Ballard Spahr LLP > Philadelphia, United States > Firm Profile

Ballard Spahr LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Finance > Financial services regulation Tier 2

The consumer financial services group at Ballard Spahr LLP offers comprehensive advice covering complex CFPB and agency regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters. The team is also recognized for its knowledge of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, allowing it to attract a variety of payment system providers, fintech firms and private equity firms as clients. Daniel McKenna and John Socknat steers these efforts, working out of the Philadelphia and Washington DC offices, respectively; in Pennsylvania, John Culhane is noted for his student lending law knowledge. Former CFPB official Michael Gordon joined the firm in March 2022, with Mark Furlettti leaving in February 2022.

Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): municipal Tier 2

Ballard Spahr LLP’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice group is well known for its municipal bankruptcy expertise, particularly in connection with chapter 9 cases involving pension obligations debt. The practice has a strong reputation for advising indenture trustees but also represents fiscally challenged municipalities, underwriters, bond insurers, and institutional investors. William Rhodes in Philadelphia, and Tobey Daluz and Matthew Summers in Wilmington, jointly head the multidisciplinary practice group. Public finance specialist Rhodes leads on municipal recovery and represents issuers, broker-dealers, and investors in all areas of public finance, with a focus on state oversight of distressed municipalities, while litigators Daluz and Summers also have broad bankruptcy experience. In a standout matter, Rhodes and Kevin Cunningham, also in Philadelphia, represented an indenture trustee in connection with the covenant defaults and financial distress of the owners and operators of multi-family housing units, involving asset sales, bondholders’ presentations, and the negotiation of forbearance agreements. William Wassweiler in Minneapolis plays an important role in the team, and regularly advises financial institutions serving as corporate trustees in circumstances involving municipal bonds.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 2

With a strong national footprint, Ballard Spahr LLP demonstrates strength advising buyers and sellers – ranging from privately held companies to multinational public corporations and private equity funds – on middle and lower-middle market M&A. Brian Doerner, who is a key contact for life sciences transactions in the Philadelphia office, and Barbara Rummel in Minneapolis, who has completed numerous transactions involving public and privately held businesses, serve as co-leaders of the firm’s M&A group. Co-head of the private equity practice Maggie Tatton in Minneapolis and Gregory Seltzer, who oversees the emerging companies and venture capital department, are other key contacts. Based in Phoenix, Karen McConnell specializes in corporate and securities law, and has a wealth of experience in both strategic M&A and private equity investments.

Real estate > Land use/zoning Tier 2

Ballard Spahr LLP combines the wider real estate department’s multi-disciplinary capabilities to undertake a broad range of mandates in the space, with emphasis on strong performance across zoning and land use, leasing, complex development, finance and construction. Highlights for the group include strong work in historic preservation and environmental issues, on behalf of leading business, civic leaders, community and governmental clients. Baltimore’s Amy McClain is a key point of contact as chair of the firm’s real estate department, while Matthew McClure  heads up the land use and zoning team and emphasizes his practice on development, zoning and historic preservation issues. The office was also bolstered by the elevation of Ashley De Luca to partner in 2022. David Gest  has left the firm.

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport Tier 3

Led by the ‘extremely responsive’ Neal Walters , Ballard Spahr LLP‘s New Jersey-based team regularly represents automotive clients in the defense of single plaintiff consumer and catastrophic injury actions, as well as in nationwide consumer class actions and appeals in state and federal courts.  As well as handling litigation throughout the life cycle, through to trial if necessary, the firm also provides risk management advice, helping to minimize any potential disputes. Walters has an excellent relationship with longstanding client Subaru and continues to lead the firm’s efforts in a slew of class actions progressing in the District of New Jersey. Associate Casey Watkins, who rejoined the firm in October 2022 following a stint as in-house counsel, also regularly provides vital input on litigation matters, as well as guiding clients through regulatory compliance matters, including in the context of autonomous vehicles.

