PITTSBURGH, Nov. 30, 2016 — Burns White LLC welcomes 14 Associates with practices spanning energy, healthcare and long-term care, Medicare compliance, trucking litigation and workers’ compensation to its offices in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Pittsburgh
Energy
Nicholas D. Cooper brings a seasoned background in real estate transactions and litigation to the Energy Group at Burns White, where he focuses his practice on due diligence review, title curative measures, certified title opinions, and landowner disputes and other land-related litigation. Prior to joining Burns White, he worked as the Director of the Land Legal Department at an independent exploration and production oil and gas company and managed a team of 12 in-house title reviewers and title analysts that facilitated large acquisitions of land acreage in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Mr. Cooper graduated from the University of Akron School of Law.
Healthcare and Long-Term Care
Jessica M. Jurasko focuses her practice in the areas of medical malpractice, healthcare, employment and general liability litigation. She defends nursing homes, home healthcare organizations, hospitals, individual medical professionals and other executives in professional, general and premises liability claims. A seasoned litigator with a diverse practice, Ms. Jurasko has more than 10 years of experience handling all phases of litigation and case management in construction litigation, occupational safety and health, labor and employment, complex insurance coverage and corporate contractual disputes. She received a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.
Tara Param defends nursing homes, hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers in medical malpractice and nursing home litigation. Originally from Leeds, England, Ms. Param gained experience in a wide range of civil law matters, including those involving labor and employment, personal injury, immigration and tax law, through summer law clerk positions she held in both the United States and in England. Ms. Param graduated from Cornell Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Medicare Compliance
Bridget L. Smith concentrates her practice in Medicare compliance issues that arise in workers’ compensation and general liability settlements. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Smith served as one of the Founders and Vice Chair of a Medicare corporate compliance practice at a midsized, Pittsburgh-based defense firm. Throughout her 14 years there, she assisted clients in developing procedures to address Medicare and Medicaid issues that arise in the litigation and workers’ compensation process. Ms. Smith also provided in-house training to employers and defense counsel on compliance issues. She received a J.D. from Duquesne University.
Trucking Litigation
Claire M. Milinski has a diverse commercial litigation practice, with a focus on trucking litigation, automobile liability, premises liability and products liability. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Milinski held several law clerk positions involving motor vehicle accident, premises liability, insurance bad faith, workers’ compensation and family law matters. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she received the CALI Award for Litigation Strategy and Planning and participated on the mock trial team.
Workers’ Compensation
Bryon M. Chowka defends insurance companies, self-insured employers, and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation claims. Prior to joining the group, Mr. Chowka worked at Burns White as a law clerk where he conducted legal research and drafted motions and other documents for all practice groups. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. While in law school, he served as a volunteer judge for the American Mock Trial Association, and competed in various moot court competitions at the university and national levels.
Asra Hashmi defends insurance companies, self-insured employers, and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation claims. Ms. Hashmi received a J.D. from Duquesne University. While in law school, she focused her studies on Civil Litigation and received several accolades and awards for her achievements in trial advocacy.
Paul A. Kush defends self-insured employers, insurance companies and third party administrators in Pennsylvania against workers’ compensation claims. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Kush held a Judicial Law Clerk position for Judge Thomas M. Bianco of the Court of Common Pleas, Indiana County, Pa. Mr. Kush received a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.
Philadelphia
Healthcare and Long-Term Care
Lakeisha R. Fields focuses her practice on nursing home, assisted living and medical malpractice defense matters. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Fields served as an Assistant District Attorney supervising the Juvenile Division of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she managed more than 40 attorneys and interns providing guidance and feedback on case preparation and presentation while maintaining a full caseload. Ms. Fields graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Emily G. Madden defends hospitals, physicians and other hospital staff in major medical malpractice matters. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Madden practiced with Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch, LLP in New York City, with a focus on medical malpractice defense. Ms. Madden graduated from Brooklyn Law School.
Evan G. O’Connor defends nursing homes, healthcare facilities and medical professionals in nursing home and medical malpractice claims. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. O’Connor was a Law Clerk for Judge Denis Cohen of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, where he handled a wide variety of matters including medical malpractice, professional liability, mortgage disputes and employment matters. Mr. O’Connor graduated, cum laude, from Boston College Law School.
Workers’ Compensation
Jonathan D. Landua defends self-insured employers, insurance companies and third party administrators in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware against workers’ compensation claims. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Landua served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Delaware Court of Common Pleas. He graduated from Widener University School of Law.
Ashley N. Waring defends self-insured employers, insurance companies and third-party administrators in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in workers’ compensation litigation. Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Waring was an Associate Attorney at an employment rights law firm, handling employment discrimination, wage and whistleblower claims. She graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Wilkes-Barre
Healthcare and Long-Term Care
Joseph C. Ruby handles professional liability, medical malpractice defense, general liability and employment law matters. Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Ruby clerked for President Judge Richard M. Hughes III of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. Mr. Ruby graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1, 2016 — Burns White earned 13 rankings in the 2017 U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” survey. Most notably, the firm received a national first-tier ranking in railroad law for the seventh year running and a national tier two ranking in mass tort litigation/class actions — defendants.