Leech Tishman Lawyers Chosen Among Best Lawyers In America In National Survey
PITTSBURGH, PA – August 23, 2021 – Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl LLC (Leech Tishman) is pleased to announce that 16 of its lawyers were chosen by their peers to be included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The recognized lawyers include Sally Griffith Cimini, Pete A. Fuscaldo, Heather S. Heidelbaugh, David W. Lampl, Danton K. Mak, Bruce J. McNeil, Vincent S. Oleszkiewicz, Robyn B. Sokol, John M. Steiner, Heather C. Stumpf, 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 rising stars in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Partners
Sally Griffith Cimini is recognized for a 12th year in the Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor & Employment and Mediation categories. She was also selected as the 2021 Best Lawyers Pittsburgh Mediator of the Year. 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. For many years, Cimini also previously served on the firm’s Management Committee and Chair of the firm’s Employment & Labor Group.
Pete A. Fuscaldo is recognized for an 12th year in the Tax Law category and a 10th year in the Corporate Law category. Fuscaldo is Managing Partner of Leech Tishman and Chair 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.
Heather S. Heidelbaugh has been recognized in the Government Relations Practice category for a 3rd 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. She also co-leads the Government Relations Group. An experienced trial lawyer, Heidelbaugh is based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office and has handled a wide variety of litigation matters for businesses and individuals. Heidelbaugh is a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Litigation Counsel of America, a national legal honorary society.
David W. Lampl is recognized for an 12th 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.
Danton K. Mak is recognized for an 11th year in the Litigation – Patent Law category. Mak is a member of Intellectual Property Practice Group, and co-leads the International Group. Mak is based in Leech Tishman’s Pasadena office and focuses his practice in all aspects of intellectual property and related business and corporate counseling, including M&A and inbound investments.
Bruce J. McNeil is recognized for a 17th year in the Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law category and for a 12th 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 2nd 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 5th 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 5th year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor – Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law category and a 4th 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.
Heather C. Stumpf is recognized in the Trusts and Estates category. Stumpf is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice Group, as well as the Nonprofits & Tax-Exempt Organizations Group. She is based in the Pittsburgh office, where she regularly advises clients on estate and trust planning and administration, probate and tax-exempt organizations.
Alan G. Towner is recognized for an 12th year in the Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation- Patent, Patent Law and Trademark Law categories. 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. Towner regularly handles matters including preparing and prosecuting patent, trademark and copyright applications, patentability opinions, patent infringement and validity studies, trademark clearance opinions, patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation, and general intellectual property counseling.
David V. Weicht is recognized for a 2nd year in the Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Insurance categories. Weicht serves as 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. He 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 20 years.
Wesley Yang is recognized for a 10th year in the Tax Law category. Yang is a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he leads the Asset Protection Planning and Tax Groups. He is also a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice Group. 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 13th 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 2nd year in the Commercial Litigation category. Pietranton is a member of the 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, where her practice includes advocating for clients, both businesses and individuals, with respect to a wide variety of legal issues, including: contract and other business disputes, restrictive covenants and trade secret claims, defamation and related causes of action, insurance coverage, property damage, chemical exposure and toxic torts, and premises liability. Pietranton regularly advocates for clients in federal and state courts.
Francesca M. Schiavone was recognized 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. Schiavone is also a member of the Insurance Coverage Group, and is based in Leech Tishman’s Pittsburgh office. Her practice involves counseling clients on corporate mergers and acquisitions, business planning and structuring, real estate transactional matters, including commercial and residential sales, acquisitions and leases, and dealing with a multitude of general corporate governance matters.
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 is a full-service law firm dedicated to assisting individuals, businesses, and institutions. Leech Tishman offers legal services in business restructuring & insolvency, 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, construction, energy & natural resources, healthcare, and hospitality industries. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Leech Tishman also has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Sarasota, Washington, D.C. and Wilmington, DE.