Lawyer Ross Cellino pays tribute to former law partner Steve Barnes after he died in a plane crash with his niece - despite the duo's bitter falling out that prompted the breakdown of their famous firm

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Ross Cellino has paid tribute to his former law partner Steve Barnes, who died in a plane crash in upstate New York on Friday morning.

The personal injury attorneys together founded Cellino & Barnes back in 1998, which quickly became one of America's most famous law firms, thanks to an iconic jingle played on television and radio. 

The duo dissolved the firm earlier this year following a long-running feud, but that didn't stop Cellino from issuing a heartfelt message following news of Barnes' death. 

Barnes, 61, was flying a single-engine Socata TBM-700 before it crashed into a wooded area near the town of Pembroke around 11.45am on Friday.

The lawyer's 32-year-old niece, Elizabeth, was also on board and died at the scene. 

The pair were on their way to a birthday party in Buffalo for Barnes' mother when the plane crashed. 

In his public message released Saturday morning, Cellino stated: 'Steve and I worked together for many years at our firm. He was always a fearless advocate for his clients. His passing is a significant loss for the legal community.'

He added: 'Equally heartbreaking is the passing of Elizabeth Barnes, daughter of Rich Barnes, Steve's brother and an attorney at our firm.'

Steve Barnes is survived by his three children and his longtime partner, Ellen Sturm, who also worked as a lawyer at Cellino & Barnes. 

Ross Cellino (left)  has paid tribute to his former law partner Steve Barnes (right), who died in a plane crash in upstate New York on Friday morning.

Barnes, 61, was flying a single-engine Socata TBM-700 before it crashed into a wooded area near the town of Pembroke around 11.45am on Friday

Barnes' niece, Elizabeth, 32, died in the crash alongside him 

Cellino and Barnes had been embroiled in lengthy legal dispute, which began back in 2017 when Cellino filed a lawsuit to try and break up their famous firm. 

In January of this year, Barnes finally agreed to dissolve the company. 

In an affidavit, Cellino wrote: 'After three years of needless, wasteful litigation, during which respondent Barnes has lost virtually every contested issue in this matter'... he 'now accepts the reality of this situation and has advised this court that he will consent to a dissolution.  

Three years ago, reports surfaced that there had been 'hard feelings' between the pair after Barnes refused to hire Cellino's daughter, Jeanna - a law graduate from University of Buffalo - in order to avoid nepotism. 

But a number of attorneys told DailyMail.com back in 2017 that their rift was actually part of a bigger problem over the direction of the firm which had been festering for some time.

One local lawyer, who agreed to talk on condition of anonymity, told DailyMail.com: 'Stephen Barnes is a businessman, he is a shark. He is not a guy that takes no for an answer. 

'He is far more aggressive, cold, and calculating than Ross Cellino who is a little bit more laid-back.  

The personal injury attorneys together founded Cellino & Barnes back in 1998, which quickly became one of America's most famous law firms, thanks to an iconic jingle played on television and radio

'Barnes is very aggressive. Ross Cellino, especially in the last couple of years, has become more: 'Do we really need to do that? Can we try to get along with people more?'

'They have had major blow-ups at the firm. I've heard from a couple of lawyers there about shouting matches taking place in conference rooms and that type of behavior. 

Vincent Scarsella, another lawyer, told DailyMail.com: 'Cellino is very personable and very friendly. In fact, after all of it was over he came to see me. He told me, 'No hard feelings, I understand you're just doing your job.' Barnes is the opposite: he is very hard-nosed.' 

Barnes is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and reached the rank of Major. In the 90s he was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm

Barnes was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and reached the rank of Major. In the 1990s he was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

He attended law school and began practicing after his stint in the military. 

A colleague told Dailymail.com that Barnes is a skilled mountain-climber who has scaled most of the Himalayas except K2.

Cellino & Barnes reportedly won more than $2 billion for their clients, making the eponymous lawyers millionaires in their own right. 

The firm eventually went on to open offices in Los Angeles and had more than 250 employees before its dissolution.  

Barnes is survived by his three children and his longtime partner, Ellen Sturm, who also worked as a lawyer at Cellino & Barnes