The Honorable Rebecca Warren (Ret.) devotes her practice to labor and employment, business and corporate matters, and general liability litigation.

As a former in-house corporate attorney and having counseled businesses for over 25 years, Rebecca is acutely aware of the unique and varied legal needs of business clients. She has created thousands of customized legal documents for corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietors. Rebecca is also well-versed in providing legal strategy and guidance regarding daily business issues and concerns ranging from employment matters to third-party disputes.

As a former prosecutor, Rebecca is well-positioned to counsel clients in crisis management, internal and governmental investigations, and regulatory and business compliance. She has represented prominent clients in high-stakes and multi-million-dollar cases at the county, state, and federal levels in multiple states.

In addition, Rebecca has extensive experience in insurance defense, white-collar crime, election law, health care, commercial law, estate practice and administration, family law, and real estate.

Rebecca handles all aspects of litigation for her clients, having appeared in court on thousands of hearings, proceedings, arbitrations, jury and non-jury trials, and appeals. She was formerly appointed Solicitor for various non-profit organizations and government agencies and had regularly served as a county Arbitration panel member and Chairperson.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Rebecca founded a multi-county law firm and real estate closing company and was a partner in a Philadelphia firm.

Rebecca was elected as the first female District Attorney of Montour County by a 3:1 margin, serving from 2012 to 2016. In that role, she designed and implemented an intensive, personalized victim rights program; created the Multi-Disciplinary Investigative Team for child abuse cases to minimize trauma for minor victims; and collaborated with agencies to provide services and treatment for offenders.

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Christopher R. Gray focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and income tax planning.

In addition, Christopher is experienced in corporate matters, business transactions, non–profit issues, health care governance, elder law, and general litigation. He represents high net-worth clients and their businesses in developing estate, gift, income tax, and succession planning strategies.

Prior to joining Norris McLaughlin, Christopher worked with a financial strategies company advising affluent private clients on business investments, multigenerational estate preservation, and wealth planning.

Christopher is a past officer of the Lehigh Valley Estate Planning Council, and currently serves on the Northampton Community College Foundation Board of Directors, where he is also Chair of its Planned Giving Committee.

With 25 years of experience, Christopher frequently presents on tax law and initiatives, estate planning tools and techniques, and asset protection.

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John D. Stanley had a long and distinguished career with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. At the time of his retirement from Air Products, John was the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer. In that role, he was responsible for the company’s law group, corporate secretary’s office, government and community relations (including philanthropy) group, and global trade compliance function and oversaw, at various times, the human resources, communications, information technology, business shared services, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate risk and security functions.

Throughout his career, John gained a wide-range of experience, providing legal counsel and support to business managers and executives on a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters, including commercial transactions, contracts, financings, joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, general securities, internal investigations and other regulatory and employment law matters. His primary practice areas over the years include corporate, with emphasis on mergers and acquisition, joint ventures and other large global transactional work, both public and private; global antitrust and compliance; general commercial and employment law, including benefits and compensation issues and general employment litigation.

Over the years, John has been very involved in the community.  He currently chairs the Air Products Foundation Board of Trustees, is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Lehigh Valley Health Network, and is on the boards of the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority, the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park and DeSales University. John also serves on the Executive Committee for the Downtown Allentown Community Development Initiative and chairs the Advisory Council for the Building 21 of the Allentown School District.  He previously served at various times on the boards of the United Way of the Lehigh Valley, ArtsQuest, Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley.

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The Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.), Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group,  focuses his practice on estate and commercial litigation, and mediation and arbitration.

Judge Giordano served as a presiding judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Third Judicial District, from 2004 through 2018. He was Northampton County’s first administrative Judge of the Orphans’ County Division, overseeing estates and trusts of the county, and was named to the Statewide Orphans’ Court Task Force, an organization charged with implementing changes to Orphans’ Court. He was also the first Judge in Pennsylvania to institute guardianship certification requirements for the protection of senior citizens.

For fifteen years, Judge Giordano served as judge for many jury trials and non-jury trials, hearings and motions, and a wide range of disputes under Pennsylvania and Federal Law, including construction, commercial litigation, professional malpractice, CERCLA, Civil Rights, condemnations, labor and land use appeals, criminal, and domestic relations.

