Robin McGrath
Thomas Newman
J. Rodman Steele
Joel Walker
PHILADELPHIA, August 15, 2018—Four Duane Morris LLP attorneys have been named by Best Lawyers as “Lawyers of the Year” for 2019: Robin McGrath of the Atlanta office; Thomas R. Newman of the New York office; J. Rodman Steele, Jr., of the Florida offices; and Joel M. Walker of the Pittsburgh office. Each was the only lawyer selected for this honor from his or her respective practice area and city. Lawyers are selected based on high marks in the peer-review assessments conducted annually by Best Lawyers.
Duane Morris partner Robin McGrath has been selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta for Litigation-Patent. McGrath also received this distinction in 2017 for Litigation-Intellectual Property. McGrath’s practice focuses on patent litigation and counseling, as well as trade secret, trademark, and copyright litigation and counseling. She has extensive courtroom experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent and technology disputes involving a wide variety of industries, including fintech, payment systems, e-commerce, consumer products, communication networks, mobile phones and other portable devices. She is co-head of Duane Morris’s Fintech Industry Group.
Duane Morris of counsel Thomas R. Newman has been selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” in New York City for Appellate Practice. Newman also received this distinction in 2018 and 2013. Newman has handled hundreds of appeals in both state and federal courts in New York and elsewhere and has argued 80 appeals in the New York Court of Appeals. He also practices in insurance and reinsurance and has acted as counsel, arbitrator and expert witness in those fields. Newman is the original author of New York Appellate Practice (2010) and co-author of Ostrager & Newman, Handbook on Insurance Coverage Disputes (18th ed. 2017).
Duane Morris partner J. Rodman Steele, Jr., has been selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” in Fort Lauderdale for Copyright Law. Steele also received this distinction in 2017. He practices in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyright law. Steele has extensive trademark experience as well as extensive patent experience, particularly in the mechanical arts. He represents clients from a wide variety of industries, including food product companies, technology companies and universities.
Duane Morris partner Joel M. Walker has been selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh for Banking and Finance Law. Walker also received this distinction in 2018 and 2016 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law. He practices in the areas of creditors’ rights and business law nationwide. He has represented debtors, creditors (both secured and unsecured, including banks, committees, indenture trustees and bondholders), purchasers and lessors in matters related to plans of reorganization, asset purchases, prosecution of claims and avoidance actions. Walker also serves as a mediator in disputes throughout the U.S. He has completed extensive mediation training, including the ABI/St. John’s University Hugh L. Carey Dispute Resolution Center program.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a law firm with more than 800 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally, is asked by a broad array of clients to provide innovative solutions to today’s legal and business challenges.