McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC announced that eight of its attorneys have been elected to membership status: Diane Hughes Dobrea, Lois B. Duquette, Benjamin A. Haverstick, Mark A. Hipple, L. Renée Lieux, Meera R. Modi, Paul R. Morcom, and Micah T. Saul.
Together, they comprise the largest and most diverse membership class in the last decade, demonstrating McNees’ continued commitment to mentoring, promoting and empowering a team of talented professionals from diverse backgrounds. Eight practice areas and three McNees offices in two states are represented in the group.
“This new class of firm members reinforces the strength and depth of our roster of attorneys. As members, they are our newest leaders and represent our continued growth and commitment to excellence as a firm,” Chair Brian Jackson said. “Each of them helps make McNees a stronger and more vibrant organization. I am thrilled to welcome them to our membership ranks.”
The addition of these eight attorneys brings the total number of members firmwide to 71. In total, McNees has nearly 150 attorneys serving clients from 10 offices in three states and Washington, D.C.
Over the last year, McNees announced a series of significant additions and expansions aimed at enhancing the firm’s broad range of client services. It added more than 35 attorneys from diverse backgrounds to its bench of legal talent; hired Jenna Wagner as its first Chief Practice Officer; expanded into markets at each end of Pennsylvania, in Devon, Chester County, and Pittsburgh, Allegheny County; grew its Legal Equity Advancement Program into a second community; and launched three new subsidiary companies in public relations and strategic communications, municipal consulting and auto dealership transaction services.
Ranked by The Legal Intelligencer as one of the top 10 fastest growing law firms in Pennsylvania, McNees is the largest Harrisburg-based firm as well as one of the top 20 largest firms in the Commonwealth. The publication also names McNees on its list of top 12 firms for number of female attorneys.
“McNees has had a truly remarkable year marked by continued expansion in new markets, growth across our practice areas and the addition of new services that add value to our clients,” Chair Brian Jackson said. “The addition of eight dynamic attorneys to our membership roster gives our firm a great start to 2022. We are grateful to our clients for continuing to put their trust in us to help their businesses and communities grow.”
The new members are:
Diane Hughes Dobrea works with the McNees Intellectual Property (IP) Law Group out of the Columbus, Ohio, office. In her practice, she provides clients broad-based guidance on IP strategy and portfolio management; prepares and prosecutes patent and trademark matters as well as provides related due diligence and freedom-to-operate analyses and opinions; and drafts and negotiates agreements in a wide range of business, research and development- and intellectual property-related transactions, including Federal SBIR/STTR and other government contracts. Working with medical device companies and inventors, Dobrea provides strategic guidance and transactional support in connection with FDA regulatory and quality related issues. Within the firm, she serves on the Diversity and Futures committees and as a member of the McNees’ Legal Equity Advancement Program (LEAP) Task Force.
Lois B. Duquette counsels clients in the areas of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, advertising, promotions and food regulation as well as negotiates a wide variety of sourcing and contractual matters. Her 18 years of in-house experience enables her to provide legal counsel with an understanding of the business challenges likely to be associated with the legal situation. Duquette has experience developing and implementing cost-effective intellectual property strategies that utilize trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, licensing and litigation to grow and protect brands worldwide. She also has extensive experience negotiating co-manufacturing and other sourcing agreements. Duquette works with McNees’ Intellectual Property Law, Corporate & Tax Law and Food & Beverage Law Groups in the Harrisburg office.
Benjamin A. Haverstick is a member of the McNees Mergers & Acquisitions Law and Corporate & Tax Law Groups in the Lancaster office. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, both on the sale and purchase sides, as well as loan, finance and other transactions. He also has extensive experience in general corporate law, including LLCs, partnerships and corporate governance, structure, reorganizations and family transfers. Haverstick often works closely with his clients’ accountants, bankers and financial and other advisors to achieve optimal outcomes. Haverstick also serves as outside general counsel and transaction counsel to clients in a broad range of industries, including technology, services, retail manufacturing, hospital, dental, healthcare, water/wastewater, chemicals and metals.
Mark A. Hipple counsels employers of all sizes on a wide range of labor and employment matters impacting the modern workplace, including compliance with federal and state employment discrimination laws, wage and hour compliance, employee leave issues, non-compete and separation agreements, employee performance management, hiring and termination decisions and litigation avoidance. Additionally, Hipple, who practices in the McNees Labor and Employment and Healthcare Law Groups in the Harrisburg office, has successfully worked with clients on a wide variety of employment litigation matters in state and federal courts and various administrative agencies.
Renée Lieux practices in the McNees Labor and Employment and Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Law Groups. She assists private and publicly traded companies in negotiating employment agreements; severance agreements and plans; and director and executive compensation programs. Lieux designs, assists in the implementation of and analyzes non-qualified deferred compensation plans, equity compensation plans and cafeteria plans. Her clients also seek her assistance with the administration, compliance and termination of defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans, ESOPs and employee stock purchase plans.
Meera R. Modi is an experienced mergers and acquisitions attorney and trusted advisor to businesses and executives throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. Working from the Harrisburg office in the Corporate & Tax Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law Groups, she has successfully led both buy-side and sell-side clients through purchase and sale transactions and other strategic ventures, helping clients navigate the ups and downs of mergers and acquisitions to get the deal done. In the Pennsylvania M&A community, Modi is widely regarded as a premier deal quarterback and closer who steeps herself in the transaction, sweats the details, executes tirelessly and closes deals.
Paul R. Morcom is chair of McNees’ State and Local Tax (SALT) Group and practices in the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Group in the firm’s Harrisburg office. He has over 20 years of SALT litigation experience encompassing government, corporate and private practice. Focusing on sales, use, corporate net income, personal income, PURTA, business privilege and realty transfer tax, Morcom prides himself on providing value-added services to his clients by substantially reducing assessed tax liabilities or obtaining significant refunds of tax overpayments. Additionally, Morcom handles real estate tax assessment appeals throughout Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. He is considered an assessment law thought leader in the Commonwealth given his frequent speaking engagements and writings on the topic, including co-authoring the leading treatise “Assessment Law and Procedure in Pennsylvania.”
Micah T. Saul works in the Labor and Employment Group in the Lancaster office, leveraging over a decade of experience to offer clients accessible, practical advice on a variety of legal issues. He regularly counsels employers on matters involving employee management and workplace policies; discrimination and harassment; labor concerns and collective bargaining; and workers’ compensation. Saul believes the best way to reduce clients’ exposure to compliance issues, grievances and lawsuits is to help them find pragmatic, proactive solutions to their legal needs. But when litigation is necessary, he passionately represents employers before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators.