PHILADELPHIA, January 20, 2026—Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce that it has promoted to the firm partnership 14 associates and special counsel in seven of the firm’s offices.
These newly named partners are:
Corporate Practice Group: Xiu Ming (Lily) Gao, New York
Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group: Christopher D. Kanne, Atlanta
Real Estate Practice Group: Daniel L. Mita, Philadelphia
Trial Practice Group: Robert C. Carrillo, New York; John I. Coster IV, New York; John I. Criste Jr., Miami; Brad D. Feldman, Southern New Jersey; Michael C. Ferri, New York; Rachel M. Good, Pittsburgh; Coleen W. Hill, Philadelphia; Deanna J. Lucci, New York and San Diego; Sean Patterson, San Francisco; Andrew John (AJ) Rudowitz, Philadelphia; William Shotzbarger, Philadelphia
“Our large group of elevated partners reflects our optimism in a bright future for Duane Morris and the overall strength of our platform,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “While we have exciting growth momentum and a business trajectory overall, these new partners will do much more than add to our bottom line. They will step up as leaders and advance our client-focused, collaborative and collegial culture, which is a hallmark of our firm. This new generation of partners are proven performers, and their contributions are broad and distinct. They are generating new business, adding new capabilities and making meaningful inputs to our success. I am so excited about our future.”
Robert C. Carrillo is an intellectual property and litigation attorney, handling intellectual property transactions and complex litigation for more than 20 years. He counsels tech, entertainment and financial services clients on trademark, copyright and data privacy matters, including advice on AI/machine learning, technology licensing and IP litigation disputes. He is one of the founding members of Duane Morris’ multidisciplinary AI law group and advises clients on complex personal information privacy and compliance issues. Carrillo has also successfully represented clients in proceedings before the USPTO, and in New York state and federal court. He counsels clients located throughout the United States, Europe and the Americas.
Originally hailing from Salinas, California, Carrillo is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2003) and the University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 2000), where he was a National Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholar. He advises clients in both Spanish and English and is an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
John I. Coster IV concentrates his practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, including securities, contract disputes, banking, class actions, business torts, defamation, employment, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement matters. He has broad experience representing financial institutions, corporations, investment advisors, real estate developers, media conglomerates, insurance companies, startups and individuals in federal and state courts, as well as arbitration. In addition, Coster represents broker-dealers and financial advisors in industry and customer dispute arbitrations and enforcement actions before FINRA.
Coster is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 2015), where he was editor-in-chief of the St. John’s Journal of International & Comparative Law and the New York International Law Review, and Fordham University (B.S., 2012).
John I. Criste Jr. focuses his practice on litigating complex construction disputes. He represents owners, developers, general contractors and subcontractors across a wide range of construction-related matters, including defect, delay, lien and contract claims. Criste has substantial experience both prosecuting and defending construction defect claims, including those brought under Florida’s Construction Defect Statute. He is also well-versed in Florida’s Construction Lien Law, regularly advising clients on lien enforcement, lien transfers to security and lien priority disputes. In addition, Criste handles claims involving project delays, acceleration and disruption, and frequently litigates matters involving critical path analyses, liquidated damages and other schedule-related damages. He is also experienced in contract-based disputes, including claims arising from change order disputes and project accounting.
Criste is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2015) and Stanford University (B.A., 2011). He is proficient in Spanish.
Brad D. Feldman practices in the area of complex commercial litigation. He has represented a range of clients, from individuals to Fortune 500 companies, in all stages of civil disputes. Feldman’s experience spans a wide range of industries and matters, including, among others, securities litigation, merger litigation, real estate disputes, contract disputes, joint venture and partnership disputes, environmental litigation and government and internal investigations.
Feldman is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., magna cum laude, 2011), where he was a notes editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, a member of the Barristers’ Council (Appellate Advocacy Division), a recipient of the ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Labor and Employment Law, elected to the Order of the Coif and a board member of the Equal Justice Foundation. He is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B., magna cum laude, 2007), where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a recipient of the John Harvard Scholarship.
Michael C. Ferri focuses his practice on transactional construction law, with particular emphasis on complex contract drafting and negotiation for owners, developers and contractors in major metropolitan markets. Drawing on nearly a decade of legal practice and earlier experience as a licensed professional engineer, he brings a unique technical perspective to the legal and business challenges of construction, infrastructure and environmental remediation projects. Ferri regularly prepares and negotiates construction agreements of all types, including design, engineering, construction management, design-build, EPC and trade contracts, and advises clients on project delivery methods, risk allocation and dispute-avoidance strategies. He is frequently called upon to lead multidisciplinary teams on high-value projects. Ferri is highly experienced with open-book and guaranteed maximum price agreements and is well-versed in standard industry forms, including AIA, DBIA and FIDIC. His practice also encompasses adjacent property access and licensing, dispute resolution and claims management. Ferri’s representative matters include supporting large-scale environmental remediation programs, healthcare and life sciences facilities, data centers, mixed-use developments and public-private partnership projects.
Ferri is a graduate of from St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 2016), where he was a member of the St. John’s Law Review, and Manhattan College (M.S., 2009; B.S., 2005). Before entering law, he spent nearly a decade as a structural engineer with a global firm, providing design consulting, construction oversight and procurement support for major New York metropolitan infrastructure projects. He is licensed as a professional engineer in New York.
Xiu Ming “Lily” Gao practices in the area of corporate law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and commercial finance transactions. She represents both publicly held and private companies on a wide variety of corporate and transactional matters, including mergers, stock and asset sales, private equity transactions, restructurings and general corporate issues. She has significant experience representing banks, lending institutions and corporate borrowers in a wide array of finance transactions, including asset-based lending transactions, syndicated loan transactions, real estate finance transactions, acquisition transactions, construction financing and mezzanine financing. Gao is vice chair of the firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Group. With respect to community development financing, she represents investors, community development entities, nonprofit organizations and developers nationally in projects developed with the federal New Markets Tax Credit Program, a program designed to promote development in underserved communities.
Gao is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 2013) and the Macaulay Honors College at the City College of New York (B.A., summa cum laude, 2010), where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is conversant in Mandarin, Cantonese and Fujianese.
Rachel M. Good is an experienced trial lawyer who has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict. She represents clients in a wide array of complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout the country. Good has defended and prosecuted cases involving fraud, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets, including representing a biopharmaceutical company as plaintiff in complex trade secret litigation resulting in a $75 million settlement. Good defends companies in the energy and healthcare industries in high-profile, high-stakes personal injury and wrongful death cases and serves as national defense counsel for a leading healthcare company. She has significant experience defending Fortune 500 companies against veil piercing claims in litigation that places the corporate structure at risk. Before joining Duane Morris, Good served as an assistant public defender with the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office. Good is a member of Duane Morris’s Pro Bono Committee and serves as the Pro Bono Coordinator for its Pittsburgh office.
Good is a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2011), where she was a John Henry Wigmore merit scholar and executive articles editor for the Journal of International Human Rights. She is also a graduate of American University (B.A., cum laude, 2005).
Coleen W. Hill is a trial attorney whose practice focuses on representing clients in the life sciences industry in complex commercial and regulatory disputes. She has extensive experience litigating matters involving medical products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as issues arising under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Hill also advises companies on regulatory compliance issues and assists with responding to regulatory actions, including FDA Form 483s and warning letters. She counsels pharmaceutical companies, biologics manufacturers, medical device companies and cosmetic companies on complex issues arising under state and federal regulations. Admitted to practice in both Pennsylvania and Delaware, Hill also litigates corporate governance disputes (including stockholder class and derivative litigation), statutory actions arising under Delaware corporate and alternative entity laws and complex contractual disputes stemming from various corporate transactions. In addition, she represents clients and employers in commercial and business tort disputes involving restrictive covenants, trade secrets and unfair competition.
Hill is a graduate of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2016), where she was managing editor of production for the Villanova Law Review. She is also a graduate of Southern Illinois University (B.A., summa cum laude, 2013).
Christopher D. Kanne represents tech companies, manufacturers, financial institutions and media corporations in the areas of employment law, commercial litigation and media law. His litigation practice focuses on defending corporate clients in employment, breach of contract and defamation lawsuits. In addition to his litigation practice, Kanne regularly counsels clients in these areas through policy decisions, contracts, transactions, investigations, trainings and negotiations to reduce the risk of litigation (and to set up clients to prevail if they face it).
Kanne is a graduate of Emory University School of Law (J.D., with honors, 2013), where he was articles editor of the Emory Law Journal, and the University of Georgia (B.B.A, with honors, 2009).
