Coleen Middleton is a member of the firm and concentrates her practice in litigation and investigations.

Coleen works with clients and individuals on litigation involving personal injury, real estate, appellate and commercial matters. She has served as general counsel for corporate and healthcare industry clients and as a litigation consultant for law firms nationwide. Prior to joining the firm, Coleen served as in-house general counsel for a global PPE distributor and a durable medical equipment company where she provided strategic advice to corporate leadership on Medicare and other healthcare regulatory matters. She also regularly prepared, reviewed, and negotiated vendor, customer and other third-party contracts and oversaw the company’s corporate compliance program.

Additionally, Coleen has experience representing companies in investigations and white-collar criminal matters and has worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey and as a First Associate Commissioner with the New York City Department of Investigation in the public corruption unit.

Coleen earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law and her B.A. from Princeton University. Upon graduating from law school, she served as a judicial law clerk for United States District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith in the Eastern District of Virginia.

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Mina Miawad is an associate in the firm’s Litigation practice group, where he advises clients on commercial litigation matters.

Mina focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and has represented individuals and corporations in claims which include, but are not limited to, partnership disputes, contract disputes, fraud, lien priority disputes, and Consumer Fraud Act litigation.

Mina has experience in all phases of pre-trial practice and works with his team on various claims, discovery, and deposition preparation, and frequently contributes to legal strategy from case inception through trial. Mina also has experience at both the state and federal levels.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Mina worked as an associate attorney with a civil litigation firm, where he represented national and local transportation carriers and insurance carriers in litigation and mediations, and settlement conferences.

Mina is a graduate of Rutgers Law School and interned for the Honorable Rosemary Gambardella at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Mina earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University. He is licensed in New Jersey and New York and is verbally fluent in Arabic.

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Mariya Gonor is a member of the firm and concentrates her practice in the areas of labor and employment and litigation, working with clients on employment issues and providing counsel to individuals and businesses on commercial litigation matters.

Mariya provides guidance to clients regarding NJLAD, Wage and Hour Law, CEPA, New York Human Rights Law, and Federal Law. She has conducted corporate investigations into allegations of harassment and discrimination and works with her clients to navigate these issues.

Additionally, Mariya handles claims under the consumer protection laws, intellectual property protections, contractual disputes, insurance coverage disputes, construction matters and antitrust actions. She has experience arguing before the New Jersey Appellate Division and has served as general counsel to several clients, advising on a variety of corporate matters including contracts, employment-related issues, leasing, applications to government entities for grants/licensure, and other significant business issues.

Mariya also maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented victims of Domestic Violence during Restraining Order Hearings with the Partners For Women and Justice and Racheal Coalition.  She also served as pro bono in-house corporate counsel for Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Upon graduating from the Seton Hall University School of Law magna cum laude, Mariya served as a law clerk for The Honorable Douglas K. Wolfson in the New Jersey Superior Court. She is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian and is a New Jersey Court Certified Mediator. Mariya has been recognized in New Jersey Rising Stars since 2019.

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Janisse Bruno is an Associate with the Firm’s Real Estate Practice Group at the New York office, where she focuses on real estate finance matters. Her background consists primarily of residential and commercial real estate, as well as insurance defense, arbitration, and business licensing.

Janisse previously worked as an Associate in another law firm, where she handled residential purchase and sale transactions, due diligence, title review, commercial leases, refinancing, asset purchase agreements, corporate formation, and everything else in between. Janisse employed her Spanish language fluency to assist many Spanish-speaking clients with their legal matters.

Janisse obtained her JD from the George Washington University Law School. During law school, Janisse completed internships at GlaxoSmithKline and the Office of Financial Research at the United States Department of the Treasury. She also served as a 1L Mentor and researched fashion industry sustainability. For her undergraduate degree, she attended the University of Connecticut.

Janisse is a Member of the New York Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Aside from her law practice, she enjoys photography and reading recreationally with her book club.

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Sophia Villani is an Associate in the Firm’s New York office, where she works on health care and life sciences matters.

Sophia was previously a Non-Equity Partner at a public entity firm, where she specialized in coverage and monitoring counsel to insurance and reinsurance underwriters with a focus on healthcare business, including hospital, physician, allied health, and long-term care programs. In addition, she drafted and negotiated insurance policy provisions, service level agreements, settlement agreements, and fee-sharing agreements.

As a healthcare coverage and risk assessor, Sophia supports clients throughout the U.S. during the pre-underwriting phase. Her experience includes managing large and diverse healthcare programs with high exposure liabilities and complex coverage issues.

An Indiana University graduate, Sophia received a B.A. in Psychology. During her studies, Sophia spent a semester studying abroad at Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy. Sophia went on to receive her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor for the Commercial Division Online Law Report. In addition, Sophia was a Staff Member for the N.Y. Litigator Journal.

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Vaughn Parchment is an Associate in the Firm’s New Jersey office, where he works on matters of real estate, finance, and land use.

Vaughn was previously an Associate at a public entity firm, where he specialized in governmental, land use, labor, and employment matters. Additionally, Vaughn served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Orange Township, where he handled legislation, contract drafting, and negotiations. He also acted as liaison to personnel regarding disciplinary matters and ensured compliance with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

Vaughn served as a law clerk for the Honorable James Jukes, J.S.C., in the Essex County Superior Court of New Jersey, Family Part where he performed legal research on family law issues, prepared trial and bench memorandums, calculated child support based on the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines, and facilitated settlement conferences.

A Hampton University graduate, Vaughn received a B.A. in Psychology. In addition, he obtained his J.D. at Rutgers Law School-Newark, where he served as the Symposium Editor for the Race and Law Review, Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Association of Black Law Students, and ALAS representative. Vaughn is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity founded for African American men.

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Adam H. Cook is a member in the firm’s Business Law Practice Group where he represents and counsels the firm’s business clients in a wide range of commercial matters including formation and financing activities, mergers and acquisitions, and general business and corporate governance matters.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Adam was counsel in the Corporate & Securities Group at a full-service regional law firm.

Adam earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School and received his B.A. from Occidental College and his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

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Rocco L. Beltrami is an Associate in the firm’s Business Law Practice Group and Real Estate, Land Use, and Zoning Practice Group.

Rocco concentrates his practice on providing strategic counsel to clients on general business topics, including formation, governance and financing, as well as on a variety of real estate transactions. He also has experience in municipal law.

A graduate of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, Rocco received his B.A. from Moravian College. While attending law school, he served as a judicial intern for The Honorable Edward G. Smith in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Further, Rocco served as a Student Works Editor for the Villanova Law Review and was selected for publication in Volume 66, Issue 4. Rocco also served as a property course teaching assistant for two years and was recognized with the Ellen Wertheimer Award, awarded to a graduating student for outstanding achievement in torts, as well as the Reverend Joseph Ullman Award, given to the graduating student with the highest grade in criminal procedure.

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Emily J. Viret is an associate in the firm’s Real Estate, Finance, and Land Use Group, where she represents clients, including lenders, buyers, and sellers, with a variety of real estate transactions.

Emily served as a summer associate with Norris McLaughlin, working on legal issues regarding condominium and cooperative law and assisting with real estate closings. She also drafted materials dealing with the New York Emergency Rental Assistance Program and a Rent Demands and Notices of Petition.

A graduate of New York Law School, Emily received her B.S. from James Madison University. During law school, she served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Ralph J. Porzio in the Richmond County Supreme Court in New York. Emily has also worked for the Courtroom Advocates Project in New York, working to help victims of domestic violence obtain orders of protection from family court.

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Alyssa Christian is an Associate in the Firm’s Business Law Practice Group.

Alyssa focuses her practice on counseling clients on general business issues, including organization and formation, corporate governance, and financing.

A graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law, Alyssa completed the Technology Commercialization Curricular Program. She also earned a B.S. in marketing from King’s College. During law school, she served as a senior research associate for the Innovation Law Center and the New York State Science and Technology Law Center, evaluating client technologies and creating due diligence reports regarding intellectual property, regulatory, and commercialization issues. Alyssa also worked as a student attorney for the Transactional Law Clinic at Syracuse where she worked on various trademark matters and counseled clients on general business and not-for-profit issues.

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Julien M. Baumrin, an experienced trial lawyer, is an associate in the firm’s litigation group, where he handles a variety of complex commercial cases in both state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York. With a trial-based approach to litigation, he believes that every litigation event within a dispute provides an excellent opportunity to advance a client’s position. As such, he emphasizes assisting clients in assessing their disputes comprehensively and collaboratively while also handling each litigation task with the precision necessary to advance their positions continuously throughout the life of each dispute.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Julien was a litigation associate at a national law firm based in New York, where he successfully litigated matters involving breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims, fraud, shareholder disputes, and dissolution of businesses. He also defended significant Labor Law, product liability, civil rights, and premises liability claims on behalf of private and municipal defendants.

Julien began his legal career with the New York City Law Department, where he managed a diverse and extensive municipal caseload in Manhattan and Brooklyn before serving as a Senior Counsel, full-time lead trial attorney for six years in the Bronx Tort Unit. Defending the City and its agents in a variety of high-exposure negligence, labor law, intentional tort, and civil rights cases, he achieved an outstanding record of resolving cases through defense verdicts and dismissals at trial, summary judgment victories, and negotiation of consistently favorable settlements when appropriate. Julien was recognized with a New York City Law Department Division Chief Award for outstanding trial results, and he was selected to teach legal training to fellow Law Department attorneys.

Julien earned his J.D. from Rutgers-Newark Law School, where his outstanding academic record earned his induction to the Order of the Coif for graduating in the top 10% of his class. During law school, Julien supplemented his excellent academic work with a variety of practical experiences that demonstrate his commitment to excellence in the practice of law. Julien served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Michael M. Baylson of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; he served as an intern with the Antitrust Bureau and Executive Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office; he assisted the former Attorney General of New Jersey in counseling the eleventh member of the 2011 New Jersey Voting Apportionment Commission; and, he practiced as a student attorney at Rutgers-Newark Law School’s Constitutional Litigation Clinic.

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Benjamin Sheppard is an associate in the Firm’s Allentown office, where he works on matters involving beer law, liquor law, licensing, manufacturing, and distribution.

Ben has extensive experience conducting research on judicial opinions regarding a variety of disputes as well as the Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA). He has also conducted analysis regarding attorney-client privilege and mitigation of damages issues.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Ben served as a judicial law clerk in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. He also worked for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project reviewing trial transcripts and drafting materials regarding the viability of innocence claims.

Ben is a graduate of the George Washington University School of Law where he was a member of the Public Contract Law Journal and was recognized with the GW Law Pro Bono Teal Award for completing over 50 hours of pro bono work during law school. He also graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with his B.A. in history and political science.

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Michael Coppa is an associate in the Firm’s Real Estate, Finance, and Land Use group where he represents lenders, buyers, and sellers with a variety of real estate transactions.

Michael focuses his practice on handling complex title matters, land use and zoning, bankruptcy and restructuring, and litigating landlord and tenant disputes in court. He also regularly counsels cooperative boards, shareholder and condominium boards on potential and ongoing litigation, refinances, and general corporate matters. Michael assists clients in commercial transactions including mortgage financing and acquisition and performs due diligence including the review of tenant estoppels, title commitments, policies, and surveys.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Michael was an associate at New York-based firm focused on real estate, co-op, and condo law.

Michael is a graduate of New York Law School and received his B.A. from Rutgers University.

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Michael K. Ligorano is a member of the firm and focuses his practice in the areas of real estate and immigration.

Mike regularly works with land developers, construction companies, major corporations, and small businesses in the evaluation of undeveloped land and throughout all phases of the application process. He handles zoning-related disputes, denial of land use permits, exclusionary zoning disputes, and other litigation arising out of the zoning and planning process. Mike has experience in the acquisition, development, and financing of numerous local projects and has served as a municipal attorney and planning board attorney for New Jersey towns.

In addition to his real estate and land use work, Mike has an active immigration practice where he works with both small and multi-national businesses to help them gain access and remain in the U.S. He works closely with investors who starting new companies or establishing branches of their existing business in the U.S. and provides strategic guidance to them on a variety of immigration matters.

Prior to returning to Norris McLaughlin, Michael served as General Counsel for the Diocese of Metuchen, overseeing all civil legal affairs of the Diocese, and serving as the supervising attorney for the Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Charities Immigration Program.

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Eric Negri is an associate in the firm’s litigation group and handles complex commercial litigation matters in both federal and state court.

Eric has experience in all stages of commercial litigation in multiple practice areas, including contract, commercial landlord/tenant disputes, and construction matters. He regularly collaborates with his colleagues in a team environment to achieve optimal outcomes for his clients.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Eric was a litigation associate at a mid-sized New Jersey law firm.

Eric earned his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and received both his M.A. and B.A. in Criminal Justice from Stockton University. While attending law school, he was a law clerk with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. After graduating law school, Eric served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Office of the Public Defender in the 9^th Judicial Circuit in Florida.

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Alexander Sokolof is an associate in the firm’s litigation group, where he represents a variety of businesses in complex litigation matters. Alexander has handled litigation matters involving logistics liability, adverse possession, eminent domain, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment, as well as assignment of benefits matters encountered by healthcare providers. Aside from drafting legal documents, he regularly conducts legal research, negotiates settlements, and handles all discovery matters, including requests, responses, and motions for production.

Before joining Norris McLaughlin, Alexander was an associate attorney at a commercial litigation law firm where he represented financial services companies and private equity funds in matters involving securities fraud, contract disputes, contract infringement, and shareholder derivatives.

Alexander earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University with a focus on corporate law and financial compliance. As managing editor of the Pace International Law Review, he organized the 2019 human rights symposium titled “Revisiting Human Rights: The Universal Declaration at 70.” Alexander earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

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Amanda Tersigni is an associate in the firm’s litigation group where she represents corporate entities in connection with commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters.

Amanda regularly works with clients in and out of court, conducting legal research and drafting various pleadings including complaints for adversary proceedings and objecting to dischargeability of debts. She has additional experience representing contractors in multi-million-dollar construction claims against the City of New York and has also represented lenders in commercial foreclosure actions.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Amanda was a bankruptcy and creditors’ rights associate at a Northeast law firm and represented clients in chapters 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcy claims.

Amanda earned her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law where she served as an executive research editor for the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review and was an executive board member of the Dispute Resolution Society. She received her B.A. from the College at Old Westbury, State University of New York.

Amanda is involved in organizations including the New York Institute of Credit as a Member of the Future Leader Committee, and the Construction Financial Association as the Chair for the Young Professionals Committee.

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Matthew C. Wells is an associate in the firm’s litigation group and represents clients in transportation and product liability matters.

Matthew regularly collaborates with clients to assess their needs and work to develop a plan. He provides strategic counsel and works on day-to-day legal matters, including preparing responsive pleadings, reviewing discovery, and working with opposing counsel. He has experience negotiating stipulations of dismissal and drafting motions to dismiss, to compel arbitration, and to enforce subpoenas.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Matthew was a product liability associate for an AmLaw 200 firm.

Matthew earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and his B.A. from Montclair State University. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James F. Hyland and the Honorable Bruce J. Kaplan in the Middlesex County Superior Court.

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Samuele Riva is an associate in the Firm’s business law practice group, where he works on a broad range of business transactions and performs various services for start-up companies.

Samuele has experience handling domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence review, negotiations, drafting of purchase documents, and disclosure schedules. He regularly provides counsel to both large and small businesses on capital raising and corporate governance, including business formations, shareholders and operating agreements, corporate resolutions, share vesting and equity awards, among others. Samuele also worked on commercial contracts across multiple industries, including non-disclosure agreements, licensing and distribution agreements, and consulting and professional services agreements.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Samuele was an associate at a New York-based firm.

Samuele is a summa cum laude graduate of the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center where he earned his J.D. and a cum laude graduate of Fordham University School of Law where he received his LL.M. in Banking, Corporate, and Finance Law. He also received his B.S. from Farmingdale State College. While attending law school, Samuele served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Joseph F. Bianco in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York.

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Lauren E. Lewis is an associate in the firm’s Real Estate, Finance, and Land Use Practice Group and handles disputes arising out of real estate and housing related matters.

Lauren regularly represents landlords and tenants in all aspects of real estate litigation, including commercial and residential disputes involving single family homes, co-operative buildings, rent-stabilized and rent-controlled buildings, lofts, and interim multiple dwellings. She regularly handles matters in New York Supreme and Civil courts, navigating all phases of litigation including research, motion practice, negotiations, client communications, pre-trial discovery, and settlement. Lauren has experience with the rent stabilization code, tenant right and landlord obligations and has represented landlords and tenants in summary nonpayment, licensee, nuisance, and non-primary residence holdover proceedings.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Lauren acquired more than a decade of civil litigation experience as an associate at boutique real estate firms.

Lauren earned her J.D. from the Tulane University Law School and received her B.S. from the University of Florida.

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Michael J. Willner is a Member in the firm’s Real Estate, Finance, and Land Use Practice Group where his practice is focused on condominium and cooperative law, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and related litigation.

Michael regularly represents condominium and cooperative boards, individual unit owners, shareholders, purchasers and sellers, and landlords and tenants, providing them with general counsel services and litigating complex real estate disputes. He has experience reviewing statutory and common law relating to varied issues including COVID-19 restrictions on use of facilities, unit-owner access to books and records, obligations to maintain, repair and replace common elements, and related landlord/tenant issues. Michael drafts license and construction agreements, real estate contracts, indemnification agreements, and is familiar with a myriad of transactional issues including sales and purchases, refinances, and lease agreements.

