Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi has promoted 11 attorneys, seven to member and four to counsel, effective Jan. 1, the firm announced.
Patricia Costello, who was elevated to managing member at the start of the year, said the promotions demonstrate the continued growth of the firm.
“Not only has CSG Law performed well despite the pandemic, but the firm also continues to grow and thrive,” she said. “We owe our ability to grow during these times to our devoted employees who have faced adversity with extraordinary determination, compassion and skill.
“As we continue to serve our valued clients and engage with our surrounding communities, the contributions of our newly elevated team members only add to our confidence in the future success of our firm.”
Firms have different terminologies for their attorneys. At CSG, the designation of “member” is the equivalent of what many in the field call a “partner.”
And while “counsel” often means a more casual relationship with a firm, it has a higher meaning at CSG, where attorneys are promoted to “counsel” when they demonstrate a strong knowledge of their practice area and the skills necessary to service clients in more of a supervisory fashion.
Here is a look at the attorneys, with information provided by CSG.
Promotions to member:
- Daniel D. Barnes focuses his practice on business and litigation issues, including contract and partnership disputes, employment covenant and related litigation, tortious interference claims, franchising matters, disputes involving health care companies, environmental claims, trust and estate disputes, FINRA arbitrations relating to employee claims and corporate governance. He earned his J.D. from College of William & Mary School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.
- Neha Bhalani handles all aspects of trademark and copyright prosecution with the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, including clearance searches, applications and renewals, and provides domestic and international intellectual property strategy planning. She also has extensive knowledge and experience with trade dress and publicity rights matters. In addition, Barnes drafts, structures and negotiates numerous and complex licensing, co-existence, nondisclosure and endorsement agreements. She earned her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. from New York University.
- Francis M. Giantomasi’s practice includes white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations and complex commercial litigation. In addition to representing clients in civil and criminal actions in federal and state court, he counsels landlords and tenants throughout the state on tenancy and eviction matters. He earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. in government from Wesleyan University.
- Marc R. Lepelstat focuses in the areas of fidelity and surety, construction litigation, professional liability, including architects and engineers, and commercial and insurance coverage litigation. Lepelstat also provides advice and defense counsel services to various insurance carriers in complex coverage matters involving extremely substantial claims. He earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law and his B.A. from Tufts University.
- Patrick O’Reilly handles public finance transactions at the local and state level and, as a registered government affairs agent, represents clients before local and state entities in connection with licensing, administrative, regulatory and legislative issues. O’Reilly also is a member of CSG’s Cannabis Law practice, assisting clients in navigating New Jersey’s complex cannabis licensing and local approval processes. He earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from Drew University.
- Melissa F. Wernick is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on white-collar criminal defense, regulatory investigations and complex civil litigation. Melissa regularly represents clients in the health care industry who have been accused of fraud, both in criminal health care fraud and anti-kickback matters, as well as in civil RICO and Insurance Fraud Prevention Act cases. She also represents individuals and companies under government investigation for suspected bank and wire fraud, securities violations and other regulatory matters. She earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. in history and political science from Rutgers University.
- Elizabeth C. Yoo handles a broad range of corporate transactions and represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, stock and asset sales, restructurings, joint ventures and other strategic alliances. Yoo also provides general corporate counseling to a wide range of companies and drafts and negotiates a variety of commercial agreements, including nondisclosure agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, escrow agreements, operating, shareholders’, consulting and employment agreements. She earned her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Promotions to counsel:
- Jenny Chung focuses her practice on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations and complex civil litigation. She also represents clients pursuing cannabis licensing, including several groups that have successfully secured medicinal cannabis licenses. Chung, who recently completed her tenure as president of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey, is a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She currently serves as a trustee of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey. Chung served as a law clerk for the Hon. Michael A. Hammer, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey. She earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and her B.A. from Boston University.
- John Paul D. Dziuba II represents and advises moderate to high net worth individuals and families on all aspects of estate, tax, charitable and business planning. Dziuba provides counsel to fiduciaries in trust and estate administration and litigation matters. He prepares and implements trust planning for estate, income, generation-skipping transfer, decanting, asset protection and charitable purposes. He earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. in history and economics from Boston College.
- Amanda Miceli handles commercial and contract surety matters, as well as fidelity matters. Prior to joining CSG, Miceli was a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Miceli is a frequent speaker at surety conferences across the country. She earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and her B.A. in philosophy from Franklin and Marshall College.
- Caroline Murphy focuses her practice on immigration matters involving startups, small, midsize and large businesses, as well as family and investment-related immigration. Murphy has worked extensively with employers on a variety of immigration matters, including temporary visas and permanent residence for employees, regulatory compliance and corporate immigration policy. She received her Barrister-at-Law Degree from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns in Dublin and her LL.B. in Law & French from Trinity College Dublin.
