H. Lee Schwartzberg to Co-Chair Schnader’s Business Services Department

New appointments have been made regarding practice group leadership and office leadership roles as well.

June 3, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA: Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP is pleased to announce that Jeffery W. Letwin and H. Lee Schwartzberg, Jr. have been appointed co-chairs of the Business Services Department.  Additionally, Kevin W. Coleman has been named co-chair of the Bankruptcy, Workout and Business Reorganization Practice Group; Bruce P. Merenstein has been named chair of the Pro Bono Committee; and, Keith E. Whitson has been named Administrative Partner for the Pittsburgh office.  Mr. Letwin and Mr. Schwartzberg replace Walter Ferst, who has served as the chair of the Business Services Department since September 2006.   Mr. Ferst will continue to serve in a leadership role within the Firm, having been elected to the Firm’s Executive Committee recently.

“Each of the new Department and Practice Group Chairs has a strong and broad-based foundation of knowledge and understanding in their respective practices, and has demonstrated the necessary leadership and vision that will allow the Firm to continue to provide innovative, efficient and valuable solutions to our clients”, said Managing Partner Nicholas J. LePore.  “Our new leaders have embraced their roles with enthusiasm, energy and creativity,” LePore continued.

Mr. Letwin, who also serves as the managing partner of Schnader’s Pittsburgh office, has an active practice that includes all areas of business counseling including corporate finance, securities, franchising, municipal and government services, real estate finance and development. He counsels enterprises in the interface between governmental and economic development agencies and devises financing strategies utilizing both private and public partnerships. Mr. Letwin serves as counsel for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, a position he has held since the inception of the authority. He also has extensive experience representing franchisors in all aspects of developing and managing a franchise business.  He is a member of the Airports Council International Legal Committee, serving as vice chair (2007) and chair (2008) of the Committee.  He is also an arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers and for the New York Stock Exchange.  He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of franchise law (2009-2010) and municipal law (2010) and has been noted as a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” for business/corporate law by Law & Politics (2004-2006, 2008-2010).  

Mr. Schwartzberg applies his business background and broad range of legal experience to assist his clients with complex commercial issues.  His transactional work has included the representation of domestic and international purchasers and sellers of a variety of businesses including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, technology companies, professional practices and service businesses.  He has structured, drafted and negotiated a wide variety of other contracts for U.S. and foreign-based companies, and advises clients on the formation of corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint ventures, and related tax and liability issues.  He also has experience in financial services transactions, and his work has included secured and unsecured lending and representation of banks in single- and multiple-lender facilities, credit enhancement for bond financing, debtor-in-possession financing, intercreditor agreements, leasing, and representation of manufacturers providing financing to distributors and customers, as well as loan workouts and purchases of businesses and assets in bankruptcy proceedings.

Mr. Coleman is resident in our San Francisco office and his practice focuses on business restructurings, particularly those concerning technology and telecommunications companies.  He represents debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, and parties to significant ongoing contracts in cases under Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.  Among other things, Mr. Coleman has handled complex litigation concerning the treatment of executory contracts and secured claims in connection with asset sales, debtor-in-possession financing, and confirmation of Chapter 11 plans.  He also advises clients contemplating a business transaction involving an insolvent business on the structures and strategy that will overcome obstacles to their business objectives.  He is a member of and in 2008 served as chair of the Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco.  He is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute. 

Mr. Merenstein’s practice focuses primarily on appellate litigation in state and federal courts.  He has handled appeals in many of the federal courts of appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as numerous state appellate courts.  He also has extensive experience in state and federal trial courts, particularly in briefing and arguing various pre-trial issues and post-trial matters.  Mr. Merenstein is an adjunct professor of appellate advocacy at The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University, where he has taught since 2007. He is a member of the American Law Institute  and is a two time recipient of a Burton Award for Legal Achievement, in 2007 for co-authoring “Interim Issues Requiring Appellate Review-Pennsylvania’s Collateral Order Doctrine,” and again in 2009 for co-authoring “Charities and the Orphans’ Court.”  Mr. Merenstein has handled numerous pro bono matters for the firm, including habeas corpus, civil rights, and immigration cases and two homicide trials.  He is also a recipient of the firm’s Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award for his “distinguished record of pro bono service.”  Mr. Merenstein is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for appellate law (2008-2010), and has been recognized as a ‘Pennsylvania Super Lawyer’ in the area of appellate law by the publishers of Law & Politics (2009, 2010). 

Mr. Whitson, who is resident in Schnader’s Pittsburgh office, is chair of the Firm’s Product Liability Practice Group and his practice focuses on general commercial litigation, product liability litigation and environmental law. Within these areas of practice, he also has broad experience in bankruptcy litigation and insurance coverage disputes. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York and also has represented clients in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.  He is a member of the Defense Research Institute and serves on the board of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross.  In 2005, he was named a ‘Pennsylvania Rising Star’ by the publishers of Law & Politics, and in 2008 he was named a “Lawyer on The Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly. 

ABOUT SCHNADER HARRISON SEGAL & LEWIS LLP

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP is a law firm of 200 attorneys with offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, California, Washington, DC, New Jersey and Delaware.  Schnader serves local, national and international clients ranging from large corporations to start-ups and entrepreneurs to individual clients in more than 40 areas of the law. In addition to the firm’s traditional strengths in complex litigation, commercial transactions, wealth management, and family law, the firm has significant experience and depth in intellectual property, international commerce and labor laws, financial services, construction law, real estate development, corporate governance, appellate services, technology-based companies, media and communications, environmental, non-profit, government relations and regulatory affairs, aviation issues, business reorganization, and securities and shareholder litigation.  For more information visit www.Schnader.com or contact Caroline Brobeil Nassan, Public Relations Manager for the firm. 

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