PHILADELPHIA, JANUARY 4 - Duane Morris LLP, one of the nation's 100 largest law firms, announced that 11 of its associates and one special counsel have become partners in the firm. The new partners are: G. Kirk Domescik and Matthew C. Gaudet, of the Atlanta office; Frederick R. Ball and Michael A. Witt, of the Chicago office; Jeffrey R. Margolis of the Miami office; Jamie B. Mandel and Francine N. Nisim, of the New York office; Kelly D. Eckel, Sandra A. Jeskie, John A. Reade, Jr. and Barry L. Small, of the Philadelphia office; and J. Michael Lewis, of the Westchester, New York office. Mr. Reade was formerly special counsel and all the others were associates.
"We welcome this talented group of lawyers into the partnership. This action reflects our continuing commitment to our associates and recognizes that they are an immensely valuable part of the Duane Morris team," said Sheldon M. Bonovitz, Chairman of Duane Morris. "We strive to provide a work environment that fosters the professional development of all of our lawyers."
G. Kirk Domescik practices in the area of health law, and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Bar Association and the American Health Lawyers Association. Mr. Domescik is a 1994 cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and a graduate of Duke University.
Matthew C. Gaudet practices in the areas of intellectual property, antitrust and complex commercial litigation, and technology litigation. Mr. Gaudet served a judicial clerkship to the Honorable Susan H. Black of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. A member of the State Bar of Georgia and the New York State Bar Association, he is admitted to practice in Georgia and New York. Mr. Gaudet is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Duke University School of Law and a magna cum laude graduate of Louisiana State University.
Frederick (Rick) R. Ball concentrates his practice in litigation, representing clients in diverse matters including defending shareholder/policyholder class actions; enforcing and challenging noncompete agreements; obtaining commercial foreclosures under Illinois law; and representing clients in civil rights cases. He also represents minority shareholder groups in closely held corporations and shareholder disputes. Mr. Ball has written articles for the Illinois Bar Journal regarding attorney-client privilege, and has published an article in Update: Food and Drug Law, Regulation and Education on re-exporting drugs seized by customs or the FDA.
He is admitted to the Illinois State Bar, the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit. He is a 1996 cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School and a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Michael A. Witt is in the Corporate and Finance practice groups in the Chicago office. Mr. Witt has extensive experience representing banks and lending institutions in various financing transactions. He also has extensive experience representing business entities, private equity firms and individuals in various business and financing transactions, including the buying and selling of companies and acquisition financing arrangements. Mr. Witt is an active member of the Benefits Committee of The Lungevity Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to finding a cure for lung cancer.
Mr. Witt is a 1995 graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was a member of the Loyola Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of Illinois. Mr. Witt also attended Queen Mary's College in London.
Jeffrey R. Margolis focuses his practice on commercial litigation and real estate law and litigation. A member of The Florida Bar and the American and Dade County bar associations, Mr. Margolis is a 1996 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Jamie B. Mandel practices in the area of estates and asset planning. Admitted to practice in New York and Florida, she is a member of the Trusts and Estates Law Section of the New York Bar Association and a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. She is also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. Ms. Mandel is a 1995 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law and a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Francine Nisim practices in the area of employment and labor law and commercial litigation. She advises clients about their rights and obligations regarding laws and regulations that affect the workplace, including employment discrimination statutes (Title VII, ADA, ADEA, NYSHRL, NYCHRL), family and medical leave laws (FMLA), wage and hour rules (FLSA) and employment contracts and tort laws. She also represents clients in employment and commercial litigation matters.
Ms. Nisim is a member of the American and New York State bar associations and the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia. Admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia, Florida and Georgia, Ms. Nisim is a 1995 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law and a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Kelly D. Eckel practices in the areas of commercial, securities, class action, intellectual property and product liability litigation. A former judicial clerk to the Honorable Stanley S. Brotman of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, she is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ms. Eckel is a member of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association and the Federal Courts Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She is a 1996 graduate of Temple University School of Law and a graduate of Harvard University.
Sandra A. Jeskie concentrates her practice on computer, e-commerce, Internet and technology law, and commercial litigation. She has more than 16 years of experience as a computer scientist. Ms. Jeskie represents clients in technology, intellectual property, computer and business matters and disputes, and has litigated complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts and before arbitrators. Leveraging her computer programming and information systems background, Ms. Jeskie counsels clients on negotiating and drafting service agreements and content Internet-related agreements, policies and practices and has counseled clients regarding systems development projects. She is a graduate of Temple University School of Law, magna cum laude, and a graduate of LaSalle University (M.B.A.; B.A., computer science).
John A. Reade, Jr. practices in the area of employee benefits, including executive compensation and severance agreements, qualified and nonqualified plans, health and welfare plans, ERISA litigation, employee benefits issues in corporate transactions, fiduciary related issues involving prohibited transactions and qualified plan advice and representation of clients before the Department of Labor, IRS and PBGC. Mr. Reade is a 1994 magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, where he was a member of the Syracuse University Law Review, and a magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University.
Barry L. Small practices in the area of estates and asset planning. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he is a 1996 graduate of Harvard Law School and a graduate of the University of Delaware.
J. Michael Lewis practices in the area of financial products law. He represents brokerage firms, hedge funds and banks in litigation matters. He is a 1995 graduate of Columbia University School of Law and a graduate of the United States Military Academy.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, is a full-service firm of approximately 550 lawyers. In addition, Duane Morris affiliates have approximately 50 professionals engaged in ancillary service businesses. The firm represents clients across the nation and around the world through a combination of 18 offices and a relationship with an international network of independent law firms.