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Additions

Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby added four new associates to the firm.

They are Marcus A. Washington, Victoria Ferenz, Julia Shmilovich and Maureen Horgan. Washington and Ferenz join the medical malpractice group.

Washington works in the firm's Philadelphia office and concentrates his practice on defending physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, along with hospitals and nursing homes. Ferenz works in the firm's Bedminster office. She focuses her practice on defending doctors, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.

Shmilovich joins the New Jersey workers' compensation group and works in the firm's Mount Laurel, New Jersey, office. Before joining Weber Gallagher, Shmilovich was a judicial law clerk to Judge Robert Bingham II of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Her practice consists of defending insurance companies and third-party administrators in New Jersey workers' compensation matters.

Horgan works in the firm's Philadelphia office. She joins the general liability group and concentrates her practice on defending clients in general liability matters. Horgan previously represented clients in civil litigation insurance defense matters and debt collection litigation.

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Barley Snyder announced the hire of John L. Janick as a patent attorney in its Malvern office. Janick has more than a decade of experience as a patent attorney in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

He graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in mechanical engineering before entering Widener University Delaware Law School.

Janick is the firm's seventh patent attorney registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

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Attorney Natasha L. Dorcus joined Saxton & Stump's health care litigation and commercial litigation practices.

She brings more than 20 years of experience and is the ninth attorney the firm added to its litigation team this year.

Dorcus represents doctors, hospitals and health care providers in medical professional liability cases.

She also utilizes her litigation experience to represent business owners and corporate entities in her commercial litigation practice.

Prior to joining Saxton & Stump, Dorcus was an associate at several firms in the Philadelphia area and focused her practice on medical malpractice defense as well as professional and general liability defense.

She was also previously staff counsel for a national insurance company where she represented policyholders in civil litigation matters involving claims.

Dorcus received her Juris Doctor from Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law and began her legal career in the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender.

Elected and Appointed

Community Legal Services filled three high-level leadership roles in the organization. The new finance director is Libardo "Li" Clavijo.

Prior to joining CLS, Li was chief financial officer at Mission Economic Development Agency in San Francisco and he previously served at organizations in New York and Philadelphia.

CLS promoted attorney Dawn Williams to be the new managing attorney of both its North Philadelphia office and CLS' multifaceted intake systems. This is a newly created position.

Williams previously helped create and manage the Save Your Home Philly Hotline at Philadelphia Legal Assistance and was the director of housing for the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

CLS hired Danie Bendesky as its new development director to oversee and implement the organization's individual and law firm giving programs, including CLS' Bar Campaign.

Bendesky has a strong background in successful political fundraising for multiple candidates in Pennsylvania.