News

In July, Gordon & Rees welcomed twenty-nine new attorneys to our Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Irvine, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Westchester, and Williamsburg offices. They join us as members of the Advertising & E-Commerce, Commercial Litigation, Construction, Employment Law, Environmental/Toxic Tort, Health Care, Insurance, Product & General Liability, and Professional Liability Defense Practice Groups.

Barbara joins the Minneapolis office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Her practice and experience includes representing companies across the country, including banks, product manufacturers, food manufacturers, and other Fortune 500 businesses. She has experience handling a diverse range of subject areas from mass torts to construction litigation. Her work in employment law includes litigation of wrongful termination, retaliation, employment discrimination, and harassment claims. Barbara earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline College of Law and her B.A. from Bemidji State University.

Casey joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Before joining the firm, she worked for a firm in downtown Pittsburgh handling a variety of civil litigation matters in the healthcare realm. Casey earned her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law and her B.A. from Duquesne University.

Kelly joins the Raleigh office as a member of the Health Care practice group. She focuses her practice on a broad range of civil litigation, including medical malpractice, professional licensing, insurance defense, and general defense litigation. She regularly represents medical providers in a variety of settings including civil litigation and proceedings before state licensing boards. She also represents employers, insurance companies, and their insureds in general civil defense litigation, defending her clients against claims of discrimination, harassment, professional liability, and premises liability, as well as representing them in complex commercial disputes. Kelly earned her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Max joins the Chicago office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Max began his career at a Chicago-based litigation firm where he represented plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of areas including civil rights, class actions, environmental and toxic torts, and commercial litigation matters. Max earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Florida.

Mara joins the Philadelphia office as a member of the Insurance practice group. She joins the firm from a boutique practice where she handled a wide variety of matters, primarily complex litigation, real estate transactions with complicated environmental issues, and health care regulatory matters for providers. Mara earned her J.D. from Drexel University Kline School of Law and her B.A. from Brandeis University.

Alfons joins the New York office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. He has experience in both federal and state litigation, as well as resolving pre-litigation disputes concerning a wide array of employment law matters. Alfons earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School and his B.A. from the University at Albany.

Allison joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Health Care practice group. Her practice is primarily focused on 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 professional liability actions. Allison earned her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law and her B.A. from Pennsylvania State University.

Cori joins the Tampa office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. She works closely with her clients to develop case specific litigation strategies so that they can make informed, realistic, and cost-effective decisions. She has experience in first party property claims (residential, commercial, and business interruption) including analyzing complex coverage issues). In addition, Cori has experience handling bad faith claims and helping clients develop avoidance strategies in first and third-party insurance matters. She has experience in both state and federal courts in a variety of complex insurance cases. Cori earned her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and her B.S. from the University of Florida.

Hayley joins the Houston office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Prior to joining the firm, she gained valuable litigation experience representing individual and business clients in personal injury, premises liability, and products liability disputes. Over the course of her career, She has represented clients from case inception to conclusion, handling all stages of litigation, from numerous depositions, hearings, mediations, and jury and bench trials. Hayley earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and her B.A. from Texas A&M University.

Edward joins the San Francisco office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. For more than two decades he has concentrated his practice in all aspects of employment law. He has extensive experience representing private and public sector employers of all sizes (including large national and multi-national corporations) as well as their managers and employees in lawsuits for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, unfair competition, defamation, whistleblower claims, and various other tort claims. In this regard, Edward routinely handles claims made under various statutes, including Title VII, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the California Family Rights Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, he also defends businesses and property owners against disability access claims against establishments and websites. Prior to joining the firm, Edward was a managing attorney for a global insurance company for almost 20 years. In that role he handled and oversaw the insurance carriers employment practices liability insurance matters throughout California. Edward earned his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law and his B.A. from St. Mary's College of California.

Giselle joins the San Diego office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. She helps clients avoid expensive litigation through counseling compliance with major environmental statutes. She helps defend companies against claims such as agrichemicals and agribusiness, asbestos, chemical exposure, and environmental. Giselle earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Alexander joins the Seattle office as a member of the Insurance practice group. Alexander earned his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and his B.S. from Biola University.

Robert joins the Houston office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He is a proven litigator and advisor with experience representing clients in a wide variety of complex matters, including commercial litigation and arbitration, corporate and product liability defense, internal investigations, cybersecurity, and consumer protection. His clients range from large corporations to individuals, and come from industries ranging from energy, financial services, cryptocurrency and mining, data protection, commodities trading, auto parts, and construction. Robert earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. from the University of Houston.

Chelsea joins the San Francisco office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Her practice focuses in discrimination and wage and hour claims. She is familiar with suits against government entities and has practical, hands-on knowledge of class actions. Chelsea earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Matthew joins the San Francisco office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. He has practiced employment and business law for over two decades, after gaining valuable trial experience as a deputy district attorney for nearly two years. He is an experienced litigator, having litigated a variety of different types of cases in state and federal courts, including class action wage and hour claims and claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, corporate and partner dissolutions and intellectual property actions. He has represented clients in civil trials, arbitration, administrative tribunals and in state appellate courts. Matthew earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and his B.A. from the University of San Francisco.

David joins the Philadelphia office as a member of the Insurance practice group. He has been active in the field of environmental law for more than 35 years. He is recognized for his ability to take a leadership role in litigating or settling Superfund cases involving multimillion dollar cleanups of landfills. He is often asked to serve as Liaison Counsel and/or Common Counsel, to represent the common interests of large groups of parties. In this role, he has successfully steered such cases away from expensive, uncontrolled litigation, toward a managed, cost effective ADR process that is used as a model for other sites. He negotiates de micromis and de minimis settlements designed to get individual parties out of these cases at an early stage. He also participates in global settlement negotiations, on behalf of all of the remaining parties, to settle all of the federal or state governments’ claims against them. David earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathryn joins the Phoenix office as a member of the Employment Law, Insurance, and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Kathryn earned her J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and her B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Mindi joins the Raleigh office as a member of the Health Care practice group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of medical malpractice and nursing home liability defense. Previously, Mindi practiced at a series of regional law firms, where she represented various clients in cases involving medical malpractice defense, insurance coverage disputes, construction litigation, automobile liability defense, and premises liability. Mindi earned her J.D. from Campbell University School of Law and her B.S. from Appalachian State University.

Tristan joins the Westchester office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He handles a variety of general liability matters, including automobile, premises and trucking accidents, as well as products liability. He has defended over two dozen jury trials in several venues, and focuses on treating each case from day one as though it will go to trial, being mindful of what is needed to win and building it into the case. This approach has not only been awarded with many defense verdicts, but it has also led to favorable resolutions on hundreds of cases. Tristan also has experience in appellate matters, mediation, arbitration, and in defending uninsured/underinsured motorist claims both before the American Arbitration Association and in the New York State Supreme Court. Tristan earned his J.D. from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and his B.A. from Dickinson College.

Samuel joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Commercial Litigation and Advertising & E-Commerce practice groups. He provides practical legal advice for his clients on issues surrounding their advertising, labeling, e-commerce, promotions, copyright and trademark protection, and marketing communications. He has extensive knowledge of the law governing the sale and promotion of consumer products and services, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA), Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), and Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act (ROSCA). He routinely represents producers of food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, CBD and other cannabinoids, clothing, household cleaning products, telemarketers, and financial publishers, among others. Samuel earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his B.A. from Emory University.

Patrick joins the Chicago office as a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort practice group. He has extensive experience litigating the defense of environmental, products, professional, and commercial liability claims, including the defense of medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers. He has represented professionals and corporations in every stage of litigation in state and federal courts across the United States, whether at trial, appeal, or arbitration. Patrick earned his J.D. from The UIC John Marshall Law School and his B.S. from Bradley University.

Shawn joins the Williamsburg office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He advises community associations (homeowners associations and condominium associations) on their general legal matters, as well as in litigation matters involving covenant enforcement actions and collections matters. Shawn represents businesses in premises liability and other tort claims. He also represents businesses in an array of contract disputes, as well as disputes involving claims for fraud, defamation, conspiracy, and tortious interference. Additionally, he represents clients involved in bringing challenges to (and defending against challenges to) wills and trusts. He also handles will and trust interpretation disputes, as well as bringing claims against (and defending claims against) executors and trustees for breach of fiduciary duties. Shawn earned his J.D. from Elon University School of Law and his B.S. from the United States Military Academy.

Copatrick joins the New York office as a member of the Employment Law practice group. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York. In that role, he defended City officials and employees and practiced in both state and federal court. Copatrick earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia University.

Bob joins the Los Angeles office as a member of the Insurance practice group. Bob earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego and his B.A. from California State University, San Bernardino.

Lee joins the Pittsburgh office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. She handles a variety of commercial litigation disputes. Prior to joining the firm, Lee worked for a local civil litigation firm, where she represented individuals in premises liability and automobile liability matters throughout Western Pennsylvania. She has extensive experience handling all stages of litigation, from case inception to conclusion. Lee earned her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law and her B.S. from Duquesne University.

Jordan joins the San Francisco office as a member of the Product & General Liability practice group. Jordan earned his J.D. from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and his B.A. from Arizona State University.

Nicolas joins the Miami office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Upon his admission to the Florida Bar, he practiced at firms specializing in insurance and general liability defense, defending his clients in areas of homeowners insurance, construction defect, personal injury, trucking and transportation, and cases involving ride-sharing applications. Nicolas earned his J.D. from Florida International University College of Law and his B.A. from Florida International University.

Amanda joins the Irvine office as a member of the Construction practice group. Prior to joining the firm, she represented numerous business and transportation entities in personal injury and premises liability matters. Amanda earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Kaitlin joins the Detroit office as a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. Kaitlin earned her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law and her B.A. from The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.