Michaels collaborates with his clients to help them achieve their goals. His understanding of landlord-tenant law, zoning issues, mechanic’s liens, foreclosure actions, contract disputes, construction claims, and other management issues give him knowledge to take a comprehensive approach in representing each client.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Michael managed a practice of more than 35 condominium and co-ops in New York and New Jersey. He has substantial experience appearing before New York Appellate, Supreme and Civil Courts, as well as at mediation, arbitration, and ECB hearings.

Michael is a graduate of the Syracuse University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University, the State University of New York.

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Annamaria Del Buono is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, where she represents clients in both state and federal court in matters pertaining to employment and labor law, commercial law, and business transactions.

Annamaria has extensive motion practice experience through briefing and arguing motions along with courtroom experience involving litigation matters.  She has facilitated mediation and settlement discussions with clients and adversaries, as well as managing written discovery and conducting depositions of witnesses.  Annamaria prioritizes strategizing and assessing each of her cases to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Annamaria was a Litigation Associate for a New Jersey law firm.  She also served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, working in the Adult Trial Section and Domestic Violence Unit.

Annamaria is a 2017 graduate of Rutgers Law School, where she was Managing Editor of the Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion. After law school, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Bradford M. Bury, J.S.C., in Somerset County. She received her undergraduate degree, also from Rutgers University, in 2014.

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Michelle L. Scanlon is an Associate in the firm’s Estate Planning and Administration & Wealth Preservation Practice, and Elder Care & Special Needs Law Groups, where she focuses her practice on assisting individuals and families with a range of estate and tax planning.

Michelle represents and advises her clients regarding estate planning, estate administration, trust administration, special needs planning, elder planning, and guardianships. She has experience drafting legal documents including irrevocable trusts, last wills and testaments, powers of attorney, advanced healthcare directives, and special needs trusts. Michelle works strategically with her clients to design and implement plans that meet their personal goals.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Michelle was an associate at a boutique estate planning law firm. She has also worked as a special education attorney representing families with children with disabilities to help them access education they are entitled to by state and federal law.

Michelle is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree from Quinnipiac University. While attending law school, Michelle worked at the Rutgers Education & Health Law Clinic where she participated in hearings, conducted legal research, and managed cases under attorney supervision.

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Christopher N. McGann is an associate in the firm’s Estate Planning and Administration & Wealth Preservation Practice Group where he focuses his practice on preparing estate plans and representing estate fiduciaries.

Chris has extensive experience utilizing wills with testamentary trusts, A/B trusts, advance directives and power of attorney forms and provides strategic counseling on available estate planning strategies involving inter vivos revocable trusts, supplemental needs trusts, life insurance trusts and limited liability corporations. Chris represents both individuals and families and frequently collaborates with his client’s financial advisors and accountants to maximize wealth preservation and ensure his client’s estate planning goals are realized.

Additionally, Chris represents estate fiduciaries throughout the estate administration process. His counseling includes ascertaining the value of the assets of the estate, settling any legally-owed debts and claims of creditors and preparing and filing the applicable inheritance tax return, accounting and release agreements.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Chris worked as a trusts and estates associate for a New Jersey based commercial law firm and prior to that at a boutique trusts and estates firm. 

Chris is a graduate of Rutgers Law School and served as an articles editor for the Rutgers Law Journal. Currently, he is working towards his LL.M. in Taxation from Villanova University. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Margaret Goodzeit, then in the Family Part of the Superior Court of New Jersey. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, tackling DIY projects and following the New York Rangers and Yankees.

He was selected for inclusion in the 2022 New Jersey Rising Stars list, published by Super Lawyers® and issued by Thompson Reuters.

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W. Joseph Salvador is an associate in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, defending companies from a variety of industries in toxic tort, commercial, and employment litigation.

Joseph focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and works collaboratively with litigation teams on document analysis and deposition preparation, efficiently managing multiple cases from initial pleadings through trial. He conceptualizes and executes litigation strategy and motion practice during discovery, and works diligently to keep clients informed on the status of their cases, assessing their potential exposure for liability and damages.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Joseph worked for a regional civil litigation firm as an associate, defending national transit carriers, mortgage servicing companies, and construction entities in litigation, and representing clients at mediation, arbitration, and settlement conferences.

Joseph is a graduate of Rutgers University Law School and was a managing articles editor of the Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal. He served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Angela White Dalton in the Family Division of the New Jersey Superior Court and as a judicial intern for Senior Judge Helen Gillmor in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Joseph received his undergraduate degree from The George Washington University.

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Michael Townsend is an associate in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, where he provides strategic advice to individuals and companies in complex commercial and civil disputes.

Michael concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation. He has experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in shareholder lawsuits, including corporate governance disputes, breach of fiduciary duty actions, fraud, and disputes arising from the management of alternative entities such as partnerships and LLCs. He also has experience handling white-collar criminal matters, including representing companies facing government investigations into alleged securities fraud.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Michael was an associate at a litigation boutique, where he worked on complex commercial cases from inception to trial. Prior to that, he was a litigation associate at a large New Jersey-based law firm. While attending law school at Georgetown University Law Center, Michael served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Lois H. Goodman in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He also worked as a legal intern at a Washington, D.C. think tank, where he focused his research on issues of criminal justice reform.

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Alexander Short is an Associate in the firm’s Immigration Law Practice Group, where he focuses on matters involving immigration law and deportation defense, including employee immigrant and non-immigrant visas, I-9 compliance, import/export issues, family immigration, criminal investigations, and federal and administrative agency immigration appeals.

Alex has extensive experience advocating for clients in a wide range of proceedings, including depositions, contested hearings, and appellate proceedings. He has additional experience negotiating and drafting complex settlement agreements, releases, and contracts. Alex has drafted appeals to the Workers Compensation Appeal Board, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Alex worked as a litigation and worker’s compensation defense associate. He also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he handled misdemeanor and felony cases while specializing with the Treatment Court Program.

A graduate of Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law, Alex was a founding member of the Dickinson Law Addiction Legal Resource Team, which provided legal research to those affected by substance use disorder. In that role, Alex published articles involving healthcare law in Pennlive and Harvard Law School’s Bill of Health Blog. Prior to attending law school, Alex served as a Congressional Page in the 109^th Congress of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Bartley J. Breinin concentrates his practice in business law and has served as both outside and in-house counsel for large and small companies, professional and financial services organizations, and private equity and venture capital firms. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and has advised on hundreds of domestic and international deals, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, strategic alliances and reorganizations.

Bart is proficient in a variety of corporate and commercial practice areas, and serves clients across industries including investment banking, accounting, management and technology consulting, private equity and retail.

Working as an in-house legal advisor as well as in private practice has given Bart a unique perspective, allowing him to take a hands-on approach to transactions, maintain a flexible negotiation style, and focus on creative solutions. He is experienced in structuring deals; drafting and negotiating non-disclosure agreements, term sheets, and letters of intent; coordinating due diligence as well as tax, employment, and other areas requiring specialized legal advice; addressing regulatory requirements; negotiating, drafting and reviewing definitive agreements; and working closely with integration teams to prepare for closing and post-closing transition.

Additionally, Bart has broad legal experience, enabling him to provide strategic counsel to clients on issues including entity structuring and formation, securities and financing transactions, executive and employment matters, governance and policy, regulatory issues, licensing, outsourcing, data protection, procurement, and other complex commercial matters. Clients rely on Bart for his experience and practical approach.

Bart has guest lectured at New York University School of Law on best practices in M&A, providing both in-house and outside counsel perspective on successful transactional counseling; and at several symposia sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the New York Technology Alliance.

Bart served as a Managing Director/Office of the General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for 16 years, where he advised on more than 50 U.S. and international M&A transactions, investment banking matters for the firm’s broker-dealer, finance, complex procurements, cross-border privacy, governance, partnership, and general corporate matters. Bart’s in-house experience has allowed him to act as a virtual inside counsel for various clients of his legal practice.

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Benjamin D. Schwartz is an associate in Norris McLaughlin’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Litigation Groups. Ben concentrates his practice on a variety of matters relating to civil litigation and intellectual property, and is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Ben has experience enforcing intellectual property and contract rights, prosecuting trademark and copyright applications, participating in Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, and counseling clients on their protection and utilization of trademarks, patents, copyrights, and associated exclusive rights. He also has experience drafting license agreements with third-party users of famous trademarks to avoid genericide and loss of rights.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Ben worked as an associate for an intellectual property law firm in Silicon Valley, where he assisted with pre-trial procedure,  and conducted legal research.

Ben graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with honors in intellectual property, and received his B.S. in biology from Lehigh University. While attending law school, Ben served as president of the Student Intellectual Property Law Association and as a senior production editor of the High Technology Law Journal.

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Olivia J. Italiano is an associate in Norris McLaughlin’s New Jersey office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.  Olivia concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation disputes in state and federal courts, including financial and securities litigation, fraud, consumer fraud, the dissolution of closely held businesses, and shareholder disputes.

Olivia has significant experience representing large and small commercial entities and individuals from pre-litigation through appeal.  She frequently advises on all procedural aspects of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, trial/arbitration, and appeal.  Olivia is experienced in managing large-scale, multi-party litigations, as well as counseling smaller companies and individuals in connection with business disputes.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Olivia completed a clerkship for the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Passaic Vicinage, and was a litigation associate at a New York law firm where she concentrated on complex commercial, security, and bankruptcy litigation matters.

While in law school, Olivia served as an executive board member of the Moot Court Honor Society, and as a member of the Journal of Race, Law, and Economics.  She also served as an executive board member of the Women’s Law Caucus, and interned for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas, and the Chester County District Attorney’s office.

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Anthony M. Brichta concentrates his practice on liquor law, municipal law, commercial litigation, and corporate matters.

Anthony is part of our expansive Liquor Law Practice Group and brings his wide-ranging experience to our alcohol manufacturing and distribution clients.

Anthony has handled a broad range of civil litigation matters for private and municipal clients. He has extensive experience in creditors’ rights, municipal representation and litigation, tax assessment and tax claim litigation, appellate practice, insurance defense and coverage, plaintiffs’ litigation, commercial disputes, bankruptcy, and juvenile dependency matters.

Anthony has successfully briefed and argued cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, and Superior Court. He obtained a unanimous reversal from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court of a trial court’s grant of nonsuit in a precedent-setting interpretation of a statutory immunity provision, obtained numerous favorable decisions involving tax assessment matters, and successfully defended confessed judgments for banking clients.

A resident and native of the Lehigh Valley, Anthony is co-founder and CEO of a start-up craft distillery in Allentown and Easton. He was selected for inclusion in the 2019 – 2022 “Rising Stars” lists in Philadelphia Magazine by Super Lawyers®.

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John V. Kelly III focuses his practice exclusively on labor and employment law.

John advises clients on Title VII, Title IX, ADA, ADEA, EO, EEO, NJLAD, NYHRL, wage and hour laws, fraud, and other local, state, and federal employment laws. He represents senior-level employees of both public and private companies in negotiating their employment packages and all associated agreements, whether at the commencement of the employment relationship through offer letters and employment agreements, or at termination through severance agreements. His representation also includes advising and counseling employers in the preparation and negotiation of employment and severance packages; designing human resources compliance programs, including employee policy manuals; and implementing those policies. John also provides neutral investigative services in employment matters.

In addition, John handles litigation matters from pleading through appeal, including discrimination and sexual harassment suits, workplace investigations, and wage and hour compliance and investigations. John has successfully briefed and argued cases throughout New Jersey. While serving as a second chair at a New Jersey trial focused on gender discrimination and other issues, John obtained a no cause verdict for a large international entity.

Prior to joining the firm, John was a clerk for the Hon. Christine Farrington, J.S.C.,  New Jersey Superior Court, Hudson County, Law Division.  He then worked as a litigation associate at a mid-sized New Jersey law firm.

While in law school, John was a member of the Legislative Law Journal and recipient of the Del Tufo Constitutional Law Award. He is an Army Veteran and a JAG Officer in the New Jersey Army National Guard. In 2020, John was elected to the Nutley Board of Commissioners, where he serves as Commissioner and Director of Nutley’s Public Affairs and Health Department.

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Tom Dinkelacker concentrates his practice in the areas of municipal, land use, and real estate law, serving as the solicitor for several municipalities in the Lehigh Valley and counsel to various community groups and private entities. In addition, he serves or has served as special counsel handling land development and related land use and construction matters for both first and second class townships, sewer authorities, and a school district.

For both municipal and private clients, Tom has handled the purchase, sale, and leasing of real estate; the development of brownfields, zoning, code and land development litigation; the preparation of zoning and land development ordinances; and a host of other ordinances and regulations relating to, among other things, mixed use development, historic districts, age restricted communities, craft beverage production facilities, sanitary sewer service and rates, and stormwater management. In addition, he provides municipal representation with respect to general government, labor, tax, environmental, and other matters.

Tom represents municipal and private clients before zoning hearing boards, code appeal boards, governing bodies, and various Pennsylvania Courts. With 40 years’ experience, including 4 years of criminal trial and appellate litigation, over 20 years of insurance defense and other litigation, and over 20 years of municipal representation, Tom brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and maturity to problems affecting municipalities, businesses, developers, and citizens alike.

Recognizing the importance of community service, Tom is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Valley YMCA and the Board of Associates of Muhlenberg College. He also volunteers as a legal advisor to the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

Tom has lectured on topics as varied as land use matters, the purchase and sale of municipal real estate, employer cell phone use policies, and medical marijuana.

After graduating from the Naval Justice School in Newport Rhode Island, Tom served in the United States Navy on active duty from 1981 to 1985. He has been a resident of the Lehigh Valley since 1987.

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William R. Murphy III concentrates his practice on the defense of individuals involved in civil litigation for general liability matters.

Representing clients and major insurance carriers in a variety of legal matters, Billy litigates matters from arbitration hearings to jury trials. He is experienced in complex litigation and legal principles ranging from criminal prosecutions to personal injury matters.

Billy spent over five years in the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, where he honed his trial advocacy skills and developed a deep understanding of Pennsylvania laws and regulations. He was assigned to the Homicide by Vehicle, Narcotics, and Insurance Fraud Units. Billy also worked for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office in the Insurance Fraud Unit. He brings years of experience in the areas of insurance fraud investigations and motor vehicle accidents.

While in law school, Billy was a member of the Public Interest Fellowship program. He lives in the Lehigh Valley with his two young children and wife. In his spare time, Billy enjoys spending time with his family and working outside.

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David Siegel concentrates his practice on all aspects of intellectual property strategy, maintenance, and enforcement. He represents clients in patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution, transactions, and litigation.

David has significant experience in intellectual property licensing and brand protection. He advises clients on global patent and trademark protection and clearance options and alternatives. He has represented inventors, businesses, and start-ups in patent-related matters such as the drafting, filing, and prosecution of patent applications and non-disclosure and development agreements.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, David was in-house counsel for a leading multinational costume designer, manufacturer, and distributor, managing licensing, clearance, and brand protection for a global intellectual property portfolio.

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With over 20 years of experience, Jodi is familiar with all aspects of commercial real estate finance, acquisition, and sale transactions, with significant experience drafting and negotiating loan documents for single and multiple lender transactions; purchase and sale agreements; and conducting due diligence, including analysis of title commitments and surveys; zoning reports, opinion letters; and borrower organizational documents. She focuses primarily on the structuring, negotiating, and closing of financial transactions such as mortgage loans, secured and unsecured lines of credit, construction loans, and retail and commercial leasing.

Jodi represents institutional, non-institutional, and private equity lenders to provide permanent and construction financing, leasing, acquisition, and sale of multi-family residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use properties. She represents buyers and sellers of commercial properties in transactional matters, including acquisitions, dispositions, and the refinance of assets, as well as transactions involving I.R.C. Section 1031 Exchanges. Her experience includes representing the lead lender and agent in the financing and syndication of a $141 million acquisition and construction financing project in Orange County, New York; and representing the purchaser/borrower in the acquisition and financing of a multi-family portfolio in Jackson, Mississippi.

Jodi also represents landlords and tenants in commercial and retail lease negotiations, lease assignments, sublease agreements, modifications and extensions, and termination agreements for retail spaces and office buildings.

Additionally, Jodi consults with clients about business transactions, including the organization of entities; drafting stockholder, partnership, and operating agreements; and preparing employment contracts.

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Hugh Finnegan focuses his practice on commercial real estate financings and construction matters.

For over 35 years, Hugh has built a special expertise in commercial real estate acquisitions, bridge, construction, project, and mezzanine financings. He represents both local and international landlords and tenants in leasing transactions for offices, warehouses, shopping centers, restaurants, and other retail uses throughout the United States. Hugh also handles sales and acquisitions of undeveloped and developed properties.

In addition, Hugh represents lenders and borrowers on loan restructurings and workouts, and has represented several commercial banks in the sale of distressed loans.

Hugh was named in “2018 Ones to Watch” by the New York Real Estate Journal. He has been selected for inclusion on the list of New York Metro Super Lawyers from 2009-2022. Only five percent of New York attorneys are given this honor. Additionally, Hugh is included in The Best Lawyers®, Real Estate Law, 2013-2023.

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Anthony D’Elia focuses his practice on litigation matters, including commercial litigation, shareholder disputes, other corporate and business disputes, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, construction, employment litigation, products liability, and professional liability.

