PHILADELPHIA, March 27, 2013 – Cozen O’Connor recently announced that 20 associates have been elected to membership in the firm. The management committee is pleased to welcome a particularly qualified group to membership, composed of outstanding attorneys, who have made significant contributions to the firm and the legal community at large.
Ian R. Blum joined Cozen O’Connor from New York IP boutique Cohen Pontani Lieberman & Pavane LLP in 2011. He is experienced in all aspects of intellectual property including patent, trademark, copyright, and computer law, and focuses his practice on the procurement and enforcement of intellectual property rights, the preparation of patent infringement and validity opinions, and client counseling on intellectual property matters. Ian received his undergraduate degree from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1987, his master's degree from Polytechnic University in 1994, and his law degree from Pace University School of Law in 1998.
Alphonso A. Collins also joined Cozen O’Connor in 2011 from Cohen Pontani Lieberman & Pavane LLP, concentrating his practice on drafting and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patents before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and international patent offices. He represents a broad range of clients, from large multinational corporations to startup entrepreneurial ventures, focusing on a wide spectrum of technologies. Alphonso received his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1984, and his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1995.
Kathryn H. Crary joined Cozen O’Connor's Private Client Services Practice Group from Saul Ewing in 2012. Kate concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, fiduciary law, charitable giving, and Orphans’ Court litigation. Kate serves on the Education Committee of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and is an active member of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council. Kate earned her B.A. from Cornell University in 1999, and earned her J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2005. In 2011, she received her LL.M. in taxation from Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Lynnette D. Espy-Williams joined the firm’s Atlanta office in March 2007 as a litigation associate. Lynnette handles commercial litigation, products liability, as well as litigating matters pertaining to the health, life, accident, and disability insurance industry. Lynnette graduated from Spelman College in 2003, and earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2006. Lynnette is the president of the Gate City Bar Association and is co-chair of the firm's Diversity Committee.
Elizabeth Lai Featherman joined the firm’s Philadelphia office in 2011, as an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group. Elizabeth focuses on trademark counseling, clearance, protection and enforcement, anti-counterfeiting, domain name acquisition and disputes, patent prosecution, litigating patent infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. She counsels clients in a wide range of industries. Elizabeth received her bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in mechanical engineering in 1996 and her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in mechanical engineering in 1998, before earning her law degree from the Franklin Pierce Law Center in 2006. Elizabeth is fluent in Cantonese Chinese.
Matthew A. Glazer, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s 2004 and 2005 summer associate classes, and a former assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, joined Cozen O’Connor’s Litigation Department in 2011. Matt is experienced in handling a wide variety of complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, including real estate, toxic tort, products liability, construction and breach of contract matters. Matthew earned his bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in 2000, and received his law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2006.
Nelsy C. Gomez joined the firm’s Houston office in 2011 from Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall as an associate in the Labor & Employment Group. Nelsy represents employers in a broad range of employment litigation involving claims of race, sex, age, national origin and disability discrimination; sexual harassment; wrongful discharge; wage and hour violations; retaliation; and noncompete agreements. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University in 2003, and her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 2006. Nelsy is also president elect of the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston.
Andrea E. Hammel, a member of the firm's 2005 summer associate class, joined the firm’s West Conshohocken office in 2006. As a member of the Litigation Department, Andrea concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, construction litigation, employment litigation, and oil and gas lease litigations. Andrea earned her Bachelor of Arts from Washington State University in 2000 and her law degree from the Widener University School of Law in 2006.
Keenya R. Harrold joined the firm’s Houston office in 2011. As a member of the Labor & Employment Group, Keenya represents her clients in litigation, arbitration and mediation, involving FMLA, ADA, discrimination and harassment claims, trade secrets and noncompete disputes, employment contract disputes, tortuous interference claims, wage and hour matters, executive agreements, separation agreements, employment handbook and policies, statutory and regulatory corporate compliance, and risk management. She has represented clients in state and federal courts throughout the country and before administrative bodies. Keenya earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and her law degree from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2004.
Charles J. Jesuit, Jr. joined Cozen O’Connor’s Global Insurance Group in 2007, focusing his practice on complex insurance coverage litigation, both first- and third-party insurance claims, as well as the defense of bad faith claims against insurers. Chuck graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science, and received his law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2003.
Lezlie Madden joined Cozen O’Connor in 2010 from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP as an associate in the Litigation Department. Lezlie's practice focuses on commercial litigation and antitrust matters. Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor, Lezlie completed two clerkships, serving as a law clerk to the Honorable P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the Honorable Kent A. Jordan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. Lezlie earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College in 2003, and her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2006.
Marilyn Neiman joined Cozen O’Connor’s New York office in 2011 as an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group. Marilyn counsels clients in patent, trademark, and copyright cases, as well as, commercial cases, throughout the United States. Marilyn received her bachelor's degree in biology from Cornell University in 1974, and graduated from Pace University School of Law in 1979.
Tracey B. Nguyen, a member of Cozen O'Connor's 2005 summer associate class, has practiced with the Real Estate Practice Group since 2006. Tracey focuses her practice on commercial real estate transactions including acquisitions, sales, financing and leasing. Tracey earned her B.S. and B.A. from Villanova University in 2002, and her law degree and master of business administration from the Villanova University School of Law in 2006. During law school, Tracey served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Yvette Kane, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Tracey also earned her Pennsylvania C.P.A. in 2002.
Catherine Rosato Reilly joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office in 2012 as an associate in the Litigation Department. She litigates complex commercial, antitrust and white collar matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts across numerous industries. Catherine earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1999, and received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
Megan S. Scheib joined the firm in 2008 as an associate in the Litigation Department. Prior to joining the firm, Megan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Graydon S. McKee, then chief judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland. She focuses her practice on the representation of individuals and companies under investigation for, or charged with, violations of federal and state criminal law. Megan is also experienced in defending clients in complex commercial litigation cases and construction related matters. Megan earned her undergraduate degree from Ithaca College in 2003 and her law degree from American University, Washington College of Law in 2006.
Daniel J. Schuch joined the firm’s Houston office in 2011 from Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall as an associate in the Labor & Employment Group. Dan is board certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and represents employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters under local, state and federal law. He received his B.A. from Mercyhurst College in 2001, before earning his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in 2005.
John P. Schwartz joined Cozen O’Connor’s Philadelphia office in 2011 as an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group. John focuses his practice in real estate financing, representing institutional lenders and other market participants in commercial real estate financings, as well as investment banks, institutional investors, private equity funds, REITs, and other market participants in the acquisition and disposition of real property, joint venture transactions, and real property secured financings. John earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001, and his law degree from New York Law School in 2005.
Shari Shapiro joined Cozen O’Connor in 2011, working with the firm’s Utility, Environmental & Energy Practice Group. Shari practices in the firm's Cherry Hill, N.J., office, and focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency and green building. She is also a member of the government relations team at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, the firm’s subsidiary. Shari graduated from Brown University in 1997, and earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2005.
Marko A. Stamenkovic joined Cozen O'Connor's London office as an associate in the Subrogation & Recovery Department in March 2010. Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor, Marko was a member in the Group Litigation team of a major British bank and for international law firms both in the Middle East and in the UK. Marko is experienced with local and international claims and coverage issues in the professional indemnity, financial lines and P&C classes of insurance. Marko earned his Bachelor of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1991.
Norasha L. Williams joined the firm in 2011, as of-counsel in the firm's Labor & Employment Group. Norasha counsels and litigates on behalf of companies in the retail, health care, pharmaceutical, energy, insurance and manufacturing industries in all areas of labor and employment law, before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Norasha earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Houston in 1994 and her law degree from Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1999.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970 and ranked among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, Cozen O’Connor has 575 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 22 offices across two continents.