Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is pleased to announce
that, effective January 1, 2019, Jennifer W. Brown, Alejandro H.
Cruz, Joshua Kipnees, Jane Metcalf, Stephanie Teplin, and Jason
Vitullo will become partners of the Firm, and Thomas P. Kurland and
Rachel B. Sherman will become counsel.
This is the Firm’s largest group of partnership promotions in
over a decade, with five litigators and one trusts and estates
attorney joining the partnership. Lisa E. Cleary, Patterson
Belknap’s Co-Chair and Managing Partner, stated, “We are delighted
to enter the Firm’s 100th year with a dynamic group of new partners
and counsel who reflect the Firm’s commitment to providing the
highest quality legal services to our clients while maintaining a
diverse and inclusive workplace. We are fortunate to have so many
exceptionally talented lawyers at the Firm positioned to help us
serve our clients, grow our business, and continue to make
Patterson Belknap the best place to practice law well into the
future.”
Below are brief biographies for the eight promoted
attorneys.
Jennifer W. Brown practices in the Firm’s Trusts and
Estates group, where she represents individuals and families with
respect to estate and tax planning, including inter-generational
planning, administration of trusts and estates, Surrogate’s Court
proceedings, and planning for charitable giving. Her clients
include high-net worth individuals and families, as well as banks,
trust companies, and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Brown works
closely with individual clients, as well as with their accountants
and other family and financial advisors, to help achieve their
unique estate planning goals. She received her J.D. from Harvard
Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Negotiation Law
Review. Ms. Brown received her B.A. from the University of
Pennsylvania, summa cum laude, where she became a member of the Psi
Chi Honor Society, the John Marshall Honor Society, and the Golden
Key Honor Society.
Alejandro H. Cruz practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department, where he represents clients in complex commercial
litigation in trial and appellate courts, as well as in
arbitrations and mediations. His practice includes disputes arising
from structured finance transactions and derivatives, alleged
accounting malpractice, antitrust actions, and claims of
commodities manipulation. He also conducts internal investigations
and represents clients in investigations by government agencies,
including the CFTC, the DOJ, the SEC, and the New York Attorney
General. In addition, as a member of the Firm’s Privacy and Data
Security group, Mr. Cruz advises clients on a wide array of
cybersecurity issues, including breach response, regulatory
compliance, and risk mitigation. Mr. Cruz also maintains an active
pro bono practice, including federal civil rights actions, housing
disputes, disability discrimination, and claims related to
religious land use and the First Amendment. Prior to joining the
Firm, Mr. Cruz served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Eric N.
Vitaliano of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
New York from 2011 to 2012. He received his J.D. from the
University of Virginia School of Law in 2009, where he was a member
of the Virginia Law Review’s Editorial Board and elected to the
Order of the Coif. He received his A.B., cum laude, from Dartmouth
College.
Joshua Kipnees practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department. His practice focuses on false advertising and complex
commercial litigation, including matters relating to
mortgage-backed securities transactions and successor liability.
Mr. Kipnees has represented clients in the food and beverage,
insurance, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and financial industries in
both state and federal courts. Mr. Kipnees has also led numerous
internal investigations involving compliance reviews. From 2009 to
2010, Mr. Kipnees served as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Stuart
Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court. From 2010 to 2011, he
served as Law Clerk to the Hon. Leonard I. Garth of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He received his J.D. from Harvard
Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of
the Blackletter Law Journal. He received his B.A. from Harvard
University, magna cum laude.
Jane Metcalf practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation,
with an emphasis on false advertising, intellectual property,
class-action defense, and litigation involving FDA-regulated
products. She also advises clients in internal investigations and
in responding to inquiries and subpoenas from government and
regulatory agencies. Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Metcalf served
as a law clerk to the Hon. Paul G. Gardephe in the U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of New York, and to the Hon.
Raymond J. Lohier, Jr. in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second
Circuit. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the
University of Michigan Law School, where she was elected Order of
the Coif. She received her B.A. from Yale University, magna cum
laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Stephanie Teplin practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department, where she focuses on complex commercial litigation. Her
practice includes the representation of financial guarantee
insurers in litigation involving claims of fraud, breach of
contract, and breach of fiduciary duty related to mortgage-backed
securities. She also advises institutional investors in connection
with structured finance transactions, including analysis of rights
and remedies under transaction documents and representation
certificate holders in connection with litigation and settlements.
Ms. Teplin also represents law firms and lawyers in professional
malpractice and related actions, and has worked on a large variety
of commercial litigation including claims related to trade secrets
and false advertising. From 2011 to 2012, Ms. Teplin served as a
law clerk to the Hon. John M. Walker, Jr. of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit. She received her J.D. from
Georgetown University Law Center where she served as Senior
Administrative Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal and was elected
Order of the Coif. She received her B.A. from New York University,
magna cum laude.
Jason Vitullo practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation,
internal investigations, and government investigation defense. Mr.
Vitullo represents clients through all stages of litigation and in
a variety of matters, including false advertising, intellectual
property, general contract disputes, structured finance, and
securities litigation. He works frequently on cases involving
technology, financial products, complex damages, and other
technical matters. His experience also includes representing
clients in investigations brought by both state and federal
agencies, as well as conducting domestic and international internal
investigations. As part of his pro bono practice, Mr. Vitullo has
represented families in disputes over educational services, and
authored amicus curiae briefs for a non-profit association in
matters before the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court. Prior to
joining the Firm, Mr. Vitullo served as Law Clerk to the Hon.
Amalya L. Kearse of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second
Circuit. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he
was a James Kent Scholar and served as Executive Sidebar Editor of
the Columbia Law Review. He received his B.A. in chemistry from
University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude.
Thomas P. Kurland practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department. His primary areas of practice include products
liability, brand protection, and commercial tort. In addition, he
advises clients on internal investigations and risk management and
anti-counterfeiting strategies. Mr. Kurland routinely defends major
pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers against products
liability claims in both state and federal courts, including
multi-district litigations. He has extensive experience with all
phases of products liability litigation from initial case
assessment through trial, and has served as both national and local
counsel defending claims related to prescription medicines,
over-the-counter products, surgical implants, and consumer goods.
Mr. Kurland received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he
served as Articles Editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public
Policy and General Editor of the Cornell Legal Information
Institute Bulletin. He received his B.A. from University of
Pennsylvania, cum laude.
Rachel B. Sherman practices in the Firm’s Litigation
department, where she focuses on false advertising, products
liability, and complex commercial litigation. Ms. Sherman has
represented clients in the pharmaceutical, insurance, real estate,
and financial industries in both state and federal courts and in
arbitration. She has also counseled clients and litigated matters
involving class actions, contract disputes, employment
discrimination, ERISA, internal investigations, FCPA issues, trade
secrets, and white collar defense. Prior to joining the Firm, Ms.
Sherman served as a law clerk to the Hon. Joel A. Pisano of the
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and worked at an
American international law firm. She received her J.D., cum laude,
from Harvard Law School where she served as Submissions Editor for
the Latino Law Review. She received her B.A. from George Washington
University, summa cum laude.
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is a New York City
based law firm with approximately 200 lawyers. The Firm is
included on The American Lawyer’s 2018 “A-List” of the 20 leading
law firms in the United States. Patterson Belknap delivers a
full range of litigation and commercial law services. For
more information, please visit www.pbwt.com.
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Jason Milch, 312-379-9406jmilch@baretzbrunelle.com
Lisa Smith, 212-336-2995lsmith@pbwt.com