Elected and Appointed

Melissa S. Blanton was re-elected and Nadine Doolittle was elected by the partners of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis to the firm's governing body, the executive committee.

Blanton also chairs the finance practice group and is a member of the real estate practice group.

She represents financial institutions in various types of residential, retail and office development projects, in syndicated secured real estate credit facilities, and in the structuring, drafting and negotiation of workout and forbearance agreements.

She also represents investors and institutional clients in complex real estate sales and acquisitions.

Doolittle also chairs the tax and wealth management department, focusing her practice in the area of trusts and estates.

She has experience drafting complex estate planning documents including wills, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, charitable remainder trusts and insurance trusts.

In addition, she handles estate and trust administration, including probate, postmortem planning, accountings and tax returns.

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Fox Rothschild announced that it appointed new leadership to three of the firm's departments and offices as well as seven practice groups.

The appointments within the firm's Philadelphia office include Peter J. Tucci as co-chair of the corporate department, Michael J. Kornacki as chair of the hotel law practice group, Brian J. Levin as co-chair of the retail industry practice group, and Craig R. Tractenberg as co-chair of the franchising and distribution practice group.

Tucci handles a variety of corporate matters, both domestic and international, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, corporate finance, joint ventures, insurance and reinsurance transactions.

A former member of the firm's executive committee, he serves as chair of the firm's international practice group and previously served as co-chair of the mergers and acquisitions practice group.

Kornacki focuses on commercial leasing, lending and borrowing transactions; acquisition and development of real property; and preparation and review of construction agreements.

He has experience in the industries of retail and office leasing, hospitality, cellular tower leasing, residential development transactions and planned community and condominium formation. Levin is a real estate attorney who represents a range of commercial landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers and receivership companies.

He represents clients in a variety of commercial properties in both urban and suburban settings.

Tractenberg handles complex business disputes involving intellectual property, licenses, business torts and insolvency issues.

His practice centers on developing and protecting the financial and brand equity of franchise companies.

He regularly structures new franchise programs, many of which are international.

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Joseph F. Kessler, a Dilworth Paxson partner and chair of its real estate practice group, joined the General Building Contractors Association's government affairs committee.

As one of America's oldest trade associations, GBCA aims to advance commercial construction in the Philadelphia region by serving as a voice and a critical resource. Dilworth is an affiliate member.

The government affairs committee monitors and addresses legislative, regulatory and public policy matters, keeping GBCA in the forefront of topical and emerging issues that impact the industry on local, state and national levels.

Established in 1891, it is the Philadelphia chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America and provides more than 250 member companies with access to advocacy, networking opportunities, safety services, education and training programs.

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