Morgan Lewis Labor & Employment Receives Highest Ranking in Chambers USA

PHILADELPHIA, June 15, 2007: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is pleased to announce that the firm's Labor and Employment Practice received the highest possible ranking in the 2007 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. As part of the publication's praise of the firm overall and of its many individual lawyers, Chambers USA called the Morgan Lewis Labor and Employment Practice "the place to go for sophisticated cases."

Chambers USA includes the following general descriptions of the Labor and Employment Practice:

"This firm provides sophisticated financial services clients with ‘superb employment litigation advice' throughout the USA."

"Its forte lies in its busy FLSA practice, which is handling more than 50 class actions for clients nationwide, and also covers traditional labor matters."

"Offices work closely together to pitch business and staff cases, a collaborative approach appreciated by clients."

"The group tops the rankings in New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania, as well as having a strong Washington, D.C. and California presence."

"The firm has leapt to the top of the table in Chicago over the past couple of years…. This firm's meteoric rise in Chicago is due in no small measure to intelligent and dynamic lateral hiring. Competitors acknowledge the presence of this ‘impressive team' that has figured in many of the largest negotiations and employment discrimination cases this year."

"Dominant in the financial services industry, clients include Morgan Stanley; AG Edwards; Prudential Financial; MetLife; Merrill Lynch; UBS Financial Services; Freddie Mac, and Bank of New York."

"The firm also represents household names such as BellSouth, McDonald's, The Home Depot, and ARAMARK."

Chambers USA also contains numerous comments about the 34 individual lawyers named in the Labor and Employment Practice, including:

• Mark Dichter (Philadelphia)—Senior Partner—"The dean of employment law at Morgan Lewis with a strong national practice," with both peers and clients calling him the "go-to lawyer for complex employment litigation."
   
• Steven Wall (Philadelphia)—National Practice Group Leader—"Has great presence and command in front of a jury," commented interviewees who also appreciated his ability to act as a strategic adviser.
   
• Robert Abramowitz (Philadelphia)—Defined by peers as a "brilliant, effective lawyer" in the arena of employee benefits.
   
• David Ackerman (Chicago)—His "increasingly high-profile ESOP practice" has commentators identifying him as "one of the finest lawyers in this area."
   
• Michael Banks (Philadelphia)—An "accomplished, knowledgeable, and sophisticated lawyer who is amazing on his feet in court."
   
• Mark Boxer* (San Francisco)—Noted for his work on employee benefits, his investigations of insurance fraud as it applied to welfare plans, and negotiating with the DOL over retirement plans and health and welfare arrangements.
   
• Edward Cerasia (New York)—Is called an "incredible resource," and is hailed as "an outstandingly strong advocate" on a variety of matters including numerous discrimination and wrongful termination cases.
   
• Charles Cohen (Washington, D.C.)—"He acts for national clients on both the East and West Coasts in collective bargaining negotiations."
   
• Joseph Costello (Philadelphia)—"One of the premier ERISA attorneys in the country," is valued for his ability to "reduce the subject to a user-friendly form so no one comes out of a meeting not understanding."
   
• Michael Curley (Philadelphia)—Clients "can't say enough good things" about Mike Curley, whose practice centers on collective bargaining in the entertainment industry.
   
• Doreen Davis (Philadelphia)—"Capable, dedicated and tough," and "really knows her stuff and is tenacious on behalf of her clients."
   
• James DiBernardo (Palo Alto)—Is "capable, talented, and accurate technically." He focuses on compensation matters, and is regarded as a "really exceptional person."
   
• Rebecca Eisen (San Francisco)—Praised as a "great thinker, great leader and great collaborator" by sources who also identify her "outstanding knowledge in the area."
   
• Anne Estevez (Miami)—Clients call her, "a real fighter, she always bats her hardest and always with your interests in mind."
   
• Russell Hamilton (Miami)—"Displays strong suits in equal employment opportunity and affirmative action matters, wage and hour laws compliance, and litigation, and counts traditional labor/management relations as another part of his armory."
   
• Judith Harris (Philadelphia)—Clients appreciate her "sharp ability to see where a case is going and think three steps ahead. She does an excellent job of managing complex situations."
   
