Blank Rome offices in Washington, D.C. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Events

Blank Rome held its annual Trial Academy at Philadelphia City Hall.

The program, which culminates with eight teams from across the firm's offices competing in jury trials at City Hall, also involves two full days of practice and coaching from Blank Rome trial attorneys, as well as a series of CLE-accredited training courses.

Judges presiding over the trials included active and former federal and state judges, including four current Blank Rome partners and counsel.

In addition, more than 50 attorneys and professional staff participated in the training program by serving as witnesses and jurors.

Elected and Appointed

Jack Sullivan and Steven Schildt were appointed chair and vice-chair, respectively, of Post & Schell's insurance law department.

They succeed former department chair Richard l. McMonigle Jr., who continues as a member of the department as senior counsel.

*****

Toll Brothers Inc. announced that Yolanda Rodriguez was named as the company's chief transactional counsel.

Rodriguez will lead a transactional group that is responsible for the company's land acquisitions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and financing transactions.

Rodriquez began her career at Toll in 2013 and previously served as the general counsel of O'Neill Properties Group.

Prior to O'Neill, Rodriguez was associate general counsel of Preferred Real Estate Investments Inc. and an associate at Dechert.

Honored

Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin announced that John C. Rafferty Jr., an attorney with the firm, was inducted as an honorary firefighter by the Collegeville Fire Co. for his work on behalf of volunteer firefighters in his 16 years as Pennsylvania state senator and for obtaining

Collegeville Fire Co. a state grant to assist with the cost of a new firehouse. Rafferty rejoined Hamburg Rubin after serving four terms as the Pennsylvania state senator for the 44th District.

Rafferty served as the chairman of the Senate transportation committee, vice chairman of the judiciary committee, and member of the appropriations, consumer protection and professional licensure and law and justice committees.

He previously served on the Pennsylvania commission on crime and delinquency and in 2013 was appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate to serve on the Pennsylvania commission on sentencing.

Rafferty is a member of the Montgomery Bar Association.

Speakers

Partner Bella “Billie” Schnall of Greenblatt, Pierce, Funt & Flores was a featured presenter at a Philadelphia Bar Association program on family law titled “2019 Update on Support Rules.”

The program provided an update on changes in the calculation of child support, spousal support, alimony pendente lite and alimony as a result of the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 amending federal tax law.

Schnall is chair of the family law practice group at Greenblatt Pierce. She handles matters including divorce, child support and child custody cases as well as drafting of pre- and post-nuptial agreements.

She is a trained collaborative divorce attorney and is a former co-president of the Collaborative Lawyers of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Schnall is a lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Pennsylvania Institute for Certified Accountants and served as a faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

She also is a former adjunct professor at Western New England School of Law, where she created and taught a course on women and the law.