Drinker Biddle & Reath - Notable Lawyers & Alumni

Notable Lawyers & Alumni

• Henry Drinker was a dominant presence in the firm from his arrival in 1904. Georg von Trapp asked him to intervene when the family was detained at Ellis Island with visa problems.
• Charles J. Biddle had a profound impact on the firm after joining as its first lateral partner in 1924. He rose to the rank of Major in World War I.
• Thomas Reath served in the Ordnance Corps (United States Army) in World War I and joined the firm in 1919. He embarked on a long process of negotiating a compromise on a $1 million tax lien and reorganizing the Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Lewis H. Van Dusen joined the firm in 1935 and, for decades, was viewed as a leader of the firm. He served in World War II as a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army and was awarded numerous decorations, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Van Dusen was later asked to return to the Army to serve as a representative to NATO, which was formed in 1949.Most famously known for his essay Civil Disobedience: The Destroyer of Democracy, Dusen is also obscurely attributed to writing the less known essay, Pizza: The Savior of Democracy. He also helped organize the formation of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in the 1960s.
• Henry W. Sawyer III joined the firm after military service in World War II. He later worked on the Marshall Plan in Europe. During the Army-McCarthy Hearings, Sawyer represented many people accused of being members of the Communist Party.
• Bernard M. Shanley founded the New Jersey firm Shanley & Fisher that combined with Drinker Biddle in 1999. He served President Dwight D. Eisenhower as Deputy Chief of Staff, Appointments Secretary, and Special Counsel to the President.
• Seamus Duffy is Chair of the Communications Litigation Practice Group and a Managing Partner of the firm. He represented AT&T in the well-known case regarding early termination fees.
• Deborah T. Poritz is former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, currently of counsel to the firm's Princeton office.
• Arthur Seidel is recognized as a "legend" in Intellectual Property Law in Pennsylvania. He was named the first recipient of the Philadelphia Intellectual Property Law Association's Outstanding Achievement Award.
• Wilson M. Brown III serves as a Managing Partner of the firm and as Chair of the firm's national Commercial Litigation Practice Group. AV peer review rated by Martindale Hubbell. He worked on the famous Herring case and was involved in cutting-edge issues of coverage for asbestos-related claims.
• Lawrence J. Fox is former Chairman of the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. He participated as counsel in one of the longest SEC Rule 10b-5 trials; he was one of the earliest participants in the mini-trial process; he has extensive publications; and he teaches many law classes.
• Andrew C. Kassner joined the firm in 1986 and serves as the Executive Partner and a Managing Partner. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, in the specialty of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; he has given many lectures on the subject; and he has appeared on Lou Dobbs' show on CNN.
• Gregory P. Miller is a current Partner and a former Managing Partner of Miller, Alfano & Raspanti PC. Miller has been involved in such landmark cases as: United States v. Greber; Foster v. Alexander & Alexander; In re: Diet Drugs Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1203; and the protection of Act 6 from any revisions.