DAVID B. FAWCETT, ’53, a shareholder with Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., received the American Inns of
Court Professionalism Award at the Third Circuit Judicial Conference.
Alumni Notes
HON. RICHARD L. THORNBURGH, ’57, of counsel at K&L Gates LLP, was recently named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the ten pioneers of the Washington, D.C. Bar who will forever leave their mark on the District’s legal landscape.
WILLIAM G. KETTERER, ’66, senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, Public Health Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, was awarded the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service from
the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Ketterer was honored for his work on behalf
of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
ARTHUR STROYD, JR., ’72, a partner at Del Sole Cavanaugh Stroyd, has been named board chairman of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. Now in its 27th year, Leadership Pittsburgh works to strengthen community leadership through programs, partnerships and connections.
EVA TANSKY BLUM, ’73, was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell in recognition of her contributions to a variety of fields. Blum is a senior vice president and director of community affairs at PNC Bank and chair of the PNC Foundation, a 10-year, $100 million program that was launched in 2004 to support quality earlychildhood education. Blum directs the company’s philanthropic programs, including PNC Grow up Great. She cochairs Pitt’s Building Our Future Together capital campaign.
PETER McCORMICK, ’73, was named Employee Benefit Professional of the Year by the Lloyd Institute at its annual National Benefits Conference. The Lloyd Institute is a public charity that provides continuing education credit for attorneys, accountants and life insurance agents. McCormick has worked in the area of employee benefit law with Buck Consultants’ Pittsburgh office for 26 years.
GARY P. HUNT, ’76, shareholder and commercial litigation attorney at Tucker Arensberg, where he has worked for 30 years, has been elected president of the Allegheny County Bar Association for the year beginning July 1, 2010.
HON. JEANNINE TURGEON, ’77, Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge and adjunct professor at Widener University School of Law, recently published the book Bellevue Park: The First 100 Years and an article in the Widener Law Journal, Improving Pennsylvania’s Justice System Through Jury System Innovations.
DENNIS A. WATSON, ’77, president of Grogan Graffam P.C. since 1998 and a shareholder in the litigation practice group since 1983, was elected Chair of the Federal Court Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.
JOHN GISMONDI, ’78, founder of Gismondi and Associates, received the 2009 Professionalism Award from the Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section. The Civil Litigation Section annually honors a member who exemplifies integrity, courtesy, fairness, and service to the courts, clients, and fellow attorneys, and the community
STEVEN E. (TIM) RILEY, JR., ’78, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Founded in 1950, the College comprises the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada and Fellowship is extended by invitation only. Mr. Riley, a partner in the firm of Conner Riley Friedman & Weichler, has practiced in Erie since 1978.
MARY THERESA METZLER, ’79, partner at Ballard Spahr, is the current presidentelect of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). She will assume its presidency after a one-year term.
LISA KABNICK, ’80, has become a member of the management team at Reed Smith LLP.
TIMOTHY CONBOY, ’82, an attorney at the law firm of Caroselli, Beachler, McTiernan & Conboy, has been elected the 43rd President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ). The PAJ is the largest trial lawyer association in Pennsylvania, with over 2,200 members.
FRANCIS E. CORBETT, ’82, of Calaiaro, Corbett & Brungo P.C., recently received the Allegheny County Bar Association Special Service Pro Bono Award for service to The Family Law and Debt Advice Clinics at Neighborhood Legal Services Association.
HON. DEBRA TODD, ’82, received the Allegheny County Bar Association Werner Amram Award at the 2010 Bench-Bar Conference.
GREGORY GRIFFIN, ’83, has been appointed by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to represent the Second Congressional District on the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC). Griffin is chief legal counsel for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. His eight-year appointment to the AETC was confirmed by the Alabama Senate on March 23.
HON. ALAN D. HERTZBERG, ’83, recently received the Allegheny County Bar Association Judicial Service Award. Since being elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County in 2005, Judge Hertzberg has been a consistent supporter of pro bono legal services in Allegheny County and sits on the administrative board of the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership.
DAVID L. MARBURGER, ’83, a partner in the Cleveland office of Baker Hostetler, received the Associated Press Society of Ohio Special Recognition Award. He is an authority on litigating legal issues arising from the content side of the communications industry, especially First Amendment, media law, commercial speech, Commerce Clause, libel and privacy, freedom of information, copyright and other intellectual property rights.
MICHAEL SWEENEY, ’86, has been appointed by Westinghouse Electric Company to the position of vice president and deputy general counsel, Westinghouse Legal and Contracts, Environment, Health and Safety.
