Goldberg Segalla LLP is pleased to announce the admission of five new partners and two special counsel promotions effective January 1, 2012.

Admitted to the partnership are Sarah J. Delaney and Paul D. McCormick in the Buffalo office, William T. O’Connell in the White Plains office, Seth L. Laver in the Philadelphia office, and Christopher M. Hart in the Long Island office.

S. Philip Unwin and Lisa M. Robinson have been named special counsel in the Rochester and Syracuse offices, respectively. 

Biographies:

Partners

Sarah Delaney is a long-time member of Goldberg Segalla’s growing Global Insurance Services team. Her practice concentration is on insurance coverage analysis and litigation, professional liability, and appellate practice. She was a governmental law center fellow and publications editor of the Human Rights Law Review at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law (J.D., 1999); and she received her B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo (magna cum laude, 1995).

Paul McCormick, selected for inclusion to both Business First’s Who’s Who in Law and New York Super Lawyers lists, is a litigator and trial lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience defending corporations and insurance companies in cases involving motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, New York worksite injuries, and complex toxic tort liability. He is a graduate of Canisius College (magna cum laude, B.A., 1990) and Albany Law School of Union University (J.D., 1993).

William O’Connell, a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross (B.A.,1987) and St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 1990), concentrates his practice in the areas of appellate advocacy, insurance coverage, products liability, worksite and premises liability, and general litigation. Mr. O’Connell began his legal career prosecuting felony drug cases as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County.

Seth Laver practices in the area of commercial litigation. He focuses his practice on employment and labor law and professional liability defense, including the representation of lawyers, real estate and insurance professionals, architects, and particularly accountants. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (B.A., 2001) and Roger Williams University School of Law (J.D., 2004).

Chris Hart is experienced in litigating civil rights actions, claims against commercial land owners based on premises liability, suits brought under New York’s Labor Law, “dram shop” claims, products liability cases, and motor vehicle actions. His trial experience has included representation in both New York and federal courts. He has successfully briefed and argued appeals in the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University (B.B.A., 1994) and St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 2001).

Special Counsel

S. Philip Unwin has been defending workers’ compensation claims and Section 120 discrimination claims since 2005. He has handled hundreds of trials at the Workers’ Compensation Board, including lay witness testimony and medical testimony on the issues of accident, notice and causal relationship, period and extent of disability, and fraud. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester (B.A., 1998) and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law (J.D., 2002).

Lisa Robinson is special counsel in the firm’s Syracuse office. She concentrates her practice on the areas of catastrophic injury and wrongful death, commercial litigation, commercial leasing, product liability, general and municipal liability litigation, and asbestos litigation. She is a graduate of Alfred University, (B.A. cum laude, 1992) and Syracuse University College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004).