Burns White LLC welcomes 8 new attorneys with practices spanning construction, healthcare, workers’ compensation, and railroad law to its offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the second quarter of 2023.
Philadelphia
Healthcare
Deborah S. Baird is Of Counsel in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Ms. Baird is an accomplished litigator with more than 35 years of experience handling catastrophic professional and corporate liability cases with an emphasis on medical malpractice matters with potential multi-million dollar exposure. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Baird was a civil litigation attorney for a Philadelphia firm where she focused her practice on defending healthcare clients in medical malpractice claims. Ms. Baird received her Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pennsylvania State University.
Douglas J. Bench is an Associate in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Mr. Bench focuses his practice on defending healthcare providers and medical professionals against professional and general liability matters. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Bench focused his practice in complex class actions and other business litigation matters including, financial, real estate, and breaches of contract. Mr. Bench received his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Journalism, with a minor in Economics, from the University of Pittsburgh.
William J. D’Annunzio is Of Counsel at Burns White, focusing his practice on Healthcare and Long-Term Care law, defending doctors, hospitals, and long-term care health facilities in medical malpractice and liability matters. Mr. D’Annunzio has represented clients in insurance defense, product liability, negligence, wrongful death, survival actions, commercial litigation and consumer law, and compliance. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. D’Annunzio was in-house counsel at a professional services company where he served as the Chief Compliance Officer of Credit, and Collections Compliance Officer. Mr. D’Annunzio received his Juris Doctor from Temple University School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Temple University and his Associate’s degree in Police Science from Montgomery County Community College.
Christine N. Dantonio is Of Counsel in the firm’s Philadelphia office, focusing her practice in the area of Healthcare and Long-Term care law. Ms. Dantonio defends doctors, hospitals, and long-term care health facilities in medical malpractice and liability matters. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Dantonio represented healthcare providers including physicians, nurses, hospitals, group practices, and nursing homes in complex medical professional liability matters at a firm in the Philadelphia area. Ms. Dantonio received her Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University, majoring in Labor Studies and Industrial Relations with minors in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Business.
Pittsburgh
Construction
Daniel M. Maier is an Associate in the Construction Law group at Burns White. Mr. Maier represents contractors, engineers, suppliers, and other professionals in all aspects of construction law. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Maier was an attorney at a Pittsburgh area law firm, representing clients in the litigation of contract disputes and construction law matters across the industry. Mr. Maier also assisted clients in the negotiation and drafting of commercial and residential property transactions. Mr. Maier received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Railroad
Brandon B. Jewart is an Associate in Burns White’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania headquarters. Mr. Jewart is in the Railroad Law Practice Group representing Class I and short line railroads in cases that involve allegations of personal and occupational injuries and wrongful death. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Jewart worked at several Boston-area law firms, researching legal matters, drafting memoranda and pleadings for use in state and federal litigation, and assisting with case preparation and management. Mr. Jewart received his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Boston University.
Melanie M. Jones is an Associate in the firm’s Pittsburgh office. Ms. Jones represents Class I and short line railroads in cases that involve allegations of personal and occupational injuries and wrongful death. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Jones represented clients in commercial litigation, contractual disputes, employment, antitrust, and personal injury matters. Ms. Jones received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She received her Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh.
Workers’ Compensation
Michael J. Wise is an Associate in Burns White’s Workers’ Compensation Group located in the Pittsburgh office. Mr. Wise focuses his practice on defending employers and insurance companies in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Wise served as a law clerk for the Honorable J. Brian Johnson, President Judge for the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County. Mr. Wise received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Pittsburgh, magna cum laude.