Eight McCarter & English attorneys, resident in five of the firm’s offices and seven of its practice groups, have been elevated to partnership. Attorneys from the Boston, Hartford, Newark, New York City, and Wilmington offices have become partners. The new partners practice in intellectual property, corporate, real estate, government contracts, insurance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and tax & benefits.
“All eight new partners are successful professionally and contribute to the communities where they live and work,” Chairman Michael P. Kelly said in announcing the promotions. “As we have with their predecessors, we look forward to watching them continue to progress as attorneys and as leaders. Promotion to partner is an important career milestone, and each has earned this.”
Added Joseph T. Boccassini, managing partner of the firm: “Our new partners exemplify McCarter’s most important values: the excellence, commitment and compassion that distinguish great lawyers from good lawyers. Their success and elevation is yet another reminder that our greatest asset is our people. All nine are excellent lawyers, naturally, but they also have the skills and character needed to succeed in the practice of law in these times.”
Onome N. Adejemilua is a Newark-based partner in the Corporate, Securities & Business Transactions group, where she advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, and joint venture arrangements. She also represents lenders and borrowers in connection with debt financing transactions, including syndicated loans and asset-based loans. Onome is committed to public service and pro bono work, serving as a member of the Advisory Board of NJ LEEP, a nonprofit focused on empowering high school students from underserved communities for success in college, and the Newark Reentry Legal Services, a program that assists individuals with criminal backgrounds achieve successful community reintegration.
Kate Roggio Buck is Wilmington, DE-based partner in the firm’s Bankruptcy & Insolvency Practice Group, where she focuses her practice in commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, and bankruptcy. In addition to representing clients in all stages of state and federal disputes, Kate represents trustees, trade creditors, landlords, utility providers, government agencies, secured lenders, officers and directors, and other parties that have interests in business reorganizations and liquidations. She also serves as Delaware counsel for clients in need of local expertise. Additionally, Kate is committed to providing pro bono services for individuals, including children needing representation in a variety of matters.
Michael J. DeGrazia, Ph.D. is a Boston-based intellectual property partner who focuses on patenting and commercializing chemical and pharmaceutical technologies, particularly small-molecule drugs. He is involved in the complete life cycle of drug development, from investigatory and clinical review to protection of multimillion-dollar drug products and patent term extensions. He counsels clients on global patent portfolio strategy and management; patentability and infringement analyses; competitive landscape investigations; and diligence terms for an IPO. He is a strategic advisor to companies, universities and inventors looking to commercialize their IP through licensing, acquisition, and financing, including initial public offerings.
Timothy M. Ferges is a Newark-based trusts, estate and private clients partner who focuses on trust and estate litigation, estate planning, and trust and estate administration. A certified public accountant, he advocates for clients in disputed estate and trust matters before the courts of New Jersey and New York. His matters include defense and challenges in will contests, and he brings and defends breach of fiduciary duty claims and handles contested accounting proceedings, will and trust construction matters, and other fiduciary disputes. He represents beneficiaries, individual fiduciaries, large institutional trust companies, and charitable and nonprofit organizations in those disputes. Tim further counsels high net worth individuals and families in estate planning and estate administration matters.
Zlatko “Zack” Hadzismajlovic is a New York City-based partner in the Government Contracts & Export Controls Practice Group. He focuses on export controls, international trade and customs matters, and U.S. and U.K. immigration and global mobility issues. Representing clients in connection with a variety of export control (ITAR, EAR, OFAC) issues in controlled defense, dual-use, and purely commercial trade matters, Zack also counsels clients in connection with U.S. and international sanctions programs as these affect their business. Zack also represents employers and entrepreneurs in investigations and hearings before EOIR, AAO, BIA, federal district courts, and appeals courts, as well as in investigations conducted by Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Jeffrey P. Matrullo is a Hartford-based real estate partner who represents private developers and corporate clients in commercial real estate matters involving acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and financing. He assists clients in acquisition and disposition matters involving retail, office and multifamily properties as well as those that are environmentally challenged. He represents national, regional and local landlords and tenants in retail, office and industrial leasing, including those involving new construction or significant renovations to existing structures. He also helps banks, institutional lenders and borrowers nationwide structure complex financing transactions involving acquisition, construction, permanent, and leasehold mortgage loans. Jeff is a member of the International Council of Shopping Center’s Next Generation Planning Committee and an elected member of the Cromwell, CT Board of Education.
Matthew Sklar, a Newark-based intellectual property partner, litigates patent and licensing disputes. A former federal law clerk, he represents clients in arbitration, in litigation before various district courts, and in Federal Circuit appeals. In addition to his litigation practice, he conducts intellectual property due diligence investigations and counsels clients regarding intellectual property management. He has experience with proceedings involving a variety of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, medical devices, electronic devices, software, and consumer products. He has a background in chemical engineering and has held technical positions in the pharmaceutical and consumer products industries.