Through his commercial litigation practice, Anthony defends against shareholder litigation claims.  In bankruptcy and creditors’, Anthony represents creditors and other interested parties in bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings, as well as lenders and other creditors in litigation over unpaid loans. Anthony handles the appointment of rent receivers, collection of debts, and enforcement of settlement agreements. Anthony also handles disputes over defective construction and claims for delays, damages, and back charges.  Anthony’s work in the field of products liability has involved defense of claims for defective goods.  Anthony’s experience with employment litigation involves both defense of employers and representation of plaintiffs in wrongful termination suits.  Anthony’s work in the area of professional liability has involved matters relating to engineering and accounting liability.

Anthony’s pro bono work has involved assisting incarcerated individuals in litigation over claims of assault, seeking unpaid judgments in bankruptcy court through the filing of proofs of claim and adversary complaints, and negotiating plea bargains in family court.

Following law school, Anthony served as law clerk to the Hon. Garry J. Furnari, J.S.C., who, in addition to his civil docket, managed the environmental docket of the Essex County Superior Court. Anthony assisted Judge Furnari in matters involving tort, contract, property, insurance, and environmental law. During his clerkship, he mediated both small claims and law division matters; drafted opinions, summaries, and recommendations regarding motion practice; and observed oral arguments, trials, motion hearings, and case management conferences.

In law school, Anthony was a member of Seton Hall University School of Law’s nationally ranked Interscholastic Moot Court Board, the Courtroom Advocates Project, and the Immigrants’ Rights/International Human Rights Clinic.

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Alan Tenenbaum concentrates his practice on commercial and intellectual property litigation and counseling. He represents corporate clients throughout the United States and before the International Trade Commission in litigation involving patent, trademark, unfair competition, and commercial claims. Alan’s litigation and trial work include matters involving electronic hardware, software, consumer products, medical devices, chemicals, and both branded and generic pharmaceuticals. He also represents clients in disputes involving the importation and transportation of goods and claims against customs agents and freight brokers.

Alan is a trusted general counsel to a variety of companies. Applying business solutions from a legal perspective, he works with clients to identify, acquire, protect, manage, and monetize products, technology, and intellectual property rights.

Alan advises clients who seek to manage, avoid, and resolve commercial disputes, with and without recourse to litigation; and has litigated and resolved a variety of matters involving nuisance patents and patent assertion entities.

In addition, Alan negotiates IP and IT agreements and other complex commercial agreements involving technology. He has a successful track record in the prosecution of patent applications involving software-implemented applications.

Alan frequently speaks and writes about patent litigation, software patents, and the business and legal issues associated with emerging technology. He was included in New York – Metro Super Lawyers from 2013 – 2017 and 2020 – 2022. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. He is also AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

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Jeff Cassin is a business attorney, concentrating his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investment transactions, corporate law, and business contracts.

Jeff serves as outside general counsel to companies without an internal GC or supports internal GCs with specialist needs.

Jeff represents middle-market, mid-size businesses, funds, start-ups, media and technology companies, and individual investors, among others. He counsels clients concerning complex middle-market M&A transactions, deal negotiations, and management decisions, and has served as primary attorney on dozens of sell-side and buy-side transactions across industries.

Jeff also has extensive transactional experience in negotiating and preparing financing, LLC operating, shareholder, joint venture, and partnership agreements and other corporate formation and organization documents; securities offering memoranda and subscription agreements; employment, consulting, service, and independent contractor agreements; vendor and supply agreements; debt and convertible equity instruments; distribution and marketing agreements; consents and waivers; restrictive covenant agreements; software licenses, SAAS agreements, and assignments; website T&Cs, privacy policies; brand and trademark licensing agreements; HIPAA agreements; corporate governance documents; and other contracts.

Jeff represents start-ups and founders in initial formation, early operational matters, and friends-and-family, seed, and venture capital rounds of investment. He handles matters ranging from financing rounds, both equity and debt, to negotiating agreements among business owners, investors, executives, and employees. He has represented start-ups, particularly technology companies, from their early stages through sale.

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Christopher R. Gray focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and income tax planning.

In addition, Christopher is experienced in corporate matters, business transactions, non–profit issues, health care governance, elder law, and general litigation. He represents high net-worth clients and their businesses in developing estate, gift, income tax, and succession planning strategies. Chris has also represented clients in merger and acquisition transactions as well as tax-free reorganizations.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Christopher worked with a financial strategies company advising affluent private clients on business investments, multigenerational estate preservation, and wealth planning.

Christopher is a past officer of the Lehigh Valley Estate Planning Council and currently serves on the Northampton Community College Foundation Board of Directors, where he is also Chair of its Planned Giving Committee.

With 25 years of experience, Christopher frequently makes presentations on tax law and initiatives, estate planning tools and techniques, and asset protection.

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Joseph A. Farco focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, including litigation involving patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, as well as prosecution and transactions involving intellectual property.

As a trial patent lawyer, Joe represents patent owners, including inventors, and foreign and domestic companies in United States district courts, the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the International Trade Commission. There is no litigation task Joe cannot handle, including drafting pleadings (complaints, answers), arguing pre-trial motions, trial motions, and post-trial motions, engaging in Markman hearings, taking and defending against discovery, including electronic discovery (ESI), depositions, and facilities inspections, and preparing all types of witnesses (expert, non-expert, and third parties) to make a case as favorable to his clients as possible. Joe handles pre-filing due diligence for patent owners on how to best assert their patents and advises on best practices to get infringers to cease and desist. For clients who have been or face infringement concerns, Joe has helped these clients to design around patents and/or found prior art to remove such patents as a concern.  Joe also prepares opinions on which his client could rely if they ever faced a threat of a lawsuit.

Joe makes advance preparation and efficient strategy development his priorities, especially for witnesses who are not native English-speakers and where numerous experts are involved. He has prepared foreign and domestic witnesses and experts for trial.

As a registered patent attorney, Joe practices before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He counsels clients from all over the world under America Invents Act (AIA) and pre-AIA rules to obtain patent protection in the form of utility and design patents. He has helped clients to obtain patents on their inventions through appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and been involved in challenges to patent rights under ex parte reexaminations and inter partes review proceedings.

Joe uses his litigation and prosecution experience to provide opinions concerning patentability, non-infringement, and invalidity, to help his clients make well-informed intellectual property decisions for their business or avoid allegations of induced infringement and/or willful infringement of patents.

Prior to his legal career, Joe was a project engineer for Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems, where he led a team of engineers to develop mechanical, electrical, and materials test analyses for the life-critical Extravehicular Mobility Unit worn by astronauts on space missions to and from the International Space Station.

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Hari Nathan Kalyan has extensive experience in hospitality and liquor law, licensing, manufacturing, and distribution. His clients include restaurants, bars, and alcohol manufacturers, as well as service providers to those industry members.

Hari handles all types of license-related matters, including license issuance and renewal, defense of citations, acquisitions and transfers of licenses, and regulatory compliance. He also assists clients in business planning and structuring, transactional counseling, and litigation.

Hari serves as General Counsel for Bluestone Lane, playing an active role in their rapid development in locations nationwide.  Hari is also a seasoned hospitality operator and a recognized leader in the NYC hospitality industry as co-founder of Randolph Beer brewpubs and as a partner in other hospitality establishments.

Prior to entering private practice, Hari clerked for the Hon. Nelson S. Roman, who currently sits in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.  Hari commits his time as a volunteer attorney with Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas and the NYC Housing Court, among other pro bono and charitable activities.

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The Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.), Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group,  focuses his practice on estate and commercial litigation, and mediation and arbitration.

Judge Giordano served as a presiding judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Third Judicial District, from 2004 through 2018. He was Northampton County’s first administrative Judge of the Orphans’ County Division, overseeing estates and trusts of the county, and was named to the Statewide Orphans’ Court Task Force, an organization charged with implementing changes to Orphans’ Court. He was also the first Judge in Pennsylvania to institute guardianship certification requirements for the protection of senior citizens.

For 15 years, Judge Giordano presided over jury trials and non-jury trials, hearings and motions, and a wide range of disputes under Pennsylvania and federal law, including construction, commercial litigation, professional malpractice, CERCLA, Civil Rights, condemnations, labor and land use appeals, criminal, and domestic relations.

As an arbitrator and mediator, Judge Giordano is certified through Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute in Advanced Mediation, is a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, and is affiliated with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Mediation. He serves as an arbitrator and mediator to the Judicial Roster, Real Estate, and Pennsylvania at Large ADR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.

Judge Giordano is Chair of the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He is a Diplomate Member for mediation for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Judge Giordano serves on the Board of Trustees of the Center for Guardianship Certification. He is a member of the Board of Governors for Saint Thomas More Society and in the Northampton County Bar Association Wills and Trusts Committee Lecturer. In 2005, Judge Giordano was the first judicial recipient of the Lehigh Valley Crime Victims Council Award for Outstanding Commitment to Victim’s Rights. He also received the Bethlehem Catholic High School Distinguished Graduate Award. Judge Giordano received the Title IX Hearing Chairs Certification and Title IX Hearing Officer & Decision-Maker Certification from the Association of Title IX Administrators.

Born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrant parents, Judge Giordano was the first to attend high school, graduating from Bethlehem Catholic High School. A proud Moravian College alumnus, he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor for undergraduate classes.

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David Berger concentrates his practice on business, real estate, and liquor law.

David counsels clients on general business topics including organization and formation, corporate governance, lease negotiations, restructurings, and finance.

A licensed title insurance agent, David works closely with lenders, real estate developers, and homebuilding companies. He handles both residential and commercial real estate development including acquisitions, land use and zoning matters, title review, and other due diligence requirements. He has also gained extensive experience representing both developers and hosts of Solar projects.

In his liquor law practice, David handles sale and purchase of liquor licenses and provides transactional counseling, including defending licensees who have received citations from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.

Prior to joining the firm, David was a senior associate at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Cappelli LLC, specializing in liquor law, real estate development, and commercial transactions.

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Arnold L. Bartfeld focuses his practice primarily in the area of real estate and finance. He represents institutional lenders and developers in real estate financings, as well as in commercial banking transactions.

Arnold has experience representing clients in real estate joint ventures in connection with financing and refinancing; developers in acquisitions and the privatization of public housing projects; and banks with construction loans. In addition, he is experienced in assisting commercial and residential condo developers in acquisitions and loans.

Arnold is also experienced in complex and multi-bank restructurings and workouts of real estate and commercial credit transactions.

Prior to joining the firm, Arnold was a partner at Reed Smith and Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. He also served as General Counsel for European American Bank and Fidelity Bank, N.A.

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Shana Siegel concentrates her practice in the area of elder law, focusing on representing seniors, individuals with special needs, and their families in connection with life care planning, public benefits, trust and estate planning, and long-term care advocacy.

As one of the few Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA) in northern New Jersey to be certified by the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), Shana has extensive experience in probate and estate administration, asset preservation, supplemental and special needs trusts, planning for disability, guardianship and estate litigation, resident rights, health care decision making, Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance appeals.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Shana was with WanderPolo & Siegel for over 10 years, five of which were as principal.  She has been involved in health and long-term care issues for over 25 years. She is a past president of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), where she regularly met with legislators and government officials on behalf of the elder law bar and their clients. In 2015, Shana was invited to join NAELA’s prestigious Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP).

Additionally, Shana is a member of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, the New Jersey State Bar Elder & Disability Law Section, and the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association.

Shana is active with the Long Term Living Association, several local chambers of commerce, and Jewish philanthropies. Shana loves to spend time outdoors hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and golfing.

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Kim Weber focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation matters and represents clients in a variety of high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey.  Her litigation experience involves pretrial procedure and discovery, electronic discovery, briefing and arguing motions, taking and defending fact witness and corporate representative depositions, appellate practice, and post-judgment discovery and collections.  Kim’s representative matters for diverse individual and corporate clients informs her flexible, problem-solving approach to litigation, aimed at maximizing efficiency and positive outcomes for her clients. Kim is also a member of the Firm’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Kim is a past member of the firm’s Associates Committee, serving as a liaison between firm Management and her fellow Associates.

Prior to joining the firm, Kim was an Associate at a boutique insurance litigation firm, where she assisted in the representation of clients in all stages of litigation, from inception through appeal.  She was also a law clerk for the Hon. Susan L. Reisner, P.J.A.D. in New Jersey’s Appellate Division.

During law school, Kim was a member of the Seton Hall Law Review as an Associate Editor (2013-2014), and the Editorial Board’s Symposium Editor (2014-2015), and her comment was published in the journal’s 45^th volume.  She was also a student advocate in Seton Hall’s Civil Rights and Constitutional Litigation clinic, and worked as a summer intern for the Hon. Claire C. Cecchi, U.S.D.J.

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William L. Brewer focuses his practice in the areas of commercial real estate financing, leasing, acquisitions and sales, loan restructuring and workouts, loan sales and purchases, and distressed debt transactions.

Bill has a wide variety of experience in all aspects of commercial real estate in his 25+ years of representing clients.  Bill represents lenders and borrowers in connection with commercial loans secured by real property and other assets, mezzanine loans and construction financing, with significant experience in workouts and foreclosures. He also advises lenders on restructuring defaulted loans and negotiating forbearance agreements, deed in lieu agreements, and modifications and amendments to loan documentation. In addition, Bill drafts and negotiates leases on behalf of landlords and tenants involving retail, gym, restaurant, industrial, and office properties, and represents purchasers and sellers of commercial real estate covering all asset classes. He also advises clients on the sale and purchase of distressed assets, and lenders in connection with the financing of such transactions.

Bill also has considerable experience representing lenders and borrowers in transactions involving commercial mortgage-backed securities.

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Mark L. Weyman dedicates his practice to a wide range of corporate and commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience in trials and arbitrations as well as appellate work.

In the area of antitrust, Mark has been lead counsel for Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us in the defense of class action antitrust claims alleging multiple price fixing conspiracies. He also represented Toys “R” Us in opt out actions against Visa and MasterCard in antitrust litigation relating to debit cards.

Mark has represented Trustees, Liquidators, and Bankruptcy Committees to pursue recoveries following fraud and related wrongdoing that left financial and manufacturing companies insolvent. Notably, he represented Globe Manufacturing Company; DVI, Inc.; and High Voltage Engineering Corporation in seeking recoveries against former officers and directors, professionals, and other recipients of transfers of funds.,

Mark is experienced in both defending and prosecuting class actions. His recent representations include defense of multidistrict FACTA litigation on behalf of Century 21 Department Stores, and consumer class actions on behalf of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Casual Male, Pep Boys, and The Gap.

Mark also represents shareholders and their companies in disputes concerning closely-held corporations.  He recently prevailed in an arbitration on behalf of a shareholder squeezed out of his company.

Mark has litigated many cases involving contracts, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty claims.  He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants, as well as parties in arbitration.  Recently he advised several top international trading and commodity companies in contract disputes under New York law. Mark also defended Toys “R” Us in a fraud and contract-based litigation.  He successfully defeated the fraud-based claim, and the matter was resolved in mediation.

In internal investigations, Mark represented the Board of Directors of Arochem Corporation in an internal investigation of fraud by its former CEO and CFO. He also represented the company in its subsequent bankruptcy. The case involved the first prosecution by the United States Government of a continuing financial crimes enterprise.  Mark led the cooperation by the company with the United States Attorney, culminating in the successful prosecution of the former CEO.

Mark has successfully defended RICO actions.  Reported decisions include C.A. Westel de Venezuela v. American Tel. & Tel. Co. (representing AT&T) and Chamarac Properties Inc. v. Pike (representing a law firm).

Mark’s experience also includes both defense and prosecution of securities litigation, including class actions and derivative actions involving shareholder and bondholder claims; representing plaintiffs and defendants in malpractice litigation; and successfully resolving many cases and disputes through mediation and arbitration.

In addition, Mark is experienced in litigation involving solvency and valuation disputes, claims trading, lender liability, trade secrets, health care, environmental issues, product liability, franchise termination, trademark, and employment discrimination.

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David N. Vozza devotes his practice to the areas of health care and litigation. His practice focuses on defending health care professionals in disciplinary and regulatory actions before federal and state agencies, private and government payor audits, civil and criminal fraud investigations, hospital and privileges disputes, and general health care litigation in both the federal and state courts.

David regularly defends health care professionals before the Office of Professional Medical Conduct and the Office of Professional Discipline.

He also frequently lectures on medical fraud, regulatory agencies, professional licensure, and medical documentation, at hospitals throughout New York State.

David was selected to serve as General Counsel to the Medical Society of the State of New York as well as the respective medical societies for the counties of Queens, Kings, Onondaga, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Chenango, Oswego and Cayuga.

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James R. Gregory concentrates his practice in the areas of environmental law, land use, and complex commercial litigation.

Jim has more than 30 years’ experience on issues relating to real property, zoning, and environmental statutes, including Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund); Federal and New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Acts (SDWA); New Jersey Spill Compensation and Control Act; New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) and its predecessor ECRA; and the New Jersey Air Pollution Control Act.  He routinely represents both public and private clients in litigation and transactional matters.  Additionally, he has handled condemnation matters on behalf of public bodies, negotiation and litigation of permit violations, administrative consent orders, and penalties and insurance coverage matters.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, P.A., Jim was a member of Gregory & Reed, P.C., which he co-founded in 1995.  He published in the area of industrial pretreatment standards and lender environmental liability.  Jim was also appointed to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Task Force on industrial pretreatment of hazardous waste.

