Class Notes
Fine Print
1950s
1960s
Yusem has also dedicated much of his life to military service. He served as a United States Navy Reserve officer rising to the grade of Rear Admiral, ultimately becoming the highest-ranking Navy Reserve Surface Line Officer in the United States. He served as national President of the 120,000-member Reserve Officers Association of the United States working with the late Senator John McCain to provide health insurance for military veterans. In addition, he represented the Reserve Officers Association at the North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO) working with the former nations of the Warsaw Pact in support of the Partnership for Peace Program for their admission as NATO members. He provides arbitration and mediation services to lawyers around the country.
Norman Pearlstine L’67 will serve as an independent director at Blue Ocean Acquisition Corp. He was Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Times from June 2018 through December 2020. Pearlstine previously served as Time Inc.’s Editor-in-Chief, Chief Content Officer, and Vice Chairman. He serves on the boards of the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Center for Communication Leadership and Policy at USC Annenberg. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also an advisor to North Base Media.
Peter Glenn L’68 was the commencement speaker for Penn State Dickinson Law’s 2022 graduation. He served as the ninth Dean of the law school, where he played a significant role in the 1997 affiliation and 2000 merger of Dickinson Law with Penn State University. Following his time as Dean, Glenn became an Executive Deputy General Counsel in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of General Counsel. He was appointed General Counsel of Stevens & Lee, a multistate business law firm, where he served from 2006 to 2015. Glenn then became an adjunct member of the Dickinson Law faculty, teaching Professional Responsibility; Transactional Writing and Drafting; and Law Practice Management. He held this position until the end of 2020 when he retired.
1970s
H. Ron Klasko L’71 was honored for his leadership and support of immigrants at the annual Golden Door Awards hosted by HIAS Pennsylvania. He supports college-bound immigrants through the Ron Klasko Family Scholarship program. Klasko has been involved with HIAS Pennsylvania for decades, previously as a board member and the VP for Immigration Policy. He is the founding and current Chair of the American Immigration Lawyer Association’s High Impact Committee, having won many federal lawsuits on behalf of immigrants and their U.S. employers.
Jonathan Cannon L’74 joined the Environmental Law Institute’s Leadership Council. Council members participate in events and have an opportunity to network and engage other leaders in discussions about key environmental law and policy issues. Cannon retired from the University of Virginia in 2021. He had served as the inaugural director of the Law School’s Program in Law, Communities, and the Environment (PLACE). He joined the Law School faculty in 1998 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as general counsel and assistant administrator for administration and resources management. Cannon is the author of the book Environment in the Balance: The Green Movement and the Supreme Court.
H. Ronald Klasko L’74 spoke on an EB-5 panel at the 2022 Investment Migration Forum. The premier event, which attracted global leaders in investment migration from more than 40 countries, was held in June in Brussels, Belgium.
Carrie Menkel-Meadow’s L’74 scholaship and legal contributions were the focus of a March symposium hosted by the Aggie Dispute Resolution Program and Texas A&M Law Review titled “The Renaissance Woman of Dispute Resolution: Carrie Menkel-Meadow’s Contributions to New Directions in Feminism, Ethics, and ADR.” The symposium featured panels on dispute resolution, legal ethics/legal profession, and feminist legal theory, which have all been the subject matter of her scholarship. Menkel-Meadow is the Distinguished and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at UC Irvine.
Barbara Hauser L’76 completed a PhD program at the University of Zurich Law School. Her dissertation was titled “The Benefits of Applying the Rule of Law in Family Governance.”
Marvin Benton L’78 was featured in the Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Winter 2022 issue. The article titled, “Growing Diversity and Community,” focused on his contributions in improving diversity at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) while he served as President of the HKS Black Alumni Association from 2017 to 2021. The article points out that Benton “was one of the first voices pushing the school to institute a requirement that students take a course on race, diversity, and public policy. Today, HKS requires all first-year students to take a course on diversity, race and public policy.” Benton received his Master’s in Public Administration from HKS in 1988, and during his time there, he was selected as a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow.
Niki Ingram L’79 was named Vice President of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Her two-year term began at the start of 2022. Ingram, who also serves as the Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion officer, is Senior Counsel at Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. Through programs, grants, and partnerships, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation removes barriers to justice, engages the community in support of civil legal aid, and builds systemwide capacity to strengthen the provision of quality legal services and to ensure that all individuals understand their rights to equal justice under law. Ingram is a member of Marshall Dennehey’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee and is a current board member of Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia. She also volunteers for Friendship House, an organization serving children and families in need in Delaware. Ingram additionally spearheads Marshall Dennehey’s partnership of support with Chester A. Arthur Elementary School in Philadelphia.
1980s
Raymond Morales L’80 received the Association of Labor Relations Professionals’ Raymond J. Compton Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the labor relations field. This award is given annually to an individual who has distinguished themselves in this field in Puerto Rico.
Christopher Graham L’82 joined White and Williams as a Partner in its New York office. He brings nearly 40 years of experience representing clients in bankruptcy and insolvency matters to the firm’s Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy group. Graham represents secured creditors in Chapter 11 matters and counsels creditors and shareholders, purchasers in bankruptcy 363 sales, outside board of director members of Chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, mezzanine lenders, trustees, receivers, state regulatory agencies, foreign liquidators in international cases, and debtors-in-possession. He is recognized for his experience in Chapter 11 cramdown plans and defenses and Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcies. He also handles complex real estate foreclosures and related litigation and has experience counseling receivers in matters involving real estate, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and related Uniform Commercial Code foreclosures.
David King L’82 was appointed to the Board of Directors for BioAgilytix Labs, LLC, a global contract research organization focused on supporting pharmaceutical and biotech partners in all phases of drug development. King brings with him more than 20 years of leadership and operational experience in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. He is the former Executive Chairman and CEO of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Labcorp). King led Labcorp’s transformation from a pure-play U.S. testing laboratory into a leading global life sciences company. During King’s tenure, Labcorp established itself as a market leader in laboratory testing and global drug development. He also guided the corporation through 10 years of substantial M&A activity and major changes in government healthcare reimbursement policy. One of those transactions was a $6 billion acquisition of contract research business Covance Inc. in 2015, which significantly increased Labcorp’s revenue and global presence. King currently serves on several professional boards, including Privia Health, ZimVie, and VaxCare. His volunteer board involvement includes Novant Health, PATH, and the Emily Krzyzewski Center. In May, the Triangle Business Journal profiled King as one of its 2022 Healthcare Leadership Awards Lifetime Achievement Winner in Life Sciences.