As an arbitrator and mediator, Judge Giordano is certified through Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute in Advanced Mediation, is a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, and is affiliated with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Mediation. He serves as an arbitrator and mediator to the Judicial Roster, Real Estate, and Pennsylvania at Large ADR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.

Judge Giordano is Vice-Chair of the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He is a Diplomate Member for mediation for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Judge Giordano serves on the Board of Trustees of the Center for Guardianship Certification. He is also a member of the Board of Governors for Saint Thomas More Society and the Northampton County Bar Association Wills and Trusts Committee Lecturer. In 2005, Judge Giordano was the first judicial recipient to receive the Lehigh Valley Crime Victims Council Award for Outstanding Commitment to Victim’s Rights. He was also a recipient of the Bethlehem Catholic High School Distinguished Graduate Award.

Born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrant parents, Judge Giordano was the first to attend high school and is a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School. A proud Moravian College alumnus, he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor for Undergraduate classes.

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David Berger concentrates his practice on business, real estate, and liquor law.

David actively counsels clients on general business topics including organization and formation, corporate governance, lease negotiations, restructurings, and finance.

A licensed title agent, David works closely with lenders, real estate developers, and homebuilding companies. He handles both residential and commercial real estate development including acquisitions, land use and zoning matters, title review, and other due diligence requirements.

In his liquor law practice, David handles sale and purchase of liquor licenses and provides transactional counseling, including defending licenses who have received citations from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.

Prior to joining the firm, David was a senior associate at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Cappelli LLC, specializing in liquor law, real estate development, and commercial transactions.

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Arnold L. Bartfeld primarily focuses his practice in the area of real estate and finance. He represents institutional lenders and developers in real estate financings, as well as in commercial banking transactions.

Arnold has experience representing clients in real estate joint ventures in connection with financing and refinancing; developers in acquisitions and the privatization of public housing projects; and banks with construction loans. In addition, he has experience assisting commercial and residential condo developers in acquisitions and loans.

Arnold is also experienced in complex and multi bank restructurings and workouts of real estate and commercial credit transactions.

Prior to joining the firm, Arnold was a partner at Reed Smith and Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. He also served as General Counsel for European American Bank and Fidelity Bank, N.A.

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Alyssa Hicks devotes her practice to business law and general civil litigation.

Alyssa actively assists clients with commercial transactions, including financing and loan documentation; asset purchases and sales; entity selection, formation, and organization; and general contract drafting and review.

In her litigation practice, Alyssa handles all aspects of litigation from pre-trial counseling, discovery, and drafting pleadings and motions to representation at depositions and judicial conferences.

Prior to joining the firm, Alyssa interned for the Office of the Secretary-Parliamentarian of the Pennsylvania Senate, the Chambers of the Honorable John F. Cherry of the Court of Common Pleas, and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.

While at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, Alyssa served as President for the Moot Court Honor Society and Assistant Editor-In-Chief for the Widener Journal of Law, Economics, and Race. By taking several litigation-related courses, Alyssa earned a Certificate in Trial Advocacy.

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Amy L. Kruzel represents clients at trials, hearings, conciliation conferences, support conferences, de novo hearings, and settlement conferences. She drafts answers, briefs, complaints, counterclaims, memoranda, motions, petitions, custody stipulations, agreements in support, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and property settlement agreements on behalf of clients. Amy also drafts, briefs, and presents oral argument in the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, Eastern District, and serves as a mediator in divorce, custody, and support matters.

During college and law school, she was presented with several unique opportunities that helped solidify her strong desire to practice family law. Specifically, Amy interned at Edward Duthie Solicitors Firm in London, England; served as a protection from abuse advocate at Mid Penn Legal Services; and was a student attorney at the Dickinson School of Law Family Law Clinic. While in law school, Amy was a research assistant to Professor Richard F. Storrow.

After graduation, Amy served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Patti Margherita Worthington in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, from 2005 until 2007, when she relocated to the Lehigh Valley.

Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Amy was a Partner in a law firm, where she represented clients in divorce, support, custody, and protection from abuse matters.  Amy had also been appointed as a Parenting Coordinator in high conflict custody cases.

Outside of work, Amy volunteers with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and serves on the Executive Leadership Board. She also teaches Positive Conflict Resolution & Mediation Skills at the Easton Area Middle School, is a member of the Advisory Council for the Allentown YMCA, and is a volunteer at the legal clinic at the Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center.

