ArentFox Schiff Elects 16 Attorneys into Partnership

“We are so pleased to welcome these 16 attorneys into ArentFox Schiff’s esteemed partnership. Each brings a unique skill set, experience, and practice focus that enhance the breadth and depth of our firm. Congratulations on this significant accomplishment.”

Cristina Carvalho, Firmwide Co-Managing Partner

“Our new partners’ talent, teamwork, and dedication to their practices and client service is clear. We look forward to their continued growth and success and working alongside them for years to come.”

Joseph Krasovec, Firmwide Co-Managing Partner

The promoted partners and their areas of practice are as follows:

Andrew Dykens – Complex Litigation, New York

Andrew focuses his practice on complex financial transactions and disputes, including a wide array of insurance-related matters and litigation. Andrew’s insurance practice includes property and casualty, accident, life insurance, and insurance-linked products, and he represents various participants in these markets from carriers to policy owners. Andrew also has extensive knowledge in the life settlement business and with premium finance structures used in the purchase of life insurance. He represents clients in all facets of this business – policyholders, lenders, life settlement brokers, and providers and hedge funds providing capital to the industry. Andrew maintains a very active pro bono practice representing clients in the New York Family Court. He earned his JD from Fordham University School of Law, his MS from Pace University Graduate School of Education, and his BA from Amherst College.

Brian Farkas – Complex Litigation, New York

Brian represents businesses and large nonprofit organizations in high-stakes disputes. He regularly handles federal and state litigations across the country, as well as domestic and international arbitration proceedings. Brian previously clerked for the Honorable Robert W. Lehrburger of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Outside the firm, he serves as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and Cardozo School of Law, where he teaches courses on arbitration, mediation, and legal writing. Multiple graduating classes have voted him “Best Adjunct Professor.” Brian earned his JD from Cardozo School of Law, his MPA from New York University, and his BA from Vassar College.

Brian A. Friederich – Corporate & Securities, Chicago

Brian advises clients on corporate and employee compensation matters, including benefits, onboarding and separation, and selection and implementation of retirement plan offerings, as well as ERISA and all employee benefits and executive compensation matters arising in connection with public and private company merger and acquisition transactions. He provides strategic counsel regarding equity incentive plans, LLC agreements, offer letters, and consulting agreements and also has extensive experience advising c-suite executive individuals, founders, and teams on employment and equity compensation packages. Brian earned an LLM from New York University School of Law, his JD from University of San Diego School of Law, and his BBA from the University of Iowa.

Luke E. Harriman – Private Clients, Trusts & Estates, Chicago

Luke advises high-net-worth individuals and families in comprehensive estate planning to achieve both family goals and tax objectives. Luke regularly employs techniques such as spousal lifetime access trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and grantor retained annuity trusts to reduce the estate tax burden on clients and their families. Luke also works with both individual and corporate fiduciaries on estate administration after a loved one has passed away. Licensed in both Illinois and Florida, he regularly counsels clients on tax and other implications of changing residency. Luke earned his JD from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Thorne Maginnis – Trademark, Washington, DC

Thorne offers clients a comprehensive brand management practice in the fields of intellectual property (IP), advertising, and e-commerce. He helps companies navigate legal challenges throughout the brand lifecycle in a variety of industries, including fashion and retail, media and entertainment, food and beverage, hospitality, and consumer products. Thorne’s IP practice extends to clearance, prosecution, enforcement, dispute management, and agreements, and he frequently counsels clients on IP matters pertaining to artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. His IP practice is complemented by experience in the fields of advertising and e-commerce, where he specializes in federal and state false advertising, unfair competition, consumer protection, and internet laws and regulations. He earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and his BA from Rhodes College.

Tracy McLaughlin – Private Clients, Trusts & Estates, New York

An attorney and Certified Financial Planner™, Tracy assists clients with general estate planning, including wills and trusts, lifetime gift planning, estate administration, tax-efficient wealth transfer planning, and charitable planning. Drawing on her past experience as a financial advisor with a registered investment advisory firm, Tracy understands how the estate plan fits within a client’s overall financial strategy. She earned her JD from St. John’s University School of Law and her BS from the United States Military Academy.

