Barclay Damon announces, effective January 1, the following new leadership roles:
- Corey Auerbach, former hiring partner – laterals and current Land Use & Zoning Practice Area chair, has been elected to the firm’s Management Committee as managing director of the firm’s Buffalo and Toronto offices. He takes over the role from Peter Marlette.
- Mark Whitford, former diversity partner in the firm’s Rochester office, has been elected to the firm’s Management Committee as managing director of the firm’s Rochester office. He takes over the role from Tom Walsh.
- Sharon Brown, current co–summer associate partner and Public Finance Practice Area co-chair, will serve as a member at large of the firm’s Diversity Partner Committee.
- Sanjeev Devabhakthuni will serve as the diversity partner in Barclay Damon’s Rochester office. He takes over the role from Whitford.
- Naresh Kannan, current co-chair of the firm’s Patents & Prosecution Practice area and co-leader of the Technology, Communications & Networking Technology, and Emerging Technologies Teams, will serve as the diversity partner in Barclay Damon’s Albany office. He takes over the role from David Cost.
- Rob Thorpe will serve as hiring partner – laterals. He takes over the role from Auerbach.
- Ben Wilkinson will serve as the chair of the Associate Integration Committee. He takes over the role from Jim Milbrand.
- Jeff Koehne’s title has changed from executive director to chief operating officer.
- Carolyn Crowley and Brittany Lawrence will serve as coordinators for the Helping Attorneys and Their Children (HATCH) program. They take over the role from Rosemary Enright. The HATCH program provides enhanced support to new parents regarding their parental leave.
- Andy Oppenheimer, a member of the Tax and Corporate Practice Areas and Canada-US Cross-Border Team, will serve as co-chair of the firm’s Tax Practice Area. He takes over the role from Gerry Stack.
- Joe Stanganelli and Jim Milbrand will serve as co-chairs of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Area. Stanganelli is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Areas, and Milbrand is a member of the Commercial Litigation, Torts & Products Liability Defense, White Collar & Government Investigations, and Mass & Toxic Torts Practice Areas. They are taking over the roles from Jon Devendorf and Randy Oppenheimer.
- Kevin Bezio, a member of the Public Finance and Financial Institutions & Lending Practice Areas and former co-chair of the Public Finance Practice Area, will serve as co-chair of the Financial Institutions & Lending Practice Area.
- Melissa Bennett, a member of the firm’s Public Finance Practice Area, will serve as co-chair of the firm’s Public Finance Practice Area. She takes over the role from Bezio.
- Heather Sunser, a member of the Real Estate and Financial Institutions & Lending Practice Areas and Telecommunications, Energy, Cannabis, and Hotels, Hospitality & Food Service Teams and Financial Services Practice Group leader, will serve as the leader of the firm’s Tax Credits Team. She takes over the role from Steve Tranelli.
- John Cook, a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation and Trademarks, Copyrights & IP Transactions Practice Areas and Communications & Networking Technology Team and chair of the firm’s Technology Committee, will serve as the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Area co-chair.
Connie Cahill, the firm’s managing partner, said, “We are delighted to usher in a new set of leaders at the firm this year. Each of them brings a unique perspective and new ideas, which will allow Barclay Damon to continue providing stellar client service throughout its platform of offices. These new leaders will also have a direct impact on the firm’s growth as a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for attorneys and staff alike.”
Cahill continued, “Making strategic adjustments to leadership positions is a key element of our ongoing succession planning efforts, which ensures that the firm continues to thrive under the leadership of the next generation of partners.”
Barclay Damon attorneys team across offices and practices to provide customized, targeted solutions grounded in industry knowledge and a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses. With nearly 300 attorneys, Barclay Damon is a leading law firm that operates from a strategic platform of offices located in the Northeastern United States and Toronto. For more information, visit our award-winning website at barclaydamon.com.