The Legal Intelligencer Blog

Bruce Castor Joins Rogers and Associates

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. is leaving Elliott Greenleaf, where he is a director and shareholder, to join Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Rogers and Associates as a partner.

The move will become effective July 1, according to a press release issued by the Rogers firm.

Castor joined Elliott Greenleaf in 2008, after nearly a decade as Montgomery County District Attorney. Castor focuses his practice on general litigation, personal injury, internal corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense.

“With Commissioner Castor’s experience, especially responding to crisis as they arise and his proven ability to make rapid decisions and provide timely advice, our firm will be tailor-made to his strengths,” Rogers said in the press release. “This is over and above Bruce’s extensive courtroom experience and unparalleled knowledge of trial tactics and strategy.”

Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI. 

Andrew Chirls Joins Fineman Krekstein

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Andrew C. Chirls has left Philadelphia-based litigation boutique Haines & Associates to join Philadelphia-based general practice firm Fineman Krekstein & Harris.

Chirls, who focuses his practice on business litigation, was a partner at Wolf Block until its dissolution in 2009, at which point he joined Haines & Associates as the firm’s sixth full-time lawyer and second partner.

Chirls has now joined Fineman Krekstein as of counsel.

"When we found out Andy was available to join us, we jumped at the opportunity. He will be a very active of counsel to our practice," Fineman Krekstein Chairman S. David Fineman said in a press release.

Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI.

State Senator John Rafferty Joins Lamb McErlane

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

State Senator John C. Rafferty Jr., R-Montgomery, has joined West Chester, Pa.-based Lamb McErlane as of counsel.

Rafferty represents Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial District, which includes portions of Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

Rafferty is also the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, and Law and Justice committees.

"We are elated to have Senator Rafferty join our firm," Lamb McErlane managing partner Joel L. Frank said in a press release. “His experience and abilities will prove extremely valuable to our firm and our clients.”

Prior to his joining the Senate, Rafferty’s private practice focused on education, real estate, zoning and business and estates law.

Rafferty made a bid for the GOP nomination in the most recent state attorney general election, but ended his campaign in January 2012.

Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI.

Nelson Levine Hires Nationwide Senior Vice President

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Blue Bell, Pa.-based insurance law firm Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton has added Thomas W. Dietrich, the former senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Nationwide Insurance Companies, to the insurance regulation practice in its Columbus, Ohio, office.

Dietrich joins the firm as of counsel, but will also serve as a member of the executive team.

“Tom knows the insurance industry inside and out," Nelson Levine Chairman Mike Nelson said in a press release. "His insider's perspective – combined with the knowledge and experience of other insurance experts at Nelson Levine – will no doubt provide insurers confronting the evolving regulatory landscape with unmatched insight.”

Dietrich, who worked for Nationwide for 40 years, focuses his practice on advising clients on their business practices as they relate to the rapidly changing regulatory landscape.

Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI.

Flaster/Greenberg Hires Pa. Real Estate Head

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Flaster/Greenberg has hired Robert S. Davis as chair of its Pennsylvania real estate practice.

Davis joins the Philadelphia office of Flaster/Greeneberg as a shareholder from Saul Ewing, where he was a partner. Davis’ practice centers on commercial and residential real estate transactional work, including leasing, acquisitions, sales, development, loan workouts and restructurings, tax-free exchanges and real estate finance.

“Rob’s excellent reputation in the real estate community and extensive experience with handling complex development deals makes him an outstanding addition to the firm,” Flaster/Greenberg Managing Shareholder Peter R. Spirgel said in a press release. “We are always looking for top-notch attorneys like Rob to join our team and are thrilled he decided to grow his practice by joining Flaster/Greenberg.”

Flaster/Greenberg Acquires Two-Lawyer Insurance Boutique

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Flaster/Greenberg has brought aboard two-lawyer firm Fried & Epstein, an insurance coverage litigation boutique that represents policyholders.

Attorneys John W. Fried and Lee M. Epstein have joined the firm as shareholders and will be based in Manhattan and Philadelphia, respectively.

“The reason we feel they’re a match is their practice specialty is very compatible with our existing focus,” Peter Spirgel, managing shareholder of Flaster/Greenberg , said, explaining that both his firm and Fried & Epstein are often involved in cases in which they’re adverse to insurance companies.

Spirgel said Fried and Epstein brought with them a lot of new corporate relationships that Flaster/Greenberg hopes to take advantage of.

In return, according to Epstein, Flaster/Greenberg offered the two-lawyer firm more support and more resources, allowing it to better compete with the large firms that typically defend insurers in coverage litigation.

“We have gotten involved in larger litigations all across the country and now we’ll have the resources and backup we weren’t able to have at a two-partner shop,” Epstein said. “Some of our cases where we’re involved in suing multiple insurance companies – five, six, or sometimes 10 – they’re typically all represented by large firms. This gives us a better opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”

The addition of Fried & Epstein also gives Flaster/Greenberg its first physical presence in New York, with locations in Manhattan and Pleasantville, according to Spirgel.

According to Spirgel, his firm already had several clients based in Manhattan, typically requiring at least one lawyer to be in New York City every week.

Spirgel said the firm currently has no plans to further expand in New York, however.

Another new addition the acquisition brings Flaster/Greenberg is a white-collar criminal defense practice.

Spirgel said his firm’s clients thankfully haven’t needed white-collar defense services very often, but in the instances where they have, the firm typically had to refer those matters out.

Having that capability in-house now may change that in some cases, Spirgel said.

Epstein said the opportunity to cross-market his and Fried’s services to the firm’s existing clients is another advantage of the move.

“Basically, [in the past] we would sit there and have to wait for a client who had a problem that turned into an insurance coverage problem to call us,” Epstein said, noting that at Flaster/Greenberg, they now have a “built-in client base.”

Zack Needles can be contacted at 215-557-2493 or zneedles@alm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZNeedlesTLI.

Retired Philadelphia Judge Gene Cohen Joins Cohen Seglias

By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff

Retired Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Gene D. Cohen has joined Philadelphia-based Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman as a partner in its commercial litigation group.

Cohen, who served as a Philadelphia trial judge from 1988 until February 2005, had been at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads since retiring from the bench.

During his tenure on the bench, Cohen served as a team leader for the Philadelphia Commerce Court Program, managing major commercial litigation matters. He now focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation.

“We are excited to welcome Judge Cohen to the firm, as his litigation practice and judicial experience is well suited for business development and existing client service. In addition to his strong litigation background, Judge Cohen also brings substantial alternative dispute resolution experience,” Cohen Seglias Managing Partner Jason Copley said in a press release.

The announcement of Cohen’s hire comes less than a month after the firm announced plans to merge with six-lawyer, New York City-based construction law boutique Georgoulis & Associates, effective January 1.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

Welcome to your Monday morning round-up of stories in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer. All of the links below will take you directly to today’s stories, or you can head straight over to The Legal’s homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

The top story this morning is an Allegheny County jury awarding $109 million in an electrocution case. As reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel writes, the award, which includes $61 million in punitive damages, is the largest in the county’s history, according to annual statistics compiled in The Legal’s sibling publication PaLaw.

Below the fold on Page 1, reporter Zack Needles writes that Cohen Seglias plans to merge with a six-lawyer New York-based construction law boutique, Georgoulis & Associates, effective January 1.

In more Regional News on Page 3, Zack Needles writes that a jury has sided with the defense after two mistrials in a trip-and-fall case in King of Prussia.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

In an Insight on Diversity column on Page 5, Rochelle D. Laws and Sekou Campbell write about diversity as inclusion and shedding the “first” paradigm.

In this week’s Law Technology News page, Craig Ball writes about e-discovery search and looking in the wrong place.

If you have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole, we invite you to email any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

Welcome to your Friday morning round-up of stories in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer. All of the links below will take you directly to today’s stories, or you can head straight over to The Legal’s homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

The top story this morning is female lawyers making up less than one-third of attorneys working in the Pennsylvania offices of the state’s 100 largest law firms. As reporter Gina Passarella writes, that number is slightly up from 2011, based on information from PaLaw magazine, but still lower than some expected.

Also above the fold on Page 1, reporter Zack Needles writes that George Zimmerman, the Florida man charged with killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has sued NBCUniversal Media LLC and three of its current and former reporters for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, claiming they edited audio and misreported the content of his 911 call in an attempt to paint him as a “racist and predatory villain.”

Below the fold on Page 1, reporter Saranac Hale Spencer writes that a federal judge has given final approval to a $4 million class settlement with Washington Mutual.

In more Regional News on Page 3, Saranac Hale Spencer writes that the Third Circuit has upheld a $3.6 million wrongful death judgment for a trucking accident.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

In an Environmental Law column on Page 5, Kevin Haroff and Brad Marten write about what to expect in the next presidential term.

In a Real Estate Law column on Page 7, Alan Nochumson writes that the Superior Court has expanded builder’s liability for subsequent purchasers.

If you have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole, we invite you to email any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal.

Fresh Ink: Inside Today's Legal

Welcome to your Wednesday morning round-up of stories in today’s edition of The Legal Intelligencer. All of the links below will take you directly to today’s stories, or you can head straight over to The Legal’s homepage. (Some stories may require registration or a paid subscription.)

The top story this morning is the First Judicial District settling its suit over the Philadelphia family courthouse for $4 million. As reporter Amaris Elliott-Engel writes, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel agreed to pay $2 million, while the firm’s ex-partner Jeffrey Rotwitt’s malpractice insurer, Travelers, agreed to pay $2 million, according to the terms of the settlement.

Below the fold on Page 1, Amaris Elliott-Engel writes that the next chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Kathleen D. Wilkinson, announced that one of her initiatives will be launching a leadership program to assist young attorneys, women attorneys and attorneys of diverse backgrounds in the profession.

Also below the fold on Page 1, reporter Zack Needles writes that a $3.4 million settlement was reached in the death of a 20-year-old college student who died after drunkenly falling 30 feet over a railing at a fraternity house on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

In more Regional News on Page 3, reporter Saranac Hale Spencer writes that a federal judge granted most of the attorney fees requested after an employment discrimination case was resolved with a Rule 68 offer of judgment, despite the defense’s argument that one of the attorneys lacked experience in employment cases.

As always, our People in the News section is on Page 2, and the top stories from our sister publications across the country make up the Page 4 National News section.

In an Intellectual Property column on Page 5, Paul F. Prestia asks if patents are becoming impediments to innovation.

In this week’s GC Mid-Atlantic column on Page 7, Timothy Long and Lauri Damrell write about dealing with complex gender-discrimination issues in the workplace.

If you have questions or comments about any of today's stories, or our coverage as a whole, we invite you to email any of the reporters directly. We hope you'll enjoy today's Legal.