Cohen & Grigsby Adds Further Depth to Practice Areas, Welcomes Attorneys Clifford Levine and Alice Mitinger to Pittsburgh Office

PITTSBURGH, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohen & Grigsby, a business law firm with headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA and an office in Bonita Springs, FL, is pleased to announce that the following highly experienced attorneys have joined Cohen & Grigsby's Pittsburgh offices:

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• Clifford B. Levine joins Cohen & Grigsby with extensive experience in complex commercial and governmental litigation, as well as land use development, environmental, energy and construction litigation and counseling.  Levine has a statewide practice involving all phases of land use and governmental law.  He has been a featured speaker and active practitioner with current issues such as Marcellus Shale, eminent domain and takings, regulatory preemption and constitutional limitations to land use controls.  He also has experience with the development of energy projects and environmentally sensitive industries.  He has been serving as lead counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in litigation involving fiscally distressed cities and has had considerable involvement with the laws governing municipalities and public authorities, including his past service as the vice chair of both the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission and its Zoning Board of Adjustment.  Levine has considerable political experience, having recently served as chair of President Barack Obama's Western Pennsylvania Steering Committee, and is currently a member of the President's National Advisory Board.  Levine served as statewide election law counsel to the Bob Casey for Senate campaign in 2006 and currently is acting in that capacity for the Dan Onorato for Governor campaign.  Levine, a member of the Allegheny County Academy of Trial Lawyers, has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America and as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, which identifies the top five percent of lawyers in the state.  He recently was named one of the 100 most politically influential individuals in Pennsylvania.  Levine received his J.D. from Duke University and his B.A. in economics from the State University of New York at Albany.

• Alice B. Mitinger joins Cohen & Grigsby with significant experience in land use litigation and development and with appellate, regulatory, administrative and election law issues.  Mitinger has appeared before governing bodies and zoning hearing boards throughout western Pennsylvania and recently served a three-year term on the Zoning Board of Adjustment for the City of Pittsburgh.  Mitinger has represented a wide variety of clients, including wireless telecommunications providers, landfill companies, independent power producers, real estate developers and the Commonwealth's Department of Community and Economic Development.  Highly active in the community, Mitinger currently serves as the president of the Board of Trustees of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and co-director of the Alumni Schools Committee of the Yale Club of Pittsburgh, among other roles.  Mitinger received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and her B.A. in history from Yale University.

"Cliff Levine and Alice Mitinger bring considerable experience in the areas of land use, energy and governmental law," said Jack Elliott, president and CEO of Cohen & Grigsby, PC.  "With the extensive number of legal issues concerning Marcellus Shale and other energy industries, Cliff and Alice greatly complement our practice in this area."

Levine indicated that he and Mitinger are very enthusiastic about joining Cohen & Grigsby.

"We are attracted to the breadth of experience and overall number of highly skilled lawyers, which will greatly enhance our practice and provide a great depth of service for our clients," said Levine. "We are looking forward to a long and productive association with such a fine firm."

Prior to joining the firm, both Levine and Mitinger were attorneys in the Pittsburgh office of Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP.  

ABOUT COHEN & GRIGSBY

Established in 1981 in Pittsburgh, PA, Cohen & Grigsby is a business law firm with headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Bonita Springs, FL.  Cohen & Grigsby attorneys cultivate a culture of performance by serving as business counselors as well as legal advisors to an extensive list of clients that includes private and publicly held businesses, nonprofits, multinational corporations, individuals and emerging companies.  The firm has more than 120 lawyers in seven practice groups – Business & Tax, Labor & Employment, Immigration/International Business, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights, and Estates & Trusts.  For more information, please visit www.cohenlaw.com.  

SOURCE Cohen & Grigsby