17 Brach Eichler Members Included in 2021 New Jersey Super Lawyers

Roseland, NJ, (March 23, 2021) – Seventeen members of Brach Eichler LLC have been selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list for 2021. In addition, five new Brach Eichler attorneys were named to the 2021 New Jersey Rising Stars list, bringing the total number of recognized lawyers at the Firm to 29, a new record.

Notably, Personal Injury Chair Edward Capozzi was named a Top 100 Super Lawyer, an honor reserved for those New Jersey lawyers with the most peer nominations.

“After such a challenging year, we at Brach Eichler are truly gratified that our attorneys were once again recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers,” noted John D. Fanburg, Brach Eichler Managing Member. “It’s an honor to work alongside these lawyers, who have shown continued excellence and dedication to the industries and clients they represent, especially during these trying times.”

This is an elite list, with no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Rising Stars recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys, age 40 and under, or who are in practice for 10 years or less. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

The Brach Eichler attorneys named by New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2021 are:

Edward P. Capozzi, Member and Chair of the Personal Injury Practice and a Member in the Litigation Practice, is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial attorney. He focuses his practice on personal injury arising from automobile, trucking, NJ Transit, premises, product liability, and construction accidents. In 2014, Edward received the New Jersey Law Journal’s Personal Injury Hall of Fame Award for receiving the largest verdict in the state in a products liability case and from 2012-2019 received at least one, and as many as three, of the state’s top 20 verdicts or settlements. In 2018, Edward also had one of the top 50 work accident settlements in the U.S., according to TopVerdict. Named to The Best Lawyers in America® from 2018-2021 and to New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2010, Capozzi resides in Kinnelon, NJ.

Matthew M. Collins is a Member and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment Law Practice, and a Member in the Cannabis Industry Practice. He represents both employers and employees in all aspects of labor and employment law and provides strategic counsel to clients on a wide range of labor and employment issues such as discrimination; harassment; whistleblowing; discipline and discharge; layoffs; collective bargaining agreements; reasonable accommodations for disabled employees; contracts and severance; and compliance with state and federal family and medical leave acts and applicable wage and hour laws. First named to New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2017, Collins resides in Randolph, NJ.

Susan K. Dromsky-Reed is a Member and Co-Chair of the Trusts and Estates Practice and a Member in the Tax and Family Law Practices. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. As part of her focus on estate planning and estate administration, she provides individuals and families with advice regarding spousal, intergenerational, business succession, charitable planning, trusts, life insurance planning, and pre-nuptial agreements. She helps individuals and families create wills, financial powers of attorney, and healthcare agent designations. A fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, she was first named to New Jersey Super Lawyers for Trusts and Estates in 2017. In 2020, she was selected to NJBIZ’ Best 50 Women in Business and was also named a Top Woman in the Law by the New Jersey Law Journal. Dromsky-Reed was also named to New Jersey Family magazine’s Best Lawyers for Families list in 2020. She was selected to The Best Lawyers in America® from 2019-2021 and resides in Kinnelon, NJ.

John D. Fanburg is Managing Member of the Firm, a Member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, Chair of the Healthcare Law Practice and Co-Chair of the Cannabis Industry Practice. Fanburg has over 30 years’ experience representing major hospitals, diverse medical groups, and statewide physician specialty organizations in a broad range of corporate, M&A, transactional, and regulatory matters. Fanburg was selected as a New Jersey 2018 and 2019 Leader in Law by NJBIZ and was included in NJBIZ’ Power 50 Health Care list in 2019. He was also named to ROI-NJ’s list of top 2019 and 2020 Healthcare Influencers in New Jersey. Fanburg has been named to New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2005. He is AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale Hubbell, which is their highest ranking, and has been selected by his peers as among The Best Lawyers in America® since 1995. Fanburg has also been recognized for the past several years by notable ranking company, Chambers USA. He resides in Livingston, NJ.

