About Emily
Emily Trott entered the law in a way that shows a steady leaning toward criminal trial work. She earned her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center, where her studies centered on criminal trial practice. That foundation set the tone for a career that has moved between public defense roles and work in both the state and federal systems.
Trott’s early years in practice began in 1997, when she worked with the Erie County Bar Association’s Assigned Counsel Program. That role placed her in direct contact with clients in need of court-appointed representation. The following year she joined the Federal Public Defender 18(b) Panel, a position that involved handling federal criminal cases on behalf of indigent defendants. Those back-to-back roles strengthened her courtroom experience and familiarized her with trial procedures at different levels.
Her admissions include the New York state bar, the Appellate Division Fourth Department, and the Federal Court for the Western District of New York. She has appeared in trial courts and on appellate dockets, representing clients in proceedings that require careful preparation and an ability to adapt to shifting courtroom dynamics. Trott’s work in both trial and appellate settings has exposed her to a variety of criminal matters and sentencing issues.
Throughout her career she has alternated between private and public service, taking on appointments and private cases as the calendar demanded. That mix of work has allowed her to handle individual client representation and to take assigned cases that required rapid onboarding and hands-on defense work. Colleagues describe her approach as practical; she prepares for trial step by step and attends to procedural duties that often make the difference in court.
Her record shows sustained involvement in criminal defense across multiple forums, rather than a move into unrelated practice areas. In recent years she has continued to represent clients in New York state courts, in the Appellate Division where appropriate, and in the federal courts for the Western District of New York. She maintains practice activities that reflect her training in criminal trial practice and the experience she developed early in her career. Her current practice focuses on criminal defense in state and federal courts.
