Harrisburg, PA – Maria Kennison, a Troutman Pepper associate, has been selected as a fellow for the National Filipino American Lawyers Association’s (NFALA) inaugural Leadership Academy. Kennison is one of twelve fellows around the country chosen to further develop their leadership skills and style around communications, conflict resolution, and mentorship. 

“I am honored to be a part of NFALA’s very first Leadership Academy,” said Kennison. “I am excited to connect with and learn from my peers and new mentors and improve my leadership and other professional skills that will ultimately support our clients’ complex real estate transactions.”

At Troutman Pepper, Kennison handles various aspects of commercial real estate transactions for clients. She focuses on leasing, real property acquisitions and sales, and the development and management of planned communities and condominiums. Troutman Pepper’s Commercial Real Estate Practice Group helps clients in the development, acquisition, sale, financing, leasing, management, and operation of individual properties and large real estate portfolios.

NFALA’s Leadership Academy aims to help new Filipino-American attorneys cultivate their own leadership style and develop skills to promote career advancement and community service. As part of the Leadership Academy, fellows will develop foundational leadership skills, understand career development strategies, take advantage of relationship-building resources and professional and personal development opportunities, and embody the essence of servant leadership and the Bayanihan spirit.

The year-long program consists of virtual and in-person sessions. The in-person opening event will be held November 9-11, 2023, in Indianapolis, IN, concurrently with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention.

About Troutman Pepper 
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com. 

ATLANTA/BOSTON – Troutman Pepper has formed a Corporate Espionage Response Team to help clients combat the increasing incidence of corporate espionage — when an insider or third party accesses, steals, and/or uses a company’s confidential and proprietary information without authorization to secure a commercial advantage. The team brings together attorneys and technologists across multiple practice areas and disciplines to ensure rapid responses and subject matter expertise for related investigations and litigation.

“Workplace digitization, increased remote-work arrangements, and inexpensive data storage have created unprecedented challenges for companies when it comes to maintaining data security, trade secrets, and proprietary information,” said Evan Gibbs, a partner in the firm’s national Labor + Employment Practice Group who co-leads the response team. “We formed this essential task force of attorneys to help clients with this growing threat.”

“Having an established group at Troutman Pepper with the background and necessary expertise to quickly mobilize is a real comfort to clients,” added Partner Will Taylor, co-leader of the response team. “When a client contacts us with an issue, we can send up the bat-signal to quickly bring together the right resources.”

Given the sophistication of today’s threats, a superhero team in a client’s back-pocket can make all the difference.

“The cost of corporate espionage can be hard to fully quantify but estimates put it in the billions of dollars in economic damages each year,” Gibbs said. “We want our clients to be protected.”

Forming the Team

It was in working with his clients that Gibbs spotted the need for a dedicated corporate espionage team. Such matters often require diverse expertise – labor and employment, intellectual property, business litigation, white-collar criminal, antitrust, cybersecurity, and privacy – and uncommon skillsets like digital forensics.

“I found myself consulting with other practice groups within the firm including our e-discovery group, eMerge, to get substantive input, and when I realized it was happening more often, I started to proactively identify the individuals handling similar cases,” Gibbs said.

One of those partners was Will Taylor, a Boston-based commercial litigator. The pair met during a recording of a podcast co-hosted by Gibbs, Hiring to Firing. The episode focused on trade secrets, some of Taylor’s bread-and-butter. The duo got to work in building the team, which currently has 17 members.

“The response team breaks down the artificial walls between practice groups, so we can quickly deliver for clients,” Taylor said.

“There is a real need for speed with these types of matters – you literally must be in court the next day in many instances, so it’s important to have a national team that can get into the right venues,” Gibbs added.

Learn more about Troutman Pepper’s Corporate Espionage Response Team.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper has been shortlisted for four 2023 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards North America. The firm is up for recognition in the Innovative Lawyers in Energy Transition, Innovative Lawyers in Cyber Security & Data Protection, Change Maker, and Innovation in Digital Solutions categories. The awards, now in their 13th year, showcase the top law firms and in‐house legal teams driving innovation in the North American legal sector.