Energy > Renewable/alternative power Tier 3

Clients such as project developers and sponsors, investors, and lenders seek out Ballard Spahr LLP for advice on the acquisition, sale, and financing of projects in solar, on and offshore wind, biogas, and geothermal power. The energy group is jointly led by Patrick R. Gillard, Steve T. Park and Randall J. Towers in Philadelphia, and Baltimore’s John P. Smolen; with Gillard being recognized for his capabilities in a range of matters, such as utility finance, transactions,  public and private debt financing and the acquisition of electric power assets. Other notable practitioners include real estate and commercial finance partner Bruce Johnson and business transactions partner Matthew Vantusko, both in Las Vegas. In Minneapolis, Raymond Faricy is a key contact for clients seeking advice on the range of transactional matters in the wind and solar sectors, especially power purchase agreements. Washington’s Katie Leesman  is sought out by clients for her expertise on energy project finance and public-private partnership projects, project development and acquisition.

Finance > Project finance

Ballard Spahr LLP is well regarded for its project finance work in both the energy and infrastructure sectors, with a strong roster of clients including lenders and sponsors, project developers, and government entities. The firm often works for both lenders and project sponsors on project finance assignments. Patrick Gillard and Steve Park, who are both based in Philadelphia, lead the P3 and infrastructure team, which has experience advising on projects in areas including transport and waste. John Smolen in Baltimore is also strong in this area, while Washington DC-based Katie Leesman is a key contact for work in energy projects, in particular in solar.

Finance > Fintech Tier 3

Ballard Spahr LLP has ‘a wealth of knowledge and experience in various areas across licensing, regulations, arbitration, litigation and privacy protection, making them a special one-stop shop for fintech companies‘. The firm has long had a strong focus on the fintech and payments industry, assisting a range of start-ups, banks and investors on the full range of issues. Ronald Vaske in Minnesota jointly leads the team with Lisa Lanham  in Philadelphia, who joined in 2022 from Alston & Bird LLP alongside of counsel, Rinaldo Martinez. Other key individuals include John Socknat in Philadelphia, who co-heads the firm’s consumer financial services group, and New York litigator Marjorie Peerce who is ‘an asset on any team‘.

Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design Tier 3

Ballard Spahr LLP has a strong specialism in health benefit plans, assisting numerous clients with the implementation and maintenance of programs for complying with ACA requirements, privacy and security rules as well as laws governing wellness initiatives. The firm also has considerable experience of benefit pension plans, advising on the merger and termination of pension plans, among other issues. Its client list includes plan sponsors, plan committees, investment funds, and investment advisors. Brian Pinheiro leads the practice from the firm’s Philadelphia office, representing for-profit, tax-exempt, church and government employers in relation to a full array of plans. Edward Leeds, who is also based in Philadelphia, has a central focus on the design, administration and taxation of health and welfare benefit plans, and is valued for his ‘expertise and responsiveness’. Washington DC’s Finn Pressly, an August 2022 recruit from Littler Mendelson, P.C., also counsels on health and welfare benefit plans, as well as handling benefits-related due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.

Labor and employment > Labor-management relations Tier 3

Ballard Spahr LLP advises on employer-side mandates across heavily unionized industries, including the manufacturing, transportation and public employer sectors. Core competencies for the ‘efficient and responsive’ team include assisting employers with unfair labor practice cases, high-stakes labor negotiations and arbitrations, alongside corporate campaigns and representation before the NLRB. New Jersey-based attorney Denise Keyser leads the team with long-standing experience in the space. Brian D. Pedrow focuses his practice on the full scope of employment-related litigation, whilst Shannon D. Farmer is praised as ‘extremely knowledgeable‘ and remains another key name in the team for all forms of labor and employment matters. Meredith Dante represents employers from a broad range of industries, including healthcare, insurance and technology. Steven W. Suflas left the practice in November 2022. Attorneys are in Philadelphia, unless otherwise stated.    

Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs) Tier 3

Ballard Spahr LLP offers an experienced team that advises both public and private REITs on range of matters comprising complex securities, corporate, tax, real estate and bankruptcy issues. Baltimore’s Douglas Fox advises private and public entities, whilst Craig Ganz splits his time between the Los Angeles and Phoenix offices and advises on banking, financial and lending issues. The group is also well-placed to advise on specific matters of Maryland corporation law – Charles Moran is a key name here. Other important names in the department include real estate specialist Wendi Kotzen in Pennsylvania and ‘efficient and effective‘ counsel Thomas Bashore. Lawyers are in Baltimore unless otherwise stated.

