2019 PENNSYLVANIA SUPER LAWYERS

Rawle & Henderson LLP is pleased to announce that 15 attorneys have been selected as 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers by Super Lawyers, a program of Thomson Reuters. The process started with thousands of ballots being sent to attorneys in Pennsylvania. Then practice-specific “Blue Ribbon” panels reviewed the selections and listed the nominees with the highest scores. The attorneys chosen represent the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania.

CIVIL LITIGATION

Maureen E. Daley has nearly 25 years of trial experience and has successfully litigated cases in the state and federal courts. In addition to an active trial practice, she serves as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, a private arbitrator and mediator.  She is chair of the Firm’s Premises Liability Section. Maureen earned a J.D. from Widener University School of Law and B.S. degree from West Chester University. She defends corporate entities, including commercial motor vehicle matters, products and premise liability, and insurance coverage matters. In addition, she has provided support and representation in all facets of employment relations matters and municipal law. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York, and also the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. She has been admitted pro hac vice in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee. Maureen was recognized as a Rising Star in 2007 and was designated as Super Lawyer this year for the 12th straight year. She was also designated previously as one of the “Top 50 Female Lawyers” in Pennsylvania. She has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell with a Distinguished rating for High Professional Achievement from 2005 through 2019.

William J. Carr focuses his practice on the defense of clients facing catastrophic loss cases, including construction and industrial accidents, product liability, fires and explosions and premises liability. The practice includes taking over high exposure, catastrophic cases shortly before trial. Bill was on the Catastrophic Loss team as trial counsel for The Salvation Army in the Market Street Collapse Litigation when a vacant building under demolition collapsed killing seven and severely injuring 13 more. The trial lasted nearly 6 months. More recently, and less than 4 weeks before the start of trial, Bill was retained to defend Ride The Ducks International (RTDI) in the Aurora Bridge Collision Litigation in Seattle, WA, that involved 5 deaths and severe injuries to 60 others. This trial involved 44 plaintiffs and lasted more than 4 months. He was also trial counsel for RTDI in the personal injury and maritime litigation arising from the allision of a tug driven barge and a tourist duck boat on the Delaware River that involved 2 deaths and severe injuries to 35 passengers. In addition, he represented the Tropicana Casino in litigation arising from multiple deaths and numerous catastrophic injuries caused by a parking garage collapse during construction in Atlantic City. Bill is a graduate of Penn State University and the Widener University School of Law.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Zachary M. Rubinich focuses his practice on the defense of insurance carriers, self-insured entities and third-party administrators against workers’ compensation claims in Pennsylvania. Based on his extensive experience, the Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Law Section has certified him as Specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law. Zach has handled all aspects of litigation before workers’ compensation judges, the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, the Commonwealth Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  He routinely counsels employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators on claims management, workplace safety, return-to-work programs, employment practices and risk management. Zach has been appointed the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice (TIPS) Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Law Committee for 2018-2019. He has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for the seventh consecutive year in 2019.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & TOXIC TORTS

John C. McMeekin II represents clients as local, national and trial counsel in environmental, toxic and mass torts product and related class actions, products liability, insurance coverage and aviation litigation. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law. John is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland and related U.S. District Courts. He has been published in professional and law review journals on a variety of topics related to toxic tort and environmental litigation. His significant cases can be found in the BNA Law Reports and Law 360. He was recently elected Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. He is currently serving as Section Secretary of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section.  He also served as the Section Revenue Officer, Chair of the Toxic Tort & Environmental Law Committee, Chair of the International Law Committee, Chair of the CLE Board and is currently co-Chairing the Corporate Counsel Initiative Task Force. In addition to his service with the ABA, John chaired the Philadelphia Bar Association Environmental and Toxic Tort Law Committee and has been a member of the Delaware Valley Environmental Inn of Court. He is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

