PITTSBURGH, Aug. 13, 2013 — Burns White hired four seasoned Members well versed in complex business and healthcare transactions, and commercial, healthcare and employment litigation to further strengthen its end-to-end client offerings. Manning J. O’Connor II, Mark Stadler, Patrick Sorek and Douglas C. Hart, all formerly of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC, joined the firm’s North Shore headquarters, effective Aug. 1.
“Our goal has been and continues to be to further expand our breadth and depth of legal offerings to businesses in the region and beyond,” said David B. White, Founding Member of Burns White. “We’re confident that the addition of this new team of experienced attorneys will enhance our transactional bench strength, while shoring up the litigation arm of the firm.”
Messrs. O’Connor, Stadler, Sorek and Hart, who joined Philadelphia-based Cohen Seglias in January 2010, were energized about re-joining a firm with Pittsburgh roots. “I’m from Pittsburgh—born and raised,” said Mr. Stadler. “It’s nice to be a part of an organization with such a strong local history and presence.”
“Burns White has an outstanding reputation in- and outside the legal community,” added Mr. O’Connor, former Managing Partner at the Pittsburgh office of Cohen Seglias. “Culturally and professionally speaking, the move was just a good fit for us and for our clients.”
With an emphasis on employment, commercial and healthcare litigation, Mr. O’Connor is a seasoned trial attorney. He represents businesses in a wide range of litigation matters, handling disputes involving breaches of contract, harassment claims, non-compete/non-solicitation agreements and trade secrets, among others. An educator and frequent speaker, he serves on the adjunct faculty at Duquesne University School of Law, and regularly speaks at seminars and conferences on the topics of trial evidence, employment litigation and commercial litigation. Mr. O’Connor received both J.D. and B.A. degrees from Duquesne University.
Having more than 30 years of hands-on experience, Mr. Stadler regularly represents business entities and individual business owners in commercial transactions and disputes, with a subpractice devoted to the representation of healthcare providers, charities and related enterprises. He is well versed in all aspects of business operations, including business planning; entity formation and tax matters; mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; corporate structuring and reorganization; governance and management issues; and third party contracting. Mr. Stadler obtained his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his B.A. from Yale University.
Mr. Sorek is a commercial litigator with considerable trial experience in employment and civil rights matters. In addition, he is a court-qualified mediator and early neutral evaluator in the federal district court’s alternative dispute resolution program. A former Trial Attorney with the Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Sorek represented the White House, NASA, the FBI and other federal agencies and officials in district court litigation nationwide. He received a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, an L.L.M. from Brussels Free University and a B.A. from Princeton University.
An experienced trial attorney, Mr. Hart has a broad reaching litigation practice handling commercial litigation, employment, discrimination, real estate, construction and healthcare-related matters in both state and federal courts. In addition, he is a frequent speaker on various employment-related topics. Mr. Hart, who’s also a Certified Public Accountant, spent several years in the fields of accounting and finance prior to beginning his legal career. He received both J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Duquesne University, and a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.
In addition to the Members’ arrival, Burns White announced the expansion of its Philadelphia-area Healthcare and Long-Term Care Group with the hiring of three associates, two with extensive nursing backgrounds, earlier this month. The group has more than doubled in size since January 2012.