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In April, Gordon & Rees welcomed twenty-eight new attorneys to our Alexandria, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Florham Park, Hartford, Irvine, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, Westchester offices. They join us as members of the Commercial Litigation, Construction, Employment Law, Energy, Environmental/Toxic Tort, Insurance, Product & General Liability, and Real Estate Practice Groups.

Braden joins the Salt Lake City office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He began his practice working for a civil litigation firm in scenic Cache Valley, where his practice areas included contracts, business transactions, personal injury, consumer protection, domestic, and criminal defense law. He possesses a wide breadth of experience in all phases of litigation, from document intensive discovery through trial. Braden earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and his B.A. from Brigham Young University.

Kay joins the New Orleans office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. She is a seasoned litigator focused on the defense of toxic torts, occupational disease and environmental claims alleging personal injury and property damage, as well as matters involving construction and transportation litigation. More recently, Kay has become a frequently invited speaker at national conferences where she presents and discusses the latest challenges for her clients and others involved in the ever expanding cannabis business, including compliance issues and the environmental impact of the Cannabis industry. She is a driven litigator who enjoys the challenge of finding and implementing innovative ways to advise, defend and protect her clients’ interests. She has extensive experience defending cases involving a wide range of products including asbestos, benzene, silica, talc and chemical solvents. These matters include individual claims, as well as mass torts and class actions. Kay earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Holly joins the Irvine office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. Her vast experience in toxic tort and environmental provides her with a unique ability to craft her clients' defenses in the early stages of litigation, setting up her cases for the best possible outcome at summary judgment. Clients benefit from her wide-range of litigation skills, including the drafting and arguing of critical motions. She is called upon to prepare and defend clients for depositions and trial examinations. Her superb trial preparation skills have resulted in several defense verdicts. Holly earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School and her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.

Jay joins the New Orleans office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. Jay earned his J.D. from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University and his B.A. from Louisiana State University, A&M College.

Matthew joins the Irvine office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. He represents manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers in product liability, toxic tort, environmental and other general liability issues, including cases arising out of exposures to asbestos and other hazardous materials. Matthew’s clients include manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors of automotive, electrical, and construction products. His extensive experience in Product & General Liability and Environmental/Toxic Tort provides him a unique ability to draft and argue all motions, including motions for summary judgment, from the beginning of a case through appeals. He also has significant trial experience, serving as a second-chair trial attorney. Matthew earned his J.D. from Chapman University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Ari joins the Detroit office as a member of the Real Estate practice group. As a nationally recognized legal authority in the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) industry, Ari has handled numerous litigation matters throughout the Midwest for his CMBS clients. He also represents residential loan servicers in litigation matters throughout the country. His broad background includes assisting financial institutions and real estate related entities in complicated foreclosure matters and lien priority disputes as well as defending financial institutions in TILA, RESPA, and FDCPA claims. He has considerable experience defending mortgage servicers and corporations in class actions under the TCPA. Ari earned his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Gabriel joins the Hartford office as a member of the Product & General Liability practice group. Gabriel earned his J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Connecticut.

Aristotle joins the Detroit office as a member of the Real Estate practice group. Aristotle earned his J.D. from Syracuse Law School and his B.A. from the University of California, Davis.

Michael joins the Irvine office as a member of the Insurance practice group. His practice includes a wide variety of cases taken to jury trial as well as many years of experience handling tort and contract disputes though various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including binding arbitration and mediation. In the insurance law arena, Michael has successfully defended major insurers in bad faith litigation and declaratory relief actions in State and Federal Court. He handles complex disputes involving insurance coverage matters and rendering advice under a wide variety of policies, including property, liability and umbrella policies. He spent nearly ten years in the claims management field for two major insurance carriers before embarking on a legal career. Michael earned his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, Davis.

Brett joins the New York office as a member of the Product & General Liability practice group. He has nearly five years of experience as a civil defense attorney, having practiced extensively in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and every Division of New Jersey’s Superior Court. He proudly bring his considerable experience, encompassing all facets of litigation, to Gordon & Rees. Brett earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School and his B.A. from American University.

Paul joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Paul earned his J.D. from Whittier Law School and his B.A. from the University of Houston.

Krystal joins the Detroit office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Krystal earned her J.D. from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Alexander joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Real Estate practice group. Alexander earned his J.D. from Drexel University School of Law and his B.S. from Drake University.

Christina joins the Westchester office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Christina earned her J.D. from Quinnipiac College School of Law and her B.S. from Fairfield University.

Laura joins the Dallas office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. She brings nearly 30 years of experience in products, premises, employment, and professional liability litigation. She also assists clients with governmental relations and advocacy. She has served as the coordinating counsel for the liaison committee of the Texas asbestos MDL since its inception 15 years ago and has been integrally involved with the evolution of the litigation. As a legislative consultant, she was involved in passing tort reform legislation that changed the landscape of Texas from the “lawsuit capital of the world” to one of the most business-friendly environments and robust economies in the U.S. Laura earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School and her B.S. from Indiana University.

Diane joins the Portland office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Diane earned her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and her B.A. from Arizona State University.

Katie joins the Chicago office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Before joining Gordon & Rees, Katie worked for a mid-sized insurance defense firm focusing on medical malpractice, nursing home, premises, and personal injury cases. She has defended and represented clients in both state and federal court and have experience in all stages of litigation, including investigating claims, conducting discovery, mediation, and trial. Katie earned her J.D. from Marquette University Law School and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Joseph joins the Tampa office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He focuses his practice on commercial litigation, insurance coverage and bad faith matters, contract disputes, business torts, class actions, and real estate disputes. He has represented insurers, reinsurers, insurance brokers, real estate developers, medical device manufacturers, a motion picture studio, major universities and professional practices, among others, in a wide range of matters, including through government investigations, trials, arbitrations, mediation and appellate proceedings. Joseph earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A. from Boston College.

Dylan joins the San Diego office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Dylan earned his J.D. from California Western School of Law and his B.A. from San Diego State University.

Michael joins the Florham Park office as a member of the Commercial Litigation and Employment Law practice groups. He focuses his practice on representing employers in workplace law matters, including employment litigation, preventive advice and counseling. He regularly represents clients from various industries in both state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies, such as the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, New York State Division of Human Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and National Labor Relations Board. Michael also has extensive experience representing management in various areas of labor and employment law, including actions involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, wage-and-hour violations and other employment-related claims. Michael earned his J.D. from New York Law School and his B.A. from Rutgers University.

Bartek joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. He handles a wide range of high-risk litigation, including matters involving environmental and chemical exposure claims, transportation, products and general liability, and medical malpractice. He represents and advises manufacturers and distributors of products and premises owners in a variety of sectors. His product knowledge and experience includes a wide range of categories: joint compound, metals, paint, automotive, cosmetics, HVAC equipment, plastics, electrical equipment, and pumps/valves. He has successfully defended a broad variety of clients in cases involving catastrophic injuries. He has managed dockets and been involved in defending clients on the national level. Bartek earned his J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

Jeffrey joins the Columbus office as a member of the Commercial Litigation, Insurance, and Energy practice groups. He is a trial lawyer with extensive experience at both the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has obtained successful decisions, verdicts, and results for his clients at the trial level and on appeal. His practice focuses on highly complex, highly contentious litigation in which his client's most vital interests are at stake, including multidistrict litigation, class action litigation, complex product liability and personal injury litigation, financial and tax litigation, and antitrust litigation. Prior to joining Gordon & Rees, Jeffrey was a partner at a Cincinnati law firm and, most recently, worked as in-house National Trial Counsel and Senior Litigation Counsel for a Fortune 500 company. Jeffrey earned his J.D. from Capital University Law School and his B.A. from The Ohio State University.

Douglas joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Real Estate practice group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of mineral law, real estate and energy law, with a focus on issues related to the development and purchase of oil, gas and other minerals in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. He prepares various types of certified title opinions; assists with litigation; and generally handles any matter related to real estate, including liens, zoning/ordinances, complex ownership and due diligence. Douglas earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and his B.A. from Villanova University.

Brandon joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Brandon earned his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law and his B.S. from the University of California, Davis.

Olivia joins the Atlanta office as a member of the Commercial Litigation and Insurance practice groups. She is a seasoned litigator with more than a decade of experience handling all aspects of complex civil litigation. She devotes the majority of her practice to insurance coverage issues, general liability defense, and business/commercial litigation. Olivia earned her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and her B.A. from Emory University.

Robert joins the Tampa office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He focuses his practice on the defense of general and commercial litigation claims, as well as labor and employment, and consumer protection matters. He represents a wide array of clients including individuals, businesses, nation and regional insurers and large self-insured companies in both state and federal courts, as well as in administrative proceedings. With substantial litigation experience on both the defense and plaintiff sides, Robert brings a unique perspective on cases, which is an asset in obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients. Robert earned his J.D. from University of Florida Levin College of Law and his B.S. from the University of Florida.

Alyssa joins the Nashville office as a member of the Commercial Litigation and Construction practice groups. Prior to joining Gordon & Rees, Alyssa practiced at a national law firm focusing in the areas of general liability, personal injury, first-party property insurance defense, negligent workmanship and construction defect claims, premises liability and negligent security matters. She also represented long-term care providers, assisted living facilities, home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities on claims of negligence and alleged elder abuse. She also has experience defending clients regarding professional liability and product liability matters. Alyssa earned her J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Missouri.

Ronald joins the Seattle office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Ronald earned his J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School and his B.A. from the University of Washington.