PITTSBURGH, Aug. 17, 2015 — Michael W. Burns and Members David A. Damico, Daniel B. Donahoe, T.H. Lyda, Patrick L. Mechas and D. Scott Newman were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2016. In addition, Mr. Burns was named the Best Lawyers’ 2016 Pittsburgh Railroad Law “Lawyer of the Year.”
First published in 1983, Best Lawyers® is based on a peer-review survey where more than 52,000 attorneys cast nearly 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas and geographic locations.
A Founding Member of Burns White, Mr. Burns, who currently serves as Of Counsel to the firm, has more than 40 years of litigation experience representing individuals, businesses and governmental agencies in catastrophic loss personal injury, toxic tort and railroad defense, and has been involved in all aspects of media work his entire career.
Mr. Damico, Founding Member and Co-Chair of the Transportation Group, brings more than 30 years of litigation experience coupled with business acumen to his corporate clients. He serves as National Trial Counsel to multiple railroad companies and has tried numerous occupational illness, toxic exposure and catastrophic personal injury cases. In 2014, Mr. Damico was named Best Lawyers’ Pittsburgh Railroad Law “Lawyer of the Year.”
Mr. Donahoe concentrates his practice in the defense of occupational illness cases in both federal and state courts throughout the country. With a primary emphasis in FELA litigation, he has also performed defense work in the areas of products liability, automobile insurance and personal injury.
Mr. Lyda, who Co-Chairs the Transportation Group, was named Pittsburgh Railroad Law “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in 2013. A litigator with more than 20 years of experience, he is well versed in occupational disease, toxic tort and products liability litigation, as well as entertainment law. Mr. Lyda also handles OSHA citation contests and inspections for clients in several industries and is an invited speaker on the topic at national conferences.
Co-Chair of the firm’s Healthcare and Long-Term Care Practice Group, Mr. Mechas has more than 20 years of legal experience defending professional negligence claims on behalf of medical and healthcare professionals, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care hospitals and management services companies. In addition to his extensive healthcare practice, he has defended numerous products liability and general liability matters on behalf of businesses from a variety of industries.
Mr. Newman joined the firm in 1990 and is Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Group. He represents both self-insured corporations and insurance companies before workers’ compensation judges, the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Newman maintains a secondary concentration in the practice of administrative law under the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act and Black Lung Benefits Act.