Real estate Tier 3

Ballard Spahr LLP represents leading banks, special servicers, private equity firms, REITs, CMBS lenders, and borrowers in the full breadth of complex transactional, leasing and development work. It is particularly known for its strength in land use, tax structuring, condominiums and hospitality resort developments. Department chair Amy McClain sits in the Baltimore office, with complementary assistance from Mary Jo George and Molly Bryson in Washington DC, head of its housing finance and affordable housing teams, respectively. James Walston in Minneapolis focuses on real estate development. For hotel developments and distressed assets, Christopher Payne in Denver and Dominic De Simone in Philadelphia, are recommended.  

Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation Tier 4

Concentrating on consumer financial services and products, Ballard Spahr LLP has experience representing clients facing CFPB and other regulatory enforcement, as well as advising financial institutions on regulatory due diligence involving consumer finance service companies. The firm also has a focus on payment systems in the fintech sphere. Leading the consumer financial services practice are Daniel McKenna, John Socknat and Joel Tasca. McKenna, based in Philadelphia, is active in class actions, particularly under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, as well as individual litigation regarding consumer finance products on behalf of banks, non-bank lenders, mortgage providers and third-party service providers. Socknat and Tasca are based in Washington DC and Las Vegas respectively. Thomas Burke, in Philadelphia, is another key name to note within the firm for investigations and enforcements by regulatory bodies.

Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation Tier 4

With a strong focus on First Amendment litigation, Ballard Spahr LLP is able to handle many of the increasing number of defamation suits being filed in the United States. The team also has a formidable track record in cases related to government transparency and access to public records, exemplified by the firm’s representation of 16 news organizations seeking access to videos related to the Capitol Riot. In Washington DC, practice head Charles Tobin focuses his practice on media defense, an area that includes prepublication content review, Freedom of Information Act requests and subpoena advice. Libel specialist Leita Walker operates from Minneapolis, and recently submitted written comments to the Minnesota Supreme Court in support of a rule change that would increase the use of cameras in courts. Also in DC, seasoned litigator Jay Ward Brown is highly experienced in fair use copyright and defamation matters; the DC-based lawyer also specializes in obtaining clearance for documentary films and TV series. Philadelphia-based lawyer Michael Berry is also a key name in the team.

Real estate > Real estate finance Tier 4

Ballard Spahr LLP ‘delivers an excellent blend of thorough knowledge of the law with commercial business savviness’, led by a sizeable national group of real estate and real estate finance experts, which includes Siobhan O’Donnell in Los Angeles; Thomas Hauser and Amy McClain in Baltimore together with Dominic De Simone in Philadelphia. The team is active on structuring, negotiating, documenting, closing, and servicing a broad range of real estate finance transactions, and routinely represent REITs and developers as borrowers in single- and multi-property loan transactions as well as in joint venture and preferred equity transactions. The firm has also expanded its work in the distressed assets and opportunities space.

Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense Tier 5

Ballard Spahr LLP frequently acts in high-stake matters in the pharma, agricultural, retail and financial sectors. The firm is well versed in monopolization and conspiracy claims, and also has experience handling allegations of tying and no poach agreements. Practice head Leslie John specializes in pharmaceutical and healthcare antitrust litigation and counsels on antitrust compliance particularly in relation to mergers and acquisitions. Jason Leckerman chairs the firm’s litigation department and acts on both sides of antitrust and competition matters. Stephen Kastenberg has extensive experience in representing private and Fortune 100 multinational companies in litigation involving collusive dealing, price discrimination and more. Other key attorneys include monopolization and conspiracy case expert Edward Rogers and New York based James Mitchell, who focuses on both criminal and civil litigation. Jay Fastow is no longer at the firm. All lawyers are in Pennsylvania unless otherwise stated.

Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense Tier 5

The Philadelphia office of Ballard Spahr LLP is home to partners with extensive experience in securities litigation, who frequently advise companies and their officers and directors on everything, from derivative actions and regulatory or internal investigations to special committee representations and shareholder class actions. Practice leader David Axelrod (who is ‘an up-and-coming national legal star’) is the standout partner, having a long-standing reputation as a first-chair trial lawyer for the defense in government-facing litigation involving the SEC and DOJ. He is currently representing the former CFO of First Energy in a case arising from allegations that the company paid bribes for political influence. Norman Goldberger, who co-leads the firm’s municipal securities regulation and enforcement team, experienced regulatory litigator John Grugan and Timothy Katsiff (who ‘has terrific judgment, is extremely knowledgeable, and responds promptly’) are also pivotal figures in the practice. Goldberger assisted Wrap Technologies with securities fraud litigation in California, and shareholder derivative litigation.

Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense