Mr. Prato received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1991. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the Federal District Court for the Western District of New York. While attending law school, Mr. Prato was a General Editor for the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy. Prior to founding Brown, Gruttadaro & Prato, PLLC, Mr. Prato was an Assistant District Attorney for Monroe County from 1992 to 1997. As an Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Prato’s assignments included the specialized Felony Driving While Intoxicated Bureau, the Rochester City Drug Court and the SAFE (Stop Abuse in the Family Environment) Program. During his tenure in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Prato served on the Domestic Violence Consortium and was a liaison between law enforcement agencies regarding domestic abuse cases. Mr. Prato joined Brown & Tarantino, LLC, in 1997, and was made an equity partner in 2005. Mr. Prato’s practice is centered on litigation and defending physicians against claims of medical malpractice. He also represents health care professionals against claims of professional misconduct in administrative proceedings. Other practice areas for Mr. Prato include the representation of governmental agencies and municipalities, nursing homes and corporate clients with respect to employment agreements and civil litigation. Mr. Prato’s professional memberships include the Monroe County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). In 2022, Mr. Prato was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) whose membership can never be more than 1% of the total lawyer population of any state. He is currently the President of the local ABOTA chapter after previously serving as its Secretary and Vice-President. He has been invited as a guest speaker at numerous events including the Monroe County Bar Association, ABOTA, healthcare systems and medical societies, and as a judge for the Mackenzie Hughes Appellate Advocacy Competition at the Syracuse University College of Law.  Mr. Prato has consistently been selected by his peers as a BEST LAWYERS® in Rochester recipient for medical malpractice defense and, in 2014, 2019 and 2023, was selected as the Lawyer of the Year in the BEST LAWYERS® category for medical malpractice law for defendants.  Mr. Prato has received a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review rating indicating the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. He has also been selected to Super Lawyers® as a top rated medical malpractice defense attorney.

Practice Areas:

Admissions:

  • New York State

  • United States District Court, Western District of New York

  • American Board of Trial Advocates

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review

  • Super Lawyers®

Memberships:

  • Monroe County Bar Association

  • Defense Research Institute

Education:

  • Juris Doctor, Cornell Law School

  • University of Michigan – Ann Arbor