Outside of work, Jim enjoys running, golf, organic gardening, and brewing.  He was a former member of the Long Valley Recreation Committee and has coached for many years in his hometown of Long Valley.

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Steven J. Reed concentrates his practice in the areas of business transactions, commercial real estate and finance, and commercial litigation.

Steven has a long track record of representing clients in commercial matters in New Jersey and New York. He counsels businesses through many different stages of development, serves as corporate counsel for organizational meetings, drafts documentation for myriad business transactions as well as commercial real estate matters and financing transactions. Steven’s domestic franchise work has expanded to representing a real estate broker franchisee in Ireland and a large hotel franchise operator in Africa. He has worked extensively with large corporations to develop contract templates used company-wide for all purchases of services and materials. He developed construction contract templates for a large construction firm in New York and represents a developer of hotels and self-storage buildings and drafts and negotiates its construction contracts. His work in higher education includes serving as outside counsel for institutions in New Jersey and New York on hundreds of different types of contracts, and obtaining New Jersey State licensing for a new college. Steven has represented parties in the federal courts of New Jersey and New York in a wide variety of matters, for example, class actions, futures trading losses, fuel supplies to commercial vessels, and software application development rights.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin in 2016, Steven was a member and co-founder in 1995 of Gregory & Reed LLC which focused on business transactions and commercial litigation. He serves as pro bono counsel representing victims of domestic violence for the Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project. He is also a Master in the John C. Liftland American Inn Court and is affiliated with the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey.

Outside of work, Steven enjoys running races and playing tennis and golf, and is a founder and former trustee of the Chatham Athletic Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit charitable organization. He also is a former adjunct professor at Seton Hall University for Legal Research and Writing. He received the Distinguished Service Award from Chatham Chamber of Commerce in 2011 for service to community.

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Christopher A. Erd, Esq. (Equity Member of Norris McLaughlin, P.A.):  Chris’s primary practice areas over his 25+ year career are land use and zoning; commercial and residential real estate sales, leases, and financing; commercial and residential real estate development and redevelopment; electric vehicles; commercial-scale solar energy; commercial-scale electric battery storage; retail liquor licenses; and environmental law. Throughout New Jersey, he has obtained numerous real estate development approvals for many millions of dollars’ worth of projects, closed many sales totaling millions of dollars, and prepared a great deal of many high value and long-term leases. His major client business areas include small to mid-sized businesses and individuals, as well as larger companies that need local counsel legal work, primarily in New Jersey, including commercial and residential real estate developers, commercial and industrial property owners and tenants, warehouses, shopping centers, restaurants, bars, hotels, gasoline stations, wholesale fuel suppliers, convenience stores, electric vehicle charging stations, solar energy providers, commercial electricity storage, and wireless telecommunications providers.  Chris regularly appears before NJ municipal Planning and Zoning Boards, in addition to other governmental boards and agencies.

Chris was appointed by the N Supreme Court to the District XI Attorney Fee Arbitration Committee for several years and served as Chairperson. In addition, he was also for several years a member of and served as Chairperson of the Branchburg Township Zoning Board of Adjustment.  He also has held several other local government and community association elected and appointed positions.  In addition, Chris was a NJ Superior Court, Civil Division, trial level Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. Christine, Miniman, J.S.C. and later a Staff Attorney in the Central Appellate Research department of the NJ Superior Court, Appellate Division.

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Bruce Hamburg, a registered U.S. patent attorney, handles all aspects of U.S. patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, and internet law.  He has handled the filing and prosecution of thousands of patent and trademark applications.

Bruce counsels’ clients regarding routine and complex intellectual property matters.  He has successfully prosecuted patent applications of major international corporations in a vast variety of technologies, including heavy machinery, biotechnology, polymers, organic and inorganic chemistry, complex mechanical and electromechanical devices and systems, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, materials science, and control devices and systems.  He has guided patent, trademark, and copyright litigation, and has rendered many formal opinions.  He has also negotiated and drafted license agreements.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Bruce was managing and majority partner of the internationally well-known IP boutique law firm Jordan and Hamburg, LLP.  Before that, he was a patent attorney in the legal department of a Fortune 100 corporation. Bruce began his career as an examiner in the U.S. Patent Office, where he received Superior Performance Awards.

Bruce is the author of a treatise titled “Patent Fraud and Inequitable Conduct” and treatises titled “The Doctrine of Equivalents in the U.S.,” one edition of which was published in Japanese, and a subsequent edition published in Korean.  He is an author or co-author of several annual editions of the Patent Law Handbook and is the U.S. representative for the periodical Patents and Licensing.  He has also been a contributing editor to the compendium Patents Throughout the World.

Bruce has often lectured before members of organizations of patent attorneys in Japan and Korea.  Since early in his career, he has been a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney.  He has also been named in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Law.

Bruce is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering academic honor society, and Omega Chi Epsilon, the chemical engineering academic honor society.

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Milan Slak focuses his practice on complex business transactions including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, leverage buyouts, joint ventures, and recapitalizations. He has been the lead attorney or lead tax and structuring attorney on numerous M&A transactions.

A licensed CPA, Milan advocates on behalf of clients to resolve tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities by assisting taxpayers with audits, appeals, refund claims, offers in compromise, private letter rulings, voluntary disclosure, and civil tax litigation.  Milan also assists clients with local business tax issues, sales tax audits, and federal excise tax issues.

Milan represents clients in the formation and organization of business entities and documents client goals and objectives in structuring the governing documents of these entities. He provides critical counseling on business transactions including M&A, due diligence, corporate governance, financing, contracts, and employment, operating, and shareholder agreements.

Milan handles all aspects of estate administration and helps clients design and implement estate, succession, and gifting plans and strategies that effectuate wealth transfer and asset protection.

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Robert Donatelli has over 40 years of experience in estate administration, wills and trusts, and real estate law.

Bob helps clients with all aspects of estate planning and administration, from estate planning—will preparation, tax issues, guardianships, powers of attorney, living wills, living trusts, and special needs trusts—to estate administration, the process of probate, valuing, and managing the estate, executing decisions on guardianship and conservatorship.

In the area of real estate law, Bob advises clients on matters of residential and commercial sales transactions, real estate contracts, mortgages, refinances, foreclosures, title insurance, and title disputes.

Bob is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®. He is a former chair of the Ethics Board of the City of Allentown and a former solicitor of the Register of Wills of Lehigh County.  He is active in the Bar Association of Lehigh County, where he served as President in 1985, and is a member of the Barristers Inn of Court, where he also served as President.

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Sharyn A. Tritto specializes in all aspects of real estate litigation, particularly landlord and tenant law. As a real estate attorney, she also handles leasing and transactional matters.

Sharyn has practiced in all courts at both the trial and the appellate levels. In addition, she handles matters before various administrative agencies, including but not limited to the Environmental Control Board and the Division of Homes and Community Renewal.

Before joining Norris McLaughlin, Sharyn had been an associate attorney at Penn, Proefriedt, Schwarzfeld, & Schwartz since 2001. Prior to that, she was in-house counsel at Sol Goldman Investments, where she handled everything from nonpayment proceedings to complex real estate litigation matters in the Supreme Court. Sharyn also was an associate attorney at Carb, Luria, Glassner, Cook, & Kufeld, LLP, and a foreign associate at Murayama & Associates in Tokyo. Her career began at Borah, Schwartz, Altschuler, Goldstein, & Nahins, P.C., where she was a trial attorney specializing in real estate litigation.

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Gerard Proefriedt devotes his practice to real estate law and commercial litigation.

Gerry holds specific expertise in Loft Law.  The objective of the Loft Law is to bring buildings illegally converted to residential use into compliance with state and city housing laws relating to health, safety, and fire protection.  The requirements of these laws are met when the owner performs construction work to bring its building up to the city’s residential code and obtains a revised certificate of occupancy that allows residential use of the building.

Gerry is also experienced in commercial leasing, landlord and tenant law, the rent stabilization law, air rights transfers, cooperative and condominium conversions, commercial litigation, real estate transfers, and refinancing.

Before working at Norris McLaughlin, Gerry had been a partner at Penn, Proefriedt, Schwarzfeld & Schwartz since graduating from law school. He is a former owner’s representative on the New York City Loft Board.

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James J. Costello Jr., Co-Chair of the firm’s Estate, Trust, and Tax Law Practice Group, focuses his practice on wealth preservation, estate planning and administration, litigation and disputes among beneficiaries, general federal and state tax law and controversies, and the formation, dissolution, purchase, sale, and mergers of all types of closely held business entities.

Jim represents individuals in all aspects of general and sophisticated estate planning. This includes drafting wills, lifetime and testamentary trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, employing sophisticated strategies when warranted matters to preserve family wealth, including family limited liability companies (“LLCs”), dynasty trusts, and charitable trusts.

His representation of fiduciaries includes all aspects of estate and trust administration, including preparation and filing of federal and state estate and income tax returns, representation in IRS and New Jersey Division of Taxation audits, litigation and disputes among beneficiaries, preparation and filing of federal and state estate and inheritance tax returns, and defending those returns on audit.

Jim handles federal and state tax disputes, including collection matters, appeals, and representation in U.S. and New Jersey Tax Courts.

Small business owners look to Jim for assistance not only with the formation, dissolution, purchase, and sale of closely held businesses, but also as a discussion partner concerning strategies in connection with the transition of ownership to younger generations. He also represents individuals and entities in residential and commercial real estate transactions.

Elderly and incapacitated individuals and their families engage Jim for counsel regarding guardianships, asset protection planning including irrevocable trusts and Medicaid spend-downs, as well as preparing and filing Medicaid applications.

Jim has published articles and lectured extensively to civic and professional groups about a variety of estate planning and tax law topics.  He is a former Trustee and Advisory Board Council member of the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, now known as Alzheimer’s New Jersey, a former officer of the Bernardsville Library Foundation, Inc., and former member of the Vestry of the Church of St. John on the Mountain in Bernardsville.

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Brian C. Anscomb focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, with a particular emphasis on patent law.

Brian is experienced in the preparation and prosecution of U.S. non-provisional, continuation-in-part, continuation, divisional reissue, and divisional patent applications in the chemical, mechanical, electrical, and electronic arts. He is knowledgeable in the preparation and filing of IDSs, RCEs, Requests for Reconsideration, Amendments, 131 and 132 Declarations, Notices of Appeal, Pre-Appeal Brief Requests for Review, and Appeal Briefs. He conducts telephonic and personal interviews with the United States patent examiners on behalf of his clients. Brian has worked extensively in the management of foreign patent applications extending from the nationalization of international patent applications under the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). He also renders non-infringement opinions, patentability opinions, and freedom-to-operate opinions.

Brian has conducted trademark searches, rendered trademark opinions, and filed trademark applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He has also prepared and reviewed licensing and purchasing agreements for patents and trademarks.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Brian practiced patent law at Oliff & Berridge in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Kurt G. Briscoe devotes his practice to patent prosecution, focusing primarily on the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology arts.

Recognized as an “outstanding” patent examiner while previously employed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Kurt brings more than 35 years of experience both inside and outside of government. One U.S. in-house intellectual property counsel writes, “[w]e had a very complicated and challenging case that was assigned to a difficult examiner. * * * Ultimately Kurt was able to persuade the examiner to allow claims that were broader than we were expecting, and the inventor and business department were very pleased.” One European patent attorney client describes Kurt as “getting even those cases allowed that had been considered unpatentable.” The Chief Operating Officer of one pharmaceutical company describes Kurt as “simply the best patent attorney I’ve ever worked with.” Don’t you want to focus that level of experience and competence on your important patent prosecution matters?

Kurt’s areas of technical expertise include organic syntheses, heterocyclic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, including Hatch-Waxman, adhesives, rubber technologies, catalysis, surfactants, personal care, home care, medical devices, dental devices, and light mechanical devices.

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Rebecca J. Price has been a member of the firm in its Litigation and Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice Groups since she joined Norris McLaughlin in 2007.

As a litigator, Rebecca has experience in every facet and level of civil court proceedings. She has participated in numerous jury and bench trials in Pennsylvania’s state courts, as well as in the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern and Middle District Courts of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey.  Rebecca’s practice also includes appellate work in both the Superior and Commonwealth Courts of Pennsylvania.  She also serves as Solicitor of the Lehigh County Board of Tax Assessment Appeals.

Rebecca has represented a diverse and sophisticated set of clients in multiple jurisdictions, ranging from international corporations in complex commercial litigation to newlyweds in residential construction disputes, and myriad business and consumer clients in between. Her experience includes representing clients in complex business litigation, contract disputes, landlord/tenant matters, construction litigation, real estate, municipal and personal injury matters.

Due to the size and nature of the firm and its clientele, Rebecca’s experience is not limited to one side of a dispute. For instance, she has represented both plaintiffs and insurance companies in personal injury matters, and both consumers and contractors in consumer protection claims. She has represented both landlords and tenants, banks and borrowers, companies and individuals. The breadth of Rebecca’s experience enables her to examine issues free from a predisposed bias, allowing her to appreciate the issues presented from all perspectives.

In her bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice, Rebecca represents local and out-of-state banks in bankruptcy, complex foreclosures, receiverships, and asset recovery matters, including negotiating deed in lieu transfers and confession of judgment proceedings. She is trained to perform work for Fannie Mae. Rebecca has defended clients in actions to open or strike judgments entered by confession and has defended claims arising out of state and federal fair debt collection laws in both the state and federal courts.

Rebecca is proficient in handling multifaceted commercial collection matters on behalf of local and out-of-state businesses and is well versed in the duties arising under the federal and state Fair Debt Collection Practices Acts and consumer protections laws. Rebecca has given seminars to teach businesses the legal requisites, consumer rights, and best practices for collecting outstanding accounts receivable. She is experienced in litigating collection matters and executing upon judgments obtained on behalf of her clients.

Beyond her practice, Rebecca is devoted to issues affecting underprivileged youth in Lehigh County. She has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, advocating for children in foster care. Rebecca is Conflict Counsel for Lehigh County’s Juvenile Dependency Court, regularly representing the interests of underprivileged children. Rebecca ardently supports organizations devoted to assisting Lehigh County children.

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Nicholas A. Duston focuses on complex commercial litigation in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and New York, as well as arbitrations with the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and other arbitration organizations. His practice primarily involves disputes among business owners, their managers, and their employees. These can include shareholders, members, partners, officers, managers, employees, and other agents of corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and other types of business entities. Nick has extensive experience litigating fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty, and he regularly handles cases with related issues such as employee theft of trade secrets, diversion of corporate opportunities, or breaches of restrictive covenants or non-compete obligations. He is adept at untangling complex fact patterns such as those arising from complicated financial instruments, complex multi-entity business structures, or large amounts of electronically stored information (ESI).

Nick’s practice includes white-collar criminal matters, such as conducting internal investigations or defending companies and individuals during internal or government investigations into alleged securities fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes. He has handled many matters at the intersection of white-collar and civil litigation, successfully litigating Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act claims as both defense counsel and plaintiff’s counsel. He regularly handles issues relating to government seizure of property, particularly on behalf of secured lenders, including defense against civil and criminal asset forfeiture; as well as civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, when the government seizes property without due process or in violation of other constitutionally-protected rights. He skillfully preserves lienholders’ rights and secures possession of collateral in various civil contexts.

Nick recognizes above all that when a client seeks his help, it is because something has gone wrong, often in a complicated and completely unforeseen way. That client needs not only an experienced litigator who can “win,” but also an attorney who understands their goals and can provide expert guidance. Every dispute has a spectrum of solutions, from an efficient and pragmatic deal to an all-out, knock-down fight through trial and beyond, and everything in between. Some clients focus exclusively on monetary cost and gain; others seek to avoid repeat litigation, want to make an impact on the law, or have reputational or other broad, non-monetary agendas. Nick handles each dispute as the situation warrants while remaining laser-focused on his client’s goals (which are almost always more nuanced than “win” or “settle”) to help the client make informed decisions about each possible path to resolution.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Nick was a commercial litigation associate in the white-collar investigation and litigation practice group of Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP, in New York City. At Columbia University School of Law, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a member of the Columbia Journal of European Law, and in the Non-Profit Organizations/ Small Business Clinic.

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Nichole Cipriani devotes her practice to estate and tax planning and estate administration.

Nichole assists individuals and families with a broad range of estate and tax planning, including business succession planning, special needs and disability planning, and international estate planning. To that end, she is experienced in preparing wills, insurance trusts, revocable trusts, qualified domestic trusts, grantor-retained annuity trusts, charitable trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, special needs trusts, supplemental benefits trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advance directives for health care. Nichole’s practice also encompasses asset planning involving family limited partnerships and tax-exempt organizations, such as family foundations.

In addition, Nichole counsels executors and trustees in administering decedents’ estates and trusts. Her estate administration practice includes probate proceedings, preparing estate and inheritance tax returns, handling estate and inheritance tax audits, and preparing documents necessary to effect interim and final distributions from an estate or trust.

Nichole has extensive experience representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service, preparing filings for individuals and legal entities, including Forms 706, 709, 990, and 1041; drafting and filing Tax Court petitions and Private Letter Ruling requests; and negotiating Innocent Spouse relief.

From 2013 to 2018, Nichole was recognized as a Rising Star in New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine. She is a board member of the Gift of Adoption, Metro New York Chapter.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Nichole spent four years as a Tax, Trusts & Estates associate with a Morristown, New Jersey firm.  After law school, Nichole served as a law clerk to the Hon. Donald G. Collester Jr., Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.  While attending law school, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ International Tax Group and was a summer associate at a health law boutique firm.  She also interned at the Internal Revenue Service and the New York Stock Exchange.  Prior to law school, she was an assistant editor and writer for Parenting magazine in New York City.

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Danielle M. DeFilippis, Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Law Practice Group, focuses her practice on intellectual property matters and litigation. She appears on behalf of individual and corporate clients in all phases of litigation from commencement through trial.  Danielle regularly serves as lead counsel in cases before federal and state courts, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and alternative resolution forums.

Danielle has represented clients in various industries, most notably food and beverage, liquor, jewelry, cosmetics, sports, and entertainment, focusing on trademark prosecution and litigation. Her cases have involved trademark and copyright infringement, false advertising, commercial disparagement, business torts, deceptive trade practices, Lanham Act claims, state and federal unfair competition laws, and other business disputes.

Danielle is involved in organizations including the IP Section of the New York State Bar Association and the International Trademark Association (INTA), serving on the Trademark Office’s Practice Committee. She is a regular contributor to Norris McLaughlin’s trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law blog, More Than Your Mark®.

While in law school, Danielle was Editor and Director of Staffing & Symposia for the Legislative Journal. She also completed a judicial internship with the Hon. Ronald J. Hedges, District Court of New Jersey. After law school, Danielle served as a judicial clerk with the Hon. Stephen J. Bernstein, Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County.

Danielle was recognized by NJBIZ in its “2021 Law Power 50” and “2021 Leaders in Law” listings for her expertise and dedication to her occupation and community. She has also been recognized by NJBIZ in its “Manufacturing Power 50” list and named to New Jersey Law Journal’s 2019 list of “New Jersey Trailblazers” for her efforts in the food and beverage industry throughout New Jersey and for expanding those efforts on a global scale. Danielle was listed in the 2014 editions of New York Metro and New Jersey Rising Stars. No more than 2.5% of lawyers in each state are named to the Rising Stars list. A description of the selection methodology can be found at superlawyers.com. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

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Richard Brent Somach focuses his practice on real estate, commercial law, and creditors’ remedies, representing real estate development companies, shopping centers, and local banks.

In the banking area, Richard assists clients with their transactional, litigation, and operational needs, and handles collections, foreclosures, and complex commercial workouts.

Richard has represented real estate owners, developers, and investors in a broad range of real estate transactions, including zoning matters, subdivisions, and shopping center development.

A licensed title insurance agent, Richard is the founder of the title insurance and settlement company ABE Settlement Services, creatively serving client needs.  He is legal counsel to the Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®, a trade association that represents nearly 3,000 real estate professionals.

As a former Assistant Lehigh County Solicitor, Richard advised the Sheriff’s Office, the Tax Assessment Office, and the Tax Claim Bureau. He frequently writes and lectures on real estate matters, including sheriff’s sales, real estate tax sales, and lien priority issues, for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He has also presented numerous lectures at the annual Real Estate Institute program.

Active in many community organizations, Richard is a past president of the Salisbury Township School Board. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Monroe County Bar Association, and the Lehigh County Bar Association, serving the latter as President in 1992.

Richard collects antique automobiles and has represented several valuable collections, as well as many local automobile and motorcycle dealerships.

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Graham Simmons, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Co-Chair of the Business Law Practice Group, is a business and real estate lawyer.  In his practice, Graham has served both public and private sector clients on all types of M&A transactions, commercial and syndicated credit facilities, economic development projects, real estate transactions, leases, and land use and zoning matters.  Graham has represented clients across a diverse spectrum of industries and is deeply experienced in the banking and financial services, health care, construction and real estate development, economic development, and automobile dealership industries.  Graham’s passion is to partner with small entrepreneurs and the middle market, whether serving as their everyday outside general counsel or helping to chart a business exit strategy.  Graham has also been proud to represent the public and private sector in numerous economic development projects across the region and has particular expertise and experience in the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone and the Bethlehem City Revitalization & Improvement Zone. He also serves as Solicitor to the City of Easton Parking Authority.

Graham has been recognized in Philadelphia Magazine as a Rising Star, a distinction for lawyers ages 40 and under or who have been practicing for less than 10 years and reserved for no more than 2.5% of all attorneys in Pennsylvania. He has been honored by Lehigh Valley Business as one of their annual Forty Under 40, which recognizes young professionals who exhibit talent and promise and have a well-documented track record of achievements in business. Graham is an active member of College Hill Presbyterian Church and is currently the Board Chair for the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton. He is a past member of the Board of the Greater Valley YMCA and of the Greater Easton Development Partnership, where he served as Chairman.

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Peter Lehr focuses his practice on health care transactional and regulatory matters, real estate, and land use law, including zoning and subdivision applications and commercial lending.

Peter represents and counsels health care providers, including hospitals, long term care and nursing facilities, home health agencies, assisted living facilities, and more. He assists clients in numerous transactions and regulatory issues involving such mandates as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), the Stark law and accompanying Phase I-III regulations, the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and attendant safe harbors, and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Act of Labor Act (“EMTALA”). He is experienced in leading operational assessments of health care providers and drafting corporate compliance programs. He has counseled clients on fraud and abuse avoidance and represented them in third party payer reimbursement cases.

Peter has obtained favorable decisions for clients in numerous land use and zoning cases. He has served as counsel of record in municipal hearings, trial court cases, and appellate level proceedings. Peter has assisted municipal code enforcement officers in compliance proceedings and has drafted, interpreted, and implemented ordinances and resolutions, regulating matters from permit issuances to zoning classifications. As part of his practice, he also performs contract and real estate document reviews, including commercial leases.

Peter prepares and reviews loan documents for financial institutions in connection with various forms of commercial credit facilities. His experience includes negotiations with borrowers’ counsel over loan and reimbursement agreement provisions, as well as the terms and conditions contained in security, collateral pledge, and suretyship documents.

As an active member of the community, Peter serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including LifePath, Inc., the Weller Health Education Center, and the Forum for Ethics in the Workplace. He is a member of the Leonard Pool Society of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

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Theodore J. Zeller III has extensive experience in liquor law, regulatory licensing, commercial transactions, real estate transactions, and litigation.

Chair of the firm’s Liquor Law Practice Group, Ted was lead counsel in a beer rights case brought against the world’s largest brewers and is now General Counsel to D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc.

Ted’s lobbying efforts helped change various laws under the Pennsylvania Liquor Code. In 2010, Ted testified before the Senate Law and Justice Committee on behalf of Yuengling Brewery concerning House Bill 291, which addresses the distribution of brewed beverages in Pennsylvania.

In 2011, Ted authored portions of two different bills that were enacted into law.  The bills helped small brewers by allowing more efficient and cost effective brand registration, as well as altered the package laws for brewery licenses.  He also appeared before the House Liquor Committee with the Brewers of Pennsylvania in the Privatization Hearings. Most recently, his efforts helped change brewery regulations to allow for taprooms and he authored the Malt Beverage Tax Excise Credit legislation. Further, he has written extensively about Acts 39 and 166.

Ted counsels clients on the acquisition of liquor licenses and coordinates liquor license transactions with other practice areas, such as real estate, business law, financing, tax law, intellectual property, and litigation.  Known throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he also represents beer interests on a national level and advises breweries and wholesalers on state regulatory matters involving beer distribution and franchise laws. He regularly prepares distribution agreements for his clients and coordinates state and federal licensing for manufacturing and national distribution.

Ted has tried multiple cases in county and federal court, including jury trials, and hundreds of cases before arbitration panels, district justices, and administrative law judges. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Cider Guild and is General Counsel to the Brewers of Pennsylvania and represents alcohol interests in every category. Ted has helped numerous start-up breweries, wineries, distilleries, and retailers.

Ted was named a 2019 Pennsylvania Trailblazer by The Legal Intelligencer and made a cameo appearance in “Undercover Billionaire,” Episode 1 -2, as himself giving advice on how to build a brewery.

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Scott R. Lipson is Chair of Norris McLaughlin’s Real Estate, Municipal and Banking Practice Group. He focuses his practice on civil matters of all kinds, with an emphasis on real estate, municipal, business and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, collections and commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, zoning, health care, employment and personal injury.

Scott represents clients in the acquisition, sale and development of commercial, industrial and residential real estate.  He has handled thousands of real estate closings and refinancings from beginning to end. Those transactions include real estate sales from single family homes to multi-million dollar commercial properties.  He has handled numerous residential and commercial leases for both landlords and tenants, including leases for office, retail and manufacturing space, ground leases, and sub-leases. He has also handled construction related matters.

In addition, Scott represents buyers and sellers of business assets and regularly advises clients on business formation and succession planning, entity selection, and shareholder and operating agreements.

Scott’s litigation experience includes the representation of banks, financial institutions, and developers in all aspects of collection matters including enforcement of default scenarios and litigation relating thereto.

Scott served as Judicial Clerk to the Hon. Donald E. Wieand of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania before beginning the private practice of law. He has spoken to a number of local educational and professional organizations on a wide variety of legal topics and is a former Chairman of the Upper Macungie Zoning Hearing Board.  Scott currently teaches Real Estate Law at Lehigh University as an Adjunct Professor and has served as local editor of the Pennsylvania District & County Reporter for over two decades. He is past editor for the Lehigh Law Journal, has served on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes, and led the Explorers’ Post through the Lehigh County Bar Association.

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Judith A. Harris, Co-Chair of the Estate, Trust, and Tax Law Practice Group, has over 30 years of experience in the areas of taxation, wills and trusts, estate administration, business matters, and tax-exempt entities.

In addition to creating estate plans for clients from the most sophisticated to the most basic of wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills, Judith’s specialties include business matters involving corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. Her practice also includes the creation and representation of charitable trusts and foundations, as well as representation of estates, trusts, and beneficiaries in disputes before the Orphans’ Court. She handles the resolution of tax controversies for business and individual taxpayers before all divisions of the Internal Revenue Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. These cases often involve estate, business, and individual audits, or the resolution of collection efforts such as liens, levies, and garnishments by the IRS and state taxing authorities.

As an estate planning and tax attorney, Judith works with clients to structure the optimal transfer of a client’s wealth and business interests to younger generations with minimal tax consequences.

Judith is President of the Board of Trustees for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, a board member since 1993 and former officer of the Allentown Symphony Association, and a board member of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society. She is a board member and past President of the Fund to Benefit Children & Youth, Inc., and a former board member and Executive Committee member of the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Judith is past President of the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley and served for 10 years on the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Board of Governors. From 1993 to 2000, she was an adjunct instructor of “Wills, Trusts, and Estates” at Penn State University’s Lehigh Valley Campus. Judith was included in the Lehigh Valley Business 2021 “Power 30 in Law” listing.

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Sandra Jarva Weiss, Chair of the Norris McLaughlin Health Care & Life Sciences Law Practice Group, has been practicing health care law for over 30 years and has extensive experience in all areas of health care regulation. She has designed numerous compliance programs, and counsels clients on compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute. Sandra has counseled clients on federal and state patient privacy laws, as well as Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement requirements. She has extensive practical experience, having served as in-house counsel for a large teaching hospital system.

Sandra’s experience includes regulatory compliance, mergers, acquisitions, strategic affiliations of health and health-related businesses, and developing corporate compliance plans for health care entities. She is experienced in structuring the development of entities, such as imaging centers and ambulatory surgical centers. Sandra has handled physician contracts, employment agreements, medical staff grievance proceedings, disciplinary proceedings, and termination proceedings. She is well-versed in HIPAA privacy compliance, compliance with Joint Commission standards, managed care contracting for hospitals and medical providers, physician-hospital organization contracts, clinical trial agreements, and corporate work for health care institutions, such as lease and supply agreements.

Sandra’s clients include hospitals, physician groups, health care providers, medical device and equipment companies, PHOs, management service organizations, foundations, rehabilitation centers, and pharmaceutical companies. She also assists clients in the ongoing education and training of their employees in compliance with applicable health care regulations.

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John F. Lushis Jr., a Member of the firm and Co-Chair of the Economic Development Law Practice, focuses his practice on real estate, commercial transaction law, and environmental law.

John provides counsel on many types of transactions, including leases, acquisitions and divestitures, tax-exempt and conventional financings, brownfields redevelopment, and an array of commercial agreements. He has worked on multi-million-dollar loans and major tax-exempt financings for businesses and non-profits, including Cetronia Ambulance Corps, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, and St. Luke’s Hospital. John has also been involved in tax increment financing projects, including Hamilton Crossings Retail Complex and West Hills Business Center. He serves as solicitor for Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority, and previously was solicitor to Northampton County New Jobs Corp, Northampton County General Purpose Authority, and Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corp.

With the growth of green energy projects in the United States, John has become involved in solar leases. One aspect of this involvement is his representation of property owners interested in leasing their property to entities that desire to construct solar panel facilities or “solar panel farms” on the property.

In late 2015, John became involved in “P3” projects (public-private partnerships), and is a lead architect of a first-of-its-kind P3 project in Pennsylvania. This project, which includes a novel financing structure, will allow Northampton County to replace or rehabilitate numerous bridges at substantial savings of cost and time compared to traditional methods. The project has become a model for other P3 projects and has received statewide and national attention. As an outgrowth of the project, John assisted in drafting legislation signed by Gov. Wolf in October 2017 to allow counties having a certain population, such as Northampton County, to construct a new jail using a P3 transaction structure.

As one of the firm’s corporate environmental counsel, John focuses on soil and groundwater issues and other environmental issues for various businesses.

John is registered to practice in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and his knowledge of intellectual property is a valuable resource for clients who have projects and transactions in this area.

John has represented prominent entities including Always Bagels, BB&T, Health Network Labs, Lehigh University, LifePath, Melting Pot Restaurants, and Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

For over 22 years, John was in-house counsel for Bethlehem Steel, where he was co-lead counsel on the sale of assets to the International Steel Group for $1.5 billion to companies owned by Wilbur Ross, the United States Secretary of Commerce. While at Bethlehem Steel, John was heavily involved with brownfield redevelopment of the corporation’s Bethlehem property, and directed the development and implementation of strategies to manage substantial assets and liabilities associated with more than 75 of Bethlehem Steel’s facilities and properties in Pennsylvania, across the U.S., and internationally. During his career, he has been involved in transactions and financings totaling billions of dollars.

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Dolores A. Laputka focuses her practice primarily on tax-related matters, whether connected to a family’s closely-held business or to estate planning for one of the principals. In a former life, Dolores was a Certified Public Accountant, which enables her to handle complex business and tax-related matters for corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships, as well as succession planning and financial and estate planning for families and executives at all levels. She also devotes a significant portion of her practice to tax issues for not-for-profit organizations, including charitable giving techniques maximizing the income tax and death tax benefits.

She has handled multi-dimensional transactions, applying tax-efficient methodology to the buying and selling of family businesses, inter-relation of succession planning, and estate planning for closely-held businesses, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, management of privacy issues surrounding significant lottery winnings, and more.

Dolores especially enjoys management and consulting with the nonpublic business owner in all aspects of the legal and business environment “from cradle to grave.”

Since moving to the Lehigh Valley in 1990, Dolores has been involved in many community organizations in positions such as general counsel and past chair of the Board of Directors of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley; member of the Board of Directors, secretary, and chairman of the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley; past president of the Allentown Rotary Club; and past board member of the Lehigh County Community College Foundation. In 2019, she was recognized as a Greater Lehigh Valley business leader, receiving Lehigh Valley Business Icon Honors. When not working, she enjoys sailing on the Chesapeake or “playing at” golf.

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Barbara L. Hollenbach focuses her practice on workers’ compensation, professional liability, products liability, and general litigation.

Her civil litigation experience includes representing manufacturers of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and other products.  She also represents a variety of professionals, including psychiatrists and veterinarians; as well as clients in will contest actions, including allegations of undue influence and lack of mental capacity.

Barbara was the first woman elected president of the Northampton County Bar Association. A past chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Law Section, she is certified as a specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In 2013, Barbara was inducted as a Fellow of The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. She has been named one of Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers for several years, most recently in 2022. Barbara has co-authored and co-presented the Pennsylvania Bar Institute Workers’ Compensation Practice & Procedures manual and course since 2000.

Barbara is an active community volunteer. She is Chair of the Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Board of Trustees.  She has also served on the boards and has been president of numerous charitable organizations, including Quota International of Bethlehem and the YWCA of Bethlehem.

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Oldrich Foucek III, “Ollie” (pronounced O-Lee) is a founding partner of the firm’s Pennsylvania office. Throughout his distinguished career, he has litigated and favorably resolved disputes in matters involving a wide range of substantive issues. Along the way, Ollie has earned the confidence of his loyal clients, becoming both a trusted advisor and friend to many. Among the types of cases he has litigated are:

• Construction disputes
• Shareholders’ disputes
• Employee restrictive covenants
• Corporate governance
• Real estate tax exemptions
• Healthcare reimbursement
• Title VII/ADEA
• Class Actions
• ERISA
• Securities fraud

In addition, Ollie has successfully argued appeals before the Pennsylvania Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth Courts, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Ollie is also well-known as an active community volunteer and leader. For almost 30 years, he chaired the Allentown City Planning Commission.  He has also served on the boards of The Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority, The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Touchstone Theatre and Pennsylvania Stage Company. He was also a long-term board member and secretary of Saucon Valley Country Club. However, perhaps Ollie’s greatest passion for service has been demonstrated by his involvement at his alma mater, Lehigh University, where he has served as a trustee, president of the Alumni Association and on the advisory boards of the College of Arts and Sciences, Zoellner Arts Center and Lehigh’s art galleries.

