Ms. Aldea, who heads the firm’s appellate and post-conviction litigation group, earned her law degree from St. John’s University in 1998. Before joining Barket Epstein, she was an appellate attorney at the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, where she served for 15 years, ultimately holding the position of Counsel for Special Litigation, responsible for handling the office’s toughest cases. Ms. Aldea brings extensive experience to the firm, having litigated complex issues in the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the federal District Courts, the New York State Court of Appeals, and the New York State Appellate Divisions. Her work has helped shape the landscape of New York and federal law on issues including the right to counsel, the constitutionality of the state’s death penalty statute, and the parameters of post-conviction review of federal habeas corpus proceedings. Ms. Aldea served as an adjunct professor at St. John’s University School of Law teaching Criminal Practice and Appellate Advocacy, and is a highly acclaimed and much sought after speaker at continuing legal education seminars statewide.  She has been voted a New York Metro Area Super Lawyer every year since 2015.

Learn more about Donna Aldea, Esq.

Recognition

• Chair of Appellate Practice Committee, Nassau County Bar Assoc., 2016-2018
• Super Lawyers Appellate Practice and Litigation; Top Attorneys in Metro New York, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 
• Thomas E. Dewey Medal – NYC Bar Association, 2012
• Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Capital Litigation – Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation, 2008
• Eugene J. Kelly, Jr. Award for best prosecutor – Queens District Attorney’s Office, 2007
• Dean’s Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award – St. John’s University School of Law, 2011-2012
• Alumni Association Honoree Service Award – St. John’s University School of Law, 2008
• Alumnus of the Month; Prepare, Lead, and Serve – St. John’s University School of Law, 2007

Associations

• Nassau County Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Historical Society of the New York Courts
• New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Adjunct Professor at St. John’s University School of Law

Contact Ms. Aldea today online or by calling (888) 779-0267.

Education

• J.D. - St. John's University School of Law | New York, NY | 1998

Licenses

• New York State
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• United States District Courts for the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of New York

Publications

Smile: This Is Oral Argument, 2014

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Privacy Questions In Heien V. NC May Have To Wait

• Donna Aldea, head of the appellate and post-conviction litigation group at Barket Epstein, offers her insights on recent oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court at Law 360., 2014 | Visit Publication