Donna Aldea

For over 20 years, Donna Aldea has been at the forefront of her legal community and across the United States, in complex appeals and post-conviction matters that provide critical discourse within the legal industry pertaining to issues such as the right to counsel, evidentiary errors, actual innocence, DNA evidence, and capital litigation. A partner at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, and Head of the firm’s Appellate and Post-Conviction Litigation Group, she brings her substantive knowledge, experience, and passionate advocacy to each case, giving her clients the best chance of resolving their legal issues.  With numerous appellate and post-conviction victories and five cases on the National Registry of Exonerations, Ms. Aldea is a force in appellate litigation.Ms. Aldea has Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Psychology and a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law, which she received in 1998.  She is admitted to practice in New York State, before all federal district courts in New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.Starting out as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County, with a fierce dedication to the pursuit of justice, Ms. Aldea had a meteoric rise within the Queens County District Attorney’s Office (QCDAO), serving as a Supervisor in the Appeals Bureau and Unit Chief of Article 78 litigation and People's Appeals, before being appointed to the position of the District Attorney’s Counsel for Special Litigation – a position she held for nearly eight years. In this role, she dealt with the state’s most demanding and novel cases at both the trial and appellate levels. Her mammoth experience lends itself to her clients, who get the benefit of having a seasoned attorney who knows how the state judicial system operates and has an efficacious understanding of the opposition’s strategies.Ms. Aldea has been lauded by her peers and many prominent legal organizations for her judicious work ethic and contributions to the legal community. She was awarded the Thomas E. Dewey Medal by the New York City Bar Association, the Eugene J. Kelly Memorial Award for Best Prosecutor by the QCDAO and the Board of Director’s Award for Outstanding Advocacy by the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation. Moreover, she was recognized by Crain’s New York Business in their Notable Women in Law list and the Women’s Law Society of St. John’s University in their Notable Women in the Law list. She also holds a “Superb” rating on Avvo.Within her legal community, Ms. Aldea has been involved with many legal organizations, including the NYSBA, the Nassau County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Historical Society of the New York Courts. In addition, she is a sought-after lecturer for the bench and bar, having delivered numerous CLE lectures to both judges and practitioners on topics of constitutional law, appellate procedure, statutory amendments, DNA evidence, and trial practice.  She also  served as an adjunct professor at her law school alma mater, teaching courses on New York Criminal Practice and Appellate Advocacy, among many others.