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Honored

Karen L. Roberts, human resources director at Flaster Greenberg, was nominated by the Tri-State Human Resource Management Association as one of 10 finalists for the 2019 Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Award.

The winners are to be announced at the 19th annual Awards Dinner taking place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. May 22 at Vie in Philadelphia.

The Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Award was developed in 2001 to celebrate the human resources industry and to recognize those in the HR profession who exemplify outstanding achievement within our local human resources community.

Roberts manages all human resources functions within the firm, including employee relations and retention, benefits and compensation, employment, recruitment, planning and policy implementation, onboarding and orientation.

Prior to joining Flaster Greenberg, Roberts served as the employment manager at AmeriGas Propane Inc. in Valley Forge, and she also served as recruiter at Dechert in its Philadelphia headquarters.

In addition to working in law firms, she has managed human resources, recruiting and administrative functions in a variety of industries including banking, education and energy.

Roberts holds a certificate in human resource management from Villanova University and a certificate in recruitment and retention from the Society for Human Resource Management.

Speakers

Grace M. Deon spoke to members of the American Legion Edgar H. Denson Post 79 located in New Hope about a diversion program within the Bucks County Criminal Court division available to veterans charged with certain crimes.

This program includes the pairing of a criminally charged veteran with a community veteran mentor to offer assistance and support.

The program requires the veteran to agree to various conditions, often including mental health and drug and alcohol counseling.

Deon was accompanied by Deputy District Attorney Robert James, a veteran, who explained the program and encouraged the veterans of the Legion post to serve as veteran mentors.

*****

McNees Wallace & Nurick attorney Sarah Hyser-Staub is slated to present at the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners' Financial Crimes Conference in Harrisburg on May 21.

Hyser-Staub's presentation will provide insight into the realm of criminal defense, including the initial assessment of a case, weighing the pros and cons of cooperation, the impact of a conspiracy charge, use of investigative reports, the relevancy of the magnitude of a crime and its related losses, and the impact of these and other issues on sentencing.

Hyser-Staub practices in the McNees white-collar defense law and internal investigations practice group where she litigates white-collar crime issues, complex commercial disputes, defends public and private entities in civil rights cases, represents clients before the grand jury, conducts internal investigations, and provides guidance on internal corporate compliance.

She also represents public officials before the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission and defends them against complex commercial fraud charges.

Additions

Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel announced that Gunes Bender, a registered patent agent, joined the firm as a new member of the firm's life sciences practice group.

In his new role, Bender provides technical support and scientific expertise in the pharmaceutical and biotechnical arts and assists in the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, as well as conducting searches and reviews for due diligence, patentability and freedom to operate analyses.

Prior to joining Panitch Schwarze, Bender was a research associate at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

He was also a patent researcher at Article One Partners, an online prior art and intellectual property crowd-based search service, and worked as a technology manager intern at the Louisiana State University Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization.

In addition, Bender served as an adjunct lecturer of biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan and other universities.