Elected and Appointed

Andrew C. Maher, senior counsel in Clark Hill's Pittsburgh office in the public finance and banking and financial services practices, was elected president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers.

The president is elected by a vote of the association's entire membership at its annual meeting and serves a term of one year.

Maher became a member of the association in 2008 and is also a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers.

The mission of the association is to "provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas in the field of public finance" and "provide opportunities for the education of its members, legislators, regulators and the judiciary regarding state and local government borrowings and other public finance matters."

Maher acts as bond counsel and special counsel for a variety of clients, including school districts, municipalities, universities, municipal authorities, state agencies, counties, health care systems and other governmental and 501(c)(3) entities.

He oversees the structuring and closing of taxable and tax-exempt municipal securities in both public and private offerings, and also serves as disclosure counsel and underwriter's counsel for issuers and financial institutions issuing/underwriting the purchase and sale of municipal securities.

As trustee counsel, he negotiates trust indentures and escrow agreements and advises corporate trust clients on affairs regarding the administration of existing financings.

Speakers

McNees Wallace & Nurick announced that Devin Chwastyk is slated to serve as a presenter during the Pennsylvania Bar Institute webinar on "Cybersecurity, Ransomware and Digital Ethics" on June 10.

He will share the panel with Sara Beth Kohut of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor's Wilmington, Delaware, office.

Chwastyk and Kohut's panel is titled "Malware to Malpractice—Cybersecurity and Legal Ethics" and will address ethical obligations imposed by the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The discussion will highlight lessons to be learned from recent malpractice cases arising out of law firm data security lapses.

Chwastyk is the chair of the privacy and data security group of McNees. He began working on cybersecurity issues in 2005, when he represented banks to recover credit card replacement costs from national retailers who failed to safeguard such information.

Today, Chwastyk counsels with clients on policies and procedures to limit the risk of data exposure events. He advises clients on compliance with federal, state and international privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act and European Union General Data Protection Regulation.

He also helps businesses respond to data breaches.

Chwastyk's practice otherwise is focused on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on defending class action lawsuits. He defends clients from class action claims in areas including civil rights, consumer protection law and employment practices. He also litigates other commercial cases on behalf of organizations and individuals.

Active in the community, Chwastyk serves as a chair of the Dauphin County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts program and vice-chair of its equal professional opportunity committee.