Riker Danzig Welcomes Three Summer Associates

Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti of Morristown welcomed three summer associates as of June 3. The professional-development program aims to provide each summer associate with exposure to numerous firm attorneys and practice areas, the firm said, noting that the assignments allow each associate to become a part of the team of attorneys working on a case or transaction. They also receive additional training by taking observation assignments, where they observe trials, depositions, client conferences, court hearings and transaction closings. Each associate has a partner mentor and an associate mentor, who offer assistance and advice, and give feedback. The program also includes social activities for interaction between the summer associates and attorneys. The firm's 2019 summer associates are:

RIKER SUMMER ASSOCIATES: Shown, from left to right: Andrew Raimondi, Karimah Munem and Desiree McDonald.

Desiree McDonald received her undergraduate degree in linguistics, with a minor in speech-language pathology, cum laude, from Montclair State University in 2016.  At Montclair State University, she was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, and was on the Dean's List for all semesters. In fall 2018, McDonald was a judicial intern for New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart J. Rabner. At Rutgers Law School, McDonald received the Dean's Merit Scholarship and is the associate editor of the Women's Rights Law Reporter.

Karimah Munem received her undergraduate degree in political science and women's and gender studies, summa cum laude, from Rutgers University, Douglass College, in 2015. In summer 2018, Munem was a judicial intern for Superior Court Judge Miguel A. de la Carrera. At the University of Pennsylvania Law School, she is the Associate Editor of the Journal of International Law.

Andrew Raimondi received his undergraduate degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland in 2017.  In summer 2018, Raimondi was a judicial intern for Superior Court Judge Arthur J. Batista in the Criminal Division. At Seton Hall University School of Law, Raimondi was honored as a distinguished scholar and is associate editor of the Seton Hall Law Review.

McCarter Promotes 3 to Partner in NJ

Three New Jersey-based attorneys at McCarter & English were promoted to partner as of April 1, 2019, the firm announced. They are: David Kane and Ryan Richman of the Newark office; and Matthew Uretsky of the East Brunswick office. 

David Kane

Kane is a member of the insurance recovery, litigation and counseling group, and represents policyholders seeking recovery under commercial liability, property, directors and officers, and errors and omissions coverage. He handles complex insurance coverage litigation in state and federal courts nationwide, as well as disputes involving insurance producers. He previously served a three-year term as an elected member of the Manalapan Township Committee and remains a member of the township's planning board and environmental commission. His pro bono work includes securing asylum in New York City Immigration Court for refugees and expunging criminal records for individuals seeking employment.

 

Ryan Richman

Richman is a commercial litigator with a diverse civil litigation practice, defending corporations in complex products liability, premises liability, business disputes, construction, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and property damage cases. He has also defended commercial developers and handled dram shop actions. He is involved in guardianship and estate matters in the Superior Court, representing incapacitated persons, and assists unaccompanied children seeking citizenship in the U.S. His pro bono work has twice been recognized by KIND—he received pro bono attorney of the month honor in 2017, and was presented with the 2018 pro bono award. He serves on the Supreme Court Civil Model Jury Charge Committee and on sits on the board of the New Jersey Defense Association.

 

Matthew Uretsky

Uretsky advises entrepreneurial clients in technology-driven industries in general corporate, transactional, and securities law matters. He advises on entity formation, venture capital and private equity financing transactions, securities law compliance, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, consulting agreements, corporate governance, and due diligence on transactional matters. Uretsky speaks on developments in the venture capital space, as well as in emerging areas such as blockchain, smart contracts, and digital currencies. He is also an adviser to New York University's Summer Launchpad Program and the Princeton Tech Meetup.

 

 

Carlton Fields Adds Litigation Counsel Cesta

Kenneth J. Cesta                             [Photo Credit: Gittings Photography.]

Carlton Fields welcomed Kenneth J. Cesta , a commercial litigator with more than 30 years of experience, to its New Jersey and New York offices as of counsel. Cesta, previoulsy a litigation partner at Hoagland Longo Moran Dunst & Doukas in New Brunswick, will be a member of the firm's property and casualty insurance practice group. He follows the addition of a five-lawyer property and casualty insurance litigation group that helped open the firm's new Short Hills office in January, the firm said. Cesta defends insurers in insurance coverage disputes and bad faith litigation, and represents employers in discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, and workplace harassment cases. Cesta is a former chair of the New Jersey District VB Ethics Committee and has been appointed on several occasions by the state Supreme Court to serve as a special ethics master in complex disciplinary actions brought by the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics. He is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey. Cesta was  a litigation partner at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.