Lerch, Early & Brewer's Legal Update
Need For Expansion Of Services Drives Growth Of Firm
Those familiar with Lerch, Early & Brewer should be prepared to greet a group of new attorneys this fall. In October, the firm welcomed four lateral principals and five associates, who represent the culmination of an effort to expand the firm’s services and capabilities in order to meet the demands of an increasingly diverse clientele.
“This is a very exciting time for our firm,” stated managing director Paul DiPiazza. “To be able to bring in such a talented group of attorneys to fill existing needs was an opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up.”
Among the attorneys joining the firm include Raymond J. Sherbill, Joel S. Aronson, Theodore R. Goldstock and Stuart A Schwager, who come from the Bethesda, Maryland law firm of Ridberg, Sherbill & Aronson, LLP. They will provide skilled counsel in existing firm practice areas such as business law, tax and litigation, as well as areas where the firm previously lacked significant experience, such as government contracts and creditors’ rights.
As DiPiazza notes, “this is a win-win situation for our clients and theirs. We’ll be able to greatly expand the services we offer without sacrificing any of the service or value our clients have come to expect from us. Their clients, in turn, will benefit from the depth and resources that a firm such as ours provides.”
In addition to the four principals, the firm also welcomes April H. Birnbaum, Alex S. Tanouye, Julie A. Reddig, Michael J. Neary and Emily B. Rachlin, all of whom joined as associate attorneys across several of the firm’s practice groups.
Raymond Sherbill, Business & Taxation
Raymond J. Sherbill, a member of the firm’s Business and Taxation Group, comes to LEB after having spent the past 17 years as a partner at Ridberg, Sherbill & Aronson LLP. His practice has been a varied mix of representing people and businesses in negotiations, controversies and personal planning, and in recent years has included government contracting, construction and handling work for some international clients.
“I’ve long appreciated Lerch, Early and Brewer as a group of remarkable attorneys and staff who are especially friendly, professional and hardworking,” Sherbill says. “We are honored and energized by the opportunity to be a part of the firm, and now to work side by side with old and new friends here.”
Joel Aronson, Litigation and Commercial Lending
Joining Mr. Sherbill is Joel S. Aronson, a principal practicing in the firm’s Litigation and Commercial Lending groups. With a concentration primarily in the areas of commercial and employment litigation, Mr. Aronson provides the firm with significant experience in litigating and resolving disputes in those realms. He also maintains a particular focus on creditors’ rights issues and the representation of clients in the lending and financial industries.
As Aronson states, “I’m thrilled to be bringing my practice to LEB. My clients, I’m quite certain, will benefit greatly from the additional services and support the firm provides.” He believes his practice, which includes the litigation of commercial disputes as well as the representation of creditors and bankruptcy trustees in a wide variety of concerns, “will be a perfect complement to the firm’s existing practices.”
Theodore Goldstock, Business & Taxation and Litigation
"Joining LEB will allow me to offer my clients, some of which are public companies, many more additional services than I was able to provide previously," states Theodore R. Goldstock, a principal in the firm’s Business and Taxation and Litigation groups. Mr. Goldstock has built his practice counseling businesses on numerous aspects of corporate law, as well as handling business-related disputes and litigation. His corporate practice is a veritable “what’s what” of business law, as his experience in partnership agreements, financing, leases, litigation, contract law, general corporate law and counseling, and commercial transactions attests. His business acumen extends beyond his legal work: for 15 years he served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of his family’s business. Concerning this experience, he noted that “it’s very beneficial, because it allows me to relate more directly to the businesses and business owners I represent.”
Stuart Schwager, Business & Taxation and Litigation
Also joining the firm is Stuart A. Schwager, who had been an attorney with Ridberg, Sherbill & Aronson since 1992. Schwager brings many years of experience in the realm of corporate and franchise law to LEB, and his arrival provides the firm with greater depth in the area of mergers and acquisitions due to his experience in handling stock purchases and sales, corporate reorganizations and recapitalizations. His knowledge and experience with antitrust and competition law matters also present the firm with expanded opportunities.
“I’m very much looking forward to being able to enhance the services I offer my clients by joining LEB,” says Schwager. “At the same time, it’s exciting to know that I’ll be able to assist LEB’s clients by utilizing my skills and experience."
In addition to the four attorneys described above, the firm has also brought in a number of associates who will be practicing across several of the firm’s practice groups. Brief biographies of each of these associates are included below. Additional information about all firm attorneys can be found on the firm’s website, located at www.lerchearly.com.
April Birnbaum, Land Use
April H. Birnbaum joins the firm as an associate in the Land Use and Zoning Group. She comes to the firm from the law firm of Rich & Henderson PC, where she worked as a law clerk and provided support for environmental and land use litigation. Ms. Birnbaum received her J.D., with a Certificate of Concentration in Environmental Law, from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2007, where she was a Senior Articles Editor for the Maryland Law Review, as well as Co-Executive Officer of the Maryland Environmental Law Society. In 2003, she received her Master of Environmental Studies degree, with a concentration in Environmental Policy, from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her B.A. degree, with a distinction in Environmental Studies and Urban Studies, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002.
Michael Neary, Litigation and Employment
Michael J. Neary, practicing in the areas of litigation and employment law, joins the firm following a year spent as a law clerk to the Honorable Katherine D. Savage, Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland. He graduated magna cum laude from Loyola College in Maryland where he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha. He received his J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2006. While there, he was a member of the Moot Court Board and received the Runner-Up Best Brief Award during the 2005 Morris B. Myerowitz Moot Court Competition. Mr. Neary is admitted to practice in Maryland.
Alex Tanouye, Estate Planning & Probate
Alex S. Tanouye has joined the firm as an associate in the Estate Planning and Probate Group. Prior to joining LEB, Alex worked as an associate with the Law Office of Virginia A. McArthur in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tanouye received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2005. While there, he completed 40 hours of mediation training with the Baltimore Mediation Center. He received his B.A., with honors in Government and Politics,from the University of Maryland in 1999. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Tax Court.
Julie Reddig, Employment and Litigation
Julie A. Reddig, practicing in the areas of employment law and litigation, has also joined the firm as an associate. Since 2005, she had worked as an associate with the law firm of Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP. Ms. Reddig received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2005, where she was the recipient of the Anne Barlow Gallagher Prize and the UMB Diversity Recognition Award. In 2002, she received her B.A., magna cum laude, in History, along with a Certificate in Latin American Studies and a Minor in International Relations from the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Reddig has also served as a Judicial Intern for The Honorable Richard D. Bennett. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Emily Rachlin, Litigation
Emily B. Rachlin has joined the firm as an associate in the Litigation Group. She comes to the firm after spending the past year as a law clerk for the Honorable Mary Ellen Barbera of the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. Prior to that, she worked as a law clerk with the law firm of Jordan & Tell LLP. Ms. Rachlin received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif. She received her B.A., cum laude, in Psychology and Criminology from the University of Maryland in 2003. She is admitted to practice in Maryland.
Although the firm has attracted many new attorneys, the firm’s focus on quality and service remains unchanged, DiPiazza says. “We believe our clients will appreciate the added depth and skill that these professionals bring to the firm, with the knowledge that all of the things they appreciate about our firm, such as timeliness, value and service quality, will remain. We’re tremendously excited to be able to bring in this level of talent, and are confident that our clients--and theirs--will feel the same.”
