New Jersey Super Lawyers 2016 recognizes Katzenstein, Petrino, Spero, and Zoller
March 14, 2016
Eckert Seamans is very pleased to announce that members (partners) David Katzenstein, Frank J. Petrino, Michael A. Spero, and Robert P. Zoller were selected for inclusion in the 2016 edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers, published by Thomson Reuters.
The Eckert Seamans group joins the top five percent of lawyers in New Jersey in receiving this honor from peers and others in the legal industry. The basis for selection includes noteworthy verdicts or settlements, creativity or innovation within the legal process, the number of cases tried or transactions handled, years in practice, position within the firm, professional activities, writings and lectures; community involvement, professional degrees or training, and academic and employment background. The full results of the survey will be published in a supplement to New Jersey Monthly as well as the Thomson Reuters Legal annual publication, New Jersey Super Lawyers.
Newark
David Katzenstein was recognized for a seventh consecutive year by Super Lawyers for his personal injury defense and environmental litigation work. A litigator with more than 30 years of experience in the defense of personal injury claims in the Superior Court of New Jersey, he has tried cases both as local and national counsel in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. Katzenstein has served as national coordinating counsel for several clients and as trial counsel in complex mass tort cases. He has substantial trial experience in the “low dose” and epidemiology-based defenses of asbestos cases, having tried more than 15 asbestos cases to verdict in New York and New Jersey. In addition to his mass tort experience, Katzenstein has handled complex federal and state environmental cases in New Jersey and New York courts. He also served as liaison counsel for a group of third-party defendants in a Superfund matter involving more than 200 parties.
Princeton (formerly Trenton office)
Frank Petrino, recognized 11 times by Super Lawyers for his land use/zoning, environmental and real estate work, focuses his practice on the acquisition, development and financing of real estate. He represents national, regional and local builders and developers before county, state and federal agencies with respect to the development of fee-simple residential communities, common interest communities and business and industrial parks, including industrial parks located within redevelopment areas and on brownfield sites. Petrino has extensive litigation experience in the regulation of the use, sale of interests, and environmental impact of real estate development. In addition, he represents clients in complex commercial litigation.
Michael Spero, recognized by Super Lawyers for the 11th consecutive year in general and business litigation and civil litigation defense, concentrates his practice in civil litigation and complex litigation matters. He is authorized by the Supreme Court of New Jersey to be designated as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. Spero has handled cases in every county of New Jersey and also tried cases in all three Federal District Courts in New Jersey involving a wide variety of matters including corporate, commercial, construction, employment, personal injury and professional negligence, trying over 100 cases to completion. In addition to his litigation and trial practice, he has served as a Certified Arbitrator since 1985, a Certified Mediator since 1994 for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and a designated Mediator for the New Jersey Statewide Mediation Program since August 1995.
Robert Zoller, recognized nine times by Super Lawyers for his general, business and construction litigation work, is the member-in-charge of the firm’s Princeton office. He focuses his practice on a broad range of civil litigation and appeals in both state and federal courts in the areas of business and commercial, construction, equine, insurance, product liability and negligence, and professional liability law. Zoller represents corporations, closely held businesses, and entrepreneurs in the prosecution and defense of a wide variety of litigation matters. He represented the New Jersey Legislature in its case before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the “moment of silence” law. In his appellate practice, Zoller has argued cases before the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He also represents clients in numerous mediation and arbitration proceedings and served as a state court mediator and an arbitrator in federal court.