective with the negotiations, complexities, and inevitable set-backs, and they provided strong, in-house expertise for specific matters, such as employee benefits and environmental due diligence. I strongly recommend Mike Sweeney and his team for legal M&A work for mid-market transactions.
George Mock – NYE Lubricants, Inc.
Corporate Law
My experience with D&S has been terrific - they are fast to respond and offer expert advice on a variety of corporate law issues.
Jason Lea – Brookes Manufacturer Group
Corporate Law
We use Duffy & Sweeney to represent Bank of America on numerous commercial banking transactions and client relationships. They provide excellent advice and service. They are locally-based in Providence where most of our clients are also based. They provide their services at very reasonable rates, particularly when compared with Boston or New York City based alternative firms. We have been very pleased with Duffy & Sweeney and would recommend them to other banks and our clients.
Oliver Bennett – Bank of America

Rankings

Regional Rankings

Rhode Island
Tier 1 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tier 1 for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance
Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction
Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 1 for Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities
Tier 1 for Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 2 for Commercial Finance Law
Tier 2 for Litigation - Insurance
Tier 2 for Litigation - Real Estate
Tier 3 for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Tier 3 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Antitrust Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
  • Commercial Finance Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Copyright Law
  • Corporate Governance Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Electronic Discovery and Information Management Law
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Food and Beverage Law
  • Information Technology Law
  • International Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Leisure and Hospitality Law
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
  • Litigation - Insurance
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Litigation - Securities
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
  • Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Real Estate Law
  • Technology Law
  • Trade Secrets Law
  • Trademark Law

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Duffy & Sweeney, LTD has 6 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Duffy & Sweeney, LTD eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
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Management and Personnel

Marketing Professional
Carolyn Lavin
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