Firm’s Newest PromotionsSpan Diverse Practices, Offices
For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027,jamie@newspros.com
(January 4, 2012) – Reed Smith LLP today announced the promotionof 22 of its lawyers to the partnership, effective January 1, 2012. Sixteen of the new partners are based in the United States, five in thefirm’s offices in Europe, and one in its Hong Kong office.
“We are delighted to welcome these talented lawyers as thenewest Reed Smith partners,” said Gregory B. Jordan, the firm’sGlobal Managing Partner. “Their promotions reflect their hard work,strong legal skills and consummate ability to foster and maintain theproductive client relationships that comprise the heart of Reed Smith’spractice focus. We congratulate each of them and anticipate theircontinued contributions to the firm.”
InSan Francisco, the three new partners are Svetlana G. Attestatova(Financial Industry Group), whose practice focuses on debt finance,including the representation of banks, private equity sponsors, hedge funds,and commercial, nonprofit and venture-capital-backed borrowers in secured andunsecured senior and subordinated debt transactions; syndicated and bilateral creditfacilities; leveraged acquisition financings; cross-border financings;asset-based financings; and second-lien and third-lien loans; Jennifer J. Brady (Financial Industry Group),whosepractice focuses primarily on commercial litigation matters, with an emphasison the representation of financial services companies in a variety of businessareas, including mortgages and banking sales practices, consumer claims, andloan enforcement actions in state and federal courts; and Paul W. Pitts (Life Sciences Health IndustryGroup), whosehealth care regulatory law practice focuses on advising hospitals, radiologyand diagnostic imaging facilities, physician groups, and other health careproviders on fraud and abuse laws, reimbursement and coverage issues, and participationin Medicare and Medicaid.
New partners in the Los Angelesoffice are Michael A. Garabed (Commercial Litigation), whosepractice focuses on complex commercial litigation and intellectual propertydisputes, including trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competitionlaw, particularly all phases of pre-trial litigation; and Kevin G.Lohman(Life Sciences Health Industry Group), whose product liability litigationpractice focuses on the representation of medical device andpharmaceutical companies involved in complex product liability litigation.
The Chicago office’s three new partners are Nicholas A.Bonarrigo (Corporate & Securities), who represents public andprivate companies in securities offerings and M&A transactions, andprovides general corporate advice; RavenMoore(Intellectual Property), who servesas litigation counsel in intellectual property disputes involving patents,copyrights, and trademarks and trade secrets, and handles complex commercialdisputes, at the trial court level and on appeal, involving securities fraud,commodities fraud, RICO, breach of contract and tortious interference; and Mel M. Justak (Tax, Benefits & WealthPlanning), whosepractice focuses on sophisticated estate planning, particularly for privatebusiness owners and their families, including the use of grantor retainedannuity trusts, intra-family sales, generation-skipping tax planning, familypartnerships, marital agreements, insurance planning and buy-sell agreements.
Reed Smith’s new partners in Philadelphia are Kevin A.Christmas (Corporate & Securities), whose practice focuses onrepresenting public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions,securities offerings, financing transactions and general corporate matters,including advising clients on the full life cycle of business issues, fromcompany formation to exit strategies; and Roberta G. Torian (Financial Industry Group), an experienced bankregulatory and consumer compliance lawyer with years of in-house service atPNC, Mellon and Advanta, and whose practice focuses on banking law specialtiessuch as OFAC/bank secrecy, FACT Act/privacy, electronic banking, credit cardlaw, fair lending, deposit account products, and bank mergers and acquisitions.
ThePittsburgh office’s new partners are Kimberly A. Craver(Labor & Employment), whose practicefocuses on employment-related issues including discrimination, retaliation,harassment, and wrongful discharge, especially litigation in federal and statecourts and before federal and state administrative agencies such as the EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission; and, Michael H. Sampson (Insurance Recovery), whoactively counselspolicyholders — including financial institutions, safety equipmentmanufacturers, nonprofits, and others — in disputes with theirinsurers. He not only represents policyholders in coverage litigation,but also represents clients in a variety of other complex civil and commerciallitigation.
In the Washington, D.C., office, Rana J. Wright (FinancialIndustry Group)focuses on all aspects of investment company and investmentadvisor regulation and compliance, including advising mutual funds withdisclosure materials, sales literature, service provider contracts and boardpresentations.
In Reed Smith’s Richmond (Virginia)office, JasonH. Ballum(Global Regulatory Enforcement) has a practice focused on the representation ofpublic school boards in cases arising out of employment, tort, andconstitutional law, as well as disputes regarding special education.
New York-based Jason Cohen (Life Sciences Health Industry Group) is a commercial litigatorwith experience representing companies in a broad range of complex litigation,including commercial, financial services, pharmaceutical, product liability andconsumer class actions.
Roundingout the new U.S. partners is Brian M. Rostocki (Commercial Litigation)in Wilmington (Delaware), whose practice emphasizes business and complexlitigation nationwide, with an emphasis on matters before the Delaware Court ofChancery.
In Europe, Reed Smith’s new partners include, in Paris, DanielKadar (Commercial Disputes), aFrench and German national, whose practice focuses on commercial law andliability matters, including breach of contracts, product liability and otherbusiness torts, as well as insolvency issues.
In London, Reed Smith advanced topartnership HelleM. Kjaerstad(Shipping), whose practicedeals with a wide range of dry shipping litigation matters, including both commercialcourt and arbitration proceedings for owners, ship managers, charterers,P&I clubs, brokers and ship finance banks; Vassia Payiataki (Energy & NaturalResources), whose experience includes advising trading companies in issues arising outof contracts for the sale of goods in the international market, such asdisputes relating to the trading and transportation of bulk commodities inarbitration at trade associations; PaulSkeet (Energy& Natural Resources), who represents clients in a wide range of bothcontentious and non-contentious matters relating to the sale, transportationand financing of commodities; and RobertA. Wilkins(Shipping), who specializesin ship finance, advising major international lenders and operators in a broadrange of transactional shipping work, including all aspects of the financing,construction, leasing, sale, and purchase and operation of commercial vessels.
The Hong Kong office’s new partner isPhilson Wai HinHo(Litigation), who has a practice focused on financial services regulatorywork and commercial litigation, including handling non-contentious financialregulatory work such as securities license applications, securities regulatorycompliance obligations, and setting up offshore investment funds, as well as contentiousissues such as general commercial litigation, regulatory investigations andemployment advisory works.
AboutReed Smith
Reed Smith is aglobal relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 officesthroughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Foundedin 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers providelitigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional andother high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the fullrange of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith isa preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences,health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and naturalresources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For moreinformation, visit reedsmith.com.
U.S.: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, Philadelphia,Pittsburgh, Oakland, Princeton, Northern Virginia, Wilmington, Silicon Valley,Century City, Richmond
Europe: London, Paris, Munich, Greece
MiddleEast: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Asia: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai
