Washington, D.C. (December 8, 2004) – Ten partners from the international law firm Piper Rudnick LLP have been named among the top lawyers in Washington, D.C., by Washingtonian magazine, the law firm has announced.
They are Jay Epstein, Adam Hoffinger, LeAnn M. Johnson-Koch, Sheldon Krantz, Harriet Lipkin, Jeffrey Liss, Roxane Sokolove Marenberg, William Minor, Peter Pantaleo, and Earl Silbert.
Washingtonian also named Mr. Silbert one of the top 30 lawyers in the District. Mr. Silbert, who first came to national and international attention for his work as the first Watergate prosecutor, is one of the leading white collar lawyers in the U.S. Earlier this year, Business Week named him one of only six in the "small club... of those who have dominated the field for years."
"It comes as no surprise to us that Washingtonian has cited these ten outstanding partners," said Theodore D. Segal, managing partner of the firm’s Washington office. "The numerous awards our D.C. attorneys have received confirm what we already know—that many of the District’s top lawyers are with our firm. We are delighted that Washingtonian has recognized these ten for their superb work, their achievements as lawyers, and their dedication to our clients."
Washingtonian magazine names its Top Lawyers in a process of independent research, selecting them by a combination of factors, including peer recommendations, accomplishments on behalf of their clients, and overall excellence in serving the law and the community through pro bono work.
About the Top Lawyers
Jay A. Epstien is the national chair of Piper Rudnick’s Real Estate practice group. He represents local and national owners, developers, and users in all aspects of real estate transactions involving urban office buildings, shopping centers, and multifamily residential projects. Mr. Epstien has been the lead lawyer on many of the largest downtown office leases in Washington, D.C. He represents both landlords and tenants, including numerous law firms that have sought his counsel. Mr. Epstien is also an active practitioner in the shopping center industry. In addition to representing numerous shopping center developers, Mr. Epstien represented Target on its development activities in the Mid-Atlantic region, which involved the acquisition of more than 20 sites for construction of free-standing facilities. Based on peer and client reviews, Mr. Epstien was selected as the Top Real Estate Lawyer in Washington, D.C. by both the Washington Business Journal and Chambers and Partners, a respected English research firm. In addition, Chambers named Mr. Epstien as one of only two "star" real estate lawyers in the United States. Mr. Epstien also is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, An International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers, and PLC's Global Counsel Handbook of Corporate Real Estate.
Adam Hoffinger is the head of the firm’s Litigation practice in the Washington, D.C., office and chair of the White Collar practice group firmwide. He has a litigation and trial practice with an emphasis on complex civil and white collar criminal matters, including securities, money laundering, health care, qui tam, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, antitrust, environmental, and RICO. Mr. Hoffinger has represented clients in the Campaign Finance, Whitewater, Freddie Mac, Teamsters, Travelgate, Ruby Ridge, BCCI, and other government investigations. Legal Times has also named him one of the top lawyers in Washington, D.C.
LeAnn M. Johnson-Koch is a partner in the firm’s Government Affairs practice group. Her practice focuses on environmental law, environmental litigation, and white collar criminal matters involving environmental claims. Ms. Johnson-Koch has substantial experience defending administrative and civil judicial enforcement actions and permitting appeals, and she is regularly involved in the environmental due diligence aspects of energy transactions. A key component of Ms. Johnson-Koch’s environmental practice is counseling clients on compliance with regulatory obligations under the federal environmental statutes and their state counterparts, particularly the Clean Air Act. Most recently, Ms. Johnson-Koch published an article on minimizing enforcement risk when certifying compliance under the Clean Air Act Title V permitting program. She has particular experience representing the petroleum refining industry.
Sheldon Krantz is a partner in the firm’s Litigation practice group. His practice emphasizes preventive and litigation services on corporate and white collar criminal matters, and his particular areas of focus include environmental law, health care, FDA, export controls, civil and criminal RICO, legal ethics, legal malpractice, corporate compliance programs, and federal sentencing guidelines. He has had extensive experience in white collar crime prevention and investigation. Mr. Krantz is a former chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association. Earlier in his career, Mr. Krantz was a prosecutor for the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He now teaches white collar criminal law at American University Washington College of Law. Mr. Krantz was named by the DC Bar as the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year.
Harriet Lipkin, a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group, represents clients in matters arising under federal, state, and local labor and employment laws, including the National Labor Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She represents and counsels clients in unfair labor practice matters, in response to union organizing efforts, and in state and federal courts before administrative agencies in response to claims of unlawful discrimination and unfair discharge. She also presents training programs to management on topics including sexual harassment, avoiding discrimination claims, and union avoidance.
Jeffrey Liss is the Chief Operating Officer of the firm. It is anticipated that, on January 1, 2005, he will assume the duties of Co-Managing Partner – U.S. when the firm completes its planned combinations with California-based Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP and the international law firm DLA LLP. Mr. Liss maintains an active practice as a civil litigator, with experience in a number of fields, including environmental and insurance coverage law. Mr. Liss has litigated numerous cases in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies around the country, as well as arbitrations, in such substantive areas as intellectual property, business tort, environmental, antitrust, insurance coverage, energy, discrimination, government and private contracts, FOIA, and product liability law. He is a long-standing member of the adjunct faculty at Georgetown University Law and has also taught at the law schools of the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland, and American University. Mr. Liss is the principal architect of the firm’s Marbury Institute, a professionalism program that promotes the highest values of the profession through innovative training programs. In 2003, the American Jewish Committee honored Mr. Liss with the prestigious Judge Learned Hand Award, presented to an outstanding leader of the legal profession who demonstrates high principles and remarkable contributions in law and community service in the tradition of the legendary judge.
Roxane Sokolove Marenberg, a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group, focuses on management on a nationwide basis in state and federal courts defending employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, work-related torts, and ERISA violations. She also provides corporate counseling to employers on a wide variety of employment law issues. Ms. Marenberg has substantial trial experience in state and federal courts in the criminal and civil arena. She lectures on Title VII, avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace, and winning jury trial techniques; conducts training sessions and seminars for management and employees; and speaks to trade organizations and Bar associations on various topics relating to the anti-discrimination laws governing employers.
William Minor, a partner in the firm’s Government Affairs practice group, represents clients before Congress and the executive branch on a variety of issues. He also counsels corporations, associations, political committees, and candidates on complying with election and campaign finance laws, represents clients before the Federal Election Commission and other agencies, and advises clients on compliance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act, federal ethics rules, and state lobbying and ethics laws. Before joining the firm, Mr. Minor served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School.
Peter Pantaleo is the chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. He represents both domestic and international employers in labor, employment, and civil rights matters. While Mr. Pantaleo has substantial experience litigating cases before courts, administrative agencies, and arbitration panels, the principal focus of his practice is advising employers in complex, politically sensitive labor and employment matters. He has represented employers confronted with traditional union organization as well as corporate campaigns. Mr. Pantaleo is recognized as an authority on European Union social policy, a subject on which he has written and lectured extensively. He also has lectured extensively at health care and hospitality conferences, including the American Federation of Health Systems Annual Conference on the emerging significance of corporate campaigns directed at investor-owned hospitals; American Gaming Congress on Title III of the ADA; and Institute of Directors on the European Union's Directives on Worker Participation Schemes.
Earl J. Silbert is a partner in the firm’s Litigation practice group and a leader of the White Collar practice group. Before entering private practice, he had a distinguished career in public service, including five years in the U.S. Department of Justice and five years as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He was the first Watergate prosecutor. Mr. Silbert is a past president of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He practices in the areas of corporate litigation, white collar crime, antitrust, legal ethics and discipline, securities, tax, environmental, qui tam litigation, and health care. He is also a writer and lecturer on a variety of subjects related to his practice, including issues related to the attorney-client and work product privilege. Chambers and Partners, a respected English research firm, cites Mr. Silbert as one of America's leading litigation lawyers and he is listed in Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Lawyers. In May 2003, Corporate Crime Reporter listed Mr. Silbert as one of the top ten white collar crime defense attorneys nationwide.