Corporate

Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Family Law Trial Attorney, and Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney, Ms. Williams practices exclusively family law, including adoptions, divorce, domestic violence, child support matters including UIFSA, child custody including UCCJEA, DYFS hearings (both Superior Court and OAL hearings, and including abuse/neglect and guardianships), and appeals. Ms. Williams sits on the Board on Attorney Certification - Matrimonial Committee. She is an Editor on the Board of the New Jersey Family Lawyer. She serves on the Family Law Executive Committee (FLEC) of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA). Chair-Elect of the Certified Attorneys Section of the NJSBA, Ms. Williams is also active with the Child Welfare Section of NJSBA. Considered to be a Thought Leader in the field of Child Welfare Law, Ms. Williams founded and manages a BLOG specific to this complex area of the law: http://NewJerseyDYFSdefense.com. This resource has been recognized by the News Media as an authority for the parent defense position in matters before the New Jersey Supreme Court. Ms. Williams lectures frequently for the Institute on Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) and publishes extensively in various publications in the area of Family Law and Child Welfare Law.

Kurt Smith is the founder of Smith Legal Group. His practice focuses on family law, commercial litigation, personal injury, insurance law, corporate law, and bankruptcy.

James Lea is a shareholder at GableGotwals where he is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. His engineering background provides valuable insight into his practice assisting clients ranging from start- ups to multi-national and global organizations. As a patent attorney, James’ experience includes intellectual property matters, foreign and domestic patents, trademarks, and copyrights. In addition to his work in patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution, James has advised corporate counsel on product clearance and infringement analysis prior to products entering the marketplace. He has worked with an array of technologies including submersible pumps, drilling equipment, extrusion equipment, medical implants, business methods, software applications, microchips, and sporting goods. He possesses a wealth of international experience, having managed patent and trademark prosecution in more than 27 countries. A former mechanical engineer at Texaco, James holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

JEROME R. BOWEN was born in Denver, Colorado on May 22, 1963. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from University of Utah in 1988. During which he attended honors programs at Cambridge University in England, George Washington University, and the American University in Paris, France. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he returned home to his native Idaho to attend law school at the University of Idaho. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1991. While at the University of Idaho, he was a member of the Idaho Law Review 1990-1991 and had a published case note. After receiving his law degree, he was selected to act as a Special Assistant to Cecil D. Andrus, Governor of Idaho in 1991, where he was the governor's liaison to five (5) State of Idaho departments, including budgeting and the governor's state agenda.

Since his admission to the Louisiana Bar in 1988, J. Douglas Sunseri has practiced in diverse areas of the law. From 1990-1994, J. Douglas Sunseri worked under Attorney J. William Becknell, the legal counsel for Mr. John Mecom, Jr. and his affiliated companies. Mr. Mecom was the initial owner of the New Orleans Saints and had numerous holdings in oil & gas, hotels, real estate, professional sports and related businesses. As a result, Mr. Sunseri was fully educated in broad areas of law and business. Mr. Sunseri has participated in litigation involving employees, insureds, employers, insurers, and self-insured funds for property/casualty, employers' liability, employment discrimination, sexual harassment and worker's compensation claims. Other areas of practice consist of personal injury, insurance coverage, flood claims, hazard claims, wind-driven rain claims, business interruption, errors and omissions liability for insurance agents/insurance companies. Mr. Sunseri's practice also encompasses commercial litigation, mergers and acquisitions, incorporations, corporate agreements, employment contracts, licensing for intellectual property, leases, real estate, estate planning, wills, trusts and successions. Since Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Sunseri has specialized in a broad range of insurance issues including disaster litigation, insurance coverage, and business interruption. Also, Mr. Sunseri has concentrated in construction law, federal / state contracts, government contracting, licensing and information technology (IT). Mr. Sunseri's litigation experience includes jury trials in state and federal court. Mr. Sunseri also practices before worker's compensation judges with the Louisiana Department of Labor, administrative law judges and Special Masters assigned by the National Football League. He has directed litigation to the United States Supreme Court in connection with the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Mr. Sunseri has conducted numerous seminars on topics involving Hurricane Katrina, government contracting, land contracting, construction, employment issues, worker's compensation and estate planning. Also, Mr. Sunseri serves as legal counsel for the Gulf Coast Government Contractors Association (GCGCA), a trade association for securing government contracts in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. Recently, Mr. Sunseri was named as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana by Louisiana Attorney James "Buddy" Caldwell.

Since entering private practice, Les Roos has specialized in commercial real estate and business law. He has practiced as a partner in a Washington, D.C. law firm, a partner in a firm that was one of Denver’s largest, and as founding member of a small specialty firm in Denver. He has been selected one of Colorado's "Super Lawyers" by Law & Politics and 5280 Denver's Magazine. In over 40 years as a lawyer, he has been involved in virtually every aspect of commercial and residential real estate. Although he concentrates on representation of small, entrepreneurial real estate entities, he has also represented numerous institutional lenders and real estate companies including being the lead attorney from start to finish, assemblage, redevelopment, construction, sale and leasing, for two large redevelopment projects in Aspen, Colorado – a mixed use residential/retail condominium project and a residential condominium/hotel project, both in excess of $100 million. Les has represented sellers and buyers in vacant and improved land sales and his leasing experience, on behalf of both landlords and tenants, includes office buildings, retail and industrial centers, and ground leases. He has prepared all types of condominium and other common interest ownership documents, representing both the project developers and owners associations. He also has extensive experience in negotiating construction contracts and subcontracts and resolving disputes pertaining to these contracts. He has negotiated and drafted loan documents for secured and unsecured lending transactions for both lenders and borrowers, including workouts of distressed properties and foreclosures. His practice includes all aspects of limited liability company, partnership, and corporate law, in formation as well as in disputes and dissolutions. He has also represented buyers and sellers in numerous business sale transactions. A graduate and Law Review Editor of the College of William & Mary School of Law, he has served in leadership positions in a number of community and charitable organizations. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Roos was a professional baseball player and has been inducted into the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Arsen founded the Law Offices of Arsen Sarapinian, P.C. after years of litigating cases throughout Southern and Northern California while working with renowned law firms such as the Dolan Law Firm and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy. This included fighting corporate giants such as PG&E, national and international companies, governmental agencies, trucking companies, insurance companies, and others. In 2019, Super Lawyers Magazine selected him as "Rising Star" (limited to 2.5 percent of attorneys in California). That same year, The National Trial Lawyers selected him to the "Top 40 Under 40" list. Arsen has tried cases before juries and has arbitrated and mediated dozens of cases across California, recovering millions of dollars on behalf of deserving clients. A unique aspect of the firm is our understanding of how insurance companies evaluate and defend cases. Arsen previously worked with insurance companies (outside trial counsel) and defended high-stakes personal injury, wrongful death, and employment cases with damages in the 6-8 figure range. This insight puts the firm at an advantage when dealing with insurance companies. His track record of success also stems from understanding what judges look for, how judges analyze legal arguments, and how judges make rulings. Arsen has this experience - having worked as a judicial law clerk for Justice Marvin R. Baxter of the California Supreme Court (highest court in California) as well as to Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte of the District Court (federal court), where he assisted the courts in making rulings and writing judicial decisions. Arsen is a graduate of UC Hastings College of the Law, where he served on the law school's flagship law review, the Hastings Law Journal and his article, "Fighting Foreclosure: Using Contract Law to Enforce the Home Affordable Modification Program" was published in the Hastings Law Journal (64 Hastings L.J. 905 (2013)) and was awarded UC Hastings' Albert G. Evans Scholarship in Private Enterprise. Arsen serves on the Board of Directors of the Litigation Bar Association ("LBA") and is a member of The National Trial Lawyers ("NTL"), the Armenian Bar Association ("ABA"), the American Association for Justice ("AAJ"), the Consumer Attorneys of California ("CAOC"), and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles ("CAALA").

Ryan is not a legacy lawyer. He was the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year college. He became a lawyer after being injured in a car accident through no fault of his own and experiencing the unconscionable way insurance companies treat victims. He understands that our clients come to us scared, hurt, and confused, and he strives to make the law accessible and to empower our clients throughout the legal process. Every day, Ryan represents individuals against multi-billion dollar corporations that are focused on profits, not people. He fights those corporate interests to get our clients the resolution they need to be made whole. In practice, Ryan is 1 of 20 Connecticut Attorneys in the exclusive Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and he has been honored by the Connecticut Personal Injury Hall of Fame. Though he has received many awards in his career he is most proud of these because they are earned through results. Ryan grew up middle class. He has dedicated his life to putting the law in plain english. Ryan has maintained the ABA Top 100 blog A Connecticut Law Blog for over 13 years. He has written more than 1,000 posts and his work been validated by the Connecticut Supreme Court in Bysiewicz v. DiNardo. He has published multiple books, including the best selling Tiger Tactics: Powerful Strategies for Winning Law Firms and Empower Yourself: A Practical Guide to Connecticut Personal Injury Law. Lawyers across the country seek Ryan for speaking engagements. He has spoken to thousands of lawyers in places like Utah, Minnesota, Missouri, Massachusetts and Connecticut. He is widely recognized as a leader in the practice of law. When Ryan is not blogging or working hard to build the most client-centered personal injury firm in the state, he enjoys following the Red Sox, strength training, listening to Pearl Jam, reading, and spending time with his family outdoors.

Practice Areas: Consumer Class Action, Consumer Protection, Complex Civil Litigation Rachel Bentley has dedicated her practice to advocating on behalf of consumers who have been victims of corporate wrongdoing and scams. Ms. Bentley is an attorney with Gordon and Partners class action team and litigates consumer protection cases and complex consumer fraud class action cases. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Bentley prosecuted violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Before serving as an Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Bentley was the Senior Staff Attorney of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc.’s Consumer Advocacy Unit, where she protected the rights of disadvantaged members of the community and represented indigent consumers who were wronged by businesses and fraudsters. Ms. Bentley is a Co-Chair of the Florida Bar’s Consumer Protection Law Committee’s Legislative Subcommittee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Palm Beach County Bar Association. She is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and a scholar of the National Consumer Law Center. Ms. Bentley earned her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and Juris Doctor from Florida International University School of Law.

Mr. Faulkner is an experienced counselor with 19 years of experience, having held bar licenses in four states (Mo, Il, Ct and Ga). He has litigated in state and federal courts with much success. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal in both Missouri and Illinois. Through is efforts, he has achieved significant results for his clients, including a settlement worth $39 million dollars for the residents of Hartford, Illinois. Mr. Faulkner uses this experience and focuses his skills in the pursuit of assisting individuals in probate (trust and estate) matters, guardianships and conservatorships, estate planning, business disputes and contract disputes. He is tireless in serving the needs of his clients. As a Georgia attorney, Stan manages an active case load and focuses on helping clients achieve their goals through estate planning, business counseling and probate advice. Stan is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and has practiced law in Missouri, Illinois, Connecticut and Georgia. He started his practice in St. Louis and southern Illinois where he helped clients resolve difficult problems in probate, personal injury, business and contractual disputes and environmental law. Outside of the office, you can find Stan spending time with his lovely wife, twin daughters and young son, involved in various activities from cheerleading to baseball. In his free time, Stan stays active in the Crossfit community competing in local and regional events. Stan is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and enjoys watching and attending college football games in the fall.