Eckert Seamans announces attorney promotions for 2017
March 22, 2017
The members (partners) of the national law firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC announced the election of five attorneys to the firm’s membership (partnership), effective April 1. The firm’s new members represent a diverse range of experience and have been promoted from within the ranks of the firm’s Pittsburgh; Princeton; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington offices. The newly elected members are: Jill R. Cohen; Drew M. Derco; Heather Stone Fletcher; and Nathaniel C. Wilks.
“Our ability to help develop the next generation of legal talent is a key component of our strategy and a cornerstone of our ongoing growth and service to clients. Each of our new partners play an integral role in the continued success of our clients, our firm, and our communities,” says co-CEO Dorothy A. Davis.
“This is an outstanding class of lawyers, who represent the future of Eckert Seamans,” says co-CEO Timothy Q. Hudak. “We proudly congratulate Jill, Drew, Heather, Peter, and Nate, and look forward to celebrating their continued achievements in the years to come.”
Jill R. Cohen (Princeton) divides her practice between complex commercial litigation and employment litigation. She is experienced in representing corporations, executives and publicly traded companies in intricate cases involving securities, class action defense, and contract issues, in both individual plaintiff and class action law suits. Cohen’s employment experience includes representing, counseling, and training employers regarding a variety of employment matters, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, employee disciplinary issues, individual and group termination, and wage and hour issues. She regularly speaks and publishes on current issues in human resource law. Cohen earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2005 and her B.A., cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University in 2001.
Drew M. Derco (Washington, D.C.) counsels U.S. and foreign airlines on aviation regulatory and policy matters before a number of federal agencies. He handles all phases of the airline start-up process and assists foreign airlines with the launch of U.S. service. He also assists U.S. and foreign carrier clients in obtaining permit, exemption, and code-share authority from DOT’s Office of International Aviation and negotiates airport lease and use agreements. Notably, Derco was selected for inclusion in 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as an “Associate to Watch in Transportation: Aviation: Regulatory.” Derco earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 2008 and his B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University in 2005.
Heather Stone Fletcher (Pittsburgh) focuses her practice on compliance, regulatory, and legislative matters affecting employee benefit plans. She represents clients in matters before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. She is experienced in a wide-range of tax and benefit issues including day-to-day welfare and retirement plan compliance matters, health care reform, plan drafting and documentation, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 fiduciary duties, health care continuation coverage, prohibited transactions, executive compensation, and Heath Insurance Portability & Accountability Act issues. Fletcher earned her J.D. from George Washington University School of Law and her B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University.
Nathaniel C. Wilks (Pittsburgh) is a registered patent attorney whose practice covers all aspects of intellectual property law with a focus on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, primarily in the electronic arts, infringement and validity studies, patentability and right-to-use opinions, and litigation support. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications in various technologies including, power distribution equipment, anti-counterfeiting measures, printers and copiers, semiconductor devices, electronic displays, hard drives, audio and video signal processing, mobile phones, computer networking, telecommunications, digital rights management, medical imaging, and software. Wilks earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2008 and his B.S. in electrical engineering, with distinction, from The Pennsylvania State University in 2003.