Stuart M. Gladstone is a Member and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice and is a Member in the Corporate Transactions & Financial Services and Tax Practices. He is recognized as one of New Jersey’s leading authorities representing individuals, families, and companies of all sizes in the fields of comprehensive estate planning, business succession, and estate taxation. Gladstone has been named to New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2005. He is AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale Hubbell, which is their highest ranking, and has been selected by his peers on an annual basis as among The Best Lawyers in America®. He was also named to New Jersey Family magazine’s Best Lawyers for Families list in 2020. Gladstone is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and he is the founder and Chairman of the Essex County Estate Planning Council. He lives in Livingston, NJ.

Joseph M. Gorrell is a Member in the Healthcare Law Practice and counsels hospitals, medical staffs, nursing homes, and individual practitioners on a broad scope of issues ranging from practice bylaws to regulatory disciplinary actions to medical bioethics. He is known for his deep experience in transactional and litigation matters within the healthcare arena. Named to New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2005, Gorrell has also been AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale Hubbell, their highest rating for professional excellence. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® since 1993 and has been recognized by the notable ranking company, Chambers USA. Gorrell resides in Bridgewater, NJ.

Carol Grelecki is a Member in the Healthcare Law Practice and represents the firm’s healthcare clients in a wide variety of corporate and transactional matters. Her clients include physicians and physician groups, specialty practice societies, independent practice associations, hospitals, clinical laboratories, utilization managers, billing companies, and other medical professionals. Grelecki advises clients with regard to compliance, including matters pertaining to Medicare billing, fraud and abuse, and the Stark and Codey Laws. Additionally, she represents clients in regulatory matters, including healthcare facility licensing issues and the preparation of required policies and procedures. She has been named among The Best Lawyers in America® since 2015. Grelecki was first recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2018. She resides in Scotch Plains, NJ.

Alan R. Hammer is a Member in the Real Estate and Real Estate Tax Appeals Practices where he represents professional real estate investors, lenders, purchasers, and sellers of office buildings, shopping centers, industrial facilities, apartment complexes, and vacant land. A leader in New Jersey real estate, Hammer also serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee and has been named to New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2005. For 26 years, he has been peer review-rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, their highest rating for professional excellence, and has been named by his peers as among The Best Lawyers in America® for the past 16 years. Hammer has also been recognized for several years by Chambers USA, the notable ranking company. He resides in Livingston, NJ.

Thomas Kamvosoulis is Counsel in the Litigation and Labor and Employment Practices. He focuses his practice on complex corporate litigation, representing closely held companies in a broad range of matters including shareholder divorces, partnership dissolutions, minority oppression cases, restrictive covenant enforcement, trade secrets, securities fraud, and an assortment of contract disputes. He also counsels clients on a variety of employment issues, including claims of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, and compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws. Named to New Jersey Rising Stars in 2017, Kamvosoulis was named to Super Lawyers for the first time in 2020. He resides in Jersey City, NJ.

Eric Magnelli is Counsel in the Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Environmental and Land Use Practices. He concentrates his practice on labor and employment matters and a broad range of complex litigation such as discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, discipline and discharge, layoffs, collective bargaining agreements, reasonable accommodations for disabled employees, compliance with state and federal family and medical leave acts, applicable wage and hour laws, and ERISA. A decorated former Marine, Magnelli was first named to New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2020. He resides in Mendham, NJ.

