September 29, 2020 | Houston Harbaugh Attorneys Named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America©
Houston Harbaugh announced that ten of the firm’s attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers in America©, two of whom were also named to 2021 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of Year” in Pittsburgh.
Best Lawyers has published its list for more than three decades. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process.
Craig M. Brooks was named for Labor Law – Management, as well as Employment Law – Individuals. A Director and chair of the firm’s Employment and Labor Law practice, he primarily represents management, providing advice on how to handle employee issues and actions, as well as defending or pursuing claims in court and before government agencies. He received his law degree from Duke University School of Law and a bachelor of science degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude, where he studied labor relations.
Jessica A. Ellel was named 2021 Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law. As a Director and chair of the firm’s Health Care Law department, Jessica works almost exclusively with health care entities and health practitioners. She has extensive experience with: Drafting and negotiating physician employment agreements from both the physician and employer perspectives, negotiating contracts between physicians and hospitals, preparing purchase agreements to govern the sale of medical practices, advising on corporate governance issues, from practice formation to dissolution, developing comprehensive compliance plans for physician practices, hospitals, third-party billing administrators, and other health care and related entities, organizing strategies for compliance with fraud and abuse laws and addressing HIPAA compliance
She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and received a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.
Gary J. Gunnett was named for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. A Director and leader of the firm’s ERISA practice, he focuses primarily on employee benefit plans, including the design, implementation, maintenance, and termination of qualified retirement plans. He received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and a bachelor of arts degree from Westminster College.
David J. Fasulo was named for Real Estate Law. A Director focusing his practice on business law, Dave regularly represents real estate developers, small and closely held service providers, manufacturers, professional services, lenders, and public companies. He received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor of arts degree from Pennsylvania State University.
Alan S. Miller was named the Best Lawyers 2021 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh. He was also named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America in Energy Law, Environmental Law, Insurance Law, Litigation – Environmental, and Litigation – Insurance. A Director and chair of the firm’s Environmental and Energy Law and Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation practices, he has more than 30 years’ experience representing clients in matters involving environmental contamination and regulatory compliance, including resulting from natural gas production and disputes involving insurance coverage and insurance bad faith. Miller is a former trial attorney with the Environmental Enforcement Section, United States Department of Justice, and Assistant Counsel with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. He received his law degree from George Washington University National Law Center cum laude, and a bachelor of arts degree from Washington University.
Anthony P. Picadio was named for Bet-The-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Securities, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Picadio, who is Of Counsel with the firm, has represented business clients in significant cases presenting issues involving unfair competition, corporate governance, Sherman and Clayton Act violations, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent conveyance, securities fraud, trademark protection, insurance coverage, construction litigation, legal malpractice, commercial real estate, and contract matters. He is a former Pennsylvania Assistant Attorney General specializing in environmental enforcement matters and former chairman of an administrative tribunal charged with administering air pollution control regulations in the Pittsburgh region. He received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, cum laude, and a bachelor of arts from the University of Pittsburgh.
Deborah J. Robinson was named the Best Lawyers 2021 Health Care Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh. She was named 2021 Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law. Robinson, who is Of Counsel, previously chaired the firm’s Health Care Law department for numerous years. She concentrates her practice in the area of healthcare, with a particular emphasis on contractual relationships between healthcare providers as well as helping practices navigate the various governmental regulatory, third party payor and compliance laws, including HIPAA. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and received a bachelor of arts degree from Allegheny College.
Henry M. Sneath was named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Legal Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs. Sneath is a Director as well as co-chair of the firm’s Litigation practice and Chair of the Intellectual Property practice. He focuses his practice on complex business and intellectual property litigation, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, DTSA, products and pharmaceutical liability, toxic torts, insurance coverage and bad faith, probate, trusts and estate litigation, catastrophic injury, and tort litigation matters. He has tried over 95 cases to verdict and was the 2011-2012 President of DRI (www.dri.org), a 22,000 member international organization of lawyers defending the interests of businesses and individuals in civil litigation. In addition to his practice, he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University School of Law teaching 2 courses: Trade Secret Law and the Law of Trademarks and Unfair Competition He received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree from Hamilton College.
Heidi Rai Stewart was named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America for Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. A Director in the firm’s Estates and Trusts practice, she assists individuals in the creation of estate plans, probate, and estate and trust administration. Her work in these areas extends to Special Needs planning and Long Term Care planning, including Elder Law. She received her law degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and her bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, from Carlow College.
Alex W. Thomson was named for Corporate Law. A Director and chair of the firm’s Business Law practice, Thomson serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of businesses from start-ups to large multi-nationals. He represents clients in a diverse set of industries, including software, robotics, nanotech, chemicals, additive manufacturing and life sciences. He also represents non-profit organizations such as foundations and churches, as well as professional service businesses such as consulting, financial planning, urban planning, medical, dental and veterinary practices, and accounting and law firms. He received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, a master of business administration from the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Boston University.
About The Best Lawyers in America©
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Best Lawyers’ peer-reviewed listings are now published in almost 75 countries around the world, and their presence has grown substantially in the international legal community. The 27th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (2021) includes more than 67,000 lawyers in 148 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and inclusion in this year’s publication is based on 9.4 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
