Guercio & Guercio, LLP is pleased to announce that Stacey Blanshaft has joined the firm as Of Counsel, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the New York justice system. Ms. Blanshaft is currently practicing education law and criminal defense law at the firm, further strengthening Guercio & Guercio's depth of legal expertise and commitment to public-sector clients. Previously, Ms. Blanshaft served as Deputy Bureau Chief in Nassau County District Court. She supervised and trained more than thirty Assistant District Attorneys, oversaw arraignments and second-seating trials, and evaluated misdemeanor cases and plea offers.

“Stacey brings a rare combination of deep prosecutorial experience, leadership, and sound judgment that immediately strengthens our firm,” said Christopher F. Mestecky, Managing Partner at Guercio & Guercio, LLP. “Her decades of service in the New York justice system - particularly her work supervising and training prosecutors at the highest levels - align perfectly with our mission to provide thoughtful, high-level representation to our public-sector and institutional clients.”

Ms. Blanshaft most recently served as a Bureau Chief in the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, overseeing the Felony Screening Bureau. In that role, she supervised Assistant District Attorneys and support staff and evaluated felony matters for indictment, plea disposition, extradition, and arrest warrants. Her responsibilities included assessing legal sufficiency and training prosecutors in the analysis and investigation of complex felony cases.

“I am excited to join Guercio & Guercio and to work alongside a team that is deeply respected for its integrity, advocacy, and commitment to public service,” said Blanshaft. “After spending my career in prosecution and public service, I look forward to bringing that perspective to the firm's education and criminal defense law practice and continuing to serve clients with diligence, fairness, and professionalism.”

Earlier in her career, Ms. Blanshaft spent twelve years with the Kings County District Attorney's Office, where she held several senior leadership positions, including Bureau Chief and First Deputy Bureau Chief of Trial Division III. In those roles, she supervised and trained dozens of prosecutors, managed felony trial units, analyzed trial data, and monitored attorney productivity. As a trial attorney, she prosecuted more than twenty felony cases to verdict, including homicides, assaults, robberies, burglaries, and weapons offenses. She also handled Grand Jury case assessments and investigations involving serious felony crimes.

Ms. Blanshaft began her legal career as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Neil Jon Firetog of the Supreme Court, Kings County. She also gained early professional experience with the New York State Department of Investigation and the Legal Aid Society of Brooklyn.

She earned her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, graduating with honors. Ms. Blanshaft is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

Guercio & Guercio, LLP is proud to welcome Stacey Blanshaft and looks forward to the knowledge, leadership, and perspective she brings to the firm and its clients.