Hodgson Russ Announces Newly Elected Partners
Hodgson Russ announces five attorneys have been elected to the law firm’s partnership.
Jessica S. Bilkey is a member of the firm’s Federal/International Tax Practice Group, resident in the Buffalo office. She has a particular emphasis on cross-border tax planning, including the U.S. tax implications of having and renouncing U.S. citizenship or residency status; the U.S. anti-deferral rules; public and private offerings and acquisitions; and the U.S. anti-inversion rules. Ms. Bilkey also counsels clients on domestic tax and corporate issues related to business operations, acquisitions, and sales, including partnership and joint venture formations and operations.
Joseph S. Brown is a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group, resident in the Buffalo office. He concentrates in employment-related litigation, defending employers in lawsuits involving harassment, discrimination, whistleblower claims, breach of contract, restrictive covenants, ERISA, and tort claims. He represents municipalities in federal and state court litigation concerning civil rights claims, personnel selection procedures, and collective bargaining agreement-related matters. He has successfully briefed and argued several cases in the New York appellate courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Brown served as president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York until his term ended on December 31, 2012.
Joshua Feinstein, also a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group and resident in the Buffalo office, concentrates his practice in business litigation, with an emphasis on commercial disputes, employment discrimination cases, municipal law, appellate work, and international and cross-border litigation. He also has experience with bankruptcy adversary proceedings and environmental, insurance coverage, and construction cases. Mr. Feinstein's successes include reversing on appeal an approximately $3 million judgment in a municipal labor dispute, dismissal on the pleadings of a multi-million collective action against a municipality under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and numerous summary judgment dismissals in employment discrimination and civil rights cases.
Christopher M. Martell, a member of the Real Estate & Finance Practice Group, resident in the Albany office, represents issuers and underwriters in various forms of financings for municipalities, school districts, municipal authorities, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit corporations. Such financings include general obligation debt, sewer and water revenue bond issues, and industrial development agency financings. Mr. Martell also represents local economic development companies in transactions with borrowers who are utilizing U.S. Small Business Administration funding, and he assists small businesses with entity selection counseling, business succession planning, and developing solutions to corporate tax issues.
Bethany J. Trachtenberg, a member of Hodgson Russ’s Health Law Practice Group, resident in the New York office, focuses her practice on reimbursement and regulatory and compliance guidance for the health care industry. She focuses on the complex laws that govern provider billing and referral relationships that often involve intense regulatory scrutiny and enforcement. She assists clients with development of compliance programs, including drafting corporate policies, codes of conduct, training programs, and dealing with reporting and disclosure of noncompliance. Ms. Trachtenberg also assists FDA-regulated industries, including with regulatory approvals, ongoing compliance issues, import and export issues, and FDA inspections and investigations and in all aspects of their business, from regulatory submissions for product approvals to collaborative agreements for research, supply and distribution, structuring, and financing arrangements.