NANCY LAUFFER HEILMAN, ’87, a director at Cohen & Grigsby, was recently presented with the Eric W. Springer Professionalism Award by the W. Edward Sell American Inn of Court in Pittsburgh. The award recognizes a member of the inn whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.
COL. DANIEL J. LECCE, USMC, ’87, has been appointed as commanding officer of Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina.
SAMUEL J. CORDES, ’88, partner, Stember, Feinstein, Doyle, Payne & Cordes, LLC, was elected as a Fellow in the National College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election as a fellow recognizes sustained outstanding performance in the profession, as well as exemplary integrity, dedication and excellence.
PAUL A. SUPOWITZ, ’89, was promoted to the position of vice chancellor for governmental relations at the University of Pittsburgh and continues to serve as associate general counsel for the University on matters relating to environmental health and safety and government relations.
TAMMY SINGLETON-ENGLISH, ’90, has been selected to serve on the long range planning committee formed by the Estate Planning Council of Pittsburgh. The committee will review the organization’s structure and make recommendations for future growth and development.
DIANE KANDOR LAZZARIS, ’93, has been named vice president for legal affairs at WESCO International, Inc. in Pittsburgh.
SHARON DIPAOLO, ’94, has been named partner at Reed Smith LLP. She concentrates her practice in real estate litigation, including disputes, tax assessment appeals, and eminent domain and zoning issues.
JEFFREY MILLS, ’94, has been named partner at Reed Smith LLP. His practice focuses on real estate, commercial and corporate finance, tax-exempt and taxable bonds, and general corporate representation.
STEPHANIE CARFLEY, ’96, an attorney at the Lancaster office of Barley Snyder LLC, was named by the Central Penn Business Journal as one of its “Forty Under 40” award recipients for her “commitment to business growth, professional excellence and community contributions.”
GRETCHEN E. GABOS, ’96, recently joined the workers’ compensation and civil litigation practice groups in the Pittsburgh office of O’Brien, Rulis & Bochicchio, LLC.
JAMES H. JOSEPH, ’98, was named partner at the law firm of Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC. He practices in the Pittsburgh office and focuses on general business law and commercial bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, including the representation of secured and unsecured creditors, official committees of unsecured creditors, chapter 11 debtors, commercial landlords, asset purchasers, and licensors and licensees of intellectual property.
LOUIS KOZLOFF, ’98, has been named vice president, associate general counsel and chief litigation counsel of Harleysville Insurance, overseeing all company litigation, with primary emphasis on claims litigation. Kozloff joins Harleysville from the law firm of Blank Rome LLP, where he was a partner in the litigation department of the firm’s Philadelphia office. Prior to Blank Rome, he was an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, both in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
HAL D. COFFEY, ’00, senior associate at Grogan Graffam PC in Pittsburgh, received a Pennsylvania Bar Association Special Achievement Award for his work on the “Get Help Now, Pennsylvania” special service project.
JOSEPH J. TUSO, ’01, has been named a partner at Reed Smith LLP. He works in the firm’s Philadelphia office and is a member of the Eastern Commercial Litigation Group. His national litigation practice focuses on commercial litigation, as well as representing real estate developers and contractors.
He also has extensive experience litigating employment matters involving discrimination claims, restrictive covenants, defamation claims and unfair competition claims.
PAVEL ASTEKOV, ’02, Pitt Law LL.M. alumnus, is Russia’s presidential ombudsman for children. In April 2010, he was interviewed by numerous news agencies about Russia’s decision to suspend U.S. adoptions of Russian children after a family in Tennessee returned its Russian adopted child to the Russian government with a note describing the boy as dangerous and declaring that they no longer wanted him.
MELISSA J. ORETSKY, ’02, a senior associate at Reed Smith LLP, was recently selected to the Executive Committee of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society. The Louis D. Brandeis Law Society is a Jewish law society dedicated to advancing and enriching the personal and professional interests of members of the bench and bar.
AARON P. ASHER, ’04, a conflict analyst at K&L Gates LLP in the office of the general counsel, recently received the Allegheny County Bar Association Special Service Pro Bono Award for service to The Family Law and Debt Advice Clinics at Neighborhood Legal Services Association.
LINDSAY A. OLIVER, ’05, and NICKLAUS A. OLIVER, ’04, received a Jane F. Hepting Individual Pro Bono Award from the Allegheny County Bar Association for their volunteer work with Christian Legal Aid of Pittsburgh.
