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.

Jason Milch, 312-379-9406jmilch@baretzbrunelle.com

Lisa Smith, 212-336-2995lsmith@pbwt.com