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Bruce J. Wisotsky has represented debtors, creditors’ committees, equity committees, trustees, landlords, and other individual creditors in Chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcy proceedings in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Florida, and other jurisdictions. He has also represented assignees for the benefit of creditors in state court insolvency proceedings. A significant portion of Bruce’s practice has involved out-of-court restructurings, either as counsel to companies and individuals experiencing financial difficulties or their creditors.

Bruce lectures on bankruptcy issues before the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Turnaround Management Association, and the Essex County Bar Association. He has addressed topics including prosecution and defense of preference actions, treatment of tax claims in bankruptcy proceedings, executory contract issues, and retention bonus issues. Bruce is a member of the New Jersey Regional Advisory Board of the Anti-Defamation League.  He also served as an officer and counsel to Help Darfur Now, a non-profit corporation that raises funds to purchase food and medicine for refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Bruce is included in The Best Lawyers in America in the Bankruptcy Litigation and Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law sections and New Jersey Super Lawyers in the Bankruptcy & Creditor/ Debtor Rights section. He was named the Best Lawyers Bankruptcy Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in the Woodbridge, New Jersey, Metro Area in 2020, 2018, and 2016.

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John N. Vanarthos, a Member of the firm and former Chair, concentrates his practice on business law, mergers & acquisitions, and international law. Since 1987, John has devoted his practice to helping companies, both large and small, with their business legal needs.

As a business lawyer, John represents and counsels the firm’s business clients in a wide range of commercial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, corporate partnerships, and other strategic alliances.

John’s mergers and acquisitions experience includes a significant number of transactions representing both buyers and sellers of flavor and fragrance companies. He also has substantial experience handling deals in the pharmaceutical, medical device manufacturing, chemical, and health care industries, among others.

He advises high-tech companies in the areas of technology licensing, information management, and product development.

John serves as counsel for the United States operations of foreign-based corporations, with responsibility for all legal issues in the U.S., including general business operations, contract and tax matters, litigation management, and employee relations.

Over the years, John has represented numerous individual entrepreneurs and startup companies. He has strategically guided them from idea conception to exit strategy, solving their legal problems along the way.

John is a frequent speaker and author on a wide range of business law topics, which are relevant to the firm’s clients.

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Melissa A. Peña, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Chair of the Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, concentrates her practice on commercial litigation and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Her clients include financial institutions, private lenders, creditors, and accounting firms. Melissa has successfully represented secured creditors and unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and state court insolvency proceedings. She frequently handles commercial foreclosure actions, actions to enforce promissory notes and guarantees, lien priority disputes, fraudulent conveyance actions, and creditor enforcement matters.

Melissa also defends accounting firms in disputes regarding alleged failure to detect criminal and fraudulent activity in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and New York.

Outside the courtroom, Melissa handles commercial workouts, negotiating forbearance agreements on behalf of lenders and troubled cross-border transactions. She represents investors seeking to acquire defaulted loans from the due diligence stage to closing on the sale. Melissa also helps lenders to liquidate their collateral through UCC sales, including sales of co-ops.

Whether she is inside or outside the courtroom, Melissa’s goal is to find a practical business solution for her clients. She utilizes litigation as a tool to further her client’s business objectives in a cost-effective manner.

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Nicholas F. Pellitta, a member of the firm, has substantial experience in a variety of legal areas in both federal and state courts. It is his goal to maximize efficiency for his clients by promptly analyzing their objectives, identifying necessary strategies, and implementing an appropriate course of action.

Nick provides various litigation strategies and assistance for business clients in commercial matters, including contract review, insurance-related issues, and real property tax appeals.

In the area of higher education, Nick has represented colleges and universities for more than 25 years in areas including tort claim defense, campus security, alcohol policies, police litigation, civil rights, and student discipline. Representative clients are Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Seton Hall University. Nick has represented the Rutgers Police Department and provided in-house training and advice on police-related matters.

On the individual level, Nick assists clients in matters involving personal injury, criminal charges, juvenile delinquency, and similar offenses, both in municipal and superior courts.

Nick served as Second Vice President in the C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court; an organization designed for the continuing education of newly admitted attorneys. He has also lectured at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and on behalf of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in the area of trial practice.

Nick has served as Chairman of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce and is currently Legal Counsel to the Chamber, aiding in contract review, lease and vendor agreements, and general legal advice. He also was a member of the Board of Trustees and a Past President for Prevention Resources, an organization dedicated to promoting health and wellness and preventing substance abuse and violence in the community, and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation.

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Andrew N. Parfomak focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, including planning, procuring, and protecting strategic intellectual property assets –- patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets — for both domestic and international clients.

Andrew’s prosecution experience includes managing all aspects of patent procurement for clients, from inventor interviewing, patent drafting, and prosecution to product clearances and patentability opinions, as well as providing “turnkey” services for clients and protection of designs. His trademark experience includes trademark applications and prosecution, and his litigation experience includes representation of patentees in infringement actions in the specialty chemicals area. Due to both in-house and private practice, he has extensive experience in counseling and providing global strategic intellectual property planning and protection for a range of clients.

Andrew has technical expertise in the chemical arts, as well as in mechanical and computer-controlled processes such as business method patents. His chemical experience is in specialty chemicals, including dyestuffs, fire retardants, polymer additive compositions, as well as engineered materials, including polymers, polymer films, metallurgical compositions and methods for production, and articles produced therefrom, particularly amorphous metal alloys. He is also experienced in compositions and formulations of consumer products, especially cleaning, disinfectant, and pharmaceutical compositions, their manufacture, and administration. His experience in mechanical arts includes manufacturing methods for a wide range of articles. His knowledge of computer-controlled processes includes advanced adaptive survey techniques and systems for data collection and administration, methods for improved data input and output in data storage networks, improved anti-pilferage security systems, and processes for improved resource sharing and handling.

Andrew works out of the firm’s New York City office.

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Stephen M. Offen, a member of the firm and Co-Chair of the Real Estate and Land Use Practice Group, concentrates his practice on business law, real estate, and commercial litigation.

In the area of business law, Steve offers day-to-day counseling on legal issues, including employment matters, corporate governance, contractual obligations and negotiations, and general business advice. He has represented both buyers and sellers in large, complex corporate transactions.

Steve has particular expertise in real estate issues relating to the telecommunications industry, as well as a general real estate practice that includes the buying and selling of commercial real estate, leasing matters, land development, and zoning approvals.

Steve also has a diverse litigation practice, including cases involving employment, insurance coverage, environmental, products liability, and commercial disputes. Since 1976, he has been a Borough attorney for the Borough of Millstone in Somerset County.

An active member of the community, Steve is a member of the Board of Trustees and past President of the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, the Jewish Family Service and Family Counseling Service of Somerset County, counsel to the Wellness Community of Central New Jersey, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center in Bridgewater, and a member of the ACLU Free Legal Clinic.

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Edward G. Sponzilli, a Member of the firm, is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney with 46 years experience in complex corporate and commercial litigation, employment and education matters.

He has litigated cases in many different jurisdictions, including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, in addition to the states where he is admitted. He primarily handles complex corporate and commercial matters, as well as employment litigation relating to restrictive covenant, wrongful termination, CEPA, employment discrimination, and sexual harassment. He has defended public entities, primarily educational institutions, and has represented parties in products liability, toxic tort, and professional malpractice claims. Additionally, Ed has handled matters involving franchise practices, intellectual property, health care, estate, real estate, construction, antitrust, commodities, civil RICO, defamation, Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer fraud, shareholder disputes, civil rights, constitutional law, sports law, personal injury, insurance and reinsurance coverage matters, dram shop, alcohol, defamation, business tort, criminal, and education law matters.

In higher education, Ed has not only litigated matters for colleges and universities but has been consulted for advice on numerous issues, and he has authored opinion letters on a variety of topics. He was part of the legal team which handled the largest merger of higher educational institutions in U.S. history. He has been a member of and lecturer for the National Association of College and University Attorneys for over 35 years.

Ed is a 2008 recipient of the Professionalism Award. In 1999 he was awarded the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Fund for Client Protection’s “Client Protection” Award for his outstanding service on behalf of the public and the Bar of New Jersey in his role as Chancery Court-appointed Receiver in the case of Montano v. Cohen & Cohen.

Ed is a past president of the C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court and the Rutgers—Newark Law School Alumni Association. He has been a Trustee of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey for over 30 years. He has been on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy for over 25 years and, for the past twenty years, has been one of only two non-government faculty members in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Trial Advocacy Institute. Ed is currently a master of the New York City American Inn of Court and the Lifland (federal practice) American Inn of Court. He has served as a federal arbitrator, and state court certified mediator. He has also been an adjunct professor at Rutgers College.

Ed was a Judicial Law Clerk for The Honorable James A. Coolahan, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (D.N.J.) from 1975-77. During the two-year clerkship, Judge Coolahan held a temporary assignment to the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Ed has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America and New Jersey Super Lawyers, as well as Marquis’ Who’s Who In American Law and Who’s Who in America. He was a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee, Bench, Bar, and Media. He served five years as Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Higher Education Committee.

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Kenneth D. Meskin has more than 40 years of experience in sophisticated trust and estate planning, the administration of trusts and estates, probate litigation, and closely-held business planning.

Ken is adept at using sophisticated and creative tax and estate planning techniques to ensure that assets pass to the intended beneficiaries at as little cost as possible to the client. To minimize state and federal tax burdens and transfer wealth, Ken has structured gift-giving programs, insurance planning, established charitable trusts and foundations, devised installment sale transactions, grantor trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, zeroed-out GRATs, and private annuity transactions, planned for the succession of family businesses to younger generations, and has drafted wills, revocable and irrevocable trust agreements, powers of attorney, and living wills.

In the area of estate and trust administration, Ken works on matters including estate and trust litigation; post-mortem tax planning; preparation of estate, gift, generation skipping, income and inheritance tax returns; federal estate tax audits; state inheritance proceedings; representation of clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Tax Court; and guardianship issues and proceedings.

Ken regularly counsels closely held corporations and other companies on issues including tax strategies, tax disputes, mergers and acquisitions, structuring of joint ventures, partnerships and limited liability companies, and succession planning.

He frequently presents lectures on tax and estate planning topics to accountants, financial planners, insurance professionals, and other attorneys, and has authored numerous articles on related topics.

Ken is listed in the current issue of The Best Lawyers in America in the Trusts and Estates Law section, and was named the Best Lawyers Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” in the Woodbridge, New Jersey, Metro Area for 2019.  He has also been selected for inclusion for New Jersey Super Lawyers in the Estate Planning & Probate section.

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Timothy P. McKeown concentrates his practice on a variety of civil and commercial litigation with an emphasis on commercial real estate related matters, centered on real estate contract disputes, contractor disputes, construction lien and title issues, partition actions, and access issues under New Jersey environmental statutes. Tim has extensive experience handling commercial lease negotiations and related disputes and has tried scores of bench trials, as well as jury trials, throughout his career on behalf of commercial landlords, tenants, and others.

In addition to his litigation practice, Tim has extensive experience representing sellers and purchasers in commercial real estate transactions.

Tim maintains New Jersey Commercial Real Estate Disputes, a blog on the firm’s website that provides businesses and individuals with timely information about the law as it pertains to the commercial real estate industry.

One of Tim’s favorite quotes is: “Service to others is the rent we pay for our time here on earth.” To that end, Tim has served on the Board of ARC of Somerset County, including two terms as President of the organization. The ARC serves individuals with developmental disabilities and their families from birth through the senior years of life through its many programs and services in Somerset County. Tim has also served on the Board of Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity.

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Bob Mahoney is a member of the firm’s management committee, Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, and General Counsel to the firm.

Bob is a trial attorney who has tried many cases in state and federal courts.  He has been lead counsel in numerous matters in the federal and state courts of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Michigan, and Ohio. He has also arbitrated many significant matters in several forums when the parties have elected to pursue arbitration rather than trial.  In addition to his trial experience, Bob has argued cases before the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court, the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits.

Over his 35-year career, Bob has represented clients in a wide variety of commercial cases, including intellectual property licenses, patents, trademarks, franchises and distributorships, professional negligence, asset and stock purchase agreements, environmental cost recovery and insurance coverage, e-commerce and information technology, trusts and estates, dissolutions of closely held businesses, real estate, and condemnation, and a whole range of other typical business disputes.

Bob takes a practical approach to each matter, understanding his client’s goals and objectives.  He provides the client with both a legal and economic perspective in the context of any litigation.  He looks for imaginative ways to resolve each dispute but, when necessary, is prepared to use his trial experience to achieve the client’s desired approach.

Utilizing his litigation experience, Bob is often called upon to counsel the firm’s clients in various business transactions in order to eliminate or reduce the risk of litigation.

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Bruce S. Londa, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Law Practice Group, devotes his practice to intellectual property law matters. He concentrates on both domestic and foreign patent and trademark prosecution, as well as technology licensing and transfer, and counseling and opinion work.

On the patent side, Bruce helps domestic clients to clear and protect their inventions, and clients abroad to perfect their patents in the United States. His areas of technical expertise include the chemical, metallurgical, mechanical, computer software, medical, and biological arts.

For trademarks, Bruce represents a wide variety of domestic and foreign clients, often acting as outside trademark counsel for well-known global brands. In addition to clearing and registering trademarks around the world, he enjoys counseling clients on ways to maximize their brand protection, using multiple protection strategies and cost-effective filing programs. While Bruce works to enforce valuable trademark rights, he gains the most satisfaction from seeking and negotiating the amicable resolution of disputes.

Bruce serves clients in a variety of manufacturing, marketing, and service industries, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electronics, telecommunications, consumer foods, computer hardware and software, internet, medical devices, health care, and banking.

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David T. Harmon, Co-Chair of the firm’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, focuses his practice on executive compensation, employment, and business law.

David represents senior-level employees of public and private companies in negotiating their employment packages and all associated agreements, both during the commencement of the employment relationship through offer letters and employment agreements, or at termination through severance agreements.  His practice includes employment and post-employment compensation, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation, non-poach, and garden leave covenants, the Protocol for Broker Recruiting, change of control provisions, equity plans, and benefits and protections within the structures and strategies for those packages.

In addition to representing individuals, David regularly counsels employers in the preparation and negotiation of employment and severance packages with their employees, the design of Human Resources compliance programs,  employee policy manuals, and training in the implementation of those policies. David also provides neutral investigative services, comprehensive employment evaluations, strategic solutions, and coaching in employment matters.

His practice spans a wide range of industries, including financial services, marketing, advertising, recruiting, health care, design, branding, publishing, fashion, engineering, real estate, technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology among others. He is also a member of the Media Law Group, which has been ranked the highest level of recognition, Tier 1, by Media Law International.

David also serves as outside general counsel and strategist for companies in their general business, employment, litigation and transactional matters.

David’s practice includes representation in FINRA, AAA, and JAMS arbitrations and mediations involving employment and customer disputes, FINRA and other regulatory investigations, disciplinary matters, and Forms U4 and U5 expungement and related employment matters.

A former member of the Board of Directors of the Wall Street Technology Association, David is a member of the Business Law and Labor & Employment Sections of the New York State and American Bar Associations.

Recognized as a national authority on employment matters, David has been quoted in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Advisor Hub, Ladders, FundFire, Broker’s World, Registered Rep, and the Hedge Fund Law Report. He co-authored a chapter titled “Perspectives for Management and Executives on Structuring and Negotiating the Package: It’s not Just About the Dollars” for a book titled, Inside the Minds: Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Plans for Aspatore Books, a Thomson Business Publisher. David joined Blabbit Live for the episode “Money on the Table” to discuss employment and business strategies used in connection with transitions in employment.

David’s blog, Transitions in Employment,  focuses on employment agreements, offer letters, severance packages, garden leaves, non-compete and non-solicitation restrictions, confidentiality agreements, changes in control, deferred compensation, stock options, bonuses, commissions, equity, benefits, and related employment and business developments.

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Dean M. Roberts, Chair of the firm’s New York Real Estate & Finance Law Practice Group, oversees and coordinates a diverse group of real estate attorneys and support professionals who handle all matters relating to real estate in the state of New York. Prior to joining the firm by way of a merger in 2006, he was the managing partner of Szold & Brandwen, a law firm founded in 1924, which had been involved in the development of cooperatives (co-ops) for over 80 years.

Dean has represented real estate entities for more than 30 years in all facets of legal issues affecting individuals and legal entities that own, develop, or manage real estate assets. His practice is a hybrid of corporate, litigation, and transactional services on behalf of his clients. Dean is well established as one of the elite condominium and co-op attorneys in New York, including being one of the foremost Mitchell Lama and regulated co-op attorneys in the city.

Outside of the firm, Dean supports diverse and moderate-income housing developments as the pro bono general counsel to the Coordinating Council of Cooperatives, President of the United Housing Foundation and as a director of the Cooperative Development Fund Board of Advisors as well as other housing programs.

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David C. Roberts, Chair of the firm, devotes his practice to handling complex commercial litigation matters such as fraud, fraudulent transfers, trade secrets, and restrictive covenant litigation, with particular emphasis on business partnership and shareholder disputes in New Jersey.

Often called business divorce litigation, the business owner disputes Dave routinely handles include shareholder and LLC member oppression, business fraud, embezzlement, owner freeze-outs, dissenter’s rights cases, and suits seeking to dissociate or expel an owner from a company. He focuses on resolving matters through mediation, if that approach fits the client’s goals and objectives, but is an experienced trial attorney who can effectively try any case that can’t otherwise be resolved. In 2007, Dave launched the firm’s Shareholder Disputes in New Jersey Law Blog “Business Divorce in NJ,” which addresses minority shareholder disputes in New Jersey. He also writes and lectures extensively on this topic.

Dave often represents a minority shareholder seeking to assert his or her rights to relief, usually seeking a forced buy-out. And just as often, he represents majority owners of businesses defending against such claims. This experience gives him insight into how his adversary in a case may be thinking and strategizing. Dave has handled business divorce litigation involving companies in almost every industry, especially family-owned businesses. As a result, he understands the unique challenges involved in suing, or being sued by, a relative.

Due to his unique ability to help companies navigate complexity and avoid litigation, Dave has served as outside general counsel to several small-to-midsized companies. He has served in this capacity for almost two decades for Old Bridge Chemicals and Madison Industries, two leading companies in the animal feed additive industry. Dave also has handled complex litigation matters for the Diocese of Metuchen.

Additionally, Dave is a founder and former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Monmouth Beach Education Foundation and has served on the Monmouth Beach Board of Education for 12 years.

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James H. Laskey is chair of the firm’s cross-disciplinary Solar Energy Industry Group. He has gained extensive experience negotiating agreements for solar energy installations, purchase power agreements, and agreements for the creation and sale of the various renewable energy certificates and other incentives that have been made available for solar projects in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, including SRECs, TRECs, and other RECs. Jim was ranked in New Jersey’s inaugural “Energy & Natural Resources” section of the Chambers USA 2021 Guide, one of the oldest and most prestigious legal listings in the world.

Additionally, Jim maintains a practice in other areas of administrative and government regulatory law, including public utility, telecommunications, energy, and antitrust issues. For over ten years, he served as counsel to the Independent Energy Producers of New Jersey, a trade association for the power generation industry in New Jersey.

Jim was Chair of the Public Utility Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association in 1997 and 1998 and served as Chairman of the Board for the Somerset County Business Partnership. He has been selected for inclusion on the list of The Best Lawyers in America© for more than 20 years and was selected as the Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” for the Newark, New Jersey, region in 2013. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

In addition to regulated industries, Jim is a past Chairman of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group. His business practice is primarily transactional in nature, including mergers, acquisitions, licensing agreements for life science and technology companies, and product supply and distribution arrangements, especially for consumer products and manufacturing companies.

Prior to joining the firm, Jim spent three years working for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Before that, he clerked for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Sidney M. Schreiber.

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Michael T. Reilly devotes his practice to real estate, construction, finance, landlord tenant litigation, and probate matters.

Michael advises cooperative and condominium boards and homeowner associations on corporate governance, financing, construction contracts, commercial leases, regulatory compliance, utility procurement, and insurance recovery matters. He also provides general counsel advice to not-for-profit corporations that provide supportive housing and social services to elderly, economically disadvantaged, and developmentally disabled residents.

Michael represents corporate entities, individuals, and trusts in the purchase, sale, and lease of commercial properties, condominium units, cooperative apartments, loft spaces, time-share properties, single and multi-family homes, and undeveloped land. He helps owners obtain acquisition financing and negotiate the refinancing and restructuring of underlying mortgages and lines of credit. He advises real estate investors in Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 like-kind exchanges.

Michael represents “Mitchell-Lama” cooperative corporations regulated by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. He negotiates regulatory agreements extending affordability requirements and tax benefits in exchange for subsidized financing and grant funding. He counsels Mitchell-Lama cooperative corporations on conversions under Article XI of the New York Private Finance Housing Law and the New York Business Corporation Law. Additionally, He counsels Housing Development Fund Companies and entities supervised by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. He secures grant funding for affordable housing clients through the New York City Council Discretionary Funding Program and the New York State Dormitory Authority.

Michael drafts construction contracts for projects involving façades, balconies, roof replacements, mechanical system upgrades, cogeneration, boiler replacements, gas conversions, solar panel installations, window replacements, lobby and hallway upgrades, hazardous material abatement and removal. He negotiates professional services contracts for architects, engineers, owner’s representatives, construction managers, site safety managers, and environmental consultants; represents buildings during the transition of managing agents, security guard companies, laundry providers and building maintenance providers; and advises owners in the installation and upgrade of building technology systems.

In addition, Michael litigates commercial and residential landlord tenant cases in New York Civil and Supreme Courts. He has represented condominium boards in common charge collection and unit owner default cases, and successfully negotiated with commercial developers and neighboring buildings to secure license, access, and indemnity agreements on behalf of landlords during construction. Michael appears before New York City and State regulatory agencies, including the New York City Environmental Control Board, the New York City Department of Buildings and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, defending landlords and tenants in municipal, construction, environmental, criminal, fire, and building code violations. He has successfully prosecuted non-primary residence proceedings on behalf of regulated housing landlords.

Michael probates wills, administers estates, and represents fiduciaries in litigation before the New York State Surrogate’s Courts. He has represented fiduciaries in audits before the New York State Department of Finance and Internal Revenue Service, and is involved in accounting and guardianship proceedings. He also prepares federal and New York State estate and income tax returns.

At Tulane University School of Law, Michael was a Notes and Comments Editor for the Tulane Maritime Law Journal.

A resident of Manhattan, he is an avid triathlete and outdoorsman.

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Margaret Raymond-Flood is Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group. She devotes her practice to general litigation with an emphasis on complex commercial matters.  She has appeared in the federal and state courts of New Jersey, as well as the federal courts of numerous other jurisdictions. She is particularly experienced in the defense of environmental litigation. Margaret also serves as panel counsel in a variety of professional liability claims, including legal, medical, and environmental matters.

Margaret’s extensive litigation experience includes pretrial procedure, motion practice, and taking and defending depositions of corporate representatives, employees, and expert witnesses throughout the country. She has tried complex matters on both the state and federal levels and used state-of-the-art technology as part of her trial preparation and presentation.  In addition, she has been a speaker in seminars dealing with a variety of insurance-related topics and trial presentations.

Margaret is Chair of the firm’s Response to Electronic Discovery and Information (“REDI”) Group, an interdisciplinary team that helps clients with the identification, preservation, collection, review, and production of the massive amounts of electronically stored information required by federal and state court rules. Margaret authors and presents extensively on this topic as well.

Margaret also has unique experience in defending constitutional claims, particularly defending deliberate indifference claims of medical staff in the state prison system.

Margaret serves on the firm’s Professional Liability Committee and as the Attorney Liaison to the firm’s Practice Support Services Department. She also serves as the Risk Manager for the firm and handles all the placement and renewals of the firm’s insurance.

After graduating from law school, Margaret served as Law Clerk to the Hon. Neil H. Shuster, Presiding Judge of the Mercer County Civil Division in the Superior Court of New Jersey. She also coached the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Mock Trial Team for five years.

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Steven A. Karg concentrates his practice on commercial litigation with an emphasis on products, consumer, and class action liability defense. Steve leads the firm’s Products and Consumer Liability Defense group. He has substantial experience defending manufacturers and/or distributors of a wide variety of products, such as pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, heavy industrial equipment, marine engines, chemicals and chemical processing systems, automobile lifts, pumps, tow tractors and trucks, buses, automotive accessories, trailers, forklifts, fasteners, soil remediation, and food preparation equipment. Steve has represented clients at both the trial and appellate level, including in New Jersey’s Multi-County Litigation (MCL) system. In addition to direct representation of clients, Steve has been asked on many occasions to be New Jersey counsel for virtual law firms comprised of counsel around the country defending companies in nationwide products, consumer, and class litigations. He also counsels clients on topics such as liability prevention and product recalls.

Steve has co-authored the annual Gann Law Books publication, New Jersey Products Liability & Toxic Tort Law since 2016. He has presented about products liability and consumer fraud topics to various organizations, such as the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association, New Jersey Defense Association, New Jersey Chapter of Risk and Insurance Management Society, New Jersey Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society, Northeast Pharmaceutical Attorneys, the ACC Small Law Practice Group, the American Law Institute – American Bar Association (joint meeting), and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He was the defense-side co-moderator or speaker for NJICLE’s annual Multi-County Litigation (formerly Mass Tort) seminar for many years and has presented on topics involving class actions and mass torts. He has authored many articles on a number of products liability and consumer fraud topics.

Steve has been selected for inclusion in the Class Action/Mass Tort section of New Jersey Super Lawyers®. Only five percent of New Jersey attorneys are given this honor. Steve was also listed in the Product Liability Litigation – Defendants section of Best Lawyers. Steve received Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent (Judicial Edition) rating, which is the highest lawyer rating that serves as an objective indicator of the lawyer’s high ethical standards, legal knowledge, and analytical capabilities.

Prior to law school and joining Norris McLaughlin, P.A., Steve had an engineering career and worked for Colgate-Palmolive Company and then Purolator Courier Corporation.

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John A. Jakub concentrates his practice on environmental compliance, regulation, and litigation.

John represents and counsels a variety of clients, including commercial and residential developers, chemical manufacturers, industrial companies, and commercial business owners, on myriad environmental and regulatory issues.  He has represented and continues to assist clients in matters involving ISRA compliance, site remediation, environmental audits, due diligence, Brownfields redevelopment, permitting, solid and hazardous waste regulation, solid waste utility compliance, air and water pollution control, and cleanup cost recovery.  John is experienced in representing clients in administrative proceedings and working with local, state, and federal agencies to resolve non-litigated compliance matters.  He develops integrated strategies for responding to governmental mandates, pursuing cost recovery actions, and facilitating purchase, sale, and redevelopment of contaminated properties. In addition to representing private, commercial, and nonprofit clients, John has also served as a municipal prosecutor for Rutgers University.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, P.A., John was a law clerk for the Hon. Sybil R. Moses, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County.  Upon graduating from the United States Military Academy West Point, John was commissioned in the Field Artillery in the United States Army.  He commanded a Field Artillery Battery during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

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Joel has been a partner with the firm for more than 45 years. He served on the firm’s management and compensation committees from 1986 through 2017 and chaired the real estate practice group.

Joel’s practice focuses primarily on real estate and banking matters. His clients include a wide range of real estate investors and developers, numerous banks and other financial institutions, hotel owners and developers, a large fast-food franchise, and many non-real estate businesses with real estate needs. Among the types of matters handled by Joel are the following:

A broad range of commercial, industrial, office, and retail leasing transactions, including a 1,100,000 square foot warehouse lease, a 250,000 square foot office lease, and a lease of an FDA-approved laboratory with the equipment in place.

Purchases and sales of improved and unimproved real property, including transactions with complex approval contingencies and purchase price kickers.

Foreclosures, workouts, and sales with respect to thousands of commercial loans secured by real estate assets, including shopping centers, commercial and residential development projects, commercial office buildings, industrial buildings, mixed used properties, commercial office buildings, industrial buildings, mixed used properties, redevelopment projects, golf courses, tennis facilities, health care facilities, self-storage facilities, restaurants, catering facilities, gas stations, parking garages, and environmentally contaminated properties.

Structuring of corporations, joint ventures, partnerships, and limited liability companies in connection with real estate transactions.

Resolution of real estate disputes, including litigation and alternate dispute resolution.

Joel has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, Banking and Finance Law, 2006– 2023. Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. He was also named one of the state’s top real estate attorneys by Real Estate New Jersey Magazine. Joel has been awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating, its highest lawyer rating, as an objective indicator of a lawyer’s high ethical standards and legal knowledge.”

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Peter D. Hutcheon practices primarily in the areas of business governance, commercial transactions, securities, banking, and finance.

Peter counsels management of public and private companies and banking institutions on governance matters. He is an expert on indemnification and insurance issues affecting directors and officers, and has represented parties in major public-private partnership financings. He also represents clients seeking investment capital from private placements, venture capital, and private equity deals, as well as firm commitment underwritten offerings of securities. Peter is experienced in securities matters ranging from stock options to dividend reinvestment plans, has extensive familiarity with bank regulatory matters, and has worked on mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry. Peter has represented both buyers and sellers in public and private business acquisition and financing transactions involving over $2 billion.

Peter is a long-time member of the American Bar Association’s Section on Business Law, Partnerships and Unincorporated Business Organizations Committee, and for 16 years was the editor of its newsletter, the PUBOGRAM. He has been named a Founding Fellow of the American College of LLC and Partnership Attorneys. Peter is the 2005 recipient of the Martin I. Lubaroff Award for his lifelong service to this Committee. He was a director for 22 years, including two years as chair, of the New Jersey State Bar, Corporate & Business Law Section, and also chaired the State Bar’s Banking Law Section. Peter was chairman of the New Jersey Corporate & Business Law Study Commission from its inception in 1989 to 2002, providing reports and suggestions on business law developments to the New Jersey Legislature and the governor. He chaired the New Jersey Securities Advisory Committee, appointed by the attorney general, from 1995 to 2001, and served as the American Bar Association’s Liaison to the New Jersey Bureau of Securities for over 32 years. He also chaired the ABA’s Section of Science and Technology and served on the Editorial Board of their quarterly journal, Jurimetrics, of which he previously served as Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

Peter is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® and is listed in the Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Securities and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, and Securities Regulation sections of the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers In America®. He has also been included on the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers in the Business/Corporate section every year since its inception in 2005 to 2020. Additionally, Peter has authored numerous articles on business-related law topics, including limited liability companies, securities, and directors and officers liability.

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Edward A. Hogan represents and counsels’ developers, redevelopers, manufacturers, commercial entities, and highly-regulated service businesses in all aspects of environmental law and litigation.

For over 25 years, Edd has been at the forefront of site remediation issues in New Jersey. He has partnered with clients and served as a trusted advisor, delivering integrated strategies for responding to governmental mandates, pursuing cost recovery actions, and facilitating purchase, sale, and redevelopment of contaminated properties. Edd handles all aspects of environmental law and litigation, including air quality and emissions, water quality and quantity management, and land use. He is a national thought leader in environmental law; he has been featured in legal, business, and trade group publications, and teaches continuing professional education programs.

Edd is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and is listed The Best Lawyers in America®, in Environmental Law, Energy Law, Litigation–Environmental, and Natural Resources Law (1993-2023). He has been included in the Environmental Law section since 1993. Edd has also been selected for inclusion in the “International Who’s Who of Environment Lawyers 2018” by Who’s Who Legal. He is ranked “Band 1,” the highest ranking an attorney can receive, in the Environment section by Chambers USA, one of the oldest and most prestigious legal listings in the world.

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Jeanne Hamburg concentrates her practice in all aspects of copyright and trademark law, both in litigation and in the transactional area.  Resident in the New York City office, she assists clients in a broad range of industries with their IP needs. Jeanne has been recognized in New York Super Lawyers 2009 – 2022; only five percent of New York attorneys are given this honor. Additionally, Jeanne is ranked in the 2019 World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, which lists the top 1,000 trademark attorneys in 70 jurisdictions globally.

Jeanne litigates copyright, trademark, and cybersquatting cases through trial and, if necessary, appeal. She has acted as national counsel in federal courts across the country to bring and defend infringement claims for clients, both foreign and domestic. Additionally, she has recovered domain names for clients in many Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Proceedings and prosecuted and defended numerous opposition and cancellation proceedings and ex parte appeals in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

In the transactional area, Jeanne is experienced in trademark and copyright licensing, traditional print, and online publishing, software development, website development, content licenses, and electronic subscriptions. She counsels clients on intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. She is experienced in copyright and trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement, and has particular expertise with contentious and transactional issues arising from the Internet.  She is Chair of the firm’s Internet Law Group and is also a member of the Media Law Group, which has been ranked the highest level of recognition, Tier 1, by Media Law International.

Jeanne manages global portfolios, working with international clients to secure and enforce U.S. trademarks and copyrights and working with domestic clients to protect and enforce their marks and copyrights abroad. She handles both domestic and foreign trademark disputes; for the latter, she works with a network of trusted law firms around the world to protect clients’ intellectual property abroad. Additionally, Jeanne is skilled in negotiating and drafting global copyright licenses (including publishing agreements), as well as trademark licenses for both domestic and foreign clients.

Jeanne is a co-author of the firm’s trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law blog, More Than Your Mark^®.

Jeanne is a frequent speaker and writer on intellectual property topics, has been quoted as a thought leader by legal news outlets, and is active in many trade groups in industries whose clients she serves.  Additionally, she is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), currently serving on the Leadership Development Committee and the Enforcement Committee, and a member of the Copyright Society of the USA (CSUSA).  She formerly served on the Government Officials Training Committee, was nominated and served as Chair of INTA’s Law Firm Committee, and was selected as a speaker for INTA’s Trademark Basics “Maintaining the Perfect Partnership” seminar held in New York for in-house and outside counsel.

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Ezra N. Goodman devotes his practice to cooperative and condominium law, real estate, construction law and leasing. He works out of the firm’s New York City office.

Ezra’s practice includes the representation of numerous cooperatives, condominium, and rental housing developments.

Ezra’s rich and varied experience in these fields spans many years. It encompasses commercial and retail leasing; construction contracts of all scopes and types; major service contracts; and counseling the boards of directors, managers, and owners of the housing developments about governance and all facets of their operations. In the course of his practice, Ezra has developed many forms and procedures for dealing with the problems faced by his clients in ways that are efficient, cost effective, and customized to each client’s needs.

