CURTIN & HEEFNER - Key Persons

Andrew P. Griffin

Job Titles:

Senior Associate, Public Sector Law, and Real Estate Law

Andrew P. Griffin, Esquire specializes in residential and commercial real estate transactions, including zoning, subdivision and land development approval, tax assessment appeals, and the purchase, sale, use, and leasing of real estate. His practice includes the preparation and negotiation of agreements of sale, leases, easements, and loan documents for banking and financial institutions. Mr. Griffin is also experienced in real estate related litigation, including landlord-tenant disputes, partition actions, quiet title actions, zoning and land use matters, and issues involving the Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law and the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. He also regularly assists the firm's municipal clients with their day-to-day legal needs, including the drafting and enforcement of ordinances. Mr. Griffin was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® Rising Star by Thomson Reuters in 2018 - 2022, published annually in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia magazine. Professional Organizations Allegheny County Bar Association (2014-2018) Member of the Young Lawyers Division (2014-2018) Member of the Young Lawyers Division, Bar Leadership Initiative Class (selected 2016) Duquesne University School of Law Alumni Association (2014-2019) Collaborative Law Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania (CLASP) (2017-2018) International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) (2017-2018) Serves on the Board of Directors for the Bucks County Credit Counseling Center Member of Your Executive Roundtable ("YERT"), a local business networking and charitable organization Bucks County Bar Association

Bonnie S. Stein

Job Titles:

Legal Advisor
Member of the Board of Directors for the Bucks County Bar Association
Partner and Chair Emeritus of the Insurance
Retired

Bonnie Stein is a Partner and Chair Emeritus of the Insurance Law Section. Her areas of concentration include civil litigation with an emphasis in several aspects of insurance, including coverage and bad faith claims, first party property claims and casualty breach of insurance contract claims as well as civil insurance fraud litigation. Additionally, Ms. Stein often assists individuals with disability and health insurance issues. Recognized as an authority in property damage and bad faith, Ms. Stein was defense counsel in many cases which have shaped the practice of bad faith case law in Pennsylvania. She has successfully tried cases for civil insurance fraud to verdict and has served as a bad faith expert. She has litigation experience in federal and state courts and is admitted to the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Stein graduated from Temple University's 1994 initial LLM in Trial Advocacy class and is frequently invited to be a guest lecturer in the program. She also is a frequent speaker on the defense perspective of bad faith at local, state and national seminars. Ms. Stein has been an invited speaker at the Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute sponsored by DRI, the Defense Research Institute, which is known as "The Voice of the Defense Bar". Ms. Stein has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bucks County Bar Association, the former Lower Bucks Hospital Foundation and the Bucks County Legal Aid Society. Her passion for pro bono legal services continues and she is the Firm's pro bono coordinator working closely with Legal Aid. Appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Women in the Profession, she served from 1995-2000 as Chairperson of the Commission's Annual Report Card. The Pennsylvania Bar Association recognized Ms. Stein for her work on the Annual Report Card beginning with the first Report Card in 1995 and its growth and expansion under her leadership through 2000. With an interest in mentoring in trial skills, Ms. Stein has served as legal advisor in various mock trial competitions for both high school and law schools. She coached the 2009 Bucks County Champion High School Mock Trial team and she is frequently asked to serve as a judge in law school Mock Trial competitions. Ms. Stein has consistently been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer through a peer-review process in the area of insurance coverage as published by Philadelphia Magazine. In 2006 she was named a "Woman on the Verge" honoree by Pennsylvania Law Weekly. Ms. Stein has been named as one of the Top 50 Female Attorneys in Pennsylvania as compiled by Law & Politics Media. In 2012, Bonnie Stein was presented with the Harriet M. Mims Award by the Women Lawyers Division of the Bucks County Bar Association. This Award is presented annually to a female attorney who exhibits the characteristics of strength, leadership and integrity who also has served as a mentor to young lawyers. Ms. Stein accepted the Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission On Women In The Profession recognition of Curtin & Heefner LLP as a 2015 Honor Roll of Legal Organizations Welcoming to Women Professionals recipient.

