Three Alumnae Named to Albany Business Review 40 Under 40

Three Albany Law School alumnae were named to the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2025.
The publication’s annual compilation highlights emerging leaders across Capital Region industries.

Jill Archambault ’13 
Deputy commissioner and general counsel, New York State Department of Labor

Archambault serves as the chief legal counsel for the New York State Department of Labor. She oversees an office of 40 attorneys, paralegals and support staff who provide legal advice, representation and advocacy on behalf of the labor commissioner. 
One of the most pivotal moments in her career so far, she said, happened during the pandemic.
“Taking over as DOL’s acting general counsel in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when the pressures DOL faced were historic and completely novel. ... Despite immense challenges, DOL distributed more than $105 billion in unemployment benefits to nearly 5 million New Yorkers (for comparison, DOL distributed $2.1 billion in 2019). ... The experience that I gained in such a compressed timeline is something I never could have imagined. I’ve since worked to expand and reorganize the DOL counsel’s office to be more suited to handle the volume and variety of legal matters facing the agency after my formal appointment as general counsel in 2021,” she said.
Before moving into the deputy commissioner role at the DOL, she served as Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the DOL. Previously, she was an Assistant Counsel to the Governor and an Excelsior Service Fellow in the Governor’s Counsel’s Office. She oversaw legal affairs for the labor and workforce portfolio and for several state agencies.
She graduated Albany Law School summa cum laude and served as a member of the Albany Law Review Executive Board.
Archambault told the Business Review she was accepted to a Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education program. “I hope to attend in summer 2025 and look forward to enhancing my skills to see where they take me next,” she said.

Meaghan Feenan ’17 
Partner, Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC

As a partner at Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC, Feenan litigates commercial and trust-and-estates-oriented matters. She describes her professional identity as “an equally passionate and compassionate advocate, typically representing clients at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives and helping them navigate the procedural challenges of our court system.”
Among the highlights of her time as a litigator, she said:
“I participated in an eight-week trial in 2022 involving very complex trust and estate litigation issues, 19 witnesses and nearly 200 exhibits. It was the first time I had taken a case all the way from the pleading stage to trial, and it was equally challenging and exhilarating. It was a tremendous learning and development experience for me and my career as a trusts and estates litigator,” she said.
While a law student, she served as a Judicial Intern for the Hon. Kimberly A. O’Connor ’94, Acting Justice for the Supreme Court of Albany County, where she drafted opinions on behalf of the court. As the Executive Director of the Anthony V. Cardona ’70 Moot Court Program, she directed more than 70 competitors in more than 10  nationwide competitions. She is a member of the Order of the Barristers and was awarded all four of the intraschool moot court awards as a third-year law student. She also served as Associate Editor for the Albany Law Review.

Erika Wood ’13 
Founding member, Meliora Law PLLC

Wood’s firm Meliora Law was founded in 2024 and is a women-owned boutique firm serving the Capital District and specializes in corporate law, transactions, tax, health care, trusts and estates, and not-for-profit law. 
Starting the firm, alongside fellow alumna Jennie Shufelt ’10, she said, has been the most pivotal moment of her career so far. 
“I truly believe we are changing the game for law firms, and I am so excited and proud about what we are doing,” she told the Business Review. 
The firm’s growth and cultivation remain the top priority right now, she said. 
“I am in the zone of such a pivotal moment in my career that it is tough to think about what is next. My highest priority is cultivating what we have built, building our reputation in the community and protecting the culture of Meliora Law,” she said.
While she was a law student, she served as an intern in the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and as a clerk for the Honorable Mae D’Agostino. She was also the Executive Editor of Lead Articles for the Albany Law Review. 
“I am the lawyer my clients trust to be on their team and quarterback any legal issues for them. I will always be a springboard to them. If it is something that I can handle or do at my firm well, we will do it, but if it requires some other expertise, another adviser or consultant, I will connect them with the right person,” she said.