Joy Thompson L’82 was named Acting Deputy Director and Acting Associate Director of the Private Funds Unit at the Securities and Exchange Commission. She joined the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office in 1986, where she held several roles including Staff Attorney, Branch Chief, and Assistant Director before becoming the Associate Regional Director for Examinations. Previously, Thompson has served as the Acting Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office and the Acting Deputy Director of the National Examination Program.
Antoinette Hubbard L’84 was promoted to Member at Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC’s Wilmington, Delaware office. She defends asbestos, product liability, premises liability, and personal injury matters. Hubbard chairs the firm’s Asbestos Practice Group. She also has handled a broad spectrum of litigation matters, including commercial and environmental disputes. Since 2013, Hubbard has served as Maron Marvel’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director and is a principal architect of the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Honorable Lynn Toler (Judge Lynn) L’84 stars in the new WE television series, “Commit or Quit with Judge Lynn Toler,” which premiered in May. Couples in crisis turn to Judge Lynn for a life-altering decision to get married or break up for good. In the eight, one-hour episodes, eight couples are under her microscope. Secrets are exposed, core issues uncovered, and those closest to them give shocking testimony. Judge Lynn is also a co-host on WeTV’s “Marriage Bootcamp.” She began her television career in 2001 when she became the host of the nationally syndicated television show, “Power of Attorney.” In 2006, Judge Lynn became the host of the nationally syndicated television show, “Divorce Court,” and remained there until 2020. Judge Lynn is actively engaged in both local and national initiatives to prevent domestic violence through her work as a board member on Bloom365.org. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness and supports The Whole Brother Mission, an organization committed to providing mental health access to black men.
Kenneth I. Trujillo L’86 has been named to the 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list. He has been selected for the list annually since 2005. Trujillo is a Shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Philadelphia. He represents U.S. and foreign corporations, as well as government entities, executives, lawyers and other individuals with a focus on contract disputes, securities, antitrust, education and other regulatory issues. Trujillo is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Frank Lee L’87 joined Bracewell’s New York office in April 2021 as a Partner in the corporate and securities practice. Lee advises renewable energy developers, project sponsors, and solar panel manufacturers on acquisitions, divestitures and commercial arrangements, as well as electric utilities on corporate finance and securities, SEC compliance, and corporate governance matters. He also represents issuers and underwriters in various securities offerings and other financings.
The Honorable Allison Dale Burroughs L’88 received an honorary degree from her alma mater, Middlebury College. Judge Burroughs, who has been on the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts since 2015, was appointed to the federal bench by President Obama. Judge Burroughs was previously a Partner at the Boston law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish, where she focused on complex litigation and white collar criminal defense. Before entering private practice, she served in the Boston and Philadelphia offices of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for 16 years. Judge Burroughs serves on the Board of Directors for Agassiz Village, an overnight camp for youth from underserved communities. She is a frequent speaker on topics such as computer crime, sentencing, health care, and general criminal and civil litigation.
The Honorable Hector Gonzalez L’88 was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a judge for the Eastern District of New York. He was previously a Partner at Dechert LLP, where he chaired the firm’s global litigation practice. In that role, he focused his practice on complex commercial and securities litigation, including U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission enforcement proceedings.
Edward Berg L’89 was appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Vaxart, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops oral recombinant vaccines. He was previously at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc., where he served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and counseled on product launches and supported internal and external collaborative efforts that led to the development of an innovative early pipeline in the competitive gene therapy space.
David Crichlow L’89 was named to Savoy magazine’s 2022 list of Most Influential Black Lawyers in recognition of his distinguished legal career and outstanding commitment to his community. Crichlow, the Commercial Litigation National Practice Chair at Katten’s New York office, is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He supervises more than 40 Commercial Litigation practice members in the United States and London and serves as lead trial counsel on high-stakes commercial, class-action, and bankruptcy litigation. He served as Managing Partner of the New York office at his previous law firm and currently serves on the board of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Board of Advisors for the Legal Aid Society in New York. Crichlow has been recognized as a National Law Journal Litigation Trailblazer, New York Law Journal Distinguished Leader and among the Crain’s New York Business list of Notable Black Leaders and Executives.
1990s
Christopher Pace L’90 joined Winston & Strawn LLP as a Partner in the firm’s Dallas office and as a member of the litigation practice. Pace is an experienced national litigator who has secured more than 20 trial victories and prevailed in more than 25 appeals. He represents clients in the health care, financial services, and technology industries (including health tech and fintech) in commercial disputes, antitrust and unfair competition cases, and government investigations. He has appeared on behalf of Fortune 500 companies in courts across the country, including in multidistrict litigation proceedings.
Albert Parker L’90 was appointed Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in innovative pharmaceutically produced transdermal cannabinoid therapies for rare and near-rare neuropsychiatric disorders. He served most recently as Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of Oncocyte Corporation, an oncology-focused precision diagnostics and monitoring company.
Kenneth Ziman L’90 joined Paul Weiss Rifkind & Garrison LLP’s restructuring group in New York as a Partner. He was previously the Managing Director of the restructuring group for financial and asset management firm Lazard Ltd. His significant debtor-side representations have included, among others, PG&E Corporation, Takata Corporation, Gavilan Resources LLC, CGG Holdings (U.S.) Inc., Millennium Health, LLC, Dendreon Corporation, Exide Technologies, Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Select Staffing and MF Global Holdings Ltd. Ziman has also represented several private equity portfolio companies in their restructurings. In addition to his debtor-side work, he has advised linchpin creditor and lender groups and sponsors in restructurings across many industries, including the automotive, healthcare, industrial, energy, finance and telecommunications sectors.
Elise Zoli L’90 has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a Partner in the firm’s Energy and Climate Solutions practice in Boston. She will focus her practice on global strategic alliances and market-opening transactions in the clean energy, water, agriculture, and de-carbonization sectors. Zoli is recognized in the United States and in Europe for her energy and climate-focused practice. She has substantial experience representing clients engaged in clean energy technologies, including renewable energy, hydrogen and alternative fuels, energy storage, electric vehicles, micro-and-smart grid, water, and regenerative agriculture. In recent years, Zoli has been recognized as a trailblazer in clean energy (The National Law Journal, 2021), a global power broker in sustainable infrastructure (Financier Worldwide, 2021), among 100 global leaders in wind energy (Word About Wind Legal Power List, 2020), and one of the 10 most influential women in U.S. energy law (Law360). Zoli serves on the board of directors at the Stimson Center, a leading nonpartisan global think tank seeking to advance global peace and prosperity, including through climate resilience, where she co-founded and is on the board of counselor for the Stimson-affiliated Alliance for a Climate Resilient Earth (ACRE).
Anthony Cianciotti L’91 joined Baker Donelson’s Atlanta office as a Shareholder in the Financial Services Transaction Group. He represents financial institutions and borrowers in structuring, negotiating, and closing complex loan transactions. His experience includes asset-based and cash flow working capital facilities, equipment and acquisition financing, and venture debt and growth capital financing. He has frequently advised clients in structuring credit agreements to allow for financing inventory manufactured outside the U.S. while it is in transit. He has also helped develop client-specific supply chain finance programs. Cianciotti was previously an attorney at McGuireWoods LLP.
Joe Halprin C’87, W’87, L’91 joined Mobility Capital Finance Inc. as General Counsel. He was most recently Mastercard Inc.’s Assistant General Counsel of global consumer products and processing. In his new role, Halprin assists the company — which is known as MoCaFi and is focused on people in the U.S. who are unbanked and underbanked — in building out its platform and its processes and procedures team.
Aaron Krauss L’91, along with additional attorneys, authored chapters of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) latest book, titled Litigating Fiduciary Duty Claims. It was published in February. Topics covered include an explanation of what a fiduciary duty is and what triggers the duty; direct and derivative claims; claims involving majority shareholders, limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts and estates, the government, lenders, and financial professionals; insuring breach of fiduciary duty claims; and more. Krauss is a commercial litigation attorney at Cozen O’Connor who concentrates his practice on litigation in business, healthcare, labor and employment, and intellectual property. He has tried multiple fiduciary duty cases in state and federal courts, and before arbitration panels, on behalf of companies (or their officers, directors, or shareholders). He has held various leadership roles within the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section, including serving as a member of the ABA Book Publishing Board since 2019.
Michael Stovsky L ’91 has been listed in Chambers USA (Chambers and Partners) — Intellectual Property. He is Chair of the Innovations, Information Technology, and Intellectual Property Group at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm, and a member of its Executive Committee.
Scott Coffina L’92, a former Burlington County, New Jersey prosecutor, has rejoined Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhodes LLP as a Partner in its Litigation department and White Collar and Government Investigations practice. He will focus his practice on representing corporate, university, and individual clients in government enforcement actions, internal investigations, litigation, crisis management, and political-legal controversies. Coffina worked at McCracken on two previous occasions. In addition to McCracken, Coffina has worked at three other law firms and in government positions as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as Associate Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, and as Senior Deputy Chief Counsel for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Andrew Merken L’92, Co-Chair of the Life Sciences Group and the Securities Group at Burns & Levinson in Boston, has been named a 2022 Go-To Life Sciences/Healthcare Lawyer by Mass Lawyers Weekly. Over the past 30 years, Merken has developed a reputation as one of the leading corporate lawyers in Boston focused on emerging, growth-stage, and middle market companies. With broad experience across the entire life cycle of companies — from startup to venture capital to third party collaborations to sale or IPO — Merken brings a diverse breadth of legal knowledge to clients. He has advised and represented countless life sciences/healthcare, technology and business service companies, as well as VC investors and investment banks. Merken is on the board of advisors of the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors, New England Chapter, and on the board of advisors of the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University.
David Richter ENG’87, W’87, L’92 was named Chief Operating Officer of Infrastructure Project Management at the New York City office of Paris-based Bureau Veritas Group, a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection, certification and other consulting services. Richter was also elected to the Board of Directors of Pernix Group, a Chicago-based international construction contractor. In his spare time, he is pursuing his doctorate in civil engineering at Columbia University.
Seth Rubin L’94 joined Sapience Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Harrison, New York, as General Counsel. Prior to joining the company, Rubin served as a Partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek PC in New York and as Chair of the firm’s Health Care Finance practice group. He was also a member of the corporate and securities, health law transactional, financial services, banking, and bankruptcy departments as well as of the Corporate Governance practice group. During his nearly 24-year tenure at Ruskin Moscou, Rubin worked with private and public companies on a wide range of matters including mergers and acquisitions, strategic joint ventures, corporate finance, public and private financing, licensing, technology, clinical trial agreements, and securities compliance.
Erika Thomas L’94 was elected Partner at BakerHostetler’s Washington, D.C., office. She serves as lead attorney on significant litigation in the firm’s Madoff recovery efforts. As a member of the litigation team representing the Securities Investor Protection Act trustee in the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, Thomas brings a distinct perspective and insight to her practice, leveraging more than 25 years of experience as a litigator and strategic advisor, including four years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and 12 years as in-house counsel with a Fortune 500 company.
Herb Yeh C’91, L’94 joined Evercore’s Investment Banking business as a Senior Managing Director in its Technology practice. Evercore is a global independent investment banking advisory firm. Yeh is based in Silicon Valley and helps lead and expand Evercore’s technology practice, specifically software. He was previously Global Co-Head of Technology Investment Banking and Vice Chairman of Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory at Citi. In his career, he has advised technology companies at all stages of the business life cycle, including growth to maturity, creating value through strategic M&A and raising capital in the equity and debt markets.
J. Kevin Fee L’95 joined DLA Piper’s Washington, D.C., office as Partner in its Trademark Copyright and Media group. He was previously co-leader of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP’s trademark and copyright litigation practice. Fee’s practice focuses on representing clients in high-stakes intellectual property litigation, and he has experience representing financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, Internet companies, and others. Fee has represented a number of high-profile copyright clients, including working as the lead attorney representing the American Society for Testing Materials in 2017 in a dispute over private standard setting groups’ ability to own copyrights on industry rules they create, even after they are made federal law. In addition to his representation of consumer product manufacturers in false advertising disputes, Fee also works with publishers, software developers, and other organizations on copyright disputes.
Scott Goldshaw L’95 was named Lawyer of the Year for Philadelphia in the category of Employment Law — Individual by Best Lawyers in America. He is an attorney at Salmanson Goldshaw, PC. Goldshaw has concentrated his practice in employment law and litigation since 1996. He represents employers and employees in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. His practice spans the gamut of employment law, including the anti-discrimination, anti-retaliation, and anti-harassment statutes; wage payment and collection statutes; ERISA; and other federal, state, and local employment laws. He litigates employment claims in federal and state courts, handling all aspects of litigation through trial and on appeal. He also negotiates employment and severance contracts of all kinds, provides counseling on various employment-related issues and has served as a private mediator and an arbitrator for employment claims.
J. Anthony Jordan L’95 was named in City & State‘s 2022 Law Power 100, which takes an in-depth look at legal professionals who are powerful in New York’s governmental landscape. Jordan, who serves as Washington County District Attorney, became President of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York in June 2021. The Association advocates on behalf of district attorneys in each of New York’s 62 counties at a time when Albany is laser-focused on criminal justice reform.
