15 Leech Tishman Lawyers Chosen Among Best Lawyers in America in National Survey
PITTSBURGH, PA – August 17, 2023 – Leech Tishman is pleased to announce that 15 of its lawyers were chosen by their peers to be included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The recognized lawyers include Sally Griffith Cimini, Pete A. Fuscaldo, Heather S. Heidelbaugh, Steven D. Irwin, David W. Lampl, Bruce J. McNeil, Vincent S. Oleszkiewicz, Robyn B. Sokol, John M. Steiner, Alan G. Towner, David V. Weicht, and Wesley Yang, Partners of the firm, as well as Sara A. Mercer, Counsel. Erica M. Pietranton and Francesca M. Schiavone, also Partners of the firm, were recognized as “Ones to Watch” in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Partners
Sally Griffith Cimini is recognized for a 14th year in the Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor & Employment and Mediation categories. Cimini is a member of Leech Tishman’s Litigation Practice Group, where she leads the Alternative Dispute Resolution Group. She is also a member of the Employment & Labor Practice Group, where she leads the Workplace Investigation and Discipline Group. Cimini is based in the Pittsburgh office and is highly regarded for her experience in the areas of alternative dispute resolution and employment and labor law. Cimini is a former Management Committee member and former Chair of the Employment & Labor Group.
Pete A. Fuscaldo is recognized for a 14th year in the Tax Law category and a 12th year in the Corporate Law category. Fuscaldo is Managing Partner of Leech Tishman and member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he co-leads the General Counsel Group. He is also a member of the Tax Group. Fuscaldo is based in the Pittsburgh office and represents diverse, established, and emerging privately-held companies, often serving as general business counsel in both day-to-day legal matters and strategic transactions. Fuscaldo also Chairs the Leech Tishman Management Committee.
Heather S. Heidelbaugh has been recognized in the Government Relations Practice category for a fifth year, and in the Commercial Litigation category for the first year. Heidelbaugh is a member of the Litigation Practice Group, where she co-leads the Commercial Litigation Group, the Defamation, Libel & Slander Group, and the Product Liability Defense Group. Heather co-leads the Government Relations Group and is also a member of the Entertainment & Sports Industry Group.
Steven D. Irwin has been recognized for the first year in both the Employment Law – Management category and the Government Relations Practice category. Irwin is a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he co-leads the Government Relations Group and the Securities Group. He is also a member of the Employment & Labor Practice Group. Irwin is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he handles business matters, routinely interacts with government bodies, and counsels high-level management, defending against or asserting allegations of fraudulent conduct.
David W. Lampl is recognized for a 14th year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor – Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy categories. Lampl is a member of the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group. He is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he is highly regarded for the major role he has played in numerous local and national high profile cases involving Chapter 11 bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings. Over the course of his career, Lampl has served as lead counsel on behalf of banks, creditors’ committees, and debtor companies in a wide variety of complex bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters.
Bruce J. McNeil is recognized for a 19th year in the Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law category and for a 14th year in the Litigation – ERISA category. McNeil is a member of the Employment & Labor Practice Group where he leads the ERISA, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. He is based in the Washington, D.C. office, where he focuses his practice on assisting clients in a variety of employee benefits matters including tax-qualified plans, executive and nonqualified deferred compensation plans, as well as the tax aspects of equity, phantom equity, and employee benefits litigation.
Vincent S. Oleszkiewicz is recognized for a fourth year in the Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental categories. Oleskiewicz is a member of Real Estate Practice Group where he co-leads the Environmental Group. He is based in Leech Tishman’s Chicago office and regularly advises clients in the area of environmental law, including all aspects of domestic and international environmental regulation, permitting and compliance, environmental issues in real estate transactions, dispute resolution, and corporate transactional matters.
Robyn B. Sokol is recognized for a seventh year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation- Bankruptcy categories. Sokol is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group where she leads the Court Appointed Trustee and Receivers Group. She is based in Leech Tishman’s Pasadena office, where she regularly advises clients on business reorganizations, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy law, and all related transactions and litigation.
John M. Steiner is recognized for a seventh year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor – Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law category and a sixth year in the Litigation – Bankruptcy category. Steiner serves as Chief Operating Officer of Leech Tishman, where he oversees the administrative departments including Finance, IT, HR, and Marketing. He is based in the Pittsburgh office. Steiner is a member of the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group, where he served as Co-Chair for many years. He co-leads the Bankruptcy Chapter 11 Debtor Group and leads the firm’s Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Proceeding Group. Steiner is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Alan G. Towner is recognized for a 14th year in the Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, and Trademark Law categories. Towner was also awarded “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America in Patent Law. Towner serves as Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. He is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he focuses his practice on all aspects of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
David V. Weicht is recognized for a fourth year in the Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Insurance categories. Weicht serves as Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, where he leads the Appellate Group and the Shareholder/Equity Disputes Group, and also co-leads the Commercial Litigation Group. Weicht is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he handles a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters as an experienced litigator and across a wide range of industries for over 30 years. Weicht is also a member of the Leech Tishman Management Committee and serves as General Counsel for the Firm.
Wesley Yang is recognized for an 12th year in the Tax Law category. Yang is Chair of the Estates & Trusts Practice Group. He is also a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he leads the Asset Protection Planning and Tax Groups. Yang is based in the Pittsburgh office and is well-respected for his experience in complex corporate and tax law matters.
Counsel
Sara A. Mercer is recognized for a 15th year in the Trusts and Estates category. Mercer is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice Group. She is based in the Pittsburgh office where she focuses her practice on estate and trust planning and administration, planning for the elderly, and charitable planning. Mercer represents fiduciaries in estate administration and in the ongoing administration of trusts.
Ones to Watch
Erica M. Pietranton was recognized for a fourth year in the Commercial Litigation category. Pietranton a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, where she focuses on commercial and other complex litigation matters. She is also part of the Insurance Coverage Group. Pietranton is based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office.
Francesca M. Schiavone was recognized for a third year in the Corporate Law and Real Estate Law categories. Schiavone is a member of the Corporate Practice Group where she co-leads the Women/Minority-Owned Business Group and the Commercial Contracts Group, and also leads the firm’s Start-Up Services Group. She is also a member of the Insurance Coverage Group, Cannabis Industry Group and Life Sciences Industry Group. Schiavone is based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office.
ABOUT BEST LAWYERS
Published since 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. The Best Lawyers lists, representing 80 specialties in all 50 states and Washington, DC, are compiled through an exhaustive peer-review survey in which thousands of the top lawyers in the U.S. confidentially evaluate their professional peers.
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking in a particular practice area and metro region, a law firm must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers in that particular practice area and metro. For more information on Best Lawyers, please visit bestlawyers.com.
ABOUT LEECH TISHMAN
Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC is a national, full-service law firm dedicated to assisting individuals, businesses, and institutions. Leech Tishman offers legal services in business restructuring & insolvency, construction, corporate matters, employment & labor, estates & trusts, intellectual property, litigation & alternative dispute resolution, and real estate. In addition, the firm offers a wide range of legal services to clients in the aviation & aerospace, cannabis, emerging cyber technologies, energy & natural resources, entertainment & sports, healthcare, hospitality, and life sciences industries. Leech Tishman has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sarasota, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE.