NEW PARTNER

Rawle & Henderson LLP is pleased to announce that J. Brendan O’Brien has joined the Firm as a partner in our Philadelphia office.

Brendan concentrates his law practice on the defense of employers and insurers in workers’ compensation matters. He has over 21 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. He has been selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from his first year of eligibility in 2012 through 2018. This distinction is awarded to only the top 5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania.

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.

Prior to joining Rawle & Henderson LLP, Brendan was the Managing Partner for the Philadelphia office of a law firm primarily focused on insurance defense. He has also worked for the Commonwealth, Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania, the Office of the District Attorney in Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Law Department.

Brendan can be reached directly at: (215) 575-4390 • jbobrien@rawle.com
 

NJ ASBESTOS LITIGATION CONFERENCE

John C. McMeekin II will speak at the New Jersey Asbestos Litigation Conference on September 21, 2018, at the Law Center in New Brunswick. He will co-present a session titled “Aftermath of BMS: Successor Jurisdiction With a Look at Cases That Can Be Filed and Cases That Cannot Be Filed Elsewhere.”  The annual conference, sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To register, go to the NJSBA website.

John C. McMeekin II is a partner in our Philadelphia office and a member of our Executive Committee.  He 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 is a former firefighter and emergency medical technician, and is Hazmat certified. John has been published in professional and law review journals on a variety of topics related to toxic tort and environmental litigation. 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. His significant cases can be found in the BNA Law Reports and Law 360. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer.

John can be reached directly at: (215) 575-4324 • jmcmeekin@rawle.com

CONSTITUTION PROGRAM

Scott F. Griffith, a partner in our Philadelphia office, presented a program on the U.S. Constitution to students and teachers at Philadelphia’s Holy Cross Parish School in May 2018. The Constitution Program is presented annually by Rawle & Henderson in partnership with Women for Greater Philadelphia (www.womenforgreaterphiladelphia.org), stewards of Laurel Hill Mansion in East Fairmount Park. Scott and the students engaged in lively discussion regarding a number of timely issues related to the Constitution, including the debate over Second Amendment rights and gun control efforts.

Pictured above: Scott Griffith and students of Holy Cross Parish School at last year’s Constitution Program.

Scott Griffith concentrates his practice in the areas of environmental, toxic and mass torts, product liability, professional liability, and white collar criminal defense. A seasoned trial attorney, he has tried over 60 civil and criminal matters to verdict. A 1987 graduate of Hofstra University (B.A., Literature) and a 1993 graduate of the Temple University School of Law, Scott is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has been admitted pro hac vice in Delaware and West Virginia. Scott has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell with a Distinguished rating for High Professional Achievement. He has been selected to serve as Pennsylvania State Chair on the Council on Litigation Management.

Scott can be reached directly at: (215) 575-4323 • sgriffith@rawle.com

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