Schnader Grows in New York and Pittsburgh

CONTACT:     
Caroline M. Brobeil
Public Relations Manager
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP
215-751-2061
cbrobeil@schnader.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2006 – Philadelphia, PA: Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP welcomed one new attorney to its Pittsburgh office October 1, 2006, and will welcome five new attorneys to its New York office beginning October 16, 2006.

Attorney Thomas C. Gricks, III rejoined the Firm’s Construction, Environmental, and Litigation Practice Groups and will be resident in the Pittsburgh office. Gricks, who was with Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC just prior to his most recent move to Schnader, previously worked at Schnader from 1994 to 2003. A group of five attorneys – Saul Wilensky, Carl Schaerf, Bruce Strikowsky, Allison Fihma, and Matthew J. Kelly, Jr. – will join Schnader’s New York office, and will be members of a variety of the Firm’s practice groups. The group was previously with Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer LLP, also in New York.

These additions are consistent with the Firm’s goal of strategic, calculated growth, and build upon the Firm’s traditional strengths of complex litigation and commercial transactions; yet, at the same time, the additions also support the Firm’s interest in developing expertise in critical emerging areas of the law. 

“We’re really pleased to welcome each of these outstanding professionals to the Firm, and I believe that the talent and knowledge that each one brings to the table will make a positive difference for our clients,” said Chairman Ralph Wellington. He added that this kind of targeted, ‘smart’ growth allows Schnader to grow and offer clients the kind of service, experience, and quality that they have come to know and expect from the Firm.  For full information about each of the new attorneys, please see below.

The additions to Schnader New York are:

Saul Wilensky. Mr. Wilensky is a highly experienced trial lawyer in the product liability area. He was counsel in a wide variety of leading New York decisions involving the design, manufacture and repair of products, including swimming pools, punch presses, automobiles, airplanes, ships and consumer appliances. Mr. Wilensky has a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College, an LL.B. from St. John’s University School of Law, and an LL.M. from New York University; he is also listed in Best Lawyers in America.

Carl Schaerf. Mr. Schaerf has extensive litigation experience. His areas of expertise include product liability, insurance coverage and general commercial litigation. Additionally, he has worked closely with Mr. Wilensky on major product liability litigation. Mr. Schaerf earned a bachelor of arts degree from Columbia College, and a juris doctor from Fordham Law School in 1991, where he was on the Law Review.

Bruce Strikowsky. Mr. Strikowsky’s practice focuses on insurance coverage counseling and litigation, including general liability insurance and insurance for property, professional liability, directors and officers, employment, environmental impairment and healthcare risks. He is particularly called on for high-exposure claims. Mr. Strikowsky has both trial and appellate experience. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Northwestern University, and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1994, where he was on the Law Review.

Ms. Allison Fihma. Ms. Fihma’s practice primarily focuses on products liability matters and toxic torts. During law school she served in several notable internships, including positions with the New York City Law Department/Office of Corporation Counsel, with Schulte, Roth and Zabel, and with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of Vermont and she received a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2004.

Matthew J. Kelly, Jr. Mr. Kelly’s practice also primarily focuses on products liability matters and toxic torts. During law school, he was a student clerk for the Honorable Edward R. Korman, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and was the Lloyd F. MacMahon Fellow in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for the summer of 2004. Mr. Kelly holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Boston College and he received a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 2005.

The addition to Schnader Pittsburgh is:

Thomas C. Gricks, III. Mr. Gricks joins Schnader Pittsburgh from Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC where he has been for the past three years. Mr. Gricks was with Schnader previously – he first joined Schnader in 1994 in the Pittsburgh office, from his position as Senior Counsel, Law and Environmental Affairs at Westinghouse, and remained with the Firm until 2003. Mr. Gricks’ practice focuses on various aspects of construction law – including arbitration and litigation related to claims of breach of contract, delay, disruption, and damages – as well as a range of environmental matters, especially with regard to acquisitions and divestitures. He also has extensive knowledge and understanding of federal and state environmental statutes and regulations and how they may affect a client’s interests. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, and worked as an engineer at Dravo Engineers Inc. and at the Union Oil Company of California before law school. He received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law.