David Nasatir L’95 was named Chairman of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP. Nasatir began his legal career at the firm, first as a summer associate while earning his law degree, then as an associate in 1997. He moved to Thorp Reed & Armstrong LLP in May 2011, then returned to Obermayer Rebmann in March 2013. Nasatir continues to manage his own business and finance practice as the firm’s chairman. He advises clients, including small businesses and large financial institutions, on matters such as public finance, general corporate guidance, and zoning and real estate issues.
Rachel Solomon C’92, L’95, Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Honor Code Creative, has moved the firm’s main office to Miami. The company will continue to operate in the Boston area during the summer months while it serves Boston clients all year long. Honor Code Creative provides branding, marketing, and advertising services to the retail, mission-focused and professional services realms.
Suzanne Morris L’96 joined Look Listen Studios as President. Look Listen Studios is a full-service visual content execution and corporate communications firm launched in 2020 to extend new capabilities to the agency’s clients. Most recently, Morris served as the Chief Operating Officer at educational media and technology company, CWK Network, Inc., where she was responsible for day-to-day operations. During her media career, Morris served as the Vice President of Operations at Home Box Office (HBO) and Deluxe Entertainment, where she managed West Coast Studio Operations, helping to spearhead the cable network’s digital transformation and develop new distribution platforms.
Priscilla “Sally” Mattison L’97, Of Counsel to Bernard M. Resnick, Esq., P.C., gave a presentation titled “Lucky Break or Big Mistake? Contestants on Reality TV Competition Shows” at Widener University Delaware Law School’s 11th Annual Sports and Entertainment Law CLE Symposium.
Elizabeth Seyle Fenton L’98 joined Ballard Spahr LLP’s Wilmington, Delaware office as a Partner in the firm’s litigation department. She was previously a Partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP. Fenton joined Ballard Spahr’s Securities Enforcement and Corporate Governance Litigation and White Collar Defense/Internal Investigations practice groups. She represents clients ranging from emerging companies to Fortune 50 corporations in industries including information technology, financial services, and life sciences. Her work involves business torts, shareholder and post-closing disputes, antitrust issues, instances of piercing the corporate veil, and enforcement of restrictive covenants.
Amabassador Andrea Canepari GL’99, an Italian diplomat, author, and global ambassador for Italian life and culture, received the American University of Rome’s 2022 Honorary Degree for his significant contribution to Italian American cooperation and his tireless promotion of Italian life and culture around the world. He was honored by the university at its annual May commencement ceremony at Villa Aurelia in Rome.
Sneha Desai L’99 joined Stryker, one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, as its Chief Legal Counsel, Global Litigation and Employment. She leads Stryker’s global legal teams in the areas of litigation, employment and investigations, and is responsible for developing litigation strategy in collaboration with business and functional leaders globally. She is also a member of the global Legal & Compliance executive leadership team. Prior to joining Stryker, Desai was the Deputy General Counsel, Litigation for BASF Corporation.
Marlon Paz L’99 joined Latham & Watkins LLP’s Washington and New York City offices as a Partner. He previously led Mayer Brown LLP’s Broker-Dealer Regulation and Compliance practice. In his new role, he works with Latham’s capital markets practice and financial institutions industry team, as well as serving as a corporate department member. Paz advises securities brokers and financial firms on related legislation and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority enforcement, which includes advice on internal investigations and compliance. Additionally, Paz is an adjunct faculty member at Penn Carey Law and Georgetown Law, where he teaches about U.S. regulation of financial institutions and securities markets. He also teaches about securities laws and the Internet and international business litigation. Paz is the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s international business law committee chairman and serves the ABA’s Vice Chair of the federal regulation of securities committee.
Jeremy Rosof C’96, L’99, an attorney in Shaub, Ahmuty, Citrin & Spratt, LLP’s Long Island, New York office, has been promoted to Partner. He was previously a Counsel at the international law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.
2000s
Austin So L’02 joined ceiling tile manufacturer Armstrong World Industries Inc. as its Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary. He was previously cemetery operator StoneMor Inc.’s Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. In his new role, So leads the company’s legal organization and oversees its sustainability and compliance programs.
Kirsten Zeberkiewicz L’02 was promoted to Counsel at Morris James’ Corporate and Commercial Litigation group. Zeberkiewicz focuses her practice on litigation involving corporations and alternative entities formed under Delaware law. She handles corporate governance and complex commercial litigation matters involving fiduciary duty claims, contract disputes, M&A challenges, and summary proceedings in the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Delaware Supreme Court. In addition to her practice, Zeberkiewicz is a contributing author to Morris James’s Delaware Business Litigation Report, a blog of all recent and significant Delaware corporate and commercial law decisions.
Marian Waldmann Agarwal L’04 was elected Partner at Morrison & Foerster’s New York office, where she is a member of the litigation department and part of the Privacy + Data Security Group. She counsels clients on privacy and data security matters in the U.S and across the globe and works with companies on designing and building privacy programs, performing global assessments of privacy compliance programs, and has a special expertise in cross border movement of data.
Jennifer Bullock L’04 rejoined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP as a Partner in its Labor Employment group in Miami. She advises clients on labor and employment law compliance and defends employers in disputes involving allegations of discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour law violations. She also helps employers develop sexual harassment policies and investigates claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Bullock began her relationship with Morgan Lewis as a summer associate while in law school, and she joined the firm as a full-time associate upon graduation. From there, she moved to the Florida firm Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson before rejoining Morgan Lewis, then left once more to found her own practice and serve on the leadership team of the domestic violence center Women in Distress.
Nicole Isaac L’04 was appointed by President Biden as Commissioner, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. The Commission, established in 1985, ensures that sites important to populations impacted by Nazism, Communism, and the Cold War would be preserved for future generations. The Commission’s mission is to identify, protect, and preserve cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are associated with U.S. heritage. Isaac had been leading the International Strategic Response team, which focuses on risk mitigation efforts in At-Risk countries and for all global elections, at Meta. Prior, Isaac was Senior Director of North America Policy at LinkedIn, where she managed a team that engaged with local, state, provincial, and federal policymakers across North America. Isaac previously served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs and as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for then-Vice President Biden.
Elizabeth McManus L’04, GRD’14 rejoined Ballard Spahr LLP in January 2022 as Of Counsel in the firm’s Philadelphia and New York offices. She is an experienced labor and employment lawyer who represents businesses and organizations nationwide — including global banks, consulting firms, major league sports teams, and health systems — in complex employment litigation in both federal and state courts as well as before administrative agencies. McManus litigates cases on sensitive topics involving race, gender, and age discrimination, as well as leave and accommodation matters. She has conducted high-profile internal investigations, and counsels private and public employers on a wide range of labor and employment issues, including workplace policies, terminations, and layoffs.
