Cain Hibbard Names Two New Partners

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Dennis LaRochelle
PITTSFIELD - Dennis LaRochelle and David Valicenti have been named partners at the firm of Cain Hibbard Myers & Cook PC, Berkshire County’s oldest and largest law firm with offices in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. 

Both LaRochelle and Valicenti joined Cain Hibbard as senior associates in 2002 as seasoned litigators. Since 2006, Cain Hibbard has named three new partners from its associate ranks, with 10 of its 19 lawyers now equity owners of the firm.

"Dave and Dennis are highly valued members of our litigation department," said Diane DeGiacomo, chairman of the firm's litigation department. "Both are talented, experienced lawyers whose skill and commitment to service have built strong client relationships. Both are also terrific colleagues and we look forward to their strong contributions going forward now that both have achieved partnership."

LaRochelle, 47, is a 1996 graduate cum laude of Harvard Law School and a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Before law school, LaRochelle served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer, making several deployments to the North Atlantic. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal in 1986 for his efforts aboard the ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington Carver.

Before moving to the Berkshires, he practiced law in New York City at the law firms of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine, where he represented large national and international corporations in complex litigation. Since joining Cain Hibbard, LaRochelle has continued to concentrate his practice in litigation, with particular emphasis in commercial, construction, personal injury and domestic relations matters. He is an experienced trial lawyer, handling cases in both state and federal courts.

LaRochelle is treasurer of Sinai Academy of the Berkshires and serves on the editorial board of Gaming Law Review. He and his wife, Dawn LaRochelle, who has a catering business in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, live in Great Barrington with their children Scott, 7, Peter, 4, and Andrew, 2.

Valicenti, 36, received his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1996, and his bachelor of arts from the University of Massachusetts cum laude in 1993. While in law school, he was an intern for Judge Arlene Lindsay, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York. He received a Volunteer Recognition Award for his work in local high schools, where he presented lectures and lead student discussion groups on constitutional law issues.

<L2>Before joining Cain Hibbard, Valicenti practiced at a New York law firm specializing in complex business litigation, representing national and international entities engaged in manufacturing, transportation, technology and real estate development. He has continued to litigate complex business matters, having tried many cases before state and federal courts in New York and Massachusetts and before arbitration panels throughout the United States.

Valicenti has particular experience in employment, construction, land use and securities litigation, and is an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the largest nongovernmental regulator for securities firms in the United States.

He has served for the past five years as president of University of Massachusetts Alumni Association, Berkshire County Chapter. He lives in West Stockbridge with his wife, Tammy Valicenti, a psychotherapist with a practice in Lenox.  They have two young children, Sierra, 4, and Elizabeth, 10 months.
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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said. 

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