Gibbons Promotes Six New Directors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The firm and/or the attorneys referenced have been selected for the recognitions mentioned herein, which have been conferred by the corresponding publications and/or organizations noted. An overview of the award selection methodologies for these recognitions can be found at https://www.gibbonslaw.com/awards. Links to certain specific methodologies are embedded in individual entries. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Gibbons P.C. is pleased to announce that six attorneys, representing four departments and two of the firm’s offices, have been named Directors, effective January 1, 2016.

“We are extremely proud of these attorneys, and we look forward to working with them in their new roles,” said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons.

Charles H. Chevalier
Intellectual Property – Newark Office
Mr. Chevalier focuses his practice on complex patent litigation and intellectual property transactions. He is experienced in a wide array of intellectual property issues, including pharmaceutical patent litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act, opinion work, pre-suit investigations, and licensing and transactional work. He also has extensive experience counseling clients on information management and electronic discovery.

Mr. Chevalier earned his J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. He is a member of the New Jersey and New York state bars, is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Stephen J. Finley, Jr.
Products Liability – Philadelphia Office
Mr. Finley represents defendants involved in complex litigation, including multidistrict litigation, mass tort litigation, class action lawsuits, and serial lawsuits. In addition to his products liability practice, Mr. Finley handles the prosecution and defense of commercial matters, including breach of contract disputes and business tort claims. He has been consistently selected to the Thomson Reuters Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

Mr. Finley earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and his B.A. from The Catholic University of America. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey.

Natalie H. Mantell
Products Liability – Newark Office
Ms. Mantell concentrates her practice in the areas of products liability and appellate practice. She defends manufacturers and sellers in various industries involved in general products liability litigation and multi-county litigation. She also counsels clients regarding litigation avoidance and risk mitigation. Ms. Mantell also regularly advises clients, co-counsel, and fellow Gibbons attorneys regarding appellate practice as a member of the firm’s Appellate Team. She has represented clients before New Jersey’s Appellate Division and Supreme Court in matters involving product liability, constitutional law, employment, zoning, clinical laboratory defense, and franchising and distribution litigation.

Ms. Mantell served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jack L. Lintner, J.A.D., New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A., cum laude, from Tufts University. She is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York, as well as the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She has also been consistently selected to the Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, and currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the New Jersey Defense Association, Chair of its Appellate Practice Committee, and Secretary of its Products Liability Committee.

Samuel I. Portnoy
Business & Commercial Litigation – Newark Office
Mr. Portnoy handles a wide range of large-scale business and commercial litigation matters in both state and federal courts throughout New Jersey and New York. His primary areas of focus include securities fraud, common law fraud, and breach of contract.

Mr. Portnoy clerked for the Honorable Peter W. Hall, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and his B.A. from the University of Vermont. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, in the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York, and in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Second Circuit. He has also been consistently selected to the Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

Kevin R. Reich
Business & Commercial Litigation – Newark Office
Mr. Reich’s practice encompasses a range of complex commercial matters in both state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration before JAMS and AAA tribunals. Drawing on his background in economics, Mr. Reich has a particular interest in antitrust law, and he represents corporations, individuals, and state agencies in breach of contract and ERISA actions, fraud suits, and financial disputes, including securities litigation.

Mr. Reich earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of the Georgetown Law Journal, and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Princeton University. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York and in the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He has also been consistently selected to the Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

Jennifer Phillips Smith
Real Property & Environmental – Newark Office
Ms. Smith counsels clients on real estate matters that range from redevelopment projects spanning hundreds of acres to issues impacting small business owners. She represents clients seeking site plan approval and variances from numerous planning and zoning boards in connection with residential, retail, office, financial, medical, educational, and mixed use projects. Ms. Smith also represents purchasers of licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages and has handled a wide variety of related issues.

Ms. Smith served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jaynee LaVecchia, New Jersey Supreme Court, and earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law and her B.S. from Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York. She has also been consistently selected to the Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

Pictured above from left to right:
Stephen J. Finley, Jr., Natalie H. Mantell, Samuel I. Portnoy, Jennifer Phillips Smith, Charles H. Chevalier, Kevin R. Reich