LeClairRyan Adds Ten "Bet-The-Company" Trial Attorneys to Bolster New Jersey Presence and Firm-Wide Litigation Practice

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- LeClairRyan has announced the addition of ten attorneys and five professional staff to its Newark office.

Joining the national law firm's litigation department as partners are Jeffrey O'Hara, Matthew Bauer, Bryan Couch and Matthew Schultz.  Also joining the firm in this transition are six associates, one law clerk, two paralegals and two professional staff members.  All are formerly of Clyde & Co. and previously, Connell Foley.

"Through the addition of our new colleagues, we are significantly increasing the experienced, complex litigation and trial services that LeClairRyan is able to offer," said David Freinberg, the firm's chief executive officer. "These highly talented trial attorneys will be incredibly beneficial to solving our clients' business challenges, whether their legal needs are in New Jersey or anywhere in the nation."

LeClairRyan's Litigation Department Chair C. Erik Gustafson said, "There is a long-standing personal and working relationship between our firm and this team.  As such, there is a great deal of mutual respect for the caliber of our trial practices. This is very exciting for our litigation teams."  Newark Office Leader Paul Drobbin added, "We are extremely pleased and fortunate to have them join our firm in the Newark office.  The experience and skill set that they bring complements the full spectrum of services we offer.  We are thrilled to have them join our ranks."

This team will become an integral part of LeClairRyan's commercial litigation, corporate litigation, and professional liability and transportation practices. They also have deep-seated experience in franchise litigation, products liability and toxic tort claims.  O'Hara and his team focus primarily on defending casualty cases involving large exposure, catastrophic events.  Collectively, they have handled approximately 100 trials with 65 verdicts and are four-time recipients of the "Bullseye Barrister" award for outstanding trial service from a Fortune 100 national retailer. 

Bauer, Couch and Schultz are graduates of the prestigious International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy at Stanford Law School.  Catherine Bryan, who is also joining LeClairRyan as an associate in this move, is a graduate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Trial College at Princeton University.  O'Hara has served as faculty for both IADC and ABOTA.

"We chose to join LeClairRyan for a number of reasons, but one of the most compelling was becoming a part of a highly entrepreneurial, growing law firm," said O'Hara.  "LeClairRyan's geographic footprint and nationwide reach will benefit our clients.  We will continue to provide effective and efficient services to them, and look forward to working with our new colleagues in developing professional growth opportunities for the firm.  This is a very exciting time for all of us."

LeClairRyan's Newark office, established in 2008 through a merger with Seiden & Wayne, now has 101 employees, which includes 57 lawyers.

About LeClairRyan
As a trusted advisor, LeClairRyan provides business counsel and client representation in corporate law and litigation.  In this role, the firm applies its knowledge, insight and skill to help clients achieve their business objectives while managing and minimizing their legal risks, difficulties and expenses.  With offices in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the firm has approximately 350 attorneys representing a wide variety of clients throughout the nation.  For more information about LeClairRyan, visit www.leclairryan.com.

SOURCE LeClairRyan