Gordon & Rees has expanded its presence on the East Coast with the addition of an office located in Westchester, New York. Donald Derrico will serve as the Westchester office Managing Partner for the firm. This is Gordon & Rees’s third office to open in New York, joining existing offices in New York City and Long Island.
Joining Derrico in the new office are partner Allyson Avila, of counsel Julie Leonard, senior counsels Lorraine Girolamo and Amy Curley, and associate Joseph Verga. All join the firm from Wilson Elser.
“Don is a top-flight trial attorney with a stellar national reputation who, along with his outstanding team, will further enhance our ability to service firm clients in the Northeast and beyond. We are thrilled to welcome these highly talented practitioners to our platform,” said firmwide managing partner Dion N. Cominos.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to join the national platform of Gordon & Rees,” Derrico said. “I look forward to helping the firm grow its presence in New York.”
Derrico has built a reputation for trying challenging and complex legal matters involving New York Labor Law, commercial disputes, premises liability and security, product liability, auto liability, real estate disputes, civil rights matters, and complex matrimonial actions. Derrico is often called upon on the eve of trial to take over the file. He and his team of seasoned litigators have had numerous successful outcomes.
Avila combines litigation skills and business acumen to provide a full spectrum of services for physicians and other health care practitioners and regularly represents practices in the growing industry of aesthetic medicine and medical spa formation.
Gordon & Rees’s expansion across the country is part of its long-term plan to open offices in strategic locations of importance to clients. Since 2000, Gordon & Rees has nearly tripled in size, adding nearly 30 offices, and has a major office in eight of the 10 largest cities in the United States. In 2015 alone, Gordon & Rees opened four new offices: Harrisburg, Penn.; Boston, Mass.; Columbus, Oh.; and Wheeling, W.V. This is the firm’s first office opening in 2016.
Among the fastest-growing law firms in the country, Gordon & Rees is a national litigation and business transactions firm with more than 650 lawyers and 38 offices in 24 states. In 2015, The National Law Journal ranked the firm 83rd on its list of the largest U.S. firms and The American Lawyer ranked the firm at No. 126 on the Am Law 200 and at No. 21 on its Diversity Scorecard. Founded in 1974, Gordon & Rees has been honored as a “Go-To Law Firm” for Fortune 500 companies.