PHILADELPHIA, January 7, 2013—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that it has promoted 10 associates and special counsel in five of the firm's practice groups to the firm partnership.
These newly named partners are located in seven of the firm's offices and are as follows:
- Trial Practice Group: Ryan A. Loosvelt in Las Vegas; Jeffrey S. Pollack in Philadelphia and Jessica Y. Singh in New York.
- Corporate Practice Group: David B. Bernsohn and Douglas P. Howard in Baltimore.
- Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring Practice Group: Meagen E. Leary in San Francisco.
- Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group: Joanna R. Varon in New York.
- Intellectual Property Practice Group: Christopher S. Kroon in Boston; Matthew C. Mousley in Philadelphia and Laurie H. van Löben Sels in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
David Bernsohn practices in the areas of corporate law and commercial finance. Mr. Bernsohn has extensive experience in a broad range of transactions, focusing on private equity and venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, secured lending and other debt financing transactions and general corporate representation. Mr. Bernsohn has acted as counsel to numerous private equity groups, venture capital groups, hedge funds, individual and other institutional investors and public and privately held companies in connection with private equity and venture capital financings and other fundraising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, assets purchase and sale transactions and has represented numerous corporate clients in a wide variety of day-to-day legal issues. Mr. Bernsohn's commercial finance experience includes representation of both lenders and borrowers in numerous transactions involving asset-based financings, syndicated financings, distressed debt and special situations lending, subordinated debt and second lien financings, real estate financings and debtor in possession financings. He also has served as pro bono counsel for startup entities. Mr. Bernsohn is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a summa cum laude graduate of Towson University.
Douglas P. Howard practices in the area of corporate law, with experience in mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing, securities law and corporate governance. Mr. Howard has experience in a broad range of transactions, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital financing, and general corporate representation. Mr. Howard represents private equity groups, venture capital groups, hedge funds, investors and public and private companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, financing and other fundraising transactions, and general corporate representation. Mr. Howard also possesses commercial lending experience representing lenders and borrowers. Mr. Howard is a member of the American and Maryland State bar associations and is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York. He is a 2004 graduate of Cornell Law School, where he was general editor of the Cornell International Law Journal, and a graduate of St. John's College (M.A.) and Salisbury University (B.A., summa cum laude).
Christopher S. Kroon practices in the area of intellectual property litigation and has experience in patent and trademark prosecution. Drawing from his experience as a research scientist in the vascular surgery department at Boston Medical Center, Mr. Kroon has handled matters involving a wide range of complex technologies and products, including pharmaceuticals; orthopedic implants; recombinant proteins; fluorescent lighting; epidermal scanners; and PVC piping. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has prosecuted patent and trademark applications relating to medical devices that include stents, catheters and other transvascular devices, as well as recombinant proteins and hormone detection kits. Mr. Kroon is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of the Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he was an editor of the Franklin Pierce Law Review, and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Kroon also studied at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Meagen E. Leary practices in the areas of creditors' rights, bankruptcy and real estate law. Ms. Leary litigates multimillion-dollar commercial foreclosure, bankruptcy, guaranty and lender liability matters for secured lenders, special servicers, borrowers and guarantors. She has experience in multiple jurisdictions with insolvency matters, foreclosure and lien issues, guaranty claims, prejudgment remedies, post-judgment collection efforts, and the resolution of defaulted loans, including workouts, forbearances, extensions and other modifications. Ms. Leary also represents court-appointed receivers and advises real estate investors in connection with the purchase of distressed real estate and/or promissory notes. Ms. Leary acts as regional outside counsel for a large special servicer client in 17 states. Her real estate and construction practice focuses on the representation of lenders, owners, developers, design professionals and general contractors in matters that include claims of delay and disruption, lease and contract disputes, unfair business practices, professional malpractice, mechanics' liens, property rights, secured transaction issues and other related disputes. Ms. Leary is a 2004 cum laude graduate of Tulane Law School, where she was a member of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ryan A. Loosvelt practices in the areas of commercial and civil litigation with an emphasis on business litigation, and has successfully defended and prosecuted numerous actions through trial and arbitration for his business clientele. Mr. Loosvelt also practices in the area of intellectual property litigation involving matters such as cybersquatting, trademark infringement, unfair competition and unfair trade practices, and has successfully obtained several judgments against cybersquatters and trademark infringers and diluters. Mr. Loosvelt additionally practices in the area of securities law, including violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and has successfully defended cases and obtained dismissals of clients alleged to have violated the United States securities laws. He is also experienced with bankruptcy matters, including adversary actions, proofs of claim, and non-dischargeability of debts, as well as appellate practice including experience with notices of appeals, docketing statements, appellate briefing, and appellate motion practice. Mr. Loosvelt is also very active in pro bono work and has prosecuted Hague Convention proceedings involving international child abductions on behalf of indigent mothers whose children have been abducted across international borders.
