About J. Rochelle
J. Rochelle Cavanagh earned her J.D. from Albany Law School in 2009 after completing a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology at Syracuse University in 2006. Her academic path combined an interest in public institutions with study of social systems. She moved to practice in New York soon after graduating from law school.
Her early legal work included a stint as a legal aide at the New York Office of the Lawyer General in 2008. That public service role preceded her first post-law-school position as an associate at Iseman, Cunningham, Riester & Hyde, LLP in 2009. Those formative years gave her courtroom exposure and experience in the workflows of a law office.
In 2011 she worked for Melody A. Mackenzie, PLLC, where she handled matters for private clients. The following year she took on the title of lead litigator at Cordell & Cordell. The lead litigator role placed her in charge of case preparation and courtroom strategy on a range of contested matters. In 2017 she was listed as a lawyer at McNamee Lochner P.C., returning to that firm in a continuing capacity by the time of this profile.
Across those positions she built a practice grounded in litigation and client representation. Her résumé shows movement between public-sector legal aid and several private firms. That pattern suggests an attorney comfortable in both court settings and the practical demands of running casework. She also maintains membership in the New York State Bar Association, a professional touchstone for many attorneys who practice in New York.
Colleagues describe Cavanagh as methodical and straightforward. She focuses on case preparation, evidence development and courtroom advocacy rather than public-facing commentary. Her work record shows steady involvement in trial-level matters and in counseling individual clients through disputes.
As of 2026 she practices at McNamee Lochner P.C. in New York, where she handles litigation and client representation in the state.
