News

Porzio Announces Principal and Counsel Promotions

9/01/2020

Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. ("Porzio") is pleased to announce six attorney promotions across the firm. The names and core practices of the attorneys who have been elevated are:

 

Pamela M. Kapsimalis, Principal (Corporate/Transactional)

Rachel A. Parisi, Principal (Bankruptcy) 

Keren F. Bisnauth, Counsel (Corporate / Life Sciences)

Rahil Darbar, Counsel (Litigation)

Stephanie M. Garfield, Counsel (Life Sciences)

Russell L. Porter, Counsel (Litigation)  

"These attorneys have all have contributed significantly to the success of their clients, their teams, the firm and their communities," said Vito A. Gagliardi, Jr., Managing Principal of Porzio." We are pleased to be able to elevate such a large and diverse group despite the twists and challenges that 2020 has presented. We look forward to their continued growth and service to their clients." 

With the recent promotions and lateral new hires, Porzio's principals are now nearly 40% female.  Porzio remains committed to recruiting, retaining, and elevating female and diverse attorneys.  "Porzio strives to create diverse teams of legal professionals in all practice areas of the firm, and understands a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to encouraging different perspectives and ideas that drive innovation and produce superior results for clients," said Gagliardi. "We are proud to be creating an environment where all of our attorneys can thrive."

Pamela M. Kapsimalis, Principal

Pam joined Porzio as counsel in 2017, after serving as General Counsel for Preferred Freezer Services, LLC. A member of the firm's Corporate, Commercial and Business Law team, Pam has significant experience working on transactional matters, concentrating in the corporate, real estate, commercial lending, franchise, and general contract areas. Leveraging her in-house experience, Pam works with corporate clients of all sizes to serve as their general counsel, providing a wide array of business, employment, and legal advice to help them achieve their business objectives. She is experienced in representing a variety of individual and corporate clients in the acquisition and disposition of real estate, stock, assets, and inventory; and provides counseling on leasing, franchising, and general business matters. Pam has extensive experience in the retail industry, representing major retailers in the expansion of their national brand, and serving as outside counsel for all areas of legal work, including construction, leasing, licensing, and staffing of a retail store.

Pam received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, and her B.A. degree from Middlebury College. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey. Pam is based in the firm's Morristown, New Jersey office.

Rachel A. Parisi, Principal

A member of Porzio's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department, Rachel A. Parisi joined the firm in 2011. Her practice focuses on all areas of bankruptcy and restructuring, including the representation of commercial debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, commercial landlords, and other parties in interest in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. Rachel has represented clients in a wide-array of complex cases, including in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, and restaurant sectors. Rachel also has experience in bankruptcy litigation, including prosecuting and defending preference and other avoidance actions. Rachel is active in the community, volunteering as an Ethics Investigator for the District XA Ethics Committee, as well as within the firm, sitting on the Steering Committee of Porzio's Women's Initiative Network.

Rachel received her J.D., cum laude, from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and her B.B.A., with high honors, Beta Gamma Sigma, from Emory University, Goizueta Business School. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, and before the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, and the United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Rachel is based in the firm's Morristown, New Jersey office. 

Keren F. Bisnauth, Counsel

After serving as Associate Counsel for the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Keren F. Bisnauth joined Porzio as an associate in 2015. She is a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Compliance and Regulatory Counseling Department and its Corporate, Commercial and Business Law Department, and is a Director of Compliance Services with the firm’s subsidiary, Porzio Life Sciences, LLC. Keren counsels pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies on a variety of compliance-related issues, including federal and state fraud and abuse laws, FDA promotional regulations, transparency and aggregate spend, and industry standards regarding interactions with healthcare professionals. Keren also has significant experience working on transactional matters, concentrating in the corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and general contract areas.

Keren received her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, her B.A. degree, with honors, from Rutgers University, and her Healthcare Compliance Certification from Seton Hall Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, and before the United States District Court, District of New Jersey. Keren is based in the firm's Morristown, New Jersey office.

Rahil Darbar, Counsel

Rahil joined Porzio's Litigation Practice Group in 2016, where he continues to focus on representing individuals and business entities in commercial disputes, design and construction companies in complex construction defect lawsuits, manufacturers in products liability, personal injury litigation, and executors, trustees, and beneficiaries, in estate, trust, guardianship and fiduciary litigation matters. An experienced litigator, Rahil routinely appears in the State and Federal Courts of New York and New Jersey and has represented sole proprietorships, mid-size businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. He prides himself on approaching each matter with a primary focus on his client's overall goals and directing the litigation to achieve those specific goals. Rahil maintains strong ties to the South Asian community and is the current President of the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey, one of the largest affinity bars in the State. He is also a Barrister of the Justice Morris Pashman Inn of Court in Bergen County, an organization dedicated to the development of trial lawyers. 

Rahil received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Lehigh University. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, and before the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, and the United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Rahil is based in the firm's Morristown, New Jersey office. 

Stephanie M. Garfield, Counsel

A member of Porzio's Life Sciences Compliance and Regulatory Counseling Department since 2017, Stephanie M. Garfield is also a Director of Compliance Services with the firm’s subsidiary, Porzio Life Sciences, LLC. Stephanie regularly advises life sciences and other clients on data privacy laws and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. She counsels pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies on a variety of compliance-related issues, including federal and state fraud and abuse laws, FDA promotional regulations, transparency and aggregate spend, industry standards regarding interactions with healthcare professionals, and sampling requirements. 

Stephanie received her J.D. from Boston College Law School, and her B.A. from Georgetown University. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts. Stephanie is based in the firm's Westborough, Massachusetts office. 

Russell L. Porter, Counsel

After serving as a Litigation Associate at Gordon & Silber, P.C., Russell L. Porter joined Porzio's Litigation team in 2018. Russell's practice focuses on representing large institutional clients in a variety of matters. He has supported commercial real estate companies, national retail stores, multi-national food services conglomerates, telecommunication companies, environmental services entities, and leading cosmetic companies in cases that range from breach of contract, toxic torts, products liability, premises liability, property damage subrogation claims to wage matters under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Russell also advises both insurance carriers and policy holders in coverage disputes, subrogation matters and evaluation of tenders of defense and indemnity. He also assists attorneys facing claims of legal malpractice in all facets of litigation. 

Russell received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and his B.S. from Boston University. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, and before the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, and the United States District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. Russell is based in the firm's New York, New York office.