Flaster Greenberg PC, a midsize commercial law firm, announced today the selection of Jordan A. LaVine and Steven S. Poulathas as Co-Managing Shareholders. The pair will succeed Alan H. Zuckerman in leading the firm. This marks the first time in the firm’s nearly 50-year history that it has undergone a switch at the top from a single managing shareholder to a shared role.
LaVine and Poulathas will assume their responsibilities on January 1, 2021, upon the conclusion of Zuckerman’s four-year term when he will resume his full-time practice at the firm and will serve as Chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors. The three have been working together this year to ensure a smooth transition prior to the upcoming four-year term. In sharing the management role and the associated responsibilities, LaVine and Poulathas hope and expect to be able to remain actively involved with their substantive law practices.
In early 2020, Zuckerman recommended LaVine and Poulathas to the firm to succeed him and serve as co-managing shareholders. After receiving positive feedback from the shareholders, the Board then finalized that selection through a unanimous vote.
“Both Jordan and Steve, longtime members of the firm, bring leadership and forward-thinking skills to the table, each successfully leading their practice groups for a number of years and actively serving on the Board of Directors,” stated Zuckerman. “The two will complement each other well because they not only each bring a different perspective to the position, but they also will be able to alternate responsibilities and collaborate on ideas and firm initiatives. Their demonstrated commitment to the firm's values, core competencies, and diversity and inclusion efforts will help continue to drive our firm forward for years to come.”
LaVine has been a shareholder with Flaster Greenberg since 2006, has led the Trademark Practice during his tenure and for much of that time has served as Chair of the Intellectual Property Department. He also serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. For ten years, he served as a business development mentor to the firm’s associates, and currently chairs the firm’s Lateral Hiring Committee. LaVine has played a critical role in the resurgence of the firm’s Philadelphia presence in tandem with fortifying much of the recent lateral activity the firm has experienced, alongside Zuckerman. He divides his time between the firm’s Center City and West Conshohocken offices.
“Stepping into this role comes at an exciting time for the firm, as we continue to dedicate ourselves not only to professional excellence, but also to the reinforcement of the firm’s core values, as well as our reputation as a formidable organization that continues to attract superior talent,” stated LaVine. “We have been very strategic and fortunate with our growth, and I look forward to collaborating with Steve during the firm’s next chapter. Alan has worked tirelessly over the past four years strengthening our firm. He’s done a tremendous job and he’s led us to a really good place – we have tremendous shoes to fill, but Steve and I are looking forward to the challenge.”
Poulathas has been with Flaster Greenberg since 2008, was elected to Shareholder in 2012, and has chaired the Corporate Department since early 2018. He also serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. Under Poulathas’ direction, the Corporate Department has seen significant growth, both in revenue and in bench strength. He has helped raise the Corporate Department’s profile through recognitions such as “Dealmakers of the Year” by the New Jersey Law Journal, and through building a large-scale annual Mergers & Acquisitions Conference that brings together sophisticated dealmakers and educates attendees on the M&A landscape. He resides in the firm’s Cherry Hill, NJ, office.
“Having roots in South Jersey but enjoying multi-state growth through lateral movement and geographic expansion certainly warrants the decision to introduce the concept of co-managing shareholders, and I think it will serve the firm well across all platforms,” noted Poulathas. “Our firm has been steering towards transitioning leadership roles to the next generation in a planned and cohesive manner, and we’re seeing evidence of that. In just four short years, Alan has achieved a level of status and success for our firm that we had been aiming for. His vision of recruiting the most talented, knowledgeable and driven attorneys has manifested. I look forward to partnering with Jordan on the continuation of the firm’s innovations and driving growth across industries.”
Both LaVine and Poulathas will step down from their Department Chair positions upon formally transitioning to their co-managing roles. New department chair appointments will be made later in the year.
During Zuckerman’s four-year term, Flaster Greenberg has added 29 new attorneys, including an eight-member patent group in Philadelphia, and six-member insurance recovery group in Philadelphia and Boca Raton, FL, as well as the acquisition of a six-attorney estate planning boutique law firm in Conshohocken, PA. The firm also brought on several notable lateral hires in the firm’s Cherry Hill office, including, and most recently, corporate attorney and former Moorestown, NJ, Mayor Christopher Chiacchio, and opened new offices in Conshohocken and Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; Princeton, New Jersey; and Boca Raton, Florida.
The uptick of lateral hiring activity under Zuckerman’s term resulted in the addition of several new practice areas and industry groups that complement Flaster Greenberg’s already robust list of client services. Notably, the firm developed a nationally known Aviation Practice and added an Elder & Disability Law Practice. Additionally, the firm launched a Cannabis Practice, a PFAS Practice, and formalized the Pharmaceutical Law Practice. The firm was also named one of the Best Places to Work in New Jersey by NJBiz in 2018 and by South Jersey Biz magazine in 2017. Earlier this year, the firm promoted Courtney Dolaway, Angie Gambone, Lauren Schwimmer and Damien Tancredi from associates to shareholders, and was a result of a renewed commitment to the advancement of promising young attorneys into shareholder ranks and to transition leadership positions to the succeeding generation.