Matthew C. Mousley practices in the areas of intellectual property and information technology, including intellectual property trial and appellate litigation, technology licensing and related business transactions. Mr. Mousley's experience includes both litigation and transactional work with such diverse technologies as pharmaceutical and healthcare products, telecommunications and the Internet, automation and manufacturing systems, and building and construction materials. He is regularly involved in intellectual property portfolio management in these and other technical fields. Mr. Mousley is a 2004 summa cum laude graduate of Villanova University School of Law, where he served as the executive editor of the Villanova Law Review, and a 2001 summa cum laude graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (B.A., Chemistry and French).
Jeffrey S. Pollack serves as trial counsel for the firm's corporate clients throughout the United States. He has appeared before numerous state and federal courts in matters involving patent and trademark infringement; unfair competition; contract disputes; covenants not to compete/restrictive covenants; and antitrust, RICO and securities claims. As trial counsel, Mr. Pollack has tried cases to verdict and counsels clients regarding all aspects of the law and litigation. He has received recognition from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas for his pro bono service on the behalf of underprivileged litigants. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Mr. Pollack was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Michael M. Baylson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is a 2003 cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was managing editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.
Jessica Y. Singh concentrates her practice in the areas of construction, real estate and domestic and international commercial litigation. Ms. Singh is an experienced litigator and commercial trial attorney, and focuses her practice on guiding clients through arbitrations, trials and other forms of dispute resolution. Ms. Singh has litigated and tried numerous complex construction cases involving private and public disputes before juries and before courts sitting without a jury. Ms. Singh is experienced in use of court technology in trial presentation and jury selection. Ms. Singh is a 2001 graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was senior managing editor of the Cardozo Women's Law Journal, and a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton. She is fluent in Korean.
Joanna R. (Jodi) Varon practices in the areas of employment law, labor relations and litigation. Ms. Varon advises employers on a variety of employment laws governing the workplace, including in the areas of employment discrimination (Title VII, ADA, ADEA), wage and hour (FLSA), family, medical and military leave (FMLA, USERRA), background checks (FCRA), plant closings/reductions in force (WARN) and in connection with recruitment, performance management and termination. Ms. Varon regularly reviews and prepares personnel policies, employee handbooks, employment contracts and separation agreements. She also develops non-compete, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements and analyzes enforcement under various state laws. Ms. Varon represents clients in federal and state court litigation and before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, New York Division of Human Rights, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Board and the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. She trains both executives and employees on preventing workplace harassment. Ms. Varon is a 2003 graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was senior articles editor of the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal, and a graduate, with high honors, of Rutgers University.
Laurie H. van Löben Sels practices in the area of intellectual property law, with a focus on the protection and enforcement of trademarks and trade dress, including the investigation, litigation and settlement of disputes in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Ms. van Löben Sels assists brand owners in developing global brand-protection strategies, including anti-counterfeiting efforts such as the seizure of counterfeit goods by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She also advises clients concerning social media, copyrights, Internet domain names, design patents, trade secrets, unfair competition and the licensing of intellectual property. Ms. van Löben Sels' clients represent a wide range of industries, including high-end consumer electronics, luxury goods, personal-care products, healthcare, engineering and construction services, education, food, wine, fashion, furniture, entertainment and social networking. Ms. van Löben Sels is a 1996 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a member of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, and a graduate, with honors, of the University of California, Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
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