McCarter & English announces the election of four new partners: Omar A. Bareentto, Jennifer Black Strutt, Mark M. Makhail, and Candee Wilde. Resident in three of the firm’s 12 offices, the new partners represent three practice groups including Business Litigation, Environmental & Energy, and Insurance Coverage.
“Our new partners strengthen this dynamic partnership,” said Joseph Lubertazzi, Jr., the firm’s Chairman. “I am confident they will continue to have an important impact on McCarter & English’s clients, communities, and the legal profession.”
“These new partners represent the best of McCarter” said Joseph Boccassini, McCarter’s Firmwide Managing Partner. “They have sophisticated practices, care about our clients, and are down-to-earth, good people. Practicing with people like Omar, Jennifer, Mark, and Candee is what makes McCarter such a special place.”
Omar A. Bareentto—Business Litigation, Newark, NJ—Bareentto prosecutes and defends claims in both state and federal courts involving breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference, restrictive covenants, shareholder oppression, breach of fiduciary duty, and federal and state securities laws. He is also a member of McCarter’s Government Affairs group, and regularly advises government contractors, corporations, trade associations, political action committees (PACs), and candidates on campaign finance, pay-to-play, ethics, lobbying, and conflicts of interest. Bareentto co-chairs the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Muslim Caucus and has held leadership roles in the Garden State Bar Association and New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association. He is a founding member of “The Collective,” which is a professional group of nearly 20 African American male attorneys which promotes community service, business development, and mentorship among attorneys of color in large New Jersey law firms and in-house departments.
Jennifer Black Strutt— Insurance Coverage, Stamford, CT—Strutt counsels a broad range of corporate and individual clients on insurance coverage matters including commercial property and business interruption coverage, errors and omissions (E&O) liability, directors and officers (D&O) liability, personal and advertising injury, and commercial general liability. She has assisted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for clients. Strutt also helps clients assess their potential risks and the adequacy of their existing insurance programs. She also represents corporate clients involved in commercial and contractual disputes. Strutt is an active member of the Connecticut and Colorado Bar Associations, as well as the Colorado Women’s Bar Association.
Mark M. Makhail—Business Litigation, Newark, NJ—Makhail counsels individuals and businesses across a wide range of industries in complex commercial and business disputes involving vendor issues, tortious interference, employment, and contract disputes in both state and federal courts. Makhail also has extensive experience in patent, copyright, and trademark litigation. His patent litigation experience is especially focused on Hatch-Waxman (ANDA) litigation in the pharmaceutical industry. He assists with Court appointed special master, American Arbitration Association (AAA), and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) assignments. He also has significant experience representing solar energy companies in litigation and arbitrations. In addition, Makhail serves as an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School where he teaches Federal Courts.
Candee Wilde—Environment & Energy, Philadelphia, PA—Wilde’s practice focuses on the management of environmental risks in litigation, regulatory, and transactional contexts. She defends clients’ interests in environmental enforcement and litigation matters relating to alleged contamination, including natural resource damages and statutory contribution matters, as well as cost recovery and related private cost allocation actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). She has represented clients concerning large, multi-party Superfund sediment sites and matters involving a variety of contaminants including dioxins, PCBs, and PFAS. Wilde also evaluates and manages environmental liabilities related to the acquisition, development, financing, and sale of environmentally impacted real estate properties and businesses and advises on compliance with state environmental statutes, including New Jersey’s Industrial Site Recovery Act. Wilde is active in the environmental bar and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Environmental American Inn of Court.