Wilson Elser Promotes 25 to Partner

NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading national law firm Wilson Elser has promoted 25 of counsel and associates to partner, effective January 1, 2020.

"On behalf of the firm, I congratulate our newest partners and the next generation of leaders," said Wilson Elser Chair Dan McMahon. "They have a deep understanding of our clients' businesses and industries and their contributions will continue to advance our firm's and our clients' success."

"Women comprise nearly half of our new partners, and that reflects Wilson Elser's commitment to developing and retaining women attorneys by strengthening their skills and providing career-advancing opportunities," said Carolyn O'Connor, New Jersey regional managing partner and chair of Wilson Elser's Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE) initiative.

O'Connor said the percentage of women in the 2020 promotion class exceeds the national average among the largest U.S. firms.

"Diversity and inclusion is a foundational value at Wilson Elser," McMahon added, "and this new class shows that our efforts ranging from recruitment to professional development and retention are paying dividends."

BOSTON

Justin J. Shireman practices in the areas of commercial and complex tort litigation, with emphasis on insurance defense, general liability, product liability defense and toxic tort. 

CHICAGO

Lisa Handler Ackerman represents clients in labor and employment matters, including defending employers in litigation along with counseling employers and drafting complex employment contracts. 

Ashley L. Conaghan focuses her practice on complex insurance coverage and bad faith litigation.

Edward A. DeVries primarily represents railroads, product manufacturers and transportation companies in state and federal courts in commercial, employment, and complex tort and generally casualty matters.

Bret D. Franco represents commercial and nonprofit organizations, including technology companies, insurers, religious institutions, schools, employers, and property owners.

Joseph J. Stafford represents clients primarily in the areas of insurance coverage, employment and labor law, commercial litigation and intellectual property

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Ryan M. Duffy primarily defends medical device and consumer product liability litigation in state and federal courts across the country on behalf of domestic and international manufacturers and distributors.

LAS VEGAS

Chad C. Butterfield handles employment defense, professional liability, business litigation, and insurance coverage and bad faith, among other matters.

VIRGINIA

Peter M. Moore focuses his practice on insurance coverage and complex general liability litigation. He also represents companies and individuals in commercial litigation and professional liability matters and has significant experience with large-scale e-Discovery projects.

MIAMI

Tanya I. Suarez handles a wide range of matters related to general liability defense and litigation.

MILWAUKEE

Patricia A. Stone focuses her trial practice primarily on the defense of lawsuits based on cyber liability, premises liability, construction defect claims, product liability, insurance coverage and general liability litigation.

NEW YORK METRO

Jeremy M. Buchalski practices in the area of workers' compensation and in the area of general liability, including defense of cases involving trucking accidents, premises liability and construction accidents. 

Rory Greebel handles commercial litigation matters and represents individuals and a variety of businesses, including but not limited to accounting firms, business managers, small corporations, real estate development firms, construction companies and municipalities.

John P. Kelly represents insurers, insureds and corporations in a wide variety of litigation matters, including construction, premises liability, labor law, product liability, trucking/transportation, employment and insurance coverage.

Katherine L. McCrink defends medical malpractice, nursing home liability and general liability claims.

Rebecca S. Moore focuses her practice on defending hospitals, physicians, home health providers, long-term care facilities and other health care professionals in high-exposure, complex medical malpractice actions.

Erin E. Zecca concentrates her practice on high-exposure construction matters. She represents owners and contractors in complex cases involving catastrophic injuries and claims of negligence, labor law and industrial code violations.

NEW JERSEY

Gina Calabria has a practice that includes complex tort, general casualty and transportation matters, handling construction litigation, product liability claims and employment litigation.

Michael P. Chipko handles professional liability matters primarily in defense of lawyers, general liability, commercial litigation and franchise disputes.

PHILADELPHIA

Heather Austin handles litigation matters in state and federal courts, concentrating her practice in the areas of ERISA litigation and employment counseling and defense.

SAN FRANCISCO

Gardiner McKleroy represents mid-sized and large companies in all phases of litigation from pre-suit investigations through trial, focusing his practice on product liability, construction defect and employment litigation.

Dawn A. Silberstein represents insurance carriers and policyholders in litigation involving third-party liability and first-party property coverage claims.

Julie A. Torres focuses on complex litigation, product and premises liability, environmental, toxic torts, personal injury, construction defect, bad faith and malpractice.

STAMFORD

Nicole R. Cuglietto provides claims management, insurance coverage analysis and risk management services to insurers for professional lines and serves as claims and coverage counsel for domestic and international insurers regarding commercial general liability, professional liability and disability claims.

Matthew D. Valauri works with insurance carriers and transportation and other companies in defending claims for personal injuries, wrongful death, property damage, product liability, breach of contract and creditors' rights claims.

About Wilson Elser

Wilson Elser (www.wilsonelser.com) helps individuals and organizations transcend challenges and realize goals by offering an optimal balance of legal excellence and bottom-line value. More than 800 attorneys strong, Wilson Elser serves clients of all sizes, across multiple industries and around the world. Wilson Elser has 38 strategically located offices in the United States and another in London. It is a founding member of Legalign Global, a close alliance of four of the world's leading insurance law firms created to assist companies doing business internationally. This depth and scale makes Wilson Elser one of the nation's most influential law firms, ranked in the AmLaw 200 and 56th in The National Law Journal's NLJ 500.

SOURCE Wilson Elser