Allen J. Popowitz is a Member and Chair of the Real Estate Practice and a Member in the Real Estate Tax Appeals, Corporate Transactions & Financial Services, and Cannabis Industry Practices. He is also a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Known for his business savvy and practical approach to each and every transaction, he focuses on what’s important in each deal and consistently achieves his clients’ goals. Popowitz advises his clients on all aspects of investment real estate and lending, including, but not limited to, sales, purchases, financing, leasing, and Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred exchanges. He represents residential and commercial property owners and developers, banks, mezzanine lenders, shopping centers, and condominiums. Popowitz has been named to The Best Lawyers in America© every year since 2013. He was named to New Jersey Super Lawyers from 2010-2012 and again, from 2015-2020. Popowitz has also been recognized for the past several years by notable ranking company, Chambers USA. He resides in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Anthony M. Rainone is a Member and Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Practice and a Member in the Litigation Practice where he handles counseling and litigation for all types of labor and employment issues, in addition to shareholder disputes, commercial contracts, and construction law. Rainone has been peer review-rated as AV Preeminent, the highest rating for professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell, and was previously named to the list of New Jersey Rising Stars from 2009 to 2016. In 2017, he was named to New Jersey Family magazine’s list of Best Lawyers for Families for Labor and Employment. Rainone was also named to New Jersey Super Lawyers from 2017 through 2020 and, in 2020, was named a Top 100 Super Lawyer, an honor reserved for those New Jersey lawyers with the most peer nominations. He resides in North Caldwell, NJ.

David J. Ritter is a Member and Chair of the Tax Practice and a Member in the Trusts and Estates and Corporate Transactions & Financial Services Practices. For over 30 years, he has provided counsel on income and estate tax planning for individuals as well as their businesses and investments. He provides business succession and sophisticated estate planning services to a wide range of clients. Ritter brings to his practice deep knowledge of business transactions and restructuring and the tax consequences of such transactions. He also dispenses advice and prepares agreements for the organization, operation, sale and/or merger of closely held businesses organized as corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships. Ritter has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® every year since 2007 and in 2018 and 2019 was named to New Jersey Super Lawyers. Ritter is a resident of Scotch Plains, NJ.

Keith J. Roberts is a Member and Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice, as well as a Member in the Healthcare Law Practice. He is a certified civil trial attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court, a distinction awarded to less than two percent of the lawyers in the state. Roberts is an experienced and formidable advocate for his clients with extensive jury trial and administrative hearing experience in complex matters. He is often consulted by healthcare professionals for his insight concerning regulatory issues, practice structures, insurance audits, and compliance. Roberts is frequently sought out by healthcare professionals to tackle complex litigation involving insurance fraud, RICO, False Claims Act, and disciplinary proceedings before state licensing boards. He also has particular expertise in No Fault Insurance, as well as reimbursement litigation. Named to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list since 2017, Roberts resides in Old Tappan, NJ.

Carl J. Soranno is a Member and Chair of the Family Law Practice and is a Member in the Litigation and Patent, Intellectual Property & Information Technology Practices. With 26 years of litigation, trial, and appellate experience, he devotes his practice to representing and counseling business and individual clients involved in complex family issues, including divorce and other matrimonial matters; commercial litigation; commercial transactions; bankruptcy litigation; and business workouts. A certified mediator, Soranno is peer review-rated as AV Preeminent, the highest rating for professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell. From 2015 – 2020, Carl was named to New Jersey Super Lawyers and, for 2021, he was named to The Best Lawyers in America© for Family Law, Bankruptcy, and Debtor and Creditor Rights. He was also named to New Jersey Family magazine’s Best Lawyers for Families list in 2020. Soranno resides in Flanders, NJ.

Frances B. Stella is a Member and Chair of the Environmental and Land Use Practice and a Member in the Cannabis Industry, Litigation, and Real Estate Practices. She has more than 25 years of experience in federal and state environmental litigation, site remediation, environmental regulatory compliance and permitting, and counseling in real estate redevelopment and transactions. Named to New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2020 and The Best Lawyers in America© in 2020 and 2021, Frances is a frequent speaker and writer on legal environmental issues.. Additionally, she was named in 2009 as a Women of Influence in Real Estate by Real Estate New Jersey and was also profiled as an Executive Woman in Business by the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal in 2010. She is a Master of the Justice Stewart Pollock Environmental American Inns of Court. Stella resides in Harrison, NY.

