News and Views
Press Release

Blank Rome Announces 2018 Promotions: 11 Partners, 3 Of Counsel

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that seven associates and four of counsel have been elected partner, and three associates have been elevated to of counsel, effective January 1, 2018. The newly elected partners are Saminaz Akhter, Kevin R. Doherty, Caroline Powell Donelan, Craig M. Flanders, Victoria A. Guilfoyle, Michael Kim, Michael J. Loesberg, Daniel R. Peterson, Jeffrey N. Rosenthal, Omid Safa, and Nicole M. Vorrasi. The new of counsel are S. Gregory Herrman, David G. Meyer, and Lewis W. Schlossberg.

“We congratulate this exceptional group of attorneys on their new roles at Blank Rome,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Chairman and Managing Partner. “We approach our elevation decisions as a long-term investment in the Firm and are confident that this group of talented attorneys will continue to provide exceptional service to our clients and further strengthen our business.”

ASSOCIATES ELECTED PARTNER

Kevin R. Doherty
Energy, Environment, and Mass Torts • New York
Kevin concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation. He serves a wide range of clients in areas involving insurance coverage disputes and counseling for corporate policyholders; business disputes and contract negotiation; mass tort litigation, including lawsuits relating to alleged exposure to products, chemicals, and/or alleged hazardous materials; commercial arbitration; environmental litigation/Superfund matters; complex e-discovery issues; and document-intensive litigations, investigations, and appeals. Kevin serves on the Firm’s E-Discovery and Recruiting Committees, and co-chairs the New York Summer Associate Program. He also serves on the Jr. Executive Board and Leadership Circle of Street Wise Partners, Inc., and provides pro bono representation to crime victims seeking U Nonimmigrant Status (U-Visa) based on their assistance with law enforcement in prosecuting crimes committed against them.

Caroline Powell Donelan
Labor and Employment • Los Angeles
Caroline counsels and defends domestic and foreign corporations in all areas of employment law compliance and litigation, including wage and hour class actions, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, trade secret disputes, data protection, and alleged fiduciary breaches. She is the co-founder of MAMAs LA (Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association), a family-friendly networking and support organization focused on the distinct issues women face while toggling the dual role of mother and attorney, including work-life balance, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and women’s advancement. Caroline is particularly passionate about issues facing underserved children in Southern California, and focuses her pro bono practice on helping programs serve this young population.

Craig M. Flanders
Corporate Litigation • New York
Craig has an active commercial litigation practice spanning multiple industries, with experience in successfully prosecuting and defending a wide variety of litigation and arbitration matters, from inception through trial and appeals. He has appeared in federal and state jurisdictions throughout the United States, including arguments in front of the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits, as well as the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, and various trial courts. In addition to Craig’s litigation practice, and with the support of practice groups across the Firm, he serves as an outside legal adviser to businesses and individuals on a variety of day-to-day legal issues. Craig volunteers his time as a mentor at Brooklyn FoodWorks, counseling startup companies in the food industry.

Victoria A. Guilfoyle
Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy • Wilmington
Tori concentrates her practice on corporate bankruptcy and business reorganization matters and related litigation. She represents Chapter 11 debtors, creditors’ committees, lenders, private equity funds and other secured creditors, Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 trustees, asset purchasers, equipment lessors, utility providers, software licensors, landlords, and liquidation and litigation trusts. She prosecutes and defends against avoidance and fraudulent transfer actions brought in large Chapter 11 cases. In addition to her bankruptcy practice, Tori also focuses her practice in corporate and commercial litigation matters. Tori is a volunteer tax preparer at low-income taxpayer clinics.

Daniel R. Peterson
Intellectual Property and Technology • Houston 
Daniel concentrates his practice on a wide variety of intellectual property issues, including patent litigation, patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and acquisition of intellectual property rights, opinion work, and client counseling. He represents clients in diverse areas, including imaging and image processing; data security and data privacy; computer systems; computer software; power systems; telecommunications; downhole tools; seismic technology; petrochemicals and polymers; and biomedical devices. Daniel was a founding associate member of The Honorable Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property American Inn of Court and has worked on pro bono affirmative asylum cases for various human rights organizations, including Human Rights First and Kids in Need of Defense.

Jeffrey N. Rosenthal
Corporate Litigation • Philadelphia
Jeff has extensive experience in high-stakes corporate litigation, defending companies in multiple industries against claims involving class actions, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act/Junk Fax Prevention Act, consumer fraud and privacy, labeling and false advertising, contracts, business torts, software and technology, intellectual property, Civil RICO, securities/shareholder actions, financial industry arbitration, professional liability, and the Alien Tort Statute. He regularly writes the Cyberlaw column for The Legal Intelligencer, and lectures on topics related to cybersecurity, attorney ethics, and class action avoidance. He has handled numerous pro bono cases on behalf of indigent clients and is active in a number of professional and civic organizations, including serving on the board of governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the board of directors for Community Legal Services, the largest organization in Philadelphia that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals.

