Partridge Snow & Hahn (PSH), a full-service business law and litigation firm, announces the additions of Ashley M. Kaplan and Samantha K. Rhodes as associates in the Litigation & Disputes practice group and Sophia N. Shekarchi as a law clerk in its Real Estate practice group.

Kaplan and Rhodes join PSH following Rhode Island Superior Court clerkships, bringing valuable judicial experience to the firm’s commercial litigation team. Rhodes also returns to PSH after previously serving as a Summer Associate. Shekarchi adds to the firm’s transactional team with experience spanning commercial real estate, land use, environmental, permitting, and leasing matters. Together, the additions reflect PSH’s continued investment in developing a strong pipeline of legal talent to support clients across its core practices.

“Building a strong team at every level is essential to the way we serve our clients and to the long-term strength of the firm,” said PSH Co-Managing Partners Jay R. Peabody and Paul M. Kessimian in a joint statement. “Ashley and Samantha bring excellent academic credentials and valuable experience from the Rhode Island judiciary, while Sophia has already developed a strong foundation in transactional real estate work. We are pleased to welcome them to PSH and look forward to their contributions to our clients, colleagues, and firm.”

Kaplan works with clients and colleagues on complex commercial disputes, assisting with legal research and analysis, discovery, motion practice, and case preparation. Before joining PSH, she served as a Trial Court Law Clerk to Rhode Island Superior Court Associate Justice Richard A. Licht, conducting legal research and drafting memoranda on complex business matters and tax appeals, and supported the Court during judicial conferences, hearings, and trials. She also served as a legal extern with Boskalis, where her work included research related to the offshore wind industry and exposure to legal, compliance, and insurance functions. Kaplan earned her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, graduating first in her class, and her B.A. from Providence College.

Rhodes works with clients and colleagues on complex commercial disputes, assisting with legal research and analysis, discovery, motion practice, and case preparation. She first joined PSH as a Summer Associate in 2024, gaining experience in business and commercial litigation matters while working alongside attorneys throughout the firm. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Sarah Taft-Carter of the Rhode Island Superior Court. She also served as a judicial extern to Judge Lara E. Montecalvo of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Rhodes earned her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law and her B.A. from Assumption University.

Shekarchi works closely with the firm’s transactional attorneys on commercial real estate and business matters, assisting with transactions from due diligence and deal structuring through documentation and closing. Prior to joining PSH, she interned with Judges Smith and McBurney of the Rhode Island Superior Court and worked as a Summer Associate and Law Clerk at a Boston-based commercial real estate law firm, where she assisted with matters involving land use litigation, environmental law, permitting, and leasing. She earned her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A. from Wheaton College.