Shortlisted Awards

Innovative Lawyers in Energy Transition
The Innovative Lawyers in Energy Transition award recognizes teams that have bridged professional disciplines, created new standards, and delivered outstanding outcomes for clients. Troutman Pepper’s nationally recognized Energy practice is shortlisted for the award thanks to its work on behalf of clients to lead the energy evolution. The team handles matters that influence how energy is valued, distributed, stored, and sold.

Innovative Lawyers in Cyber Security & Data Protection
Troutman Pepper’s Privacy + Cyber practice and trailblazing co-leaders Jim Koenig and Ron Raether are up for recognition in the Innovative Lawyers in Cyber Security & Data Protection category thanks to the team’s 360-degree approach to privacy that leverages an integrated team of lawyers and professional staff, including former chief privacy officers, chief security officers, auditors, and industry executives.

Change Maker
The Change Maker award recognizes intrapreneurs who have helped their firms change culture, behaviors, processes, and be more adaptable. Troutman Pepper’s Chief Innovation Officer Will Gaus is a finalist in the category thanks to his work to build an industry-leading innovation function within the firm that focuses on both the client and attorney experience, including his work on generative AI.

Innovation in Digital Solutions
In recognition of the firm’s remarkable use of generative AI, including its creation of the Generative AI Task Force and GPT-powered virtual assistant, Athena, Troutman Pepper is shortlisted in the Innovation in Digital Solutions category.

The Innovative Lawyers North America 2023 rankings report is developed by the Financial Times in partnership with RSGI. Winners are selected following a nomination cycle and extensive research that includes telephone interviews, questionnaires, and reviews. Market experts also assess the submissions and the research.

Winners will be announced at the Innovative Lawyers Awards North America Dec. 4 event at Gotham Hall in New York.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper has achieved Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Certification Plus for the sixth consecutive year. The Mansfield Rule is a structured certification process designed to ensure all talent at participating law firms has a fair and equal opportunity to advance into leadership.

“We are immensely proud to have achieved the Mansfield Certification Plus again this year,” said Partner Kassem Lucas, chair of Troutman Pepper’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “This recognition is a testament to Troutman Pepper’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team is a strong team, and we are dedicated to fostering an environment where every individual has an equal opportunity to thrive and lead. As we celebrate this achievement, we remain committed to pushing for greater inclusivity and equity in the legal profession.”

The Mansfield certification aims to boost the representation of lawyers from a diversity of backgrounds in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for such opportunities; promoting a diverse hiring pool of candidates; encouraging varied pitch teams and staffing; and increasing the diversity of candidates being considered for partnership. Additionally, to attain the “Plus” designation firms must voluntarily measure the outcomes of their inclusive processes and have achieved positive results. Only half of the 240 Mansfield Certified law firms achieved this honor this year.

Named for the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the United States, the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have considered at least 30% women, attorneys of color, LGBTQIA+, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. Firms are audited bi-annually and certified annually for this distinction.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are among Troutman Pepper’s core values and are fundamental to the firm’s culture. Last year, the firm was named a Top Performer and Compass Award winner by the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity, one of the nation’s leading organizations promoting diversity.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper and 25 attorneys with the firm have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Benchmark Litigation – United States, a guide that provides analysis of commercial and financial litigators and law firms across the country. Rankings and editorials are based on interviews with the nation’s leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel.

Troutman Pepper earned a national Tier 2 ranking in the Product Liability and Recall category and regional recognition in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia for Dispute Resolution. Twenty-five Troutman Pepper attorneys were recognized as Litigation Stars, Future Litigation Stars, and Labor and Employment Stars based on their strong case records and positive client and peer feedback.

