Jones Day is the most recognized law firm in the 2022 Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards
Jones Day received more recognitions than any other law firm in The Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards; additionally, Jones Day was again named a finalist for Law Firm of the Year after claiming that top distinction in 2021. Six individual lawyers in the Firm's Pittsburgh Office were also recognized. The Legal Intelligencer's Professional Excellence Awards annually honors law firms and lawyers in Pennsylvania who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession.
In all, the seven recognitions Jones Day earned were:
- Law Firm of the Year – Finalist (winner to be announced at awards program on June 29, 2022)
- Unsung Heroes – Laura Ellsworth and Kelly Locher
- Most Effective Dealmakers – Brian Trudgen
- Diversity Initiative – Zachary (Zach) Brecheisen
- Best Law Firm Mentors – Jane Borthwick Story
- Lawyers on the Fast Track – Joshua (Josh) Nightingale
Law Firm of the Year
Jones Day was named as a finalist for "Law Firm of the Year." The winner will be announced on June 29, 2022. The award, which Jones Day won in 2021, is given to the firm in Pennsylvania that has demonstrated talent depth and a broad spectrum of achievements in litigation, deals, mentorship, and associate development over the past year.
Unsung Heroes - Laura Ellsworth and Kelly Locher
Ms. Ellsworth is Jones Day's first Partner-in-Charge of Global Community Service Initiatives, spearheading the Firm's rule of law initiatives around the world. In her litigation practice, she has handled landmark public nuisance cases, multijurisdictional product liability matters, the largest health care bankruptcy of its time, and nationwide qui tam cases. She served on the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and, in 2013-2014, was co-chair of the Federal Judicial Selection Committee for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Ellsworth demonstrates global leadership as leader of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit https://eradicatehatesummit.org/, a project which arose from the 2018 killings at Tree of Life, the largest loss of life in an anti-Semitic crime in U.S. history.
Ms. Locher is an associate in the State Attorney General Enforcement, Investigations & Litigation Practice and focuses her practice on government investigations and enforcement actions. She has assisted clients in the educational, religious, and tax sectors in responding to government subpoenas, investigative demands, and inquiries from regulators. Ms. Locher serves as a coordinator for the Western District of Pennsylvania's Pro Se Pro Bono Mediation Program, which pairs pro se litigants with volunteer counsel. In addition, she assists victims of online child sexual exploitation in seeking criminal restitution.
Most Effective Dealmakers - Brian Trudgen
Mr. Trudgen is a partner in the Financial Markets Practice. He runs the Pittsburgh Office’s banking and finance group, handling complex financing transactions nationally and globally. He has been a trusