Skip to site navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer content Skip to Site Search page Skip to People Search page

Releases and Announcements

Duane Morris Names Seven Attorneys to Partnership

January 13, 2016

Duane Morris Names Seven Attorneys to Partnership

January 13, 2016

Read below

PHILADELPHIA, January 13, 2016—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that it has promoted seven associates and special counsel in five of the firm’s practice groups to the firm partnership. This also marks the seventh year that the new partnership class has been at least 40-percent female.

These newly named partners are located in five of the firm’s offices and are as follows:

John BairdJohn M. Baird handles complex intellectual property matters, with a focus on highly technical disputes involving telecommunication, computer and networking technologies. He regularly represents clients in district court litigation and related proceedings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is experienced with inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, including oral argument in final trial hearings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He also prosecutes patent and trademark applications, counsels clients on intellectual property strategies, and negotiates licensing and related agreements. Baird is a 2008 cum laude graduate of George Mason University School of Law and a 1998 graduate of Cornell University (B.S., Electrical Engineering). Prior to his legal career, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy, where he managed the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants.

Ryan BornemanRyan E. Borneman practices in the areas of complex commercial transactions, lending, financial services, real estate disputes and appellate litigation. He represents financial institutions, real estate developers, corporate entities and individual clients in complex commercial litigation and class actions in federal and state courts and arbitral forums. He handles banking-related matters involving the Uniform Commercial Code, Electronic Fund Transfer Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Housing Act and Bank Secrecy laws. His practice also involves complex and class action business issues. Borneman is a 2006 magna cum laude graduate of Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, and a 2001 magna cum laude graduate of Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management. He is chair of the Philadelphia Chapter of the J. Ruben Clark Law Society and serves on Duane Morris’ pro bono committee.

Patrick GallagherPatrick C. Gallagher, Ph.D., practices in the areas of intellectual property and regulatory law, assisting generic pharmaceutical companies, compounding pharmacies and others in the agricultural, chemical and biotechnology industries. His Hatch-Waxman practice includes advising on Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filings, development of noninfringement and invalidity arguments for FDA-required notice letters, and litigation through trial and appeal. Gallagher guides clients on the approval of biosimilars through abbreviated Biologics License Applications (aBLA) and also advises veterinary compounding pharmacies. He is a 2007 cum laude graduate of DePaul University College of Law, where he was on the editorial board of the DePaul Law Review, a 2001 graduate of the University of Kentucky (Ph.D., molecular genetics) and a 1997 graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

Heather GuerenaHeather U. Guerena handles matters involving franchise and contract disputes, land use, trademark, copyright and patent infringement, unfair competition and consumer legal remedies, and consumer lending and banking litigation. She has appellate experience in both state and federal courts on a variety of matters, including appeals, writs, petitions for review, merits and amicus curiae briefing. Guerena also has extensive experience with traditional and administrative mandamus proceedings, injunctive relief, prejudgment writs of attachment and post-judgment writs of execution. She represents clients in negotiations with state and federal agencies to resolve issues involving violations of consumer, privacy and securities laws. Guerena is a 2005 graduate of California Western School of Law and a 2002 graduate of the University of Southern California.

Amanda LaytonAmanda E. Layton counsels employers in all aspects of employee benefit plan legal compliance, including, but not limited to, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). She advises employers in regard to day-to-day plan issues and represents employers in plan examinations and corrective filings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Layton’s experience includes work with clients on the IRS Voluntary Correction Program, the DOL Voluntary Fiduciary Compliance Program and Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program. She also partners with the firm’s Corporate Practice Group, serving as benefits counsel on mergers and acquisitions. Layton is a 2005 cum laude graduate of Rutgers University School of Law and earned her M.B.A. in 2005 from Rutgers University School of Business. She is a 1993 graduate of Villanova University.

Driscoll UgarteDriscoll R. Ugarte practices in the area of corporate law, focusing on private equity, emerging companies, mergers and acquisitions, securities and general corporate law. He counsels public, domestic and foreign corporations through all stages of development, including public and private offerings of equity and debt, tender offers, proxy contests, going-private transactions and recapitalizations. Ugarte advises public and private business organizations, including drafting documents and contracts incidental to formation and ongoing business operations of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, and preparing transactional documents related to asset and stock sales. He also advises start-up companies and entrepreneurs, venture capital companies and underwriters. Ugarte is a 2002 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a 1999 cum laude graduate of the University of Florida.

Jennifer WieclawJennifer A. Wieclaw concentrates her practice in the area of real estate law. She has a broad transactional practice counseling clients with respect to commercial acquisitions and dispositions, financings and workouts, leasing and joint ventures. Wieclaw has represented clients with respect to a variety of asset classes, including office, healthcare, hospitality, industrial and multi-family. She serves on the Duane Morris Recruitment and Retention Committee and on the board of trustees for Northern Children’s Services, a behavioral health and child welfare agency based in Philadelphia. Wieclaw was selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2012-2015. She is a 2001 graduate, with honors, of the George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of the George Washington Law Review. Wieclaw is also a 1998 magna cum laude graduate of Dickinson College.

About Duane Morris

Duane Morris LLP, a law firm with more than 750 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally, is asked by a broad array of clients to provide innovative solutions to today’s legal and business challenges.