Flaster Greenberg is pleased to announce the return of Lee M. Epstein and John G. Koch to the firm, as well as the addition of attorney Matthew A. Goldstein, all formerly of Weisbrod Matteis & Copley in Philadelphia. The trio joined as shareholders effective July 31, 2020, bringing with them a nationally known Insurance Recovery Practice and over 55 years of combined legal experience. They will reside in the firm’s Philadelphia office, but will primarily serve clients remotely, along with the rest of the firm, during the COVID pandemic.
“We are excited to welcome back Lee and John and delighted that Matt has also decided to join our FG Family,” said Alan H. Zuckerman, Managing Shareholder of Flaster Greenberg. “Over the years, we have maintained a great relationship with Lee and John, and we are looking forward to working with these outstanding lawyers again. We have no doubt that many of our firm’s clients can benefit from their extensive knowledge in insurance recovery and counseling.”
Epstein, a civil litigator and trial lawyer, was a Flaster Greenberg shareholder from 2013 to 2016, after he and his partner, John Fried, merged their boutique law firm, Fried & Epstein, with Flaster Greenberg. For over thirty years, Epstein has focused his practice on securing insurance recoveries for corporate and individual policyholders in response to all forms of liabilities as well as first-party and business interruption losses arising from catastrophic events and commercial crimes. In that capacity, he has represented market leaders in the satellite television, airline, chemical, financial, mining, food and HVAC&R industries. He is currently litigating insurance coverage disputes throughout the state and federal courts of the United States.
“When I joined Flaster Greenberg in 2013, it was an ideal platform for my practice and one that benefitted my clients through its full suite of practice disciplines. In returning to the firm, my clients will continue to receive the same representation within the framework of a multi-practice law firm that is wholly supported by a full-service administrative team,” said Epstein. “I look forward to returning to work with old friends, including my long-time partner John Fried, and bonding with those members of the firm who have joined in recent years. I’m beyond pleased that John and Matt are joining me.”
Koch started at Flaster Greenberg as an associate in 2007 and was promoted to shareholder in 2016, and returns to the firm as a member of its Insurance Recovery, Litigation and Environmental Practice Groups. He focuses his practice on policyholder-side commercial insurance recovery and environmental law. His practice also includes commercial litigation and dispute resolution, litigation management involving insurance-funded defenses, transactions counseling, contract indemnity disputes, supply chain disputes, and product recalls, among other matters.
Goldstein joins the firm’s Insurance Recovery and Litigation Practice Groups and focuses his practice on complex commercial and civil litigation in both state and federal courts and represents clients in insurance coverage, business disputes and financial litigation. He also has extensive experience representing clients in class action, derivative and mergers and acquisitions litigation in state and federal courts nationwide. Throughout his career, Goldstein has secured financial recoveries for his clients in excess of $100 million in cases relating to all forms of corporate misconduct, including excessive executive compensation, misuse and waste of corporate assets, unfair related third-party transactions, failure to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, insider selling and breaches of fiduciary duty.
Over the last two and a half years, Flaster Greenberg has added dozens of new attorneys and opened offices in Conshohocken, PA; Jenkintown, PA; and Boca Raton, FL. Earlier this year, Flaster Greenberg announced the addition of an 11-member patent group to the Philadelphia office as part of the firm’s ongoing growth strategy. Prior to that, the firm announced that the attorneys and staff of estate planning boutique law firm Plotnick & Ellis joined Flaster Greenberg, bringing with them a team of six attorneys, two paralegals, and five administrative staff members and a new office location. Additionally, the firm recently welcomed litigation attorneys Daniel Epstein and Krishna Jani. 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 announced the election of Courtney Dolaway, Angie Gambone, Lauren Schwimmer and Damien Tancredi as shareholders effective January 1, 2020. This group marks the first associate to shareholder promotions since 2016, and was a result of a renewed emphasis on revamping the firm’s internal structure to enhance the advancement of attorneys into shareholder ranks and to transition leadership positions to a younger generation, who are considered to be the future of the firm.
“As Flaster Greenberg continues to grow, both regionally and with new practice areas, we work to strategically identify talented attorneys to join our team,” said Zuckerman. “With the addition of Lee, John and Matt, we are confident that this will create promising opportunities for both the firm and our clients.”