Litigation Stars:

Robert Angle (Virginia)

David Anthony (Virginia)

Michael E. Baughman (Pennsylvania)

Francis P. Devine III (Pennsylvania)

William Droze (Georgia)

Sean Fahey (Pennsylvania)

Alison Grounds (Georgia)

James Lamberth (Georgia)

James Manley Jr. (Georgia)

Timothy Mast (Georgia)

Thomas E. Reilly (Georgia)

Angelo Stio III (Pennsylvania)

Robin P. Sumner (Pennsylvania)

Jaime Theriot (Georgia)

John West (Virginia)

Future Litigation Stars:

David Gettings (Virginia)

Jeremy Heep (Pennsylvania)

Lindsey Mann (Georgia)

Megan Conway Rahman (Virginia)

Eric Rumanek (Georgia)

Timothy St. George (Virginia)

Labor and Employment Stars:

Román D. Hernández (Oregon)

Christopher Moran (Pennsylvania)

40 & Under List:

Puja Patel Lea (Georgia)

Kevin Wallace (New York)

Benchmark Litigation identifies leading U.S. attorneys and firms at the local and national levels. Results are the culmination of a six-month research period, during which researchers conduct extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. Recent casework handled by firms is examined and sources are asked to offer their professional opinions on litigators practicing within their state or national practice areas. Firms and individuals cannot pay to be recommended in the guide.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper is among 62 law firms “most feared in litigation” according to The BTI Litigation Outlook 2024 report. The report provides insight into which law firms “top legal decision makers point to as the opponents they do not want to encounter.”

Firms were recognized for their ability to challenge convention and establish new rules, take on novel matters, operate confidently with limited known facts, be unrelenting, and link unconnected ideas leading to breakthroughs.

BTI is a leading provider of strategic research to the legal community. Its BTI Litigation Outlook report is based on 280 in-depth telephone interviews with top legal decision makers. No law firm or attorney influences the results, submits nominations, or provides client names to BTI.

Troutman Pepper is nationally recognized for its work defending and prosecuting high-stakes commercial matters in federal, state, trial, and appellate courts throughout the country. Attorneys are experienced in litigating complex multidistrict cases, class actions, and single-case litigations and represent a diverse array of clients from mid-market companies to Fortune 500 leaders.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper was recently recognized at the Annual National HBCU Pre-Law Summit & Law Expo with a HBCU Outreach and Empowerment Supporter Award. The firm was honored for its continued support as a sponsor of the organization’s annual summit.

We are deeply honored to receive the HBCU Outreach and Empowerment Supporter Award,” said Erin Cannon, Troutman Pepper’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “This recognition underscores our firm’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the legal profession. We believe in the power and potential of HBCU students and graduates, and we are privileged to support their journey into the field of law. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the HBCU Pre-Law Summit, we remain committed to empowering these future legal professionals and contributing to the diversity of our industry.”

HBCU Pre-Law was created to serve as the ultimate online resource for students who currently attend or have graduated from historically Black colleges and universities. This year marks the tenth anniversary celebrating a decade of impact for this vitally important summit. It serves as the only major national pre-law event of its kind in the entire country focused specifically on encouraging and empowering students and alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities interested in pursuing the rigorous and demanding path of going to law school and becoming lawyers.

Troutman Pepper and fellow honorees were recognized at the HBCU Pre-Law Honors: 10th Anniversary Awards Ceremony on September 23.

About Troutman Pepper 
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com. 

PRINCETON, N.J. – Troutman Pepper Counsel Rachel Mynhier and Associate Carlo DeHart have been named the recipients an Equal Justice Medal by Legal Services of New Jersey. The medal is awarded annually to attorneys who have made significant contributions of legal assistance to Legal Services of New Jersey’s clients.

First awarded in 1983, Equal Justice Medals recognize and celebrate the efforts of individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to securing greater justice for disadvantaged people, especially through legal processes and the judicial system.

Located in Edison, Legal Services of New Jersey heads the state’s Legal Services system, a network of six independent nonprofit corporations that provides free essential legal aid in civil matters to low-income people in all 21 counties. Legal Services of New Jersey will recognize Mynhier and DeHart and fellow honorees from across the state at the Equal Justice Awards Reception on October 10.

Each year, Troutman Pepper attorneys dedicate thousands of pro bono hours in support of nonprofits, immigrants, military veterans, children, the wrongfully convicted, civil rights and social justice initiatives, and so many more. Learn more at troutman.com/pro-bono.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

NEW YORK – Troutman Pepper is pleased to announce its 26 newly elected partners and nine counsel, listed below by office and practice area. Partner and most counsel* promotions are effective January 1, 2024, and span numerous practices and 12 offices, including Atlanta, Berwyn, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Rochester, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington.

“I am delighted to announce Troutman Pepper’s latest class of partners and counsel. Their leadership, innovative mindsets, and commitment to exceptional client service are just a few of their defining characteristics,” said Troutman Pepper Managing Partner Tom Cole. “I am confident they will continue to uphold the high standards of Troutman Pepper.”

Partners

Wallace Bao (New York | Mergers + Acquisitions)

Taylor Bartholomew (Wilmington | Private Equity)

Kimberly Coghill (Washington, D.C. | Intellectual Property)

Brooke Conkle (Richmond | Consumer Financial Services)

Brian Fineman (Atlanta | Energy)

Anthony Finizio (Pittsburgh | Construction)

Andy Flavin (Richmond | Environmental + Natural Resources)

Lauren Koester (New York + Washington, D.C. | Multifamily Housing Finance)

Whitney Loughran (Richmond | Multifamily Housing Finance)

Timothy McHugh (Richmond | Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement)

Mary Grace Metcalfe (New York | Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement)

Graham Miller (Charlotte | Real Estate)

Thomas Miller (Richmond | Real Estate)

Sadia Mirza (Orange County | Privacy + Cyber)

John Morrissett (Richmond | Intellectual Property)

Kelly Mufarrige (Washington, D.C. | Multifamily Housing Finance)

Megan O’Gara (Rochester | Health Sciences Intellectual Property)

Christopher Olcott (Richmond | Finance)

Lanre Popoola (Washington, D.C. | Multifamily Housing Finance)

Brandon Raphael (Berwyn + Philadelphia | Corporate – Mergers + Acquisitions and Private Equity)

Sasha Robertson (Orange County | Capital Projects + Infrastructure)

Emily Schifter (Atlanta | Labor + Employment)

Victoria Summerfield (Pittsburgh | Health Sciences Intellectual Property)

Brett Tarver (Atlanta | Business Litigation)

Andrew Thurmond (Washington, D.C. | Capital Projects + Infrastructure)

Mark Wilhelm (Philadelphia | Corporate)

Counsel

Daniel Cohen (New York | Insurance + Reinsurance)

Massie Cooper (Richmond | Consumer Financial Services)

Melissa Horne (Atlanta | Environmental + Natural Resources)

Jenna Lee (Atlanta | Government + Regulatory)

Matt Sides (Charlotte | Capital Projects + Infrastructure)

Ciaran Way (Berwyn + Philadelphia | Insurance + Reinsurance)

Christina Lesko* (Chicago | Business Litigation)

Whitney Redding* (Pittsburgh | Business Litigation)

Jessica Rothenberg* (New York | Labor + Employment)

*Promoted to counsel on May 1, 2023.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

PRINCETON, N.J. – Troutman Pepper client Peoples Financial Services Corp. (Peoples) and FNCB Bancorp, Inc. (FNCB) recently announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Peoples and FNCB will combine in an all-stock strategic merger. Read a company press release about the transaction.

Peoples Financial Services Corp. is the $3.7 billion bank holding company, headquartered in Scranton, PA. The bank services its retail and commercial customers through twenty-eight full-service community banking offices. The strategic merger accelerates Peoples’ objective of creating a dynamic, top-tier Pennsylvania franchise in order to help its communities become a better place to live and work while offering the best services possible to its customers. 

The multidisciplinary team advising Peoples Financial Services Corp. was led by Donald Readlinger, and included attorneys Zayne Tweed, Chelsea MacArthur, Mashal Shah, Michael Crumbock, Alexander Hill, Howard Goldberg, and Joel Post.

Troutman Pepper has more than 200 attorneys who regularly advise financial services providers, including banks, neobanks, payment processors, card issuers, and consumer and commercial marketplace lenders. The firm handles their full spectrum of legal needs and has been nationally recognized for its work in the financial services industry, including by Chambers and Partners, Law360, and U.S. News Best Lawyers®, among others.

About Troutman Pepper 
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.