Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has elevated 35 attorneys to partnership. Located in offices throughout the country and experienced in a broad range of legal areas, these new partners are positioned to collaborate with our national practice groups to meet the various legal needs of our clients.
“Our newest partners are diverse in their practices as well as their geographic locations, and fortify the firm’s 50 state presence” said Dion Cominos, Firmwide Managing Partner. “We are proud of their accomplishments and delighted to have them join our 2022 partnership class.”
The Gordon & Rees partnership ranks now include:
Katherine C. Battisti is a partner in the St. Louis office and a member of the Construction practice group. She handles all phases of litigation from inception of a claim through trial and appeal, with an eye toward developing and preserving the record for appeal. Her experience encompasses practice areas including consumer protection, construction, contract, employment, fair housing, insurance, premises liability, professional liability, products liability, trucking and transportation and wrongful death.
Susan J. Best is a partner in the Chicago office and a member of the Employment Law and Labor practice groups. She specializes in employment law litigation representing both public and private employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, civil rights and constitutional claims, including those brought pursuant to Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Section 1983, the ADA, the FMLA, the ADEA, and similar state statutes. Ms. Best is also experienced in training and counseling clients on a wide variety of employment-related issue and Title IX sexual misconduct policies and procedures.
Margaret L. Boehmer is a partner in the Denver office and a member of the firm’s Health Care, Health Care – Regulatory and Transactional, and Professional Liability Defense practice groups. She represents healthcare providers in litigation disputes and regulatory matters, including professional liability, personal injury, fraud and abuse, employment disputes, and disciplinary actions. She is experienced in navigating privacy and data security matters and advising on compliance with applicable state and federal laws, including HIPAA, HITECH and 42 CFR Part 2. She also has experience on a variety of transactional issues, including but not limited to the areas of Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and False Claims Act.
Matthew J. Broderick is a partner in the Denver office and a member of the firm's Health Care, Professional Liability Defense, Securities Litigation, and Product & General Liability practice groups. He focuses his practice on health care and professional liability litigation, including medical malpractice and legal malpractice. He also has experience defending actions concerning employment disputes, civil rights and municipality actions, auto products cases, and consumer protection claims.
Jessica Clouse is a partner with the Construction practice group in the firm's San Francisco office. Her practice focuses on construction litigation in the defense of design professionals, architects, engineers, general contractors and developers in a variety of construction-related matters. She has experience handling claims in state court, federal court, as well as in judicial reference tribunals throughout Northern California.
Lara Cullinane-Smith is a partner in the firm's Sacramento office and a member of the Commercial Litigation and Employment Law practice groups. She is an experienced litigator representing clients in a diverse range of matters in state and federal court. She represents clients in a broad range of employment matters and helps her clients navigate various complex commercial issues. She has successfully defended numerous cases at trial and in arbitration and has a strong track record in resolving complex matters in mediation.
Azniv Darbinian is a partner in the firm's San Francisco and Sacramento offices and is a member of the Employment Law practice group. She has extensive experience representing and defending the interests of public and private sector organizations in all aspects of labor and employment law. Her practice areas include: employment litigation; defending employers in claims of wrongful termination; discrimination and workplace harassment; breach of contract; whistleblower claims; the ADA and disability claims; reasonable accommodation; retaliation; wage and hour violations; and unfair labor practices.
Garrett M. Fahy is a partner in the Irvine office of Gordon & Rees and is a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. His litigation practice concentrates primarily on intellectual property issues, contract disputes, employment disputes, data breaches, corporate governance, and unfair competition. He also has significant experience with products liability, and has represented international clients in class actions and multi-district litigation. Outside litigation, he counsels clients in various fields on IP assets/rights, employment issues, entity formation, commercial contracts, due diligence and financial transactions, new product/service offerings, and legal compliance. He has been named to the Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2015-2022.
Richard G. Fallago is a partner in the firm's Providence office and is a member of the Business Transactions practice group. He has experience handling complex M&A transactions and related tax planning. He has experience providing tax advice regarding a broad range of complex federal income tax matters, including international income tax treaty interpretation; as well as state income tax; federal and state estate and/or gift tax; and state sale and use tax.
Matthew P. Gallo is a partner in the firm’s New York and New Jersey offices, and is a member of the Commercial Litigation, Franchise, Employment, Insurance, and Trucking & Transportation practice groups. He represents major corporations, franchisors, closely-held businesses, partnerships, and individuals in many types of commercial and employment disputes. Mr. Gallo has extensive experience representing Fortune 500 and other clients in all areas of labor and employment law, including wage and hour cases, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and breach of contract.
Earl G. Greene, III (“Chip”) is a partner in the firm's Omaha office and a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He has handled all aspects of litigation in Nebraska and Iowa for over 35 years. He is experienced in handling a large volume of cases with high-dollar demands and exposures. Mr. Greene has litigated a wide variety of matters including asbestos and other toxic tort, professional liability, construction, medical malpractice defense, healthcare, insurance coverage, dram shop, and products liability. He has also handled a wide variety of general insurance defense claims from pre-suit advice/discussions with adjusters, to litigation and through appeal. He has tried over 35 first chair civil jury lawsuits to verdict, including medical malpractice cases, commercial cases, dram shop litigation, personal injury, property damage cases, and first party insurance cases.
Krystal D. Hermiz is a partner in the firm's Detroit office and a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. She represents insurers, corporations, and individuals in a broad spectrum of general liability defense matters, including first and third party motor vehicle litigation, premises liability, and all areas of personal injury. Ms. Hermiz has published several articles related to general liability matters. She is an active member of the State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association. From 2013 through 2022, she has been named to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Michigan Rising Stars in the area of Personal Injury General-Defense.
Erica Kelly Curren is a partner in the firm's Pittsburgh office and a member of the Health Care and Professional Liability Defense practice groups. She concentrates her practice in health care law with a particular emphasis in medical malpractice defense. She defends health care providers, including hospitals, long term care facilities, and physician practice groups, as well as health care professionals, including doctors and nurses, in all aspects of medical negligence actions, from claims investigation through trial. Ms. Curren has tried multiple professional liability cases to verdict, and has also handled several arbitration hearings for her health care clients, obtaining defense verdicts in her last four arbitrations. She was recently named to Super Lawyers Magazine’s list of Pennsylvania Rising Stars in the area of Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Defense.
Debbie Kim is a partner in the Los Angeles office and is a member of the Employment Law practice group. She has defended employers, insurance carriers, and companies large and small in a wide range of matters, including workers’ compensation, product liability, general liability, personal injury, and labor and employment. She has extensive experience defending actions in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, negotiating settlements, and has obtained favorable results as lead attorney in bench trials and arbitration.
Robert Malani is a partner in the Miami office and a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation, Insurance and Employment Law practice groups. He represents Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions, insurance carriers and small businesses and frequently handles commercial contract disputes, insurance litigation and coverage disputes, real estate contract disputes and banking litigation.
Megan M. Mitchell is a partner in the firm's Houston office and is a member of the Employment Law and the Product & General Liability practice groups. She has extensive experience litigating employment claims for businesses in state and federal courts, including claims arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code, the National Labor Relations Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the False Claims Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, and similar federal and state statutes and regulations. In addition to litigating on behalf of employers in courts in Texas and other states, Ms. Mitchell also represents clients before various federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, OSHA, and the Texas Workforce Commission.
Bruce A. Moore is a partner in the Columbus office and focuses his practice on Energy Infrastructure and Real Estate development. As an integral part of one of the country’s most experienced project teams, Mr. Moore has been instrumental in the successful development of billions of dollars in energy infrastructure—including thousands of miles of interstate and intrastate pipelines around the country. From land acquisition through litigation, Mr. Moore is experienced in providing clients with full service representation.
Denise M. Motta is a partner in the firm's Louisville office. She has extensive experience litigating complex litigation claims in state and federal courts. Her emphasis is on construction litigation and representation of steel fabricators on large construction projects such as stadiums and bridges, as well as other parties to construction disputes. Her litigation background includes personal injury, premises liability, construction defect, insurance coverage, ERISA, employment, product liability, and contractual disputes. She has significant experience in the coordination of litigation on both the national and state level, having represented companies on both fronts, and has been involved several cases coordinated in multidistrict litigation.
Patrick J. Mulkern is partner in the firm's Hartford office and a member of the Intellectual Property practice group. Mr. Mulkern is also licensed to practice in California and Massachusetts, and practices in federal courts nationwide. He is also a registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO. His intellectual property practice focuses on patent, trademark, and trade secret litigation. He also has experience in trademark prosecution, including opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
Nima Nayebi is a partner in the firm's San Francisco office and a member of the Employment Law practice group. He has extensive experience defending clients in all phases of employment claims, from pre-litigation issues, agency complaints, to all aspects of litigation. Before joining Gordon & Rees, Mr. Nayebi was a litigation associate at a boutique defense firm representing public entity clients on diverse legal issues. He was also a Staff Attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he spent five years working on a variety of civil and immigration appeals with nearly all Ninth Circuit judges. He has also been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Golden Gate University School of Law, where he has taught legal research and writing to 1L students.
R. Scott Norman is a partner in the Louisville office and a member of the Construction, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, and Real Estate practice groups. He represents and advises contractors, steel fabricators, subcontractors, and design professionals nationwide in all phases of commercial and residential construction, including contract review and negotiation, construction and design claims, payment disputes, workplace injuries and OSHA violations, labor and employment issues, mechanics’ liens, and other construction disputes. His diverse practice has allowed him to develop substantial experience managing and resolving a wide range of matters, including personal injury, civil rights, defamation, trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition and consumer legal remedies, fraud, contract disputes, and other complex litigation issues. He brings an unconditional commitment to providing his nationwide clients with prompt and strategic professional services to achieve favorable and cost-effective outcomes.
Hiawatha Northington II is a partner in the firm's Jackson office and a member of the Commercial Litigation and Professional Liability practice groups. His practice encompasses a wide range of complex litigation matters, including professional liability, products liability, premises liability, and labor and employment defense, as well as insurance coverage. He has extensive experience in successfully representing municipalities, corporations, individuals and insurers in a variety of matters in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, as well as before local, state and federal administrative boards and agencies.
Stephen J. Orlando is a partner practicing in the Boston office. He represents architects, engineers, contractors, real estate brokers, landlords, tenants, insurance agents and brokers, employers, and attorneys involved in commercial disputes as well as professional liability defense. His practice also encompasses defense of product and premises liability claims. Along with his litigation practice, Orlando drafts commercial contracts and provides counseling to individuals and corporations.
David Oxamendi is a partner in the New York office. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation matters, with particular emphasis on consumer and industrial product liability and mass torts, construction litigation, contract disputes, enforcing employment and non-compete agreements, and insurance coverage. He has extensive experience in all phases of civil litigation from depositions to appeals, including appearing before appellate courts and serving as trial counsel in courts throughout New York State.
Matthew D. Peng is a partner in the firm's San Francisco office. He represents a variety of companies and professionals in the construction industry. Mr. Peng has represented general contractors, developers, architects, engineers, and specialty subcontractors in state and federal courts as well as in arbitration tribunals. He has also succeeded in dealing with municipalities and the California Department of Transportation. He has defended and prosecuted payment disputes, quantity claims, construction-defect matters, and a variety of breach of contract cases, including enforcement of written and oral agreements
Andrew R. Schindler is partner in the Miami office of Gordon & Rees. His practice focuses on the areas of class actions, tort & product liability, bankruptcy, construction defects, and commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He has represented individuals and organizations ranging from closely held to publicly traded. Mr. Schindler specializes in critical motion practice, including drafting and oral argument.
Jason C. Scott is a partner in the firm's Westchester office and is a member of the Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, and Construction practice groups. He has represented hospitals, hedge fund financing companies, municipalities, an Ivy League university, and companies of different sizes in various types of complex litigation. His diverse litigation practice has included shareholder derivative suits, class actions, breach of contract and commercial real estate leases, disputes involving restrictive covenants, LLC member disputes, complex and multi-district litigation and premises liability.
Steven M. Stastny is a partner in the New Orleans and Birmingham offices of Gordon & Rees. He is a member of the Employment Law, Commercial Litigation, Health Care and Trucking & Transportation practice groups. He regularly litigates insured multi-defendant commercial transportation injury/casualty matters and also defends related employment, business, commercial and insurance claims.
Iga W. Todd is a partner in the firm's Chicago office and is a member of the Insurance practice group. Her practice primarily focuses on insurance coverage, cyber security, and fidelity & surety. Ms. Todd analyzes coverage and represents insurers in coverage disputes, particularly claims under commercial crime policies, computer crime policies, fidelity and financial institution bonds, cyber security policies, data breach insurance policies, and professional liability policies.
Meagan P. VandeWeele is a partner in the Chicago Office of Gordon & Rees and is a member of the Insurance Practice Group. Her practice primarily focuses on complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage and cyber security & data privacy litigation. She has extensive experience in all phases of high-exposure and complex litigation, from initial evaluation through trial or arbitration and appeal.
Jennifer N. Wahlgren is partner in the firm's San Francisco office and a member of the Insurance practice group. She represents insurance companies in matters involving coverage and “bad faith” litigation, including cases arising out of first party claims, third party claims and inter-insurer disputes. Her considerable experience in Insurance provides her with a unique ability to evaluate claims and analyze coverage issues. She works closely with clients to efficiently resolve coverage disputes and achieve optimal results in litigation matters.
Christopher J. Weber is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gordon & Rees. He focuses his practice defending product liability actions on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, including claims involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death and class action. He also represents clients in matters involving defense of commercial and contractual disputes, including consumer protection actions. His work has also included the defense professional liability and insurance bad faith matters. He represents clients in all aspects of complex litigation, including mediation, arbitration, trial preparation and trial.
Rachel Wintterle is a partner in the firm's San Francisco office. Ms. Wintterle defends employers in all phases of litigation including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation and whistleblower claims, breach of contract, and alleged wage and hour violations. She handles single plaintiff and class and representative actions in state and federal courts, as well as claims before state and federal administrative agencies.
Chantel C. Wonder is a partner in the firm's Miami office and a member of the Insurance, Commercial Litigation, Construction, Agrichemicals & Agribusiness Practice Group, and Consumer Protection Litigation Practice Groups. She represents clients in federal and state litigation in class action lawsuits, breach of contract actions, commercial litigation, employment actions, and consumer protection litigation, including claims arising under the FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA, Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUPTA), the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA), and the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA).
Katlin Connelly Zarisky is a partner in the firm's Pittsburgh office. She concentrates her practice in healthcare law, medical malpractice defense litigation and also handles a variety of commercial litigation matters in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She particularly has extensive experience representing healthcare providers in all phases of litigation. She has represented various healthcare providers, including nationally-recognized skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals, physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed nurses and technicians.