TRANSPORTATION

Gary N. Stewart is a partner in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Section and defends cases throughout Pennsylvania as well as other Mid-Atlantic states. He focuses his practice on the defense of the trucking industry, specifically commercial motor vehicles and the companies that insure them, and is privileged to represent most of the motor carriers and their drivers seen on our highways. He is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, and has been admitted pro hac vice in other jurisdictions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Gary and his team of experienced attorneys and paralegals are routinely retained immediately following accidents involving motor carriers to perform “immediate responses,” to preserve evidence and to assist in the handling of the case from the day it occurred through trial. He graduated magna cum laude from the Harrisburg campus of Widener University School of Law. Gary received his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, where he was honored as an Intercollegiate All-American in Sailing, winning the Intercollegiate National Championship in 1979. Before becoming a lawyer, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine and obtained U.S. Coast Guard professional licenses as Master of Oceans, Steam or Motor Vessels up to 1600 gross tons as well as Chief Officer, unlimited tonnage, all oceans. Gary served as the law clerk for the Honorable Rochelle Friedman, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, and has been selected by his peers as a Transportation/Maritime Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2007, 2009–2012 and 2016-2019. He is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

PRODUCT LIABILITY

Jack Snyder, Founder and Chair of the Catastrophic Loss Group, focuses his practice on the defense of high exposure matters, primarily in the areas of product liability, construction, industrial, fire and explosion, security and transportation. He is regularly retained in cases with demands in the hundreds of millions of dollars, often only weeks or months before trial, to try a case to verdict. In the last 20 years, Jack has been involved in the area’s most high profile cases, including In re: Market Street Collapse Litigation, which was the longest civil trial in Philadelphia County history; the Ride The Ducks International case arising out of the allision of a tug-driven barge and a tourist duck boat on the Delaware River; and the Tropicana Casino & Resort Parking Garage Collapse case, which involved multiple deaths and garnered national attention. He recently successfully completed a 5-month trial in Seattle, WA, that involved 5 deaths and serious injuries and included 44 plaintiffs. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Jack is also Chair of the Firm’s Medical Professional Liability Section. A Philadelphia native, Jack was a Scholar-Athlete at St. Joseph’s University and the captain of the basketball team. He earned his J.D. from Temple University School of Law and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, Jack has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 16 consecutive years. In 2017, he was selected as a “Philadelphia Top Lawyer” by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

CIVIL LITIGATION

Daniel J. Rucket concentrates his practice in general casualty defense litigation, including construction site accidents, premises liability, catastrophic injury, construction defects, products liability, stucco home water infiltration claims, motor vehicle accidents, subrogation defense, and general negligence. He graduated with Honors from Franklin & Marshall College and earned his J.D. from the William & Mary Law School. He subsequently clerked for the Honorable Albert R. Subers in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. Dan is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to being named Super Lawyer from 2010 through 2019, he was selected as a Pennsylvania Rising Star in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

PRODUCT LIABILITY

Thomas A. Kuzmick is Chair of the Product Liability Section and his practice has concentrated on product liability and catastrophic injury litigation for over 35 years. He has tried in excess of 50 cases to verdict in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, most of which included damages of seven and eight figures. Clients regularly retain Tom shortly before trial to defend catastrophic injury cases. He is frequently invited by legal and manufacturing organizations both locally and internationally to lecture on product liability litigation. Over his career he has been designated as coordinating counsel in product liability and toxic tort litigation for several clients throughout the United States. Tom has been designated Liability Catastrophic Injury Counsel (LCIC) for a major international insurance carrier. He has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for 24 consecutive years, from 1996 to 2019. He is a graduate of Moravian College and received his law degree from Temple University School of Law. Tom has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 16 consecutive years. Tom was a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee from 1994 to 2016.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Claudio J. DiPaolo, Chair of the Firm’s Workers’ Compensation Section since 2009, has practiced insurance defense litigation for over 20 years, with a concentration in workers’ compensation litigation. He has defended workers’ compensation matters on behalf of self-insured corporations, insurance carriers, third party administrators and various governmental entities.  Claudio has successfully represented clients before the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, Commonwealth Court, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department. He has also handled various other matters including employment, commercial motor vehicle, premises liability, insurance coverage, errors & omissions, and medical malpractice. He has counseled clients nationwide on workers’ compensation topics, including the interplay between workers’ compensation and other laws, insurance coverage issues, effective claims handling, and implementation of return to work and workplace safety programs. His clients include large multinational companies, Fortune 500, global insurers, and the nation’s largest restaurant chain, pet store retailer, airline and internet retailer. Claudio is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department. He earned a B.A. degree at Duquesne University, and a J.D. from the Delaware Law School. Claudio has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & TOXIC TORTS