Omid Safa
Insurance Recovery • Washington, D.C.
Omid represents policyholders in a broad range of insurance disputes across the United States. In the last five years alone, he has helped clients secure insurance recoveries and judgments worth nearly half a billion dollars. In addition to his active litigation practice, he counsels clients on methods to enhance their insurance programs to avoid preventable disputes as well as secure the most favorable terms when purchasing new insurance policies. During law school, Omid was a member of the William & Mary Law Review.

OF COUNSEL ELECTED PARTNER

Saminaz Akhter
Corporate, M&A, and Securities • Washington, D.C.
Saminaz focuses her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries. She has also represented corporations in connection with commercial contracts and corporate governance matters. In addition to M&A work, Saminaz has represented sponsors in connection with the formation of private equity funds and counseled clients regarding compliance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Saminaz was a fellow of the 2015 Legal Council on Legal Diversity and is active in the Firm’s diversity outreach efforts. During law school, she was the articles selection editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.

Michael Kim
Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy • New York
Michael concentrates his practice on cash flow and asset-based lending, acquisition financing, and mezzanine financing, representing institutional lenders and finance companies. He also has extensive experience in asset securitizations, equipment leasing and financing, vessel and railcar financing, and corporate trust matters. He has represented originators of financial assets, investment banks, trustees, and investors in the securitization of auto loans, equipment leases, healthcare receivables, and maritime containers. Michael currently serves as a member of the advisory board to Fordham Law School’s Center on Race, Law and Justice. He provides pro bono representation to Brooklyn-based Empowering Youth Towards Excellence, which administers youth services in underserved communities. During law school, he was an associate editor of the Fordham Law Review.

Michael J. Loesberg
Finance, Restructuring and Bankruptcy • New York
Michael focuses his practice on the representation of national and international banks, other financial institutions, finance companies, and hedge funds in connection with asset-based lending and other commercial lending transactions (including working capital and acquisition financings) as well as business reorganization and financial restructuring transactions. Michael has wide-ranging experience with syndicated and single-lender loan transactions involving revolving loans, term loans and unitranche transactions, multicurrency and cross-border transactions, and intercreditor and subordinated debt arrangements.

Nicole M. Vorrasi
Tax, Benefits, and Private Client • Washington, D.C.
Nicole focuses her practice on the tax aspects of business transactions. She represents public and private corporations, closely held companies, S corporations, and limited liability companies and partnerships, with a particular emphasis on private equity funds and their portfolio companies, in all aspects of U.S. taxation, including mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions; taxable and tax-free reorganizations and spin-offs; public and private financings; equity grants and executive compensation; and audit management and associated claims. Nicole is a member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and has served as an officer on the board of directors of Capitol City Little League in Washington, D.C., since 2016.

ASSOCIATES ELECTED OF COUNSEL

S. Gregory Herrman
Intellectual Property and Technology • Washington, D.C.
Greg focuses his practice on litigating and prosecuting patents in software and computer-related technologies. With a substantial technical background and deep understanding of the law, Greg is uniquely suited to handle cases and counsel clients on patent issues in these areas. He also has an active pro bono practice representing veterans in their appeals to obtain VA benefits. He is a member of the Giles S. Rich Inn of Court, focused on fostering professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills in the area of intellectual property.

David G. Meyer
Maritime and International Trade • Houston
David concentrates his practice in the areas of admiralty and maritime law and commercial litigation for clients in the maritime shipping and energy industries. He also assists clients with responding to and investigating shipboard and other workplace accidents and incidents, including overseeing and ensuring compliance with U.S. Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office, Flag State, OSHA, and other regulatory agency requirements. David is actively involved in Blank Rome’s pro bono programs, including representing individual clients in various matters and participating in Saturday legal aid clinics through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. He was also recently admitted as a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, which is the largest charitably funded bar foundation in the nation.

Lewis W. Schlossberg
Energy, Environment, and Mass Torts • Philadelphia
Lew concentrates his practice in the areas of complex commercial, tort, and products liability litigation. He represents private and public entities in all phases of civil litigation, from the initial pleadings stage through motions practice, discovery, mediations, trial, and the appellate process. He has participated in trials involving claims for breach of contract, negligence, injunctive relief, abuse of process, wrongful use of civil proceedings, and violations of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Lew also handles a variety of pro bono cases each year and is active in his local community, having served as a member of the board of the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy Development Committee, the Ithan Mills Homeowners Association, and the Friends of Tel Bet Yerah.