Edward “Jay” Southgate C’00, G’00, L’04 joined Dechert LLP’s Global Finance practice as an asset finance and securitization Partner based in New York. An experienced capital markets lawyer, he represents financial institutions, issuers and underwriters in private placements of residential mortgage and asset-backed securities, with a particular focus on consumer lending and fintech. Additionally, he counsels financial institutions in connection with negotiating flow purchase and servicing arrangements with platform originators, and the warehouse financing of a broad range of products, including credit card and equipment receivables. He was previously Of Counsel at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Jules Albert L’05 joined Law360’s 2022 Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board. The board provides feedback on Law360‘s coverage. Albert is a Partner at the law firm Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, where he has spent his entire career protecting the rights of institutional investors and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for shareholders.
Abigail Hazlett L’05 was selected to serve on Law360‘s Pennsylvania Editorial Advisory Board, which provides feedback on Law360‘s coverage and expert insight on how to best shape future coverage. Hazlett is a Partner in Troutman Pepper’s White Collar + Government Investigations Practice Group. Her practice focuses on representing companies in federal and state criminal and civil investigations and enforcement actions, including actions alleging violations of the False Claims Act, and other types of criminal and civil fraud. She also regularly conducts internal investigations and advises on compliance matters for her clients, including clients in the pharmaceutical, health care, and financial services industries. Outside the firm, Hazlett is an active member of the Philadelphia community. She is a Committee of Seventy board member and serves on the advisory board of Beasley School of Law’s Center for Compliance and Ethics at Temple University.
Daniel Howley L’05 launched a boutique antitrust law firm, Rule Garza Howley LLP, as a Founding Partner. The Washington, D.C.-based firm focuses on providing sophisticated advice to clients on critical M&A, government investigations, and litigation. Howley was previously at Paul, Weiss, where he advised companies on antitrust matters, including litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and civil and criminal investigations. He has represented clients in many of the leading antitrust matters in recent years. These representations include Farelogix Inc. in connection with the review of its agreement to be acquired by Sabre Corporation and the subsequent litigation and trial verdict in favor of Farelogix and Sabre over the U.S. Department of Justice. He represented Cigna in connection with the antitrust review of its $67 billion acquisition of Express Scripts and its proposed $54 billion merger with Anthem, Nestlé USA in connection with a complex multidistrict antitrust proceeding involving alleged price fixing of chocolate confectionaries, and US Airways in connection with the antitrust review and related government litigation on its $17 billion merger with American Airlines.
Sandra Millor L’05 joined Reed Smith as a Partner in international arbitration at the firm’s Miami office. She was previously a Partner at Akerman LLP, where she had worked for just over a decade, and represented numerous Latin American clients. Millor focuses on Latin American litigation matters, serving as counsel in large multimillion-dollar cross border commercial litigation cases and advising class action, real estate and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act cases.
Danielle Rosenthal L’05 joined Faegre Drinker as Counsel in the Intellectual Property practice group at the firm’s New York office. Her practice focuses on patent litigation matters. She has extensive experience in all aspects of patent litigation, having represented clients on both the plaintiff and defense sides, before various federal district courts, and in appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Rosenthal has litigated patents in a variety of technical areas, including mobile phone operating systems and software, natural language processing technology, online content management, battery components, medical devices, and financial services. She was previously an attorney at Robins Kaplan LLP.
Ethan Schultz L’05 joined Latham & Watkins LLP as a Partner working on energy transactions in the firm’s Houston and Washington, D.C., offices. He joined the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice as well as its Energy and Infrastructure group. Schultz counsels investors and project developers on acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, and other transactions in the energy and infrastructure space, with a focus on renewable energy. He spent the previous 16 years at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP. Schultz’s notable past work includes his representation of J.P. Morgan Asset Management on a 2016 deal to purchase a solar power developer and his representation of NorthWestern Corp. on its $900 million purchase of 11 hydroelectric facilities in Montana. Meredith Slawe L’05 joined Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP as Partner in the firm’s Mass Torts, Insurance and Consumer litigation group. She previously co-chaired Cozen O’Connor’s Class Action group and has defended clients against class actions involving privacy, false advertising and Telephone Consumer Protection Act claims. She also helps clients with mass arbitration efforts.
The Honorable Valerie Figueredo L’06 was appointed to serve as the newest federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She was previously an appellate specialist in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, where she served since 2017. Judge Figueredo also previously worked as an Assistant Solicitor General for the state attorney general’s office. She has argued a broad array of civil appeals raising contract, labor, employment discrimination and equal protection claims in state and federal court. She has also written amicus briefs on behalf of multi-state coalitions before the U.S. Supreme Court. Magistrate judges, known for their ability to streamline the court’s caseload, are appointed by a majority vote of a court’s active district judges. They serve eight-year terms and are tasked with facilitating the disposition of certain civil and criminal cases, particularly by handling pretrial motions and hearings, and can preside over certain civil trials with the consent of the parties.
Sharmaine Heng L’06 joined Nixon Peabody LLP’s Washington, D.C., office as Director of Pro Bono and Social Impact. She was previously Pro Bono Manager at Covington & Burling. In her new role, Heng develops and executes Nixon Peabody’s social impact strategic plan, which will streamline the firm’s charitable giving and pro bono work, along with other community impact work, such as volunteer activities. The firm’s pro bono work helps local community members navigate immigration disputes, protects domestic violence survivors, and helps veterans secure disability benefits. Heng is also a board member of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel and the Friends of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Jennifer Guerra L’07 joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC as a Partner in the firm’s Atlanta office. Her practice encompasses commercial and business litigation, and in particular, the counseling and representation of lawyers, accountants, and other professionals. Her practice covers real estate, trusts and estates, corporate governance, tax, audit and data privacy and security. Having been a general liability litigator for almost a decade, Guerra is particularly skilled in representing lawyers as plaintiffs or defendants. She also handles product liability, insurance coverage and other substantial litigation matters in both state and federal court. Guerra was previously a Partner at Copeland, Stair, Kingma & Lovell, LLP.
Clare Putnam Pozos L’07 joined Dechert LLP’s litigation practice as a Partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office. She was previously First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and also served in other leadership capacities, including as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Attorney, Chair of the Office’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and as a senior member of the Hiring Committee. During her time in leadership, Pozos oversaw the investigation and prosecution of cases involving a wide variety of federal crimes, including securities, commodities, insurance, health care, pandemic-related fraud, and other complex frauds, insider trading, public corruption, cybercrime, and asset forfeiture. Prior to her appointment as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Pozos was lead counsel in over 40 trials and 17 appeals, with a focus on investigating and prosecuting cases involving the dark web, cryptocurrency, cybercrime, and opioids. She received numerous Special Achievement Awards for her trial and investigative work, including recognition by the Office of National Drug Control Policy for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Outstanding Opioid Investigative Effort in both 2018 and 2019. Pozos was recently named among City & State’s 2021 “Pennsylvania 40 under 40.”
