John V. Elmore serves as senior trial counsel and managing attorney of the firm's Buffalo office.  Mr. Elmore handles serious personal injury matters and criminal defense.  Mr. Elmore comes to Brown Chiari LLP with 25 years of trial experience in New York State and federal courts.  He is a former New York State Trooper, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, and New York State Assistant Attorney General.  Most recently, he was a partner with the law firm of Harter, Secrest, and Emery, LLP, where he represented the City of Buffalo in the $1 billion school reconstruction project. 

A native of Olean, New York, Mr. Elmore has successfully tried some of Western New York's most high profile criminal and civil cases.  He was one of the first attorneys in Western New York to be qualified to handle death penalty cases.

Mr. Elmore is a 1984 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law.  He is a member of the Erie County Bar Association, Minority Bar Association of Western New York, New York State Defenders' Association, and National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.  He is the immediate past chairperson of the New York State Attorneys' Grievance Committee, where he oversaw attorney disciplinary proceedings in the eight most western counties of the State of New York.

Known for his investigative experience, Mr. Elmore was appointed special counsel by the City of Buffalo Mayor, Byron Brown, to oversee allegations of mismanagement and corruption of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA).  His investigation resulted in Mayor Brown's issuance of an action plan that was adopted by the BMHA and led to more fiscal responsibility. 

Mr. Elmore is a Deacon of the Elim Christian Fellowship Church.  He is a life member of the NAACP.  He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: The Buffalo News Citizen of the Year, Ebony Magazine Phenomenal Father, Medgar Evers Civil Rights Award, and the Erie County Bar Association Criminal Justice Award. 

John is an author of "Fighting for Your Life: the African American Survival Guide," which addresses the issues of young people and the criminal justice system.  As a result of his book, he is in demand for speaking engagements and radio and television programs.  He was a guest on the Tavis Smiley Show. 

Mr. Elmore is listed in the 2009 edition of Super Lawyers – Rising Stars in the category of general litigation and has received an AV ® Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell, the preeminent level of professional excellence.