PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that it has promoted 14 associates and special counsel in seven of the firm's practice groups to the firm partnership.
These newly named partners are located in 10 of the firm's offices and are as follows:
- Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring Practice Group: Sommer L. Ross in Wilmington.
- Corporate Practice Group: Miles L. Plaskett in Miami.
- Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group: Christopher D. Durham in Philadelphia.
- Energy, Environment and Resources Practice Group: Jolie-Anne S. Ansley in San Francisco.
- Intellectual Property Practice Group: Christiane Schuman Campbell in Philadelphia; Alison Haddock Hutton in Atlanta; Gregory M. Lefkowitz in Boca Raton; and Manita Rawat in Las Vegas.
- Real Estate Practice Group: Gregory P. Duffy in Philadelphia.
- Trial Practice Group: Jennifer Briggs Fisher in San Francisco; Evan Michailidis in New York; Gerald J. Schirato in Pittsburgh; Christopher L. Soriano in Cherry Hill; and Sean S. Zabaneh in Philadelphia.
Jolie-Anne S. Ansley focuses her practice on environmental, water and energy law, representing both public entities and private clients in judicial and administrative proceedings, as well as in transactional matters. Her work includes complex science and technical matters, which are particularly aided by her professional background as a wildland resource scientist. Ansley is a 2002 graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she was a member of the Hastings Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (M.S., Wildland Resource Science) and the University of Michigan (B.S., Resource Ecology and Management).
Christiane Schuman Campbell practices in the area of intellectual property law. She has extensive experience with trademark maintenance and enforcement, including enforcement over the Internet. Her trademark litigation experience also includes matters before the TTAB and collaborating with counsel outside the U.S. on foreign opposition and cancellation actions. Campbell has particular experience in representing clients' trademark interests in China. Recently, she was named chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Intellectual Property Section. She is a 2005 graduate of Franklin Pierce Law Center, where she obtained both a J.D. and a master's degree in Intellectual Property, and a graduate of Bucknell University.
Gregory P. Duffy practices in the areas of real estate, general corporate law and corporate governance. Duffy's practice includes equity and land sales acquisitions and dispositions; commercial financing; commercial leasing for national and international businesses representing both landlords and tenants; multi-family housing and hotel sales and development; business organization; and corporate governance reviews. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York, Duffy is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was executive editor of the Law Review. Duffy is also a 2001 graduate from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Christopher D. Durham practices in the area of employment law, counseling and representing clients in a variety of employment issues and matters. He represents businesses in administrative proceedings and litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, counsels businesses on affirmative action compliance and the development and implementation of affirmative action programs and defends businesses in audits and investigations by state and federal departments of labor. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Durham is a 2005 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was articles editor of the Journal of Labor and Employment Law, and a graduate of Miami University.
Jennifer Briggs Fisher practices in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations, regulatory compliance and complex commercial litigation. Fisher has represented corporations and individuals in proceedings involving antitrust offenses, environmental violations, customs fraud, health care, government contract disputes and other federal regulatory investigations. She also specializes in complex business litigation. Prior to entering law school, Fisher worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and was the deputy finance director for his 2000 election campaign. She is a 2005 graduate of Boston College Law School and a graduate of Boston College.
Alison Haddock Hutton practices in the area of intellectual property law with an emphasis on patent litigation. Hutton has represented clients in matters related to semiconductor fabrication, wireless LAN and telecommunication systems and standards, among others. Hutton also has an active pro bono practice, particularly in the area of voting rights law. A 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, she was a semifinalist in the William Minor Lile Moot Court competition, a member of the Mock Trial team and managing editor of the Virginia Law Weekly. She received a bachelor of arts degree from Duke University, which she attended on a B.N. Duke full tuition scholarship.
Gregory M. Lefkowitz practices in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyright law. He represents clients in a wide range of intellectual property litigation matters at all levels of the federal court system, as well as appeals and inter partes reviews before the U.S. Patent Office. Prior to entering the practice of law, Lefkowitz was a research scientist at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he led teams developing material and chemical technologies and was a co-inventor of five patents. He is a 2006 graduate of the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. He also holds a B.S. with honors in chemical engineering from the University of Florida.
Evan Michailidis practices in the area of litigation, with a focus on complex commercial matters, representing clients in a wide range of proceedings nationally and around the world. His areas of experience include: domestic and international white-collar criminal defense, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations; internal corporate investigations; class action defense; foreclosure; products liability; bankruptcy litigation; immigration; and employment litigation. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association's Restaurant and Hospitality Committee. He was selected as a Rising Star by New York Super Lawyers in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Michailidis is a graduate of Emory Law School and Columbia University.
Miles L. Plaskett focuses his practice on corporate and municipal finance, including project finance, with an emphasis on renewable energy and infrastructure projects, many of them in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. He has appeared before the Virgin Islands Legislature, the Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission, the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority and the Virgin Islands Division of Coastal Zone Management on behalf of corporate, development and financial services clients. Plaskett is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He is a 1988 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a graduate of Georgetown University.
Manita Rawat practices in the area of intellectual property law and litigation. As a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Rawat has significant experience in patent preparation and prosecution, working primarily with mechanical, aerospace and software technologies. She also has significant experience with trademark and copyright prosecution, patent and trademark litigation and commercial litigation. She has a technical background in biochemistry and applied mathematics with concentrations in computer science, aerospace engineering and statistical analysis. Rawat is a 2005 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno.
Sommer L. Ross practices in the area of business reorganization and financial restructuring, representing chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, chapter 7 trustees, creditors' committees and large institutional creditors, secured and unsecured, in all facets of bankruptcies, restructurings and workouts. She has represented Fortune 100 companies, as well as small startups, in a wide variety of industries. Ross also has extensive experience dealing with commercial mortgage foreclosures throughout Pennsylvania. Ross is a 2004 graduate of Rutgers University School of Law, where she was a member of the Rutgers Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of Delaware.
Gerald J. Schirato represents clients in complex commercial litigation with a focus on property tax relief, non-compete, trade secrets and banking. He has represented banks, lenders and loan servicers in lender litigation and liability actions, predatory lending claims, and federal consumer class and individual actions, including actions under the Fair Debt Collection Law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. He has extensive experience representing clients in products liability, toxic torts, real estate and construction litigation. Schirato is a 2005 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was managing editor of Vanderbilt Law Review, and a graduate of Dickinson College.
Christopher L. Soriano concentrates his practice on gaming law and commercial litigation in the firm's Trial Practice Group. He represents a wide range of stakeholders in the gaming industry, including casinos, private equity and hedge funds, lottery companies, gaming technology manufacturers and equipment suppliers and individuals, in all aspects of the licensing and regulatory process. As a litigator, he has handled complex class actions, consumer fraud cases, public contracting disputes, construction matters, administrative complaints and special education cases. A 2003 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, he was business editor of Temple Law Review. He is also a 2000 graduate of George Washington University.
Sean Zabaneh is a member of the Commercial, Securities and Antitrust Litigation Section of the firm's Trial Practice Group. He represents a diverse group of clients, including public and private companies, financial institutions, venture capitalists and private equity funds in securities and corporate governance, antitrust and distribution issues, breach of contract and trade secret litigation. He regularly advises clients with respect to business transactions, including the negotiation and drafting of complex distribution, franchise, real estate, and stock purchase agreements. He is a 2005 graduate of Washington University School of Law and 2001 graduate of Case Western Reserve University.
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