Rosaria A. Suriano is a Member and Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. With more than 29 years of trial and appellate court experience in both state and federal courts, she represents large and mid-sized companies in business litigation, contract disputes, and real estate and construction litigation. Suriano is peer review-rated as AV Preeminent, the highest rating for professional excellence by Martindale Hubbell. Selected for inclusion by New Jersey Super Lawyers every year since 2015, she was named one of five “Women of Achievement” by the New Jersey chapter of Professional Women in Construction in 2019. In 2018, she was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of 20 “Top Women in the Law” and selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® from 2019-2021. Additionally, she was named a “Top 25 Leading Woman Entrepreneur in NJ” in 2017 and was recognized by NJBIZ as a “Best 50 Woman in Business in NJ” in 2011. Suriano was also elected to serve as a director of the NJSBA Business Law Section for a three-year term. She resides in Whitehouse Station, NJ.

In addition, the following Brach Eichler attorneys were named to the 2021 New Jersey Rising Stars list:

Alex S. Capozzi is an Associate in the Personal Injury and Litigation Practices. He has extensive experience litigating cases involving personal injuries and complex civil issues against insurance companies. He has personally obtained multi-million-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of injured victims and he is believed to be one of the youngest attorneys in the history of New Jersey to ever receive a multi-million-dollar jury verdict at trial. Named to New Jersey Rising Stars for the fourth year, he resides in Jersey City, NJ.

Shannon Carroll is Counsel in the Healthcare Law Practice, where she focuses her practice in the areas of healthcare litigation, complex commercial litigation, compliance, and healthcare fraud. She represents doctors and other healthcare providers in civil and administrative actions involving fraud allegations, reimbursement issues, and contract disputes. Carroll has been named to New Jersey Rising Stars since 2013. She resides in Oradell, NJ.

Corey A. Dietz is an Associate in the Personal Injury and Litigation Practices. Dietz is a trial attorney who works with the firm’s personal injury clients to obtain just compensation in the aftermath of motor vehicle and trucking accidents; construction accidents; and slip and fall, product liability, and wrongful death matters among others. He is an aggressive advocate for his clients and has experience handling complex matters against insurance companies. Dietz has helped obtain numerous six- and seven-figure settlements and was named to New Jersey Rising Stars from 2018-2020. He lives in Warren, NJ.

Lucas A. Markowitz is an Associate in the Labor and Employment and Litigation Practices. He concentrates his practice on employment litigation and arbitration, and also litigates a wide variety of complex commercial matters including discrimination claims, trade secret and restrictive covenant cases, class and collective actions, shareholder and partnership disputes, professional malpractice cases, and estate litigations. Named to New Jersey Rising Stars from 2018-2020, he resides in New York, NY.

Autumn M. McCourt is an Associate in the Litigation and Criminal Defense and Government Investigations Practices. She represents corporate and individual clients in litigation involving both civil and criminal matters in both state and federal courts. These include contract disputes, consumer fraud actions, employment disputes, construction disputes, shareholder disputes, and unfair competition. McCourt also defends employers against discrimination and harassment claims, healthcare fraud, and insurance fraud, among others. She was first named to New Jersey Rising Stars in 2018 and resides in Ogdensburg, NJ.

Kristofer C. Petrie is an Associate in the Personal Injury and Litigation Practices. He is an aggressive advocate on behalf of his clients and brings with him a passionate, client-centered approach, helping injury victims navigate the complexities of the insurance industry to achieve the best possible outcomes. Petrie is dedicated to representing all persons harmed by the careless acts of others including, but not limited to: motor vehicle wrecks; trucking collisions; construction accidents; wrongful death; slip and fall; products liability; negligent security; electrocution; and lead, mercury, and mold poisoning. Petrie was named a New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2018–2020 and was also named to the 2021 edition of Ones to Watch, a new program sponsored by The Best Lawyers in America© designed to recognize younger attorneys for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. He resides in West Orange, NJ.

