Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan Builds on Nationwide Growth With Opening of New England Office

MILWAUKEE, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP, now the nation's largest certified minority-owned law firm, announced today it has opened a New England office located in Boston.

Joining the firm in the Boston office are Ferdinand "Fred" Alvaro, Jr., Partner-in-Charge; Judith Melideo-Preble, Partner; John C. Molloy, Jr., Of Counsel; Dr. Kenneth F. Whittaker, Partner; and William L. Parker, Partner.

"We share the same client focus, core values, and commitment to real diversity with our colleagues at Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan," said Fred Alvaro. "And we intend to be a center of excellence for environmental, real estate, transactional, and litigation practice areas throughout New England."

Mr. Alvaro has devoted much of his career to counseling businesses and executing complex business transactions as both an attorney and a businessman. He was previously Vice President and General Counsel of BOC Process Systems, a multi-billion-dollar organization with offices in 60 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region. He also served as CEO of Cantarell Nitrogen Company, a consortium of U.S., U.K., Mexican, German, and Japanese companies organized to develop a $1 billion infrastructure project in Mexico. Mr. Alvaro holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.B.A. from Pace University. He has been named one of Boston's top lawyers and one of the most influential Latinos in Massachusetts.

Judith Melideo-Preble concentrates in real estate law, representing lenders, purchasers, and sellers of residential and commercial real estate. She advises small businesses in entity organization and transactional matters and counsels individuals in estate planning. Ms. Melideo-Preble holds a LL.M from Boston University Law School, a J.D. from Suffolk Law School, and a B.A., cum laude, from Regis College. She served as past-president of board of directors of the John M. Barry Boys and Girls Club of Newton.

John C. Molloy, Jr. specializes in security law, with a particular focus on investment funds, investment advisers, and broker-dealers. He has extensive experience advising investment funds and their related management companies in all aspects of the investment management business, including fund formation, dealing with state and federal regulators, assisting with securities sales, and developing compliance procedures. He has also gained experience while practicing at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Skadden Arps, and Goodwin Procter.  Mr. Molloy has a J.D. from Boston University Law School and a B.A. from Tufts University. Previously, he was an active and reserve member of the United State Marine Corps.

Kenneth Whittaker holds a doctorate in civil/environmental engineering and has extensive technical experience as a senior engineer, program manager, remedial technology specialist, and expert witness with national environmental consulting firms. Dr. Whittaker concentrates his legal practice in compliance assistance, contaminated property assessment, remediation and development, defense in state and federal enforcement proceedings, and environmental/real estate permitting. He has provided legal and technical assistance related to the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, RCRA, the Oil Pollution Act and other federal environmental statutes – as well as the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection, Environmental Policy, Coastal Zone Management, and Clean Air Acts. Dr. Whittaker holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law; a Ph.D., in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Purdue University; a M.S. in Engineering from the University of Florida; and a B.S., cum laude, in Chemistry from the University of Vermont. He serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions and the HW Open Land Trust.

William L. Parker focuses on state and federal environmental law and litigation, administrative law and litigation, commercial and complex litigation, and energy law. He has advised numerous clients on environmental issues, including serving as senior associate to the Joint Defense Group of petroleum producers in Acushnet Company, et al. v. Amoco et al. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he represented the government in more than one hundred criminal and civil cases involving the Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, its Massachusetts counterpart, and other environmental statutes. As an assistant regional counsel in the Hazardous Waste Management Section of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Parker represented the agency in numerous cases. He holds a M.S. from HULT International Business School; a M.A.L.D. from Tufts University, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; a J.D. from the University of New York at Buffalo Law School; and a B.A. from Amherst College. He is a board member of Freedom House and on the board of trustees of Boston Architectural College.

"These outstanding lawyers extend our national footprint and enable us to provide clients with outstanding representation across New England," said Emery Harlan, Managing Partner, Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan.

About Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan

Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP (www.gshllp.com) is a nationwide law firm with 18 offices located in Atlanta; Boston; Boca Raton, Fla.; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; West Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Nashville, Tenn.; New York; Phoenix; Stamford, CT; Washington D.C.; and Wayne, N.J. The firm represents midsized to Fortune 100 companies, governmental entities, and individuals in the areas of litigation, employment, environmental, corporate and transactional, public finance, intellectual property, energy and regulatory, immigration, and estate and asset protection planning. As the nation's largest certified minority-owned law firm, Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan practices law with a commitment to quality, diversity and to the communities it serves.

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