A practicing trial attorney for 40 years, Peter J. Neeson is Chair of the Environmental,Toxic and Mass Tort Section. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Aero Space Mechanical Engineering and from the University of Miami, cum laude, with a J.D. He has been involved in numerous toxic tort matters in multi-district litigation and class action cases in both state and federal courts, including benzene, underground storage tank, silica, orthopedic bone screw and asbestos litigation among others. Peter has been selected as National Coordinating Counsel in the FRT, asbestos, latex glove and PPA drug litigation. In 2007, he served as Chair of TIPS (Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the ABA). In 2012, Peter received the prestigious TIPS James K. Carroll Leadership Award in part for his efforts in founding the TIPS Trial and Leadership Academies. Since 2009 he has been a member of the National Judicial College’s Board of Trustees and has served as the Board’s Chair and Treasurer. He has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for 25 consecutive years.

TRANSPORTATION

Timothy J. Abeel is Chair of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Section and has defended transportation companies in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware for more than 30 years. Tim graduated, magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany and received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law. Tim was one of the founders of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) and he served as President of TIDA in 2000-2001. From 1994 to 2003, he was a member of the TIDA Board of Directors. He was the Editor of the TIDA Newsletter for over 23 years, from TIDA’s founding in 1993 through 2017. His clients include some of the largest transportation companies and insurers of commercial motor vehicles in the United States. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of Rawle & Henderson LLP from 2006 to 2018. Tim has been rated AV Preeminent for 21 consecutive years and has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 16 consecutive years.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

J. Brendan O’Brien concentrates his practice on the defense of employers and insurers in workers’ compensation matters. Brendan has over 22 years of experience in litigation before workers’ compensation judges, the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, and the Pennsylvania Appellate Courts. He has successfully defended clients in multiple cases of first impression before the Commonwealth and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania, including the landmark Larry Harvey Pennsylvania Supreme Court Decision on pension benefit offsets. Brendan has also lectured on a variety of workers’ compensation issues and provided consultation to employers on reducing workers’ compensation exposure.   Brendan earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1997 and B.S. degrees in Political Science and Business from Duquesne University in 1994. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the American Inn of Court–Judge Alexander F. Barbieri Workers’ Compensation Chapter.

CIVIL LITIGATION

Fred B. Buck, Chair of the Firm’s Professional Liability and Casualty Sections, has been an active litigator and trial lawyer for over 35 years. Fred earned an A.B., cum laude, from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law. He has represented clients in high exposure cases in many diverse areas of the law, including general negligence, civil rights, product liability, professional liability, commercial motor vehicle, and construction site accidents. He has tried many jury and nonjury cases in the Courts of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Berks, Bucks, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike and York Counties as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. He has argued appeals in the Pennsylvania Appellate Courts and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fred is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and an advocate-level member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has taught as an adjunct professor of law at the Villanova University School of Law. Fred is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 14 years.

APPELLATE

Carl D. Buchholz, III, is Chair of the Maritime, Insurance Coverage and Appellate Sections. His federal appellate practice includes an argument before the United States Supreme Court, as well as numerous arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His state appellate practice includes seven arguments before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and over 45 oral arguments before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. From 2006–2012, Carl served as a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, including a term as Board Chair. Prior to his appointment to the Disciplinary Board, Carl served a six-year term as Chair and Board Member of the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security. Carl graduated with a B.A. from Muhlenberg College and earned his J.D. from Villanova Law School, where he was a member of the Villanova Law Review and graduated with honors. He is rated AV Preeminent and has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for the last 16 years.

MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY

Charles A. Fitzpatrick, III, has extensive experience defending medical malpractice, nursing home liability, pharmaceutical and catastrophic injury cases. He has tried over 125 cases to verdict. Charles is a member of the bar of Pennsylvania and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University and the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the United States Navy, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. Charles has lectured extensively to attorneys and physicians on the law of medical malpractice. He has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for 36 consecutive years. He was chosen as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2019 for the 16th consecutive year.

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