Samantha Overly Patel – Corporate & Securities/Tax, Washington, DC

Samantha has a broad federal tax practice with an emphasis on providing tax planning and transactional advice to US and non-US based businesses and their investors. She advises clients on tax aspects of business transactions with respect to issues in the areas of corporate reorganizations, joint ventures, investment funds, real estate investment trusts, and tax-exempt organizations. She earned her JD and BS from the University of Wisconsin and her MS in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Antonio J. Rivera – International Trade & Investment, Washington, DC

Antonio’s experience with international trade laws and global supply chain strategies is honed through years of advising clients across all sectors, including automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, and food and beverage, and as a former US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attorney in Washington. As leader of the firm’s Electric Mobility Group, Antonio helps manufacturers and suppliers of the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain navigate the industry’s complex legal risks and high tariff costs (e.g., USMCA, Section 301 tariffs, etc.) and advises them on optimal strategies to thrive in this challenging landscape. He earned his JD from the George Washington University Law School, a BS in Economics from George Mason University, and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

Marc E. Rivera – Corporate & Securities, Washington, DC

Marc focuses his practice on a wide array of commercial transactions, including securities offerings for public and private companies, corporate structuring, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate compliance, and general corporate law. He has counseled educational institutions and private equity groups on a broad range of transactional matters within the higher education industry, such as changes in ownership and control, debt and equity financing, and joint ventures. Marc earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA from Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Malerie Ma Roddy – Product Liability & Mass Torts, Chicago

Malerie concentrates her practice on civil litigation and class action defense, serving clients across industries such as juvenile products, food and beverage, automotive, and consumer home goods. Her experience extends to multidistrict civil litigation, governmental investigations, and advising clients through all stages of product development and sales. Malerie co-chairs ArentFox Schiff’s New Moms Group, ParentFox Midwest, and the Asian Attorneys Inclusion Group. She earned her JD from St. John’s University School of Law and a BA from the University of Virginia.

R. Erica Roque – Corporate & Securities/Fashion & Retail, Washington, DC

Erica focuses her practice on corporate and commercial transactions, including technology, distribution and fulfillment, data licensing and privacy agreements, and corporate structuring and governance. Erica acts as outside general counsel for numerous fashion and consumer product companies during which she helps clients understand and mitigate risk as they develop and launch new products and services, expand into new markets, and engage with consumers in-store and online. She earned her JD from George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law and her BA from The George Washington University.

Leah Scarpelli – International Trade & Investment, Washington, DC

Leah advises US and foreign corporations, associations, and governments on various international trade and customs matters, with a focus on trade remedies, import compliance, and trade policy issues. She also represents clients in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings and advises on import compliance and trade policy issues involving duties, quotas, and special import restrictions, while tracking and analyzing high-impact legislative developments in the international trade sector. She earned her JD from American University Washington College of Law and a BA from the University of Richmond.

Paul A. Schmid – Corporate & Securities, Boston

Paul serves as outside corporate counsel to privately held businesses and their investors. Paul advises his clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, and other strategic initiatives. He has represented clients across diverse industries, including manufacturing, consumer products, B2B services, and technology. Prior to his legal career, Paul served on the staff of three Members of Congress. He earned his JD from Suffolk University Law School and a BA from Kenyon College.

Kathryn L. Steffen – Health Care, Washington, DC

Kate is a trusted national advisor to operators, investors, developers, and other stakeholders in the health care space, primarily in the long-term care and senior living industry. She guides clients through all phases of health care transactions, including structuring deals in compliance with federal and state laws, conducting due diligence, negotiating transactional and financing documents, and obtaining regulatory approvals. Kate also routinely provides compliance counseling to clients on a wide range of operational matters. Kate holds a JD from Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law and a BA from Washington & Jefferson College.

Brian J. Stevens – Patent, Washington, DC

With a 16-year tenure in the patent domain, Brian has experience across the spectrum of intellectual property law. His work focuses on patents, primarily in patent preparation and prosecution, particularly within the realms of telecommunications, computer software, automotive, and medical devices. Brian provides client counseling services, offering insights into licensing agreements, evaluating intellectual property portfolios, and conducting due diligence in intellectual property affairs. Brian’s background includes a tenure at the US Patent and Trademark Office as a Patent Examiner, specializing in examining digital communication devices. Additionally, he served as a legal intern for the Honorable Chief Judge Susan Braden at the US Court of Federal Claims. He holds a JD from The George Washington University Law School and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Florida State University.

Jasjit S. Vidwan – Patent, Washington, DC

Jasjit concentrates his practice on patent litigation, prosecution, and counseling. With experience as a patent examiner, prosecutor, and litigator, Jasjit helps clients with patent litigation and procurement. He has successfully handled over 60 patent litigation cases across various courts. He also oversees the development and management of global patent portfolios. He earned his JD from The George Washington University Law School and a BS from North Carolina State University.