Philadelphia, May 3, 2017 – Cozen O’Connor has launched a full-service Pittsburgh office with three former leaders of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC: labor and employment attorney Thomas Giotto, corporate attorney Jeremy Garvey, and complex commercial and health care litigator Gene Giotto.
The three attorneys joining Cozen O’Connor previously held leadership positions at Buchanan. Thomas Giotto served as Chair of the Labor & Employment Section; Garvey served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Section; and Gene Giotto served as Co-Chair of the Post-Acute & Long-Term Care practice group and a member of the Commercial Litigation and Products Liability Group. All three attorneys are joining Cozen O’Connor as Members.
The opening of a Pittsburgh office accomplishes two major strategic goals for Cozen O’Connor. The first is to continue its national expansion, including into the western part of Pennsylvania. The firm now has a statewide presence in Pennsylvania with three major offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. The second major goal is to extend the national reach of Cozen O’Connor’s growing Labor & Employment Department. With these additions, the firm has Labor and Employment attorneys in every region of the country. Cozen O’Connor expects that a number of other lawyers will be joining the Pittsburgh office in short order, and that growth of the Pittsburgh office will continue substantially over the next 12-18 months.
“For several years, we have been looking for the right group of attorneys in order to establish a full-service office in Pittsburgh,” said Michael J. Heller, Cozen O’Connor’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Having lawyers of Tom, Jeremy, and Gene’s prominent stature in the Pittsburgh region will ensure our success in the western part of the state and continues the successful expansion of key practices across the United States. Pittsburgh is a thriving market and hotbed of energy, technology, and venture capital activity. We expect to be adding many lawyers to our Pittsburgh office in the near future.”
Thomas Giotto will Co-Chair Cozen O’Connor’s growing Labor & Employment Department with Chicago-based Joseph E. Tilson. Highly regarded in Pittsburgh and beyond, Thomas represents management in union organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, and grievance arbitrations and before the National Labor Relations Board. He also represents employers in employment-related litigation, including sex, race, sexual harassment, age, and disability discrimination cases. Thomas has been named one of the top labor law attorneys since 2006 in Chambers USA.
“We are thrilled to open the firm’s office in Pittsburgh, a dynamic city where we bring strong relationships with deep ties to the business community and look forward to tremendous growth,” said Thomas Giotto. “The opportunity to be part of Cozen O’Connor’s nationwide platform and to expand its premier labor and employment practice was too exciting to pass up.”
Garvey’s practice focuses on representing issuers and underwriters in securities-related transactions and advising on corporate governance. With deep ties to Pittsburgh’s growing venture capital market, he also has substantial M&A experience and working on the formation and funding of emerging growth technology companies and representing venture capital firms in capital raising transactions. Garvey is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Twice, he has been specifically named by clients to the BTI Client All-Star list for delivering “absolutely outstanding client service.” He has also been named “Pittsburgh Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year” by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers report. Garvey will serve as the Office Managing Partner of the Pittsburgh Office.
Gene Giotto’s high-end complex commercial and healthcare litigation practice, includes a special focus on assisted living and long-term care litigation. A seasoned trial attorney, his experience covers a range of areas, including defense of long term care living facilities, industrial explosions and catastrophic injury, products liability, and representing employers in restrictive covenant disputes. Gene will Chair the Long-Term Care litigation practice group.
The launch of the Pittsburgh office comes amid continued strong growth for Cozen O’Connor, which recorded a 10 percent increase in revenue in 2016.
Over the past two years the firm has made a number of large lateral acquisitions including: 50 attorneys in a merger with Chicago-based Meckler Bulger Tilson; 14 attorneys from the nationally recognized, Miami-based intellectual property boutique Feldman Gale; 10 attorneys and government relations professionals from Dickstein Shapiro launching the nation’s preeminent State Attorneys General Practice; and 10 attorneys from Pepper Hamilton including the “Gold Standard” in Institutional Response and a nationally prominent construction litigation group.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970 and ranked among the top 100 law firms in America, Cozen O’Connor has more than 925 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 services its clients’ needs through 26 offices across two continents.