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Matthew B. Andersen concentrates his practice on business law and liquor law.

In his liquor law practice, Matt works with all tiers of the alcohol industry, advising manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers.  Matt assists breweries, distilleries, wineries, wholesalers, distributors, restaurants, and hotels on obtaining and transferring liquor licenses, obtaining state and federal manufacturing permits and licensing, complying with federal/state liquor regulations and laws, providing transactional counseling, and defending citations and protests before the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  He is experienced in drafting and negotiating distribution agreements between alcohol manufacturers and distributors to assist manufacturers in expanding the reach of their brands.  Additionally, Matt has worked with nonprofit organizations and event planners on obtaining temporary alcohol permits for various events.  Matt takes pride in helping new and veteran alcohol businesses navigate the complex regulatory framework of state and federal liquor laws, as well as helping them establish and grow their brands on a state and national level.  He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Cider Guild.

Matt has presented at numerous events held by the Brewers of Pennsylvania trade organization on subjects such as U.S. Food and Drug Administration compliance for alcohol manufacturers, legal updates affecting the industry members, and general compliance.  Additionally, he has presented to a local and national audience on Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Federal laws affecting brewery and distillery businesses.  In addition to presentations, Matt is a frequent contributor to Norris McLaughlin’s Liquor Law Blog, Legal Liquor, and has been quoted by various newspapers and publications on liquor-related matters.

As a business lawyer, Matt is involved in the day-to-day legal counseling of businesses, formation of business entities, general contract matters, drafting of agreements between partners, corporate restructurings, lending, and shareholder disputes. Additionally, he has experience to assist his business and liquor clients in real estate matters, such as property acquisition, leasing, and zoning and land use issues.

Matt’s liquor law and business law practices often coincide in the legal counseling of start-up businesses entering the alcohol industry.  He frequently advises clients from the idea stage to the operational stage of their alcohol business and is well versed in discussing the issues that come up in between.  Whether it is, among other things, entity selection, drafting operational business documents, lease review, real estate acquisitions, zoning issues and alcohol licensing/permitting, he can assist you in turning your ideas into a successful business.  Matt takes great pleasure in assisting dreamers, no matter what age, in preparing their business for future success.

While at Duquesne University School of Law, Matt was Executive Editor of the Business Law Journal, Editor-in-Chief of Juris Magazine, and Competition Director of the Appellate Moot Court Board.  He also served as a judicial extern in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, and as a judicial intern for the President Judge of Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.

Prior to joining the firm in 2016, Matt served as law clerk to the Honorable Stephen G. Baratta, President Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, and was a summer associate at the firm in 2014.

As a young professional, Matt feels it is important to give back to the community.  He is an assistant lacrosse coach at Northwestern Lehigh High School, and enjoys teaching the knowledge, experience and lessons taught to him throughout his life to the young people in our community.

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Milan Slak focuses his practice on business law, estate and succession planning, and all areas of taxation.

A licensed CPA, Milan works to achieve client goals in a tax-efficient manner. He handles corporate, partnership, individual, and international taxation matters, and resolves tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. He assists clients with tax controversies including audits, administrative appeals, refund claims, penalty abatement, offers in compromise, voluntary disclosures, and civil tax litigation. He works closely with clients on tax planning initiatives and transactions involving federal and state tax law; mergers and acquisitions; capital investments; corporate, limited liability company, and partnership structuring; operation, reorganization, and termination; the use and taxation of trusts; and estate and succession planning for owners of closely-held businesses and franchise owners.

Milan assists in the formation and organization of business entities, including S and C corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships, and working with clients to structure the governing documents for these entities. He provides counsel on business transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and entity formation; corporate governance and due diligence matters; tax-exempt and conventional financings; and drafts business planning documents; contracts; and operating and shareholder agreements.

Milan also helps clients to design and implement estate, succession, and gifting plans and strategies. He drafts wills, lifetime and testamentary trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advance directives for health care. He handles all aspects of estate administration including probate, preparation of fiduciary income tax returns, estate tax returns, and inheritance tax returns.

He helps clients take maximum advantage of available investment tax credits and other tax incentives, especially solar and other renewable energy projects.

Milan also speaks locally on topics including capitalization structure, tax provisions of recent federal tax legislation; the taxation of S corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships; and estate planning. He conducts regular Continuing Professional Education for Certified Public Accountants.

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