Cheryl L. Ritter is an Associate in the Trusts and Estates and Tax Practices. In this role, Ritter counsels individual clients on the tax-efficient transfer of wealth using a variety of strategies, including dynasty trusts, life insurance trusts (individual and survivorship), qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, charitable trusts, limited liability companies, and sales to intentionally defective grantor trusts, among others. She develops estate plans tailored to the specific needs and goals of each client, considering factors such as the unique asset mixes of high-net-worth individuals and the distinct relationships within clients’ families. A resident of Fanwood, NJ, this is the third year Ritter was recognized by New Jersey Rising Stars.

David J. Ritter, Jr. is a Counsel in the Corporate Transactions & Financial Services, Tax, and Trusts and Estates Practices. Ritter is experienced in preparing wills, revocable trusts, living wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare agent designations. He advises clients on the many ways to structure these documents, including creating trusts to hold assets for the benefit of children or loved ones, and establishing an estate plan that achieves client objectives while minimizing tax consequences. In this role, Ritter handles estate planning for clients who own property with a nominal value as well as for clients who have a net worth in the hundreds of millions and in between. Ritter was named to the 2021 edition of Ones to Watch, a new program sponsored by The Best Lawyers in America©, designed to recognize younger attorneys for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. A resident of Milltown, NJ, the is Ritter’s first year as a New Jersey Rising Star.

Kelley M. Rutkowski is an Associate in the Family Law Services and Litigation Practices. She represents clients in federal and state courts throughout New Jersey and New York, and has also successfully settled many cases through mediation and other methods of alternative dispute resolution. She is a strong, compassionate advocate who is committed to efficiently delivering positive results for all of her clients. This is Rutkowski’s first year as a New Jersey Rising Star. She is a resident of Hoboken, NJ.

Salim F. Sabbagh is an Associate in the Personal Injury and Litigation Practices. Sabbagh has personally obtained multi-million-dollar verdicts for his clients and was recognized as a winner of one of the Top 10 personal injury verdicts in New Jersey in 2017 by TopVerdict. Sabbagh was named to the 2021 edition of Ones to Watch, a new program sponsored by The Best Lawyers in America©, designed to recognize younger attorneys for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. He was also named to New Jersey Family magazine’s Best Lawyers for Families list in 2020. This is Sabbagh’s first year as a New Jersey Rising Star. He resides in Wayne, NJ.

Mia Stollen is an Associate in the Family Law Services and Litigation Practices. Stollen has successfully mediated and tried a wide range of cases including complex matrimonial and custody disputes. She has also obtained final restraining orders for her clients in several highly contentious domestic violence matters. Stollen is a volunteer for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice where she assists self-represented residents of Essex County through the program’s Divorce Filing and Post-Filing Workshops. Prior to joining Brach Eichler, Mia worked as a Law Clerk for the Hon. Donald A. Kessler, J.S.C. in the New Jersey Superior Court, Family Division. This is Stollen’s first year as a New Jersey Rising Star. She is a resident of Millington, NJ.

Ella M. Yusim is an Associate in the Trusts and Estates Practice. Yusim handles estate administration matters and drafts a variety of trust and estate documents including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, and trust amendments and modifications, among others. Ella also led the firm’s pro bono veterans initiative, assisting veterans with estate planning issues. Additionally, Yusim served as a judicial clerk for The Honorable Margarita Lopez Torres in Kings County Surrogate’s Court and held a post-graduate legal fellowship with the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. This is Yusim’s first year as a New Jersey Rising Star. She resides in Livingston, NJ.

About Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual patented selections process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.

About Brach Eichler LLC

Brach Eichler LLC, is a full-service law firm based in Roseland, NJ. With over 80 attorneys, the firm is focused in these practice areas: Healthcare Law; Real Estate; Litigation; Trusts and Estates; Corporate Transactions & Financial Services; Personal Injury; Criminal Defense and Government Investigations; Labor and Employment; Environmental and Land Use; Family Law; Patent, Intellectual Property & Information Technology; Real Estate Tax Appeals; Tax; and Cannabis Law. Brach Eichler and its attorneys have been recognized by clients and peers alike in The Best Lawyers in America©, Chambers USA, and New Jersey Super Lawyers.