Deanna J. Lucci represents businesses and institutions of higher education in complex litigation, including trade secret and noncompete matters, contract disputes, fraud claims, class actions, arbitration, consumer claims, employment law claims, banking, regulatory and administrative law matters. She is often called upon to file temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and writs in “bet the company” litigation when clients are faced with adverse actions by government agencies or business competitors. As a member of the Education Industry Group, Lucci counsels the firm’s higher education clients on regulatory and accreditation matters. She is also involved in the Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group and represents cannabis and cannabis-related companies in litigation and regulatory matters.
Lucci is a graduate of Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 2008), where she was editor-in-chief of The Conscience, and a graduate of California State University, Fullerton (B.A., cum laude, 2003). Prior to attending law school, she worked as a copy editor for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, California.
Daniel L. Mita’s practice concentrates on real estate transactions and dealmaking, including acquisition, disposition, investment, financing, development and leasing. He leverages his years of experience working in real estate development to advise real estate developers, financial institutions, property owners, and entrepreneurs on a host of issues, including development and land use, financing structures, purchased and sale strategy, loan restructuring, and commercial leasing. Mita also represents public and private out-of-home advertising companies and owners nationally in connection with out-of-home advertising assets, as well as public authorities and developers in connection with P3 and transit oriented real estate infrastructure. He formerly served as a senior manager for a leading privately owned real estate development company where he focused on mixed-use developments executing loan and equity restructuring, land use and entitlements, and investor/lender relationship management.
Mita is a graduate of Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law (J.D., 2016) and Georgetown University (B.A., 2008).
Sean Patterson focuses his practice in the area of complex commercial litigation, including class action, privacy, toxic tort and general product liability claims. He also represents and defends public agencies and nonprofit public advocacy organizations in state and federal court, including judicial officers and state officials in civil rights actions involving allegations of violation of constitutionally protected rights (e.g., discrimination/denial of services, denial of due process). Patterson has substantial trial experience as first and second chair to verdict and in all aspects of trial, including jury selection, witness preparation and examination. Patterson also has extensive law and motion practice, through post-verdict and appeals, as well as extensive deposition experience, including defending and conducting lead examination of parties, experts and nonparty witnesses. He manages a substantial caseload for multiple clients, from initial filing through trial, mediation and settlement negotiation.
Patterson is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 2004) and the University of Florida (M.Ed., 2001, B.A., 1999). He is a member of the California Lawyers Association Litigation Section Executive Committee. Patterson is also a member of the Duane Morris San Francisco Pro Bono Committee, and currently represents minors pro bono in immigration, guardianship and asylum applications. He also has represented children pro bono in high school and middle school expulsion proceedings.
Andrew John “AJ” Rudowitz focuses his practice on advising clients in the areas of complex commercial disputes, antitrust and competition litigation, white-collar criminal defense, noncompete/trade secrets and False Claims Act cases. He has represented clients in the sports and athletics industry and in all areas of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical device manufacturers, as well as clients in the telecommunications, transportation and construction industries. Rudowitz has represented companies and individuals in adverse actions with state and federal governments, including administrative, civil and criminal matters, with the FTC, DOJ, OIG and CMS, among other agencies. He has assisted clients, both within and outside the healthcare industry, in successfully navigating and defending themselves against disputes involving complex statutory schemes, including federal and state antitrust laws, the False Claims Act, the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Rudowitz has significant experience in conducting internal investigations for higher education institutions and other organizations and has utilized his background as a former collegiate and professional basketball player in successfully representing various stakeholders in the industry, including professional athletes and coaches, NIL agencies, companies, universities and athletes. Prior to entering law school, he was a professional basketball player in Germany for four years and is proficient in written and spoken German. Rudowitz is currently an adjunct professor of sports law at New York University.
Rudowitz is a graduate of Temple University, Beasley School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 2017), where he was articles editor of the Temple Law Review, and Stonehill College (B.A., 2010).
William Shotzbarger practices in the area of litigation with an emphasis in antitrust and commercial disputes. His practice involves advising on highly sensitive issues across varying industries, including banking and finance and franchising. Shotzbarger has tried jury and bench trials in federal and state courts and appeared in American Arbitration Association hearings. In commercial disputes, he regularly files on behalf of and defends clients in court cases and arbitrations involving breach of contract and related theories of recovery. He has obtained seven-figure arbitration awards on behalf of both franchisors and franchisees. In antitrust and competition, he has served as counsel in multidistrict litigation concerning price-fixing and bid-rigging, defended a consummated merger, tried cases on price discrimination and Robinson-Patman Act claims and provides advice to companies on compliance obligations.
Shotzbarger is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2015), where he was associate notes editor of the Syracuse Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 2010).
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
