Kelley Drye Announces New Partners

NEW YORK, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is pleased to announce the election of four new partners and the promotion of seven attorneys to special counsel. Levi M. Downing, Donnelly L. McDowell, Anne-Marie Mitchell, and Bezalel A. Stern will begin their tenure as partners effective July 1, 2021.

"This year's class of new partners has demonstrated unwavering commitment to our clients, especially when faced with the challenges of the past year," said Dana Rosenfeld, firm managing partner. "Each new partner embraces innovative approaches to client service, brings unique talents to the table, has the legal skills that make us confident in their ability to serve our clients with distinction, and illustrates Kelley Drye's ongoing commitment to recognizing and developing talent from within our ranks."

The newly elected Kelley Drye partners serve clients in the following areas:

Levi Downing (New York – Litigation): Levi's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation matters, including trademark, trade dress, copyright, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, breach of contract, fraud and employment related matters. He is experienced in international arbitration, including disputes involving bilateral investment treaty protections. Among his other representations, Levi was part of a team that successfully defended a major infant products company against a putative class action, which resulted in the complete dismissal of all claims on summary judgment. Additionally, he was part of a team that successfully represented a major construction company in bringing claims against a sovereign, resulting in a multi-million dollar arbitration award. Levi is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.

Donnelly McDowell (Washington, D.C. – Advertising): Donnelly's practice focuses on all aspects of advertising and consumer protection law with specialized concentrations in consumer finance, food and drug law, and direct sales and network marketing compliance. Donnelly's client work spans a range of industries including retail, e-commerce, payment processing, and manufacturing, distribution, and sale of FDA-regulated products and other consumer goods. He regularly represents clients in contested matters before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and state attorneys general, and represents challengers and advertisers before the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB). In addition to contested work, Donnelly provides regulatory advice and helps clients develop strategies to balance regulatory and litigation risk. He regularly advises on specialized areas such as food & drug law, consumer financial privacy, e-commerce transactions, rewards and loyalty programs, gift cards, and unclaimed property laws. He is admitted to practice in New York and Washington, D.C.

Anne-Marie Mitchell (New York – Litigation): Annie serves as counsel in a variety of commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts, including breach of contract, financial services, false advertising, environmental and mass torts, copyright and trademark infringement matters, and contested matters in bankruptcy litigation. She also frequently guides and advises clients through internal and government investigations relating to potential white collar crimes and violations of federal criminal laws. Along with other representations, Annie assisted in the representation of JPMorgan Chase Bank in a lawsuit brought by the unsecured creditors' committee in bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York for the return of $1.4 billion in payments made by the estate of General Motors to the bank and other secured creditors of GM. Annie is admitted to practice in Louisiana and New York.

Bezalel Stern (Washington, D.C. – Litigation): Bez is a seasoned litigator, specializing in commercial litigation, class action defense, and advertising litigation and arbitration. Bez has represented a diverse array of clients in a wide variety of matters at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts, and in arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB). Bez is adept at translating complex issues into understandable written and oral narratives for courts, arbitrators, and juries. In addition to his work related to advertising and class action defense, Bez has extensive experience representing and advising clients in environmental and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) matters, telecommunications-related matters, matters related to complex business affairs (including business divorce), litigation and arbitration related to alleged employer or employee misconduct, defamation actions, disputes related to literary rights, litigation and enforcement proceedings in the communications industry, and internal investigations. He is admitted to practice in Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C. 

Diana Hamar, Jason P. Katz, Maeghan J. McLoughlin, Sandra M. Rodriguez, Lana Rowenko, James B. Saylor, and Scott M. Wise were promoted to special counsel.

About Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Founded in 1836, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is home to more than 300 skilled practitioners offering client counseling in over 100 established and emerging legal specialties covering regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. Our clients range from Fortune 100 companies to small start-ups, and cover a wide range of industries including manufacturing, consumer products, energy, agriculture, transportation, communications and technology, real estate, financial services, and insurance. A powerhouse firm with the heart of a boutique, Kelley Drye values the success of our clients above all. We are practical in our advice and creative in our approach. Visit us at  www.kelleydrye.com for more information.

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