• Barry Hartstein (Chicago)—"An active litigator who frequently handles the most sensitive harassment and discrimination cases."
   
• Charles Jackson (Chicago)—"A real star of the profession" and is described as "an aggressive, high-energy litigator and effective pursuer of settlements."
   
• James Kelley (Washington, D.C.)—"Primarily represents clients in the defense and aerospace industries" with a "progressive and proactive spirit—keeping it on the cutting edge."
   
• Robert Lichtenstein (Philadelphia)—Employs a "practical approach in an area which is often overfull with theoretical lawyers" say sources.
   
• Edward Mazurek (Philadelphia)—An expert on harassment litigation who is called "proactive in his advice and get to problems early," and is a "real presence in court, coupled with a good technical command."
   
• Philip Miscimarra (Chicago)—Clients value his "expertly tailored advice" in employment negotiations arising from M&A transactions and major restructurings, when "he always knows the right questions to ask."
   
• Timothy O'Reilly (Philadelphia)—Has gained a reputation of being, "strong and knowledgeable in all labor and union-related matters" over his extensive career.
   
• Michael Ossip (Philadelphia)—"Adept at reaching a settlement if needed and won't unnecessarily stretch out litigation," say clients who also have "absolute confidence in him in a courtroom."
   
• Zaitun Poonja (Palo Alto)—Her practice has "an international bias: in advising companies on employee compensation, she also helps them on the implementation of U.S. plans in foreign countries."
   
• Melinda Riechert (Palo Alto)—Her "straightforward" courtroom style endears her to juries according to commentators.
   
• Richard Rosenblatt (Princeton)—Is a "terrific lawyer" according to clients, who commend his "great résumé, high-quality work and diligence."
   
• Andrew Schaffran (New York)—Is noted for his "increasing amount of wage and hour class action cases for financial services clients, alongside gender and race discrimination class actions."
   
• Samuel Shaulson (New York)—Is described by clients as "extremely bright, practical, responsive and thorough," as well as being "really up to speed" on FLSA matters.
   
• Nina Stillman (Chicago)—Her top-tier ranking is well deserved because she is "everything you want a lawyer to be."
   
• Kenneth Turnbull (New York)—Is highly praised by clients for his work on employment discrimination and his ability to handle "complex cases in the sophisticated financial services world."
• Mims Maynard Zabriskie (Philadelphia)—Clients describe her as a "responsive and highly supportive lawyer," who is known for "framing issues in such a way to present well to senior management."
   
• Mark Zelek (Miami)—"Always sensibly weighs up the pros and cons of a matter before acting," which ensures he "rises to the occasion if the matter so requires it."
   
• Sari Alamuddin (Chicago)—A "rising superstar" who counsels on some of the foremost class action stock drop cases, frequently involving 401(k) plans.
   
• William Delaney (Philadelphia)—An "up and coming" partner who wins accolades from clients as "tremendously proactive at working to improve employee relations."
   
• Christie Del Rey-Cone (New York)—An "up and coming" associate who is described as having "the enthusiasm of a young lawyer allied to the maturity of a seasoned hand."

The London-based Chambers is widely accepted as the standard for legal distinction around the world. The publication's selection process is based on interviews with in-house law departments and with other attorneys around the country. The rankings are based on qualities such as technical legal ability, professional conduct, commitment, client service, and commercial awareness. For this edition, over 14,000 interviews were conducted involving "a vast range of lawyers and their clients (i.e., commercial users of legal services)," according to Chambers. The editorial comments throughout the publication, along with quotations that sum up the prevailing opinion in the market, are based on Chambers' research.

Established in 1873, Morgan Lewis is no stranger to leading lawyer directories—our attorneys frequently appear in surveys listing top practitioners, in publications such as Best Lawyers, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, and The National Law Journal, and in a Corporate Board Member survey of America's best corporate lawyers. Morgan Lewis lawyers are also named fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Bankruptcy, the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and the American College of Tax Counsel. Chambers has also ranked many of our European colleagues in their UK, Europe, and Global editions.

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