Reed Smith LLP today announced the addition of James E. (Jim) DelBello and Matthew J. (Matt) Siembieda as partner and counsel, respectively, in the firm’s Complex Litigation Group (CLG) in Philadelphia. DelBello was most recently Head of Business Law and Compliance and Senior Vice President at Lincoln National Corporation. Siembieda joins Reed Smith from Morgan Lewis, where both he and DelBello (prior to his role at Lincoln National) practiced together for many years. These additions follow closely on that of Sam Cullari, who joined the firm’s Philadelphia office in April after having served as deputy general counsel at Comcast Corp.
“Jim and Matt are terrific additions to our complex litigation team,” said Peter M. Ellis, co-chair of Reed Smith’s Complex Litigation Group. “Their years of working together, blended with their unique individual experiences, is a powerful combination. Jim’s recent in-house role at Lincoln gives him timely insight into the challenges facing financial institutions, and Matt’s deep experience in representing major clients across a variety of ‘bet-the-company’ litigation forums enables him to skillfully strategize on behalf of our clients facing complex, multi-faceted issues.”
While at Morgan Lewis, DelBello developed a successful track record of handling and trying large, complex commercial and product liability cases. At Lincoln, he managed a team of more than 160 lawyers and other professionals, handling the company’s most important regulatory matters, including its response to the Department of Labor’s changes to the fiduciary rules under ERISA. Those changes, which were finalized in April 2016, require every bank, broker-dealer, financial consultant and financial advisor to review and revise their compensation policies and operational structures by the end of 2017.
Siembieda has more than 30 years of experience in complex commercial litigation. He has handled patent and trade secret matters, environmental issues, Options Clearing Corporation issues, commercial and securities fraud, insurance coverage, qui tam matters, taking claims, creditors’ and debtors’ rights, contract disputes, antitrust matters, major cartel matters, and merger litigation. He also defends clients accused of white collar crimes and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) violations. Siembieda has substantial trial experience (including more than 20 jury trials and well over 100 bench trials) and has successfully handled competition matters before the European Commission.
DelBello obtained his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and his B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Following law school, DelBello served as law clerk to Stephen J. McEwen, Jr., a former President Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Siembieda received his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A. from Canisius College. For two years before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Senior Judge William Hastie of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
“Our office continues to add some of the best – most experienced – talent in Philadelphia,” said Len Bernstein, Reed Smith’s Philadelphia office managing partner. “Jim and Matt are extremely well-respected here and we are honored to have them join us. Both our local – and global – clients will benefit immensely from their experience and practical knowledge of the litigation landscape.”
Reed Smith’s Complex Litigation Group (CLG) provides comprehensive solutions for clients facing litigation that is challenging and that frequently threatens their brand and ability to be competitive. This multi-disciplinary litigation group has a wealth of experience handling engagements of all sizes, from generalized commercial disputes to “bet-the-company” litigation. From trials and arbitrations to mediations and settlements, members of GLC advise leading multi-national corporations on developing and executing litigation and strategic resolution options in some of the most complex class actions, commercial litigations and mass torts in federal and state courts. CLG has approximately 250 lawyers in more than 14 offices across the Reed Smith global platform. CLG lawyers excel at designing and providing pragmatic legal, trial and resolution options – regardless of the phase of litigation in which our clients are involved. To that end, each litigation that we manage receives a tailored plan for efficient case management, financial control and ultimate resolution.
Source: www.reedsmith.com