Ezra strongly believes that effective legal representation, especially in the housing field, requires him to be proactive rather than reflexive. “I enjoy being an advocate for the good of my clients and not just a mechanic. We helped create the very concept of cooperative housing in New York City, and we are dedicated to promoting and strengthening it in whatever way possible.”

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Jerome Gallagher engages in civil trial and appellate practice with a concentration in commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, construction, contract litigation, and commercial accounts receivable matters.  Jerry also regularly represents clients in drafting and negotiating commercial and industrial products and services agreements.

Jerry serves as New Jersey counsel to several national companies, including Intercos Europe, SpA; IPFS Corporation; Jansy Packaging, LLC; and Valley National Bank, N.A. Jerry also represents several private businesses in industries, including banking/financial services, cosmetics, retail packaging, computer support, and specialty concrete products.

Jerry has achieved several significant results for clients, including: an appellate affirmance of a trial court’s dismissal of “spoliation of evidence” claims against a national financing company; a jury verdict dismissing claims against a national real estate developer for alleged violations of New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act; prosecuting fraud claims against an insurance broker on behalf of a premium finance company, resulting in a seven-figure money judgment; a jury verdict dismissing “lender liability” claims; dismissal of Consumer Fraud Act and punitive damages claims brought against a privately owned electronic parts testing company; domesticating foreign judgments; recovering payments on surety bonds; obtaining numerous monetary judgments in favor of financial institutions and businesses on commercial loan and accounts receivable claims; and regularly represents contractors in residential and commercial construction disputes, lien claims and commercial collection actions.

Jerry is also a leader in civic and community service organizations.  Since 2020, he has served as Chair of the NCE Board of Visitors at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and previously served as Chair of  NJIT’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, of which he has been a member since 1999.  For the past 10 years, he also serves as a Trustee of the Passaic Optimist Foundation and chairs its annual fundraiser golf outing.

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Robert C. Gabrielski, Chair of the firm’s International Business and Tax Planning Group, devotes his practice to business and international M&A transactions, e-commerce, and taxation.

Bob has over 40 years of experience in advising both corporate and entrepreneurial businesses on such matters as business and tax strategies for acquisitions, divestitures, and reorganizations, both domestically and internationally.  His experience is also instrumental from the inception of an idea to the exit strategy, whether it be closely-held businesses or international corporations, particularly in the technology, manufacturing, and health care fields.

Bob also counsels clients and acts as a discussion partner with business owners and executives with respect to e-commerce, technology development, health care, and commercialization of intellectual property.  He regularly structures and negotiates technology licensing and development agreements, as well as business partnering arrangements.

In 2010, Bob launched an award-winning blog entitled “Business Without Borders: An International Business Blog,” a collaborative effort of the attorneys in the firm’s International Business and Tax Planning Group.  The Group is composed of experienced and skilled attorneys offering a full range of legal services to its foreign and domestic clients who are engaged in international commerce.  Likewise, the blog addresses current issues, changes in the law, and other topics from a variety of legal disciplines, including, but not limited to, business, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, labor and employment, immigration, and intellectual property.

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Stuart J. Freedman has substantial experience in both private practice and as in-house counsel.  He practices in a variety of areas within the firm, including trade regulation, franchise law, advertising, professional liability, insurance, Internet law, distribution, publishing, and litigation management.

With more than 22 years’ experience in the corporate world as in-house counsel, Stuart is well-versed in recognizing the needs and concerns of businesses, especially those involved in the production, distribution, and/ or sale of consumer goods and services.

Stuart has served as chief legal officer of three major U.S. corporations involved in consumer goods, insurance, and distribution. He was general counsel to Sedgwick, Inc., the nation’s third largest insurance broker, for five years. In addition, he has written and lectured extensively on trade regulation and the management of a corporation’s legal affairs and its internal law department, and has assisted in the start-up and management of a number of in-house legal departments.

In the area of business law, Stuart has conducted shareholder meetings and reviewed press releases, earnings reports, and other disclosure requirements of companies belonging to the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, and NASDAQ. In addition, he has served as President of the American Society of Corporate Secretaries (New York Region) and the New Jersey Corporate Association, and as Chairman of the New Jersey General Counsel.

In the area of franchise law, Stuart counsels clients who are franchisees or prospective franchisees in evaluating franchise offerings and agreements and assists them with ongoing issues, such as problems with their existing franchisors. In addition, Stuart represents both buyers and sellers of existing franchises in their purchase and sale negotiations. He has also written and lectured extensively on distribution and franchise law issues.

Stuart is included in the current edition of Marquis’ Who’s Who in American Law.  He was first selected for inclusion in the publication’s first edition in 1980.

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Rikki focuses her practice on representing financial institutions and other clients in their commercial real estate; commercial and community development-related lending activities, including acquisition and construction lending; secured commercial lending; interest rate swaps; and other hedging transactions.

In addition, Rikki has represented financial institutions and other clients in restructuring and modifying commercial real estate, construction, and other types of commercial loans, and in counseling such clients on their rights and remedies with respect to the work-out of such loans.

Rikki is also experienced in commercial real estate transactional matters, including sales and purchases of industrial parks, apartment buildings, and shopping centers; leases of industrial property and office buildings, including solar power, roof leases, and power purchase agreements; land use and zoning applications, and landlord/ tenant matters.

Rikki is a member of the Norris McLaughlin Women’s Forum Marketing Committee.

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Victor S. Elgort is Chair of the firm’s Tax Group.  He also serves as the Chair of the firm’s E-Commerce & Information Technology Practice Group.  His practice concentrates on business law and tax planning, including the structuring of partnerships and joint ventures, tax-saving real estate and business exit strategies, executive compensation, and domestic and international estate planning matters.

Victor organized and created the first limited liability company in New Jersey.  He has authored the standard form operating agreements and other documents for limited liability companies published by Julius Blumberg, Inc., including both the forms for use in New Jersey and the generic forms offered nationwide for limited liability companies.

Victor has more than 30 years’ experience in corporate and transactional matters for various professional practices. This includes advising clients about mergers and acquisitions, various business ventures, and creative business arrangements and alliances.

In addition, he is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.  Victor is a frequent lecturer at tax planning courses, including continuing education seminars.  He has authored extensive material published by the National Business Institute, Lorman Education Services, Professional Education Seminars, and other national seminar companies, including “Partnerships, LLCs and LLPs: Organization and Operation,” “Asset Protection Planning in New Jersey,” “Limited Liability Companies in New Jersey,” “Transferring Business Wealth,” “Administration of the Estate in New Jersey,” “Planning Opportunities with Living Trusts in New Jersey,” “New Jersey Probate: Beyond the Basics,” “A Practical Guide to Estate Administration in New Jersey,” and “Family Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies in New Jersey.”

In e-commerce & information technology law, Victor (trained as an engineer) advises our business clients (which include software, biotech, e-commerce, and other companies with proprietary technology) on transactional matters, joint ventures and alliances, intellectual property licenses and transactions, software contracting, financing transactions, and asset, stock, and other acquisitions and mergers.  Victor regularly works with clients on Internet-related information technology, R&D, product development, collaboration, distribution, manufacturing, employment, consulting, and stockholder and investor arrangements.

Victor has been included in The Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts and Estates, 2006–2023. He has been named by his peers as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in the Tax section.

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Judge William A. Dreier practices in the areas of mediation and arbitration.

In his 25 years in the New Jersey State Judiciary, Judge Dreier was a presiding judge of the Appellate Division from 1994 through 1998. He had served in the Appellate Division since 1983, and in the Chancery Division and the Law Division of the Superior Court beginning in 1973. He has authored approximately 380 published legal opinions.

Judge Dreier is an authority on commercial litigation and ADR. He authored the state text on arbitration law, New Jersey Arbitration Handbook (2013-2017), published by the New Jersey Law Journal, as well as nine editions of the state’s principal text on Chancery Practice from 1983 to 2014, and earlier texts on Secured Financing.

Recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on products liability, Judge Dreier authored New Jersey Products Liability and Toxic Tort Law (Gann Law Books), which has been published annually since 1995 as a successor to seven editions with supplements published by NJICLE since 1977. Also the author of several other books and over 50 law review and journal articles, he has lectured in New Jersey and nationally on products liability, commercial law, and ADR in law school symposia, NJICLE programs, and as coordinator and lecturer for ALI-ABA national products liability programs.

As an arbitrator and mediator, Judge Dreier was chosen as a fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and is a member of the New Jersey Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and the AAA National Panels of Mediators and Commercial, Complex Cases, Class Actions, and Wireless Telecommunications Arbitrators, and as an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (ICDR) Arbitrator. He is a Certified Mediator for the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, a member of the International Mediation Institute, and accredited CEDR (U.K.). He has been approved as an arbitrator in several class action arbitrations and numerous other complex national arbitrations.

Judge Dreier has also served as a court-appointed mediator in complex litigations. He is a member (Emeritus) of the Columbia Law School Board of Visitors, the editorial board of the New Jersey Law Journal, and the American Law Institute, and a former Chair of the NJICLE Board of Trustees.

Judge Dreier received a New Jersey Law Journal 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2008 Medal of Honor, the highest honor awarded to an attorney by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation. He also received the New Jersey State Bar’s 2010 ADR Practitioner of the Year award and the 1983 Alfred C. Clapp NJICLE Award for Excellence in Continuing Legal Education, and was the initial recipient of the eponymous William A. Dreier Award for Excellence in Product Liability Law from the New Jersey State Bar Association Product Liability Section (2009). He has been regularly included in the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of The Best Lawyers in America and New Jersey Super Lawyers. He was named the Best Lawyers Arbitration “Lawyer of the Year” in the Woodbridge New Jersey Metro Area in 2018 and 2016, and is listed in Who’s Who in America.

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Martha N. Donovan, Co-Chair of the Environmental Law Group, devotes her practice to environmental law and complex litigation with an emphasis on the defense of environmental property damage and toxic tort claims. She is also experienced in working on related insurance coverage matters.

Martha has represented clients in administrative and judicial proceedings before state and federal courts and agencies, including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Martha has litigated matters relating to the generation, storage, discharge, or release of hazardous substances, including representation under CERCLA and Superfund, and has defended actions filed by adjoining, predecessor, and successor property owners alleging physical injuries, emotional distress, or lost property values. In addition, she aids in resolving matters involving air emissions, wastewater discharges, noise pollution, and responses to spill events.

Martha has authored articles and has made presentations to trade groups and associations on issues ranging from lender liability under Superfund to the availability of insurance coverage for various aspects of business-related accidents.

Martha has been recognized in Chambers USA for several years and is ranked in Band 2 of the Environment Section. She has been selected for inclusion on the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers in the Environmental Section and Best Lawyers in the Environmental Law section every year since 2010. Martha was also named the Best Lawyers Litigation-Environmental “Lawyer of the Year” in the Woodbridge New Jersey Metro Area for 2023, 2021, 2020, 2018, and 2016.

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Patrick T. Collins is Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group.  He practices labor, employment, and personnel law on behalf of employers and management personnel.  He has a wide range of experience in all areas of litigation in both federal and state courts, defending discrimination and sexual harassment claims, wrongful discharge and whistleblower suits, disability accommodations, family and marital leave issues, and the multitude of other civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.  In addition, Pat represents parties in breach of contract claims and in actions involving unfair competition, restrictive covenants, and confidentiality agreements.

Pat has appeared before state human rights agencies throughout the country, as well as the EEOC, the National Labor Relations Board, and various wage and hour agencies.  He has represented employers in numerous labor grievance/arbitration proceedings and in a variety of other matters relating to the unionization of employees and collective bargaining.  He has also worked extensively with employers on public works contracts to ensure compliance with prevailing wage laws.

Much of Pat’s practice concentrates on counseling employers in making workplace decisions, which will reduce or avoid entirely the risk of litigation.  Pat regularly counsels his clients on matters concerning independent contractors and contingent workers, employment policies, employee discipline and terminations, reductions in workforce, and plant closings.  He has conducted sexual harassment investigations and employment law audits and has drafted numerous employee handbooks and substance abuse and workplace privacy policies.  Pat has also conducted management and employee training and legal compliance sessions in a variety of areas, including the performance appraisal process and anti-harassment.

Pat is Chair of the Somerset County Business Partnership Human Resources Roundtable. He is a former member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, District XIII Ethics Committee, and the Sidney Reitman Employment Law Inn of Court.

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Charles A. Bruder focuses his practice in the areas of ERISA, Executive Compensation, and Taxation.  Drawing upon his years of experience in counseling both institutional and individual clients, Charles is Co-Chair of the firm’s Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Group.

Possessing a wealth of experience in all aspects of employee benefits, Charles frequently counsel  for-profit entities regarding numerous employee benefit and retirement benefit arrangements.  He regularly deals with issues involving defined contribution and defined benefit pension plans, multiemployer pension plans, ESOPs, and other equity-based and incentive compensation arrangements.

Not limiting his practice to for-profit entities, Charles handles many employee benefits arrangements for certain not-for-profit clients, including charitable organizations, healthcare providers, and schools and other educational facilities. His interacts with such organizations involve compensation matters, Code Section 403(b) plans, and Code Section 457(b) and 457(f) arrangements. He is regularly involved in the handling of ancillary related issues involving tax-exempt organizations such as employee classification issues, reduction in force and early retirement arrangements, and federal and state tax audit matters.

As many of his clients maintain both tax-qualified and non-qualified arrangements, Charles often provides compliance and drafting guidance for deferred compensation arrangements and similar executive compensation vehicles.  Recognizing that education is key to maintaining successful employee benefit plans, Charles regularly advises his clients with respect to their group health insurance arrangements, including the ever-changing aspects of compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.  His compliance expertise extends to ERISA fiduciary issues, prohibited transaction and controlled group analyses, and government-sponsored correction programs such as the Employee Plan Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), the Delinquent Filer Voluntary Correction Program (DFVCP), and the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP).

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Douglas R. Brown devotes his practice to business finance, mergers and acquisitions, and securities matters.

Doug has substantial experience in representing private equity investors in acquisition and divestiture of businesses and the corporate law, finance, securities, and business problems spawned by those matters. These have involved transactions with European and Asian operations, and the acquisition of troubled companies in bankruptcy and receivership cases.  He has also represented community banks in merger transactions and related regulatory matters.

His practice includes U.S. and state securities law matters, including representing issuers in capital raising through registered public offerings of securities, private placements, and venture financing. He counsels public company clients in securities law compliance, SEC annual, quarterly, and current reports, and proxy statements filed in connection with stockholder meetings, securities transfer issues, corporate governance, and stock-based employee compensation plans.

His work for banks regularly includes substantial commercial real estate finance and corporation loan finance.  He also represents businesses participating in NJEDA bond financing programs.

Doug’s practice also includes a wide range of commercial supply contracts, executive employment arrangements, partner disputes, and commercial disputes.

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David S. Blatteis is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Co-Chair of its Business Law Group.  He concentrates his practice in the areas of business law, pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare.

David understands the unique business and complex legal concerns of pharmaceutical companies and service providers in the pharmaceutical industry.

He represents pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical device companies, healthcare service organizations, and molecular diagnostic companies in connection with a wide range of commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, corporate partnerships, joint ventures, and other strategic alliances.  His clients manufacture, market, promote, advertise, and sell pharmaceutical products, and provide technology, regulatory and compliance, and promotional solutions to the healthcare industry.  For these clients, he drafts and negotiates manufacturing, supply and development, license, distribution, co-promote and risk-share agreements, customer and vendor contracts, as well as major outsourced sales team, promotional, media, advertising, technology, and service arrangements.

David’s clients benefit from his extensive experience negotiating agreements, his understanding of a complex healthcare compliance and regulatory environment, and his years of experience working with in-house counsel to accomplish their goals.  By developing a meaningful relationship with his clients and understanding their business environments and needs, David takes pride in helping them accomplish their goals in an efficient and effective manner.

David also serves as general counsel to a market-leading orthopedic device company. He has a wide range of experience providing general business advice, litigation management, and employment counseling for his clients, enabling him to serve as a trusted advisor.

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William J. Beneduce focuses his practice on all facets of environmental law, including compliance, regulation, transactional, and litigation.

Bill assists clients with their complex environmental matters in New Jersey, New York, and abroad. He is experienced in counseling his clients through state and federal environmental regulatory schemes, including site remediation laws, urban redevelopment, CERCLA, RCRA, New Jersey’s Spill Act, ISRA, and OSHA, among many others. He also counsels his clients toward achieving their goals during environmental due diligence, Brownfields redevelopment, and cleanup cost recovery.

Bill works with a large segment of the business community, including real estate developers, commercial business owners, shopping mall owners, manufacturers, and industrial companies, advising them on environmental laws that relate to the investigation and remediation of contaminated or potentially contaminated properties, underground storage tanks, hazardous waste and materials, insurance coverage, and permitting. Bill helps his clients comply with these complex environmental laws to resolve their land issues and achieve their objectives in a cost-efficient manner.

A significant portion of Bill’s practice is dedicated to aiding clients in site remediation so that they can complete pending real estate transactions.

Bill also applies his regulatory experience to the Cannabis Law Group. He brings a practical and cost-effective legal compliance approach, and he has a thorough knowledge of current and evolving medical, hemp, and recreational adult-use cannabis law in New Jersey and New York.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Bill was a legal intern at the Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic from 2002 to 2003.

Bill has been selected for inclusion in the Environmental Law section of New Jersey Rising Stars.

Bill is an avid motorcyclist and maintains his healthy lifestyle using a stand-up desk in the office.

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