Brendan W. Flynn

Job Titles:

Associate, Commercial Litigation, Employment & Labor Law, Appellate Law

Chisom A. Ihejirika

Job Titles:

Associate, Insurance Law, Litigation

Craig F. Turet

Job Titles:

Partner, Commercial Litigation, Employment & Labor Law, and Staffing, Recruiting & Workforce

Daniel G. Murray

Job Titles:

Law Clerk to the Honorable John J. Hughes
Member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Banking Section of the New Jersey Bar Association
Partner, Commercial Services and Business & Tax Exempt Financing

Daniel G. Murray was a Law Clerk to the Honorable John J. Hughes: U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey Mr. Murray focuses his practice on mortgage banking, consumer finance, banking law, and general corporate law, with an emphasis on: all aspects of representation of community banks financial institution regulatory, compliance and licensing issues, including "lookback" reviews warehouse lending and mortgage finance secondary mortgage market transactions, including the sale and purchase of mortgage loan portfolios and servicing rights loan documentation, including state and federal disclosures outsourcing agreements various aspects of securitization of mortgage loans Mr. Murray is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Banking Section of the New Jersey Bar Association and frequently speaks and writes on relevant topics in the banking and mortgage banking industries. Dan lives in New Hope, PA with his wife, Patricia. His daughters, Natalie and Tess, currently attend The Pennsylvania State University, his alma mater.

David J. Sowerbutts

Job Titles:

Partner, Will, Trusts & Estate, Business Law, Real Estate, Family Law

Mr. Sowerbutts has been a practicing attorney since 1982. He focuses his practice on legal issues that concern people, families, and businesses. He has extensive experience in Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning and Estate Administration; Business Law and Transactional Law; Family Law; Real Estate law; and Civil Litigation. His extensive background and experience enable him to bring related areas of the law together to help his clients. Mr. Sowerbutts emphasizes strategic negotiation to resolve disputes but has over 40 years of litigation experience to assist his clients in achieving their goals. Mr. Sowerbutts grew up in Bucks County where he continues to reside today. He has been named "Best of Bucks" by the Bucks County Courier Times on four separate occasions throughout his career, most recently in 2019. Mr. Sowerbutts has been actively involved in civic and community organizations in Bucks County throughout his life.

DawnMarie Schulz

Job Titles:

Associate in Curtin & Heefner LLP 's Employment & Labor Law and Environmental & Public Sector Law Groups, [.]

Ernest (Bucky) R. Closser III - Chairman

Job Titles:

Chairman
Member of the Board of Directors
Partner, Business & Tax Exempt Financing, and Public Sector Law

Ernest (Bucky) R. Closser III serves as Chairman of the firm's Business & Municipal Finance Section. His areas of concentration include formation of business entities; representation of buyers and sellers of businesses and municipal finance. He is qualified bond counsel and a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers. Mr. Closser is listed as a registered bond counsel in the Bond Buyer's Redbook. He also has broad experience in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Closser also counsels corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships on contracts, agreements and other matters affecting their business operations. He has been involved in structuring the sale and purchase of businesses both large and small and assisting in their financing. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Closser was Chief Counsel to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of the Budget. He also has served as Assistant County Solicitor for Greene County, Pennsylvania on economic development projects. Mr. Closser is a member of the Board of Directors of and is a past Chairman and former solicitor of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce.

Frank S. Guarrieri - CEO

Job Titles:

Managing Partner

Gina H. Kiley

Job Titles:

Partner, Litigation, and Insurance Law

Gina Kiley works in the Litigation and Insurance Law Sections and her practice focuses on first and third party disputes. In this capacity, Ms. Kiley represents the interests of individuals, corporations and entities involving personal injury, premises and motor vehicle liability in state and federal court. Additionally, Ms. Kiley represents insurance carriers in liability coverage matters, property damage cases involving allegations of breach of contract, bad faith, and fraud. Ms. Kiley routinely serves as an Arbitrator and has recently been appointed by the Courts to serve as a Judge Pro Tem in Philadelphia to help litigants resolve their cases. Prior to joining Curtin & Heefner, Ms. Kiley was an associate at a mid-sized Montgomery County firm, where she focused on general insurance defense involving the representation of individuals, corporations, and entities. Ms. Kiley has significant experience as a litigation attorney. She has represented various insurers and self-insured corporate clients in an array of matters. This has included first party property claims, premises liability, motor vehicle liability, professional liability, construction liability and product liability. Ms. Kiley is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Kiley earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Communications, graduating cum laude from West Chester University, and earned a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, graduating cum laude. During law school, Ms. Kiley was a judicial extern for the Honorable James J. Fitzgerald, III, of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Kiley participates in many local youth community and school activities with her three young children and spending time with family and friends. Gina resides in Bucks County with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she volunteers coaching her children's soccer and softball teams and enjoys exercising, traveling and cheering for the Philadelphia sports teams.

James J. Esposito

Job Titles:

Partner, Banking & Financial Services, Commercial Finance, Public Sector Law, Real Estate, Zoning & Land Use
Partner, Real Estate Law, Commercial Finance and Public Sector Law

James J. Esposito focuses his practice on commercial and residential real estate transactions, representing both buyers and sellers; real estate financing; zoning and land use; and commercial and residential leases. Mr. Esposito represents financial institutions in the structuring, negotiating and closing of commercial and residential real estate loan transactions. He has also represented private and municipal clients in zoning and land use matters. Mr. Esposito's landlord/tenant practice includes the drafting and negotiating of leases for both landlord and tenants. Mr. Esposito was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® Rising Star by Thomson Reuters in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2014, published annually in Philadelphia magazine. Professional Organizations NAIOP, Commercial Real Estate Development Association

Jeffrey A. Liebmann

Job Titles:

Partner, Family Law & Adoption

Jeremy A. Wechsler

Job Titles:

Senior Associate, Wills, Trusts & Estates

Jeremy A. Wechsler focuses his legal practice on estate planning, elder planning, tax, probate, and estate administration. Jeremy is passionate about helping his clients protect their legacy by using common sense principles and proven solutions. Jeremy practices holistic planning, and advocates a team approach to estate planning, including working with the client's financial advisor, tax advisor and other professionals to make sure the plan actually works. Although not a financial advisor, Jeremy has a keen understanding of financial planning issues, having passed the Series 65 investment advisor exam. Jeremy is particularly passionate about senior legal issues, including ensuring a client has appropriate care, protecting a client's estate to the greatest extent permitted under the law, and protecting a client from elder financial abuse. Jeremy works with a broad range of individuals and families, including business owners, nontraditional

John W. Donaghy

Job Titles:

Law Clerk to the Honorable Genevieve Blatt, Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania from 1972 - 1974
Member of the Firm
Partner, Real Estate Law Commercial Finance

John W. Donaghy is a member of the firm's Real Estate Group and Real Estate Finance Group. Mr. Donaghy concentrates his practice in the representation of banks and other financial institutions in complex commercial and real estate finance transactions throughout the greater Philadelphia area, including Bucks and other surrounding counties. Mr. Donaghy has represented lenders in various transactions including large residential and commercial developments, construction funding and tax-free transactions, as well as other facilities in sums up to $80,000,000.00. Mr. Donaghy has also had over 40 years of experience representing clients in various real estate related matters, including commercial acquisitions and sales, zoning, subdivision and land development, and condominium transactions. Mr. Donaghy has consistently been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® in the area of real estate by Thomson Reuters, published annually in Philadelphia magazine.

Jordan B. Yeager

Job Titles:

Partner

Partner Jordan Yeager and Lauren Williams are authors in this treatise, which just came out as a Second Edition: Law Curtin & Heefner LLP is pleased to announce that Jordan B. Yeager, Esquire and Lauren M. Williams, Esquire, authored a [...]

Joseph J. Khan

Job Titles:

Partner, Litigation, and Public Sector Law

Joe Khan serves as an attorney in the Litigation Section. He is a renowned trial and appellate attorney with substantial experience prosecuting and defending civil and criminal cases in both state and federal courts. He is a trained mediator who leverages his experience and relationships in public, private and nonprofit sectors to resolve complex disputes with "win-win" outcomes. Mr. Khan joined Curtin & Heefner after serving more than three years as the Solicitor for Bucks County, where he was credited with "redefining the role of County Solicitor," Mr. Khan's leadership of the County's first fulltime Law Department substantially improved outcomes and services while saving the County millions of dollars and modeling best practices on diversity and inclusion. In addition to overseeing all litigation for the County, Mr. Khan built partnerships with other public entities to protect voting rights, consumers, and the environment through innovative litigation, including the first lawsuit of its kind against social media companies for fueling a youth mental health crisis. He and his team also successfully drafted innovative legislation, including Pennsylvania's only used car Lemon Law, and policy reforms on issues such as Fair Chance and Equal Pay hiring - all of which were enacted on a bipartisan basis. Mr. Khan also provided administrative oversight for the Department of Consumer Protection and Weights and Measures as well as the independent Office of the Public Defender. Mr. Khan serves on the adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He previously served for a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where he resolved high-stakes matters across southeastern Pennsylvania and led the historic City Hall corruption probes in Allentown and Reading. Since beginning his career prosecuting sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, his work and commentary have been featured often in national and local media.

Joseph P. Lavin

Job Titles:

Associate at Curtin and Heefner LLP in the Insurance
Associate, Litigation, and Insurance Law

Joe Lavin is an associate at Curtin and Heefner LLP in the Insurance Law Section. His practice focuses primarily on bodily injury defense litigation representing the interests of individuals, corporations, and other entities in state and federal court. Prior to joining Curtin and Heefner LLP, Joe served for many years as house counsel to a large insurance company where he handled all aspects of bodily injury defense litigation. He has brought lawsuits to verdict in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Joe began his legal career at a high volume, Philadelphia plaintiff personal injury firm in the litigation department. In his free time, Joe enjoys following Philadelphia sports, live music, visiting local parks, and spending time with his family and friends.

Kyong Ha Growney

Lauren M. Williams

Job Titles:

Attorney

Curtin & Heefner attorney Lauren Williams, testified at a state legislative hearing in Harrisburg on Thursday, May 2, 2013. The

Lisa M. Patterson

Job Titles:

Member of the Nominating Committee of the Bucks County Bar Association
Partner, Litigation, and Insurance Law

Lisa M. Patterson works in the Insurance Law Section and concentrates her practice in civil litigation with an emphasis on first party property damage and bad faith claims. She has experience in both state and federal courts. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. As part of her practice, Ms. Patterson provides coverage opinions to insurance carriers, handles cases including insurance fraud, and works with insurers' Special Investigation Units. She assists and advises insurance companies in addressing invoices for fire department charges for responding to motor vehicle accidents. Ms. Patterson also provides analyses to insurance carriers on third party diminished value claims relating to vehicle damages which are generally the result of a motor vehicle accident. Ms. Patterson works with the insurance carriers and claimants to resolve these claims and has experience litigating these claims when necessary. Additionally, Ms. Patterson handles issues relating to towing and storage charges for insurers and has experience with cases involving replevin actions against automobile towing and storage businesses on behalf of insurance carriers. Ms. Patterson has also assisted insurance carriers secure the return of motor vehicles when impounded out of state. Ms. Patterson was formerly an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2003 and her criminal law background and contacts are assets to her involvement with insurance fraud matters. Ms. Patterson has served as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Bucks County Bar Association, volunteers as a juror for the Bucks County High School Mock Trial Competition, and represents Plaintiffs seeking Protection from Abuse Orders on a pro bono basis. She is an active member of the St. Bede the Venerable CYO and of the St. Katharine Drexel Regional Catholic School Parent Association. She is fluent in Spanish and Ukrainian. Ms. Patterson is consistently named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® Rising Star by Thomson Reuters, published annually in Philadelphia magazine.

Mark L. Freed

Job Titles:

Partner, Environmental Law, Litigation, Public Sector Law

Maureen Burke Carlton

Job Titles:

Partner, Real Estate Law
Partner, Real Estate Law, Commercial Finance and Public Sector Law

Maureen Burke Carlton serves as Co-Chair of the Real Estate Department. She has over 25 years of experience in real estate law and transactions. Focusing on commercial and residential real estate transactions, financing, zoning, leases, and tax appeals and land use, Ms. Carlton's representation includes advising both sellers and buyers - as well as lenders - in complex real estate and zoning/land use matters throughout Bucks County and the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Ms. Carlton also focuses a substantial portion of her practice in representing a variety of banking and financial institutions in commercial financing transactions. Ms. Carlton has advised and consulted regarding multiple transactions, varying from the financing of large residential developments in transactions exceeding $20,000,000.00 to negotiating commercial leases and representing commercial land owners and financial institutions in tax assessment appeals throughout the Commonwealth and in New Jersey. She has advised and represented a number of charitable institutions in their appeals before various boards of assessments for relief of real estate taxes. Ms. Carlton serves as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Bucks County Bar Foundation, as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Bar Association's House of Delegates for Zone 9, and as the Co-Chair of the Bucks County Historical Society's annual Cocktails at the Castle . She is also involved in other charitable and community efforts, including the Bucks County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Board of the Bucks County Opportunity Council and as a Trustee of the Bucks County Historical Society.