Harris Beach Murtha Elects Nine New Partners

(Jan. 6, 2025) — Attorneys Alexander M. Anolik, David J. Dino, Meaghan T. Feenan, Joseph V. Frateschi, Sean M. McCabe, Daniel J. Palermo, Lisa M. Powers, Syed (Zim) K. Rizvi and Brian S. Stolar have been elected partners of Harris Beach Murtha, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

The recognized attorneys represent the first elected partners of the newly combined firm and assist in representing regional, national and international clients. They practice in many of the firm’s focus areas: Business Litigation, Cannabis, Commercial Real Estate, Energy, Environmental, Labor and Employment, Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation, Medical and Life Sciences, Municipalities and Local Agencies, Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability, Public Finance and Economic Development and Trusts and Estates.

The new partners:

Alexander M. Anolik, a member of Harris Beach Murtha’s Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation and Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability practice groups, has extensive experience representing clients in high-exposure litigation involving mass torts, product liability, premises liability, toxic exposures, motor vehicle accidents and alleged governmental misconduct. He works with individuals, businesses and government entities to raise and present their most effective defenses. Alex represents clients in numerous jurisdictions across the country and has substantial experience in trials and pre-trial litigation, including dispositive motions and oral arguments.

David J. Dino is also a member of the Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation and Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability practice groups, and the firm’s Medical and Life Sciences Industry Team. He focuses his legal practice on defending clients in toxic torts and product liability cases, and litigates cases in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania state courts, as well as multiple federal courts around the country. He defends clients in toxic tort cases involving exposure to pharmaceutical drugs, lead and mold that allegedly caused a variety of injuries, including cancer, respiratory issues, developmental delays and cognitive functioning. David also litigates cases involving construction accidents, New York Labor Laws, premises liability, property damage, construction defects, long-term care facilities, contract disputes, ERISA and Medicare Advantage Organization liens, dog bite cases and a variety of other personal injury matters.

Meaghan T. Feenan is a member of Harris Beach Murtha’s Business Litigation and Trusts and Estates practice groups. She practices primarily in trust and estate litigation, handling accounting disputes, testamentary disputes, performing complex research, defending objections and dispositive motions and she frequently handles large-scale discovery productions. She is familiar with both commercial practice and Surrogate's Court procedure.

Meaghan, also a member of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Team, advises organizations of all structures on developments within New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), including cultivators, processors, retailers and distributors.

Joseph V. Frateschi, a member of Harris Beach Murtha’s Public Finance and Economic Development Practice Group and Municipalities and Local Agencies Industry Team, has extensive experience as a transaction counsel on real property, intellectual property and corporate matters. He also advises municipal agencies and public benefit corporations on a range of issues under New York municipal law.

He serves as bond counsel and issuer counsel on taxable and tax-exempt bond financings undertaken by local issuers. He also serves as special transaction counsel on large projects throughout New York state.

Sean M. McCabe, part of the firm’s Commercial Real Estate Practice Group, represents businesses, real estate developers and property owners in all aspects of commercial real estate matters. He has significant experience in commercial leasing, regularly representing landlords and tenants in the negotiation of sophisticated office, retail and industrial lease agreements. Sean leverages his prior experience as a certified public accountant to provide strategic insights with his legal advice.

Daniel J. Palermo is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group and Energy Industry Team. He focuses his practice across several industries in the private and public sectors. He counsels employers on employment law matters, including litigation avoidance, internal policies, collective bargaining, employee discipline, audits, employment contracts and wage and hour issues. He also represents employers in a wide range of employment litigation matters before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts.

Lisa M. Powers, a member of the firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group, specializes in elder law and assists clients in greater Rochester and across New York state with special needs planning and Medicaid applications, estate planning and estate and trust administration. She is an educator and mentor to other elder law and trusts and estates attorneys. In addition, as a certified personal finance consultant and business coach, she has worked with startup owners to C-suite executives on service package creation, pricing, mindset and profitability.  

Syed (Zim) K. Rizvi represents clients in state and federal court against claims involving toxic torts, products liability, wrongful death and premises liability as a member of the firm’s Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation and Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability practice groups.

Zim defends clients in the emerging area of cosmetic talcum powder litigation. He provides strategic pre-trial and trial counsel to talc suppliers, distributors and manufacturers in connection with nationwide multi-district litigation. He also defends clients individually in lawsuits alleging harmful health effects from contact with talc or talcum powder, including responding to and propounding discovery, taking depositions of plaintiffs, preparing and defending client’s representatives’ depositions, developing evidence in support of motions to dismiss and preparing cases for trial. Zim also defends clients in multi-district litigation involving asbestos claims.

Brian S. Stolar is a member of Harris Beach Murtha’s Commercial Real Estate and Environmental practice groups, and specializes in land use, zoning, environmental compliance, municipal and real estate law, as well as municipal and commercial litigation, appeals, regulatory defense and enforcement. His practice focuses on representing real estate developers, small businesses, major corporations and property owners in the development of residential, commercial and industrial properties. He also serves as general counsel and special counsel to numerous municipalities and zoning and planning boards.

As counsel to local governments and as a member of the firm’s Municipalities and Local Agencies Industry Team, Brian advises officials and staff on local government operations, procedures, administration and compliance with federal, state and local laws. He also guides municipal boards and departments, drafts land use and general regulatory legislation, and prosecutes and defends land use challenges, constitutional claims and all municipal and regulatory litigation.

About Harris Beach Murtha

Harris Beach Murtha formed in 2025 via the combination of Harris Beach PLLC and Murtha Cullina LLP. A forward-thinking and innovative partnership with the benefit of more than 250 years of combined history, Harris Beach Murtha’s New York roots reach back to 1856 and the firm has had ties to New England since 1936. Harris Beach and Murtha Cullina were separately among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal.

Harris Beach Murtha and its subsidiaries have a strong Northeast presence, but a global reach.  Clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, tax-exempt organizations and individuals. The firm’s practice areas and industries served span appellate law, business litigation, commercial real estate, construction, corporate, environmental, energy, financial institutions, financial restructuring, government compliance and investigations, health care, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, mass torts, medical and life sciences, political law, product liability, public finance, tax, and trusts and estates.

Harris Beach Murtha is the exclusive member firm in Connecticut for Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent firms with in-depth experience in more than 125 countries worldwide. As part of the Lex Mundi global network, Harris Beach Murtha can provide clients with preferred access to more than 22,000 lawyers around the world – all from a single point of contact. Lex Mundi allows Harris Beach Murtha to seamlessly handle clients’ most challenging cross-border transactions and disputes.

The firm’s lawyers and consultants practice from offices throughout Connecticut in Bantam, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford; New York state in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Long Island and White Plains, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts, Newark, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.harrisbeachmurtha.com.