Brandon Skosnik L’07 joined Tucker Arensberg as Senior Counsel at the firm’s Pittsburgh headquarters. He focuses his practice on transactional law and privacy and data security. Skosnik is certified as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP®) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. In addition to previously serving firms in Silicon Valley, his technical background includes serving as in-house counsel for an engineering consulting firm and most recently acting as in-house legal counsel for North America for a global access control technology company.
Kirsten White L’07, a Partner at Fox Rothschild, has been selected as a Northeast Trailblazer by The American Lawyer. She was recognized for developing legal strategies that position the firm’s private education and legalized cannabis sector clients ahead of growing unionization pressures, allowing them to forge productive labor-management relationships that advance their business goals. Working alongside colleagues in Fox’s Cannabis Law Practice, White provides extensive labor relations counseling for one of the country’s largest retailers of legal cannabis, which operates in six states and employs hundreds of workers represented by different local affiliates of one of the industry’s largest and most influential international unions. White’s work for educational institutions comes as K-12 independent schools increasingly face unionization efforts. White also counsels higher education institutions in matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act — including with respect to employer bargaining obligations related to COVID-19 protocols and other pandemic-related labor-management issues.
Brooke Alexander L’08 was promoted to Partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP’s Armonk, New York office. She practices complex commercial litigation, with a focus on class action and First Amendment matters. Alexander manages cases across multiple fronts, including internal investigations, media strategy, regulatory agency involvement, law enforcement investigations, and alternative dispute resolution. She has in-depth experience in the areas of insurance, medical devices, business valuation, false advertising, and defamation. She also works with the firm’s pro bono practice.
Justin Duda L’08 was promoted to Partner at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP. His practice area is commercial litigation, and he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and financing matters. Duda acts as outside counsel to regional clients, whom he regularly advised in contractual and corporate governance matters. He also represents institutional trustees and high net worth individuals looking to take advantage of Delaware’s comprehensive trust laws and highly regarded court system, including transfers of trust situs, decantings, and trust modifications.
Maureen Linch L’08 returned to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in its San Francisco office after serving as a Partner for more than a decade at Morrison & Foerster LLP. As a tax Partner at the firm, Linch handles tax aspects of transactional matters and structuring and planning for companies at all stages. Additionally, she has experience with tax law in renewable energy investments and bankruptcies and restructurings.
Daren Shaver L’08 was promoted to Partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, an AmLaw 200 law firm, for all of California. Shaver joined the firm’s Business Section in 2019. His experience includes matters spanning areas such as fund formation, tax credits, real estate, venture capital, partnerships, and tax-exempt entities, which includes federal and state income tax matters.
Christopher DeNicola L’09 was promoted to Counsel at Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky LLP, where he represents U.S. and international companies in complex litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution proceedings.
Miriam Nemeth L’09 has been promoted to Litigation Director at Advancement Project, a racial justice nonprofit in Washington, D.C. She had been a senior staff attorney, Deputy Director of the justice project, and most recently Acting Director of that project. Previously, Nemeth worked in the Civil Rights and Employment group at Cohen Milstein and at Goodman & Hurwitz, a police brutality boutique law firm in Detroit.
2010s
Nathan Denning L’10 was named a Partner at Wiggin and Dana LLP’s New York office, which he joined in January 2021. His litigation practice involves various individual and corporate legal concerns, ranging from mergers and acquisitions to bankruptcy and antitrust issues. He has also represented commercial and individual clients facing U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations. His expertise in these fields led to him co-writing a book chapter on disclosure issues during SEC enforcement proceedings.
Jonathan Ellis L’10 joined McGuireWoods as a Partner in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., and co-leader of the firm’s appeals and issues team. He was previously Assistant to the Solicitor General, a role in which he argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and was the primary author of dozens of briefs filed with the high court. He briefed and argued cases involving patent, copyright, ERISA, international arbitration, telecommunications, securities, administrative, and constitutional law. At McGuireWoods, Ellis co-leads an appellate team recognized nationally for achieving critical victories in high-stakes cases, helping clients reverse losses and defend significant wins, and providing critical guidance on clients’ most difficult legal issues wherever they arise. He is also a member of the firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation department.
Aileen Fair L’10 joined Law360’s 2022 Health Care Editorial Advisory Board. The board provides feedback on Law360‘s coverage and expert insight on how best to shape future coverage. Fair is Senior Corporate Counsel of litigation and government investigations, antitrust, and competition law at Bristol Myers Squibb.
David Schecter L’10 was appointed Partner at Miller Barondess LLP in Los Angeles. He is a trial attorney whose practice focuses on media, technology, entertainment, and environmental litigation. Throughout his career, he has represented numerous prominent businesses and individuals, including celebrities and musical groups. His recent victories include securing an arbitration award that voided restrictive covenants and allowed former employees of a multi-billion-dollar investment company to form a competing business. He also obtained a $3 million settlement on the eve of trial in a police shooting case, among others.
Rochelle Thomas L’10 was promoted to Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., which is a net lease real estate investment trust that invests in single-tenant, operationally essential real estate. In connection with the promotion, Thomas became a member of Spirit’s Executive Leadership Team and a voting member of Spirit’s Investment Committee. She previously served as the company’s Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel with primary responsibility for the legal division, including advising on real estate, corporate and securities, litigation, insurance, human capital management, and ESG issues. She is a founding member of Spirit’s Diversity Council and Women’s Leadership Council and has been a principal driver in Spirit’s ESG efforts.
Linda Ann Bartosch L’11 was promoted to Partner at Dechert, where she focuses her practice on a broad range of real estate finance, structured finance, and investment matters. Her expertise includes the purchase, sale, financing, and servicing of single-family rental portfolios, residential mortgage loans, bridge loans, mortgage servicing rights, and other types of commercial and consumer-facing products related to residential properties, with a particular focus on securitizations. In addition, she advises clients on construction lending and lease financing. Bartosch joined Dechert as an associate in 2011.
M. Shams Billah L’11 was elected Partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP’s New York office, where he is a member of the firm’s Banking & Financial Services practice group. He maintains a broad corporate finance practice and is one of the few practitioners in the field that equally represents both lenders and borrowers, providing full-service representation on the entire life cycle of a debt transaction, including thorough restructurings and bankruptcies. Billah has particular experience in acquisition finance and private credit transactions and is an award-winning thought leader in the niche practice area of Islamic finance. In the past decade, Billah has advised on over $250 billion of transactions for lenders and corporate borrowers globally.
Frank Olander C’07, L’11 was promoted to Special Counsel at Schulte Roth & Zabel in New York. He focuses his practice on the representation of private funds and investment advisers in connection with their structuring, formation, and ongoing operational needs and regulatory and compliance matters. Olander practices in the areas of complex commercial, real estate, bankruptcy, and securities litigation in federal and state courts and a variety of alternative dispute resolution venues, including AAA and JAMS arbitrations. He has represented public companies, private companies, individuals, and financial services industry clients, including financial institutions, hedge funds, and private equity finds in a wide range of commercial disputes.
Jason Busch L’11 was promoted to Partner at Paul Hastings LLP’s Houston office. He focuses on commercial lending, leveraged finance, and other financial transactions, primarily in the energy industry.
Adam Cohen L’11 was promoted to Partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. He is an M&A lawyer in New York who worked with Catalent Inc. on its $1 billion purchase of Bettera Brands LLC from Highlander Partners LP last year as well as Suntex Marinas Investors LLC on a recapitalization led by Centerbridge Partners LP and Resilience Capital Partners LLC.
Katherine Unger Davis GEd’06, GEd’08, L’11 was promoted to Partner at Dechert. She joined the firm as an associate in 2013, and her practice areas include litigation, complex commercial litigation, appellate, products liability and mass torts, and trials.
Mike Gorenstein L’11, founder of Cronos Group Inc., returned to the global cannabinoid company as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cronos until September 2020, when he transitioned to the Executive Chairman role. His immediate areas of focus include delivering margin accretive growth focusing on adult-use product formats; continuing to drive rare cannabinoid development and commercialization strategy; cutting costs and focusing investments to the highest ROI opportunities; and leading a successful transition from Peace Naturals Campus to a more agile supply chain. In addition, Gorenstein is a co-founder and passive member of Gotham Green Partners.
Stephanie Hoffmann GR’11, L’11 was elevated to Partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Nashville, Tennessee, office. She is a member of the firm’s Healthcare Practice group where she serves clients on an array of regulatory, operational, and transactional matters. She regularly assists hospitals, healthcare systems, and other provider types with mergers and acquisitions, particularly in connection with the complex licensure and regulatory questions that arise during transactions. Hoffman also advises clients on Medicare and Medicaid certification, compliance, and payment matters, as well as out-of-network balance billing law and other issues affecting provider payment.
Abe Kwon C’08, G’11, L’11 joined Troutman Pepper’s Philadelphia office as a Partner in the corporate practice team. Kwon advises emerging private companies with initial formation, throughout their life cycle and including any exits through acquisition or initial public offerings. He specializes in the health care, life science, and technology industries. He was previously an attorney at Cooley LLC.
Doha Mekki GR’11, L’11 was named the permanent Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, after she took on the role on an acting basis in November 2021. Mekki is leading the DOJ’s first-ever criminal prosecution of alleged wage-fixing agreements, which was set for trial in April. In that case, the government has accused executives of a physical therapist staffing company of violating antitrust laws when they allegedly entered into an agreement with a competing staffing company to lower rates paid to physical therapists and physical therapist assistants for in-home care visits in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Mekki joined the Antitrust Division in 2015 as a trial attorney. From 2018 to 2020, she was detailed to the Assistant Attorney General’s Office, focusing on civil antitrust enforcement and criminal enforcement in labor markets. From 2020 until 2021, she served as an Assistant Chief in the Antitrust Division’s Defense, Industrials and Aerospace Section. Last year, she served concurrently as the division’s Special Counsel for Labor.
Remy Nshimiyimana LPS’08, L’11 was promoted to Partner at Faegre Drinker, where he is a corporate attorney at the firm’s Philadelphia office.
Jacob Sand L’11 was promoted to Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP’s Philadelphia office. His practice focuses on matters involving restrictive covenants, theft of intellectual property, allegations of institutional negligence, employment disputes, shareholder disputes, false and deceptive advertising claims, hacking and cybersecurity incidents, contract disputes, and defective products.
Amy Vegari L’11 was promoted to Partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, a New York-based law firm. An attorney in the firm’s litigation department, she focuses on complex commercial litigation and antitrust law. Her practice includes class action defense, white collar defense and investigations, and pharmaceutical litigation. Vegari represents clients through all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation counseling, mediation, trial, and appeal.
Sharon Cohen L’12 was promoted to Partner at Davis+Gilbert LLP.
Wai Choy L’12, a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, has been named a Rising Star by Law360. Choy played a lead role in advising on some of the most significant recent transactions at the intersection of media and technology, including the $43 billion merger between AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc., earning him a spot among the media and entertainment attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
Ian Nussbaum L’12 has been named a Rising Star by Law360. Nussbaum is a Partner at Cooley LLP. He helped represent Tableau in its $15.7 billion sale to Salesforce and advised NeoPhotonics on its $918 million deal with Lumentum, earning him a spot among the mergers and acquisitions practitioners under the age of 40 honored by Law360.
Pedro Gassant L’12, a Partner at Holland & Knight, was selected to represent the firm as a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) 2022 class of Fellows, participating in a landmark program created to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. LCLD is an organization of more than 400 members who serve as either General Counsel of major corporations or Managing Partners of the nation’s leading law firms, who are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. Gassant is a Miami governmental advocacy and development attorney who focuses his practice on land use, zoning, and procurement matters. Specifically, he handles Comprehensive Development Master Plan amendments, zoning district boundary changes, variance applications, Environmental Quality Control Board applications concerning septic tank and diesel fuel variances and approvals of sewage treatment package plants, and other matters in Miami-Dade County and the 34 municipalities within the county.
Vincent Ling GR’12, L’12 was promoted to Partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson. At the firm’s Los Angeles office, he focuses on intellectual property litigation and counseling, including patent infringement and trade secret matters. He has represented clients across a range of industries, spanning biopharmaceuticals, wireless communications, and computer technologies. Ling joined the firm after clerking for the Honorable Sharon Prost of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Marc Rogers L’12 was promoted to Partner at Davis+Gilbert LLP.
Christine Paik Choi L’13 joined The Walt Disney Company as Associate Principal Counsel–Consumer Products, Games, and Publishing, where she combines her IP legal experience with her operational book experience. Prior to joining Disney, she was a tech and IP transactions lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges before changing careers to become a production editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Armin Ghiam L’13 was promoted to Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s New York office. Ghiam focuses his practice on litigation, counseling, and prosecution in the fields of trademark, patent, and copyright law. With an international background in law, finance, and technology, he helps companies understand the complexities of intellectual property law to make important business decisions and achieve their objectives.
Sydney Scott L’13 joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s Houston office as a Partner in commercial litigation. Her work involves commercial litigation in the energy, chemical, and construction industries, as well as white collar investigations. Scott spent the previous five years as a Partner with Smyser Kaplan & Veselka LLP.
Margot Campbell L’14 joined Rule Garza Howley LLP, a Washington, D.C.-based boutique antitrust law firm, as a Founding Partner. She was previously Senior Counsel for Competition Law at Johnson & Johnson, where she provided cross-sector legal advice supporting the global antitrust review of the company’s mergers and acquisitions, counseled the business with respect to general antitrust matters, and drove training and policy initiatives. Campbell has significant experience advising clients on antitrust compliance, mergers and acquisitions, conducting investigations, and in litigation brought by regulatory agencies, as well as in private antitrust litigation.
Daniel Blumenthal L’14 was promoted to Special Counsel at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. He is a fund formation lawyer at the firm’s Investment Management group and focuses on the representation of private funds and investment advisers in connection with their structuring, formation and ongoing operational needs, and on regulatory and compliance matters.
Jackie Hamilton L’14 was named a Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice. She has extensive transactional experience, having represented clients in both public and private mergers, stock purchases, asset acquisitions, tender and exchange offers, SPAC transactions, and other strategic corporate transactions. In addition, she has counseled privately and publicly held companies on general corporate governance and disclosure matters.
Daniel Levin C’11, L’14 was promoted to Partner at Cozen O’Connor’s New York office. Levin practices commercial real estate in New York with a particular emphasis on real estate finance and acquisitions, as well as dispositions of properties. He has advised lenders and borrowers on construction loans, balance sheet loans, syndicated loan transactions, leasehold finance, mezzanine loans, and loan modifications in connection with distressed real estate.
Alex Potter GR’14, L’14 was promoted to Counsel at Roche Freedman LLP’s New York office. Potter is a litigator with broad experience in high-stakes commercial litigation and arbitration at both the trial and appellate levels. He has litigated several cases worth hundreds of millions of dollars from inception through trial before AAA and ICC tribunals and in federal and state courts, often involving complex issues of foreign law. Potter has also assisted in briefing numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, both on behalf of parties and amici curiae.
Harper Seldin C’11, L’14 was promoted to Partner at Cozen O’Connor’s Philadelphia office. Seldin practices business litigation, commercial disputes, and complex litigation, representing large public and privately held corporations in contract disputes in federal and state court.
Steve Stoute L’14 was named the 25th President of Canisius College, with his tenure beginning July 1. He was previously Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff at DePaul University in Chicago. Stoute joined DePaul, the largest Catholic university in the country, in June 2018 to serve as Chief of Staff, and he had served as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives since June 2020. In his role, Stoute served as the university president’s senior adviser. His responsibilities included facilitating the implementation of the university’s strategic plan, leading transformative institutional projects, as well as serving as administrative liaison to the board of trustees on key executive and strategic matters. An attorney, Stoute previously worked as an Associate specializing in corporate and securities matters at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia. His higher education experience includes work at Princeton University, first as an Assistant Director of the Princeton Varsity Club in the Department of Athletics and later as a capital giving officer in the office of development. He was the life skills coordinator in the Department of Athletics at the University of Southern California. Stoute currently serves as a member of the Penn Carey Law Alumni Society Board of Managers.
Sean Williamson L’14 was elected Partner at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP’s Louisville office. Williamson is a member of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Service Team, where he represents a broad range of clients in a variety of complex commercial disputes, including products liability and warranty matters, fiduciary litigation, and class actions. In addition, Williamson works closely with the firm’s Intellectual Property Protection & Litigation Service Team, assisting businesses and innovators with the protection of valuable, competitive information, such as trade secrets and non-competition issues.
Sheehan Band L’15 was selected to participate in the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) Sources of Success professional development program designed to help create a strong pipeline of diverse legal leaders. He is a Financial Markets Litigation and Enforcement Senior Associate at Katten, where he also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Committee for Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CRED). The yearlong MCCA program, tailored for mid-level attorneys from corporate legal departments and law firms, focuses on identifying successful career management and effective communication strategies, and developing leadership and management skills. At Katten, Band concentrates his practice on litigation and enforcement matters with a focus on the financial services industry and regulatory and internal investigations. He also advises clients on the developing laws and regulations related to cryptoassets and blockchain technology, and regularly participates on panels and authors articles in that space. As CRED Co-Chair, Band collaborates with firm leadership on firm-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He is also recruits and mentors diverse junior and summer associates, maintains an active pro bono practice, and sits on the board of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Pan-Asian advocacy organization.
Stephane Essama L’16, WG’16 was promoted to Principal at Flexpoint Ford, where he has been a member of the firm’s financial services private equity team. He joined Flexpoint Ford in 2018 as a Vice President and is currently involved in several Flexpoint portfolio companies, including AFH Financial Group.
Connor Lynch L’16 joined Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Delaware office as an Associate in the firm’s corporate practice. Lynch focuses his practice on matters involving Delaware limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and general partnerships. He advises on transactional matters, and renders legal opinions in connection with investment funds, structured finance transactions, mergers, and other transactions. Lynch handles matters involving Delaware alternative entities with respect to formation, operation, governance, dissolution, and enforceability matters. He was previously at Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.
Ralph Culpepper GED’18, L’18 joined Parker Poe’s Atlanta office as an Associate. He primarily focuses his practice on education law and employment litigation. He litigates at all levels, from state and federal trial courts to the appellate courts.
César Gálvez LLM’18 was appointed Partner at Chilean law firm Guerrero Olivos. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Capital Markets practice. Gálvez has specialized in local and international corporate transactions, debt issuances, restructurings, and international financing.
Leah Novak L’18 married Alex Walsh L’18 on July 5, 2021. During their time at the Law School, Novak served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and Walsh was the Managing Editor. Novak is currently in a clerking position and Walsh recently joined Gunderson Dettmer in New York.
2020s
Patricia Mundy ML’20 was named a Member of the Sentrx Ophthalmology Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Sentrx Animal Care, Inc., is an animal health company transforming complex biotechnologies into user-friendly care solutions supporting the long-term well-being of animals.
Matthew Copeland L’21 joined Bradley’s Nashville office as an Associate in the law firm’s Healthcare practice group.
Eli Levy L’21 joined Faegre Drinker’s Philadelphia office as an Associate. He practices insurance law.
Larissa Morgan GR’21, L’21 joined Faegre Drinker’s Philadelphia office as an Associate. She practices healthcare law.