New York City — Blank Rome LLP is pleased to welcome a leading group of litigators in its Commercial Litigation practice group in New York, bolstering the firm’s national commercial and real estate litigation offerings. These leading litigators consist of nine attorneys whose practice areas focus on two broad areas as described below. These leading attorneys practiced at Akerman LLP before joining Blank Rome.
· Partners Craig Weiner, Lisa Coyle, and Reena Jain; of counsel Eamon O’Kelly; and associate Alexander Newman handle a wide range of litigation and corporate matters for clients who include large domestic and international corporations, high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, startups, private funds, and financial institutions. Experienced in navigating high-stakes litigation and crisis management situations, the team represents clients across a variety of industries before numerous venues, including state, federal district, and appellate courts as well as international forums for dispute resolution. They also have significant experience in business divorce, shareholder disputes, asset recovery, legal malpractice, defamation, and representation of victims of fraud.
· Partner Massimo F. D’Angelo, who will serve as co-chair of Blank Rome’s Real Estate industry team, and of counsel Robert Chester, Ofer Reger, and Gregory Wong focus their practices on real estate litigation and complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts throughout the country as well as internationally. Their clients include multinational corporations, real estate companies, investment firms, developers, owners, condominiums and cooperative boards, and commercial tenants and landlords, as well as high-end fashion brands, celebrities, and entertainment and media conglomerates. Beyond real estate disputes, the team’s litigation experience spans civil cases, securities litigation, copyright validity, infringement, and white collar criminal matters. They also represent clients in complex commercial real estate acquisition, sale, leasing, and financial transactions.
“We are thrilled to welcome this accomplished and highly regarded group of litigators to Blank Rome and our national Commercial Litigation practice,” said Grant Palmer, Blank Rome’s Chair and Managing Partner. “This powerhouse group brings a diverse mix of deep litigation experience that will greatly benefit our clients, who are facing increasing disputes and challenges in the midst of economic uncertainty and need skilled practitioners to successfully and efficiently resolve their complex matters.”
Weiner and Coyle noted, “We were drawn to Blank Rome’s strong national platform and are excited to collaborate with our new colleagues across the country to provide clients with comprehensive and tailored support to achieve optimal results. We are also looking forward to reuniting with Blank Rome’s Chief Operating Officer Shonette Gaston, with whom we worked at a prior firm.”
“I am excited to have this outstanding group join our firm, further expanding our litigation capabilities and services across practices and industry teams,” said Evan Lechtman, Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group. “Their notable work on behalf of multinational and international corporations will complement the complex matters our strong bench of litigators undertake for clients as well as deepen the firm’s experience in high-stakes commercial, financial, fraud, business tort, employment, and intellectual property litigation.”
Blank Rome’s Steven Shoumer, Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Real Estate practice group and industry team, stated, “Our national real estate team continues to add leading talent across key industries and markets, and I am eager to collaborate with Massimo and his talented team on advancing our capabilities as clients navigate the current challenges of today’s evolving real estate industry in a post-pandemic economy.”
“Blank Rome’s stellar reputation, national platform, and highly recognized real estate and litigation teams makes it the ideal firm to continue growing my diverse practice,” said D’Angelo. “I have always admired the firm’s attorneys and collegial nature, and our team looks forward to working across the firm’s offices and practices as we continue to strategically advance Blank Rome’s litigation and real estate capabilities.”
The group’s arrival continues the strategic expansion of Blank Rome’s nationally recognized litigation department, which includes more than 300 attorneys across the firm’s 14 offices and has welcomed prominent partners Germain D. Labat, Barak A. Bassman, David A. Moreno, Jr., Gregory J. Moore, and Basileios “Bill” Katris, as well as senior counsel Honorable Judith J. Gische and numerous other counsel and associates in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, and Chicago, since January 2022. The group also strengthens the firm’s leading Corporate, M&A, and Securities; Finance; Real Estate; and Intellectual Property practices and service offerings across a diverse range of industries.
