Dilworth Paxson Promotes Five Attorneys Within the Firm’s Partnership

January 26, 2017 (Philadelphia, PA) – Dilworth Paxson LLP Chairman and CEO Ajay Raju announced that attorneys Jerry R. DeSiderato, Mark A. Schiavo, Jennifer P. Snyder, and Joshua D. Wolson were promoted within the partnership ranks of the Firm, and Kristen L. Behrens was elected a Partner. Raju said “These promotions go beyond a reward for years of individual successes and advocacy for clients; it is a recognition that these individuals embody the very best of Dilworth’s essential values and will continue our legacy as a partnership that thrives on collaboration and collegiality.”

Jerry R. DeSiderato maintains a diverse practice, with an emphasis on complex commercial, financial services and bankruptcy litigation. He has handled both the defense and prosecution of claims in state and federal courts and arbitral tribunals throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Specifically, Jerry has extensive experience representing financial institutions and companies ranging from large, international corporations to privately-held, regional companies and their stakeholders in litigation involving contract disputes, business divorces, corporate fraud, and business bankruptcies. Jerry also routinely represents lenders in distressed commercial real estate matters.

Mark A. Schiavo’s practice, while diverse, concentrates primarily in general civil litigation in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mark maintains a particular emphasis on construction litigation, creditor’s rights/loan workout and tort litigation. With respect to his construction experience, Mark has represented contractors, owners, construction managers, engineers and architects in sophisticated matters involving construction/mechanic lien litigation, breach of contract, construction defect litigation, insurance coverage disputes and consumer fraud claims.

He also maintains significant experience with restructurings and commercial foreclosures, and has handled both the prosecution and defense of complex personal injury matters including motor vehicle (private passenger, buses and trucking), construction, premises, product liability, and catastrophic injury/death matters.

Jennifer P. Snyder represents public and private sector employers in addressing all aspects of labor and employment law, including traditional labor-management relations, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, restrictive covenants and trade secret disputes, whistleblowing, executive employment agreements, wage and hour audits, personnel policies, reductions-in-force, and employee discipline and discharge matters. She provides practical guidance to employers on avoiding litigation risks where possible, and aggressively litigates disputes before federal and state courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators.

Jennifer also serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Philadelphia Lawyer magazine, a publication of the Philadelphia Bar Association, where she was appointed to the Editorial Board in 2003.

Joshua D. Wolson represents manufacturing, communications, technology, non-profit, and financial services companies, among others, in commercial litigation matters, including contract disputes class actions and antitrust, intellectual property, business tort, and defamation/first amendment matters. He also has experience in criminal forfeiture proceedings and representing government agencies in constitutional litigation. Josh has experience in all phases of litigation, including multi-district litigation proceedings, class certification matters, expert witnesses, trial and ADR proceedings, and appeals. He has appeared in federal and state courts around the country.

Josh’s litigation experience covers a wide range of industries and practice areas. He has represented credit card issuers, deposit institutions, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, professional societies and trade associations, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, entertainment companies, professional sports leagues, newspapers, television networks and stations, radio station owners, technology startups, non-profits, and communications companies.

Kristen L. Behrens is an experienced and accomplished trusts and estates attorney who concentrates in special needs trusts and trust counsel, post-litigation planning, estate administration and planning, guardianship, and Orphan’s Court matters. Kristen has extensive experience in post-litigation and personal injury settlement planning, including lien reduction, medical benefit, and waiver program counseling, and Medicaid and Social Security compliance. Kristen has worked on numerous large-scale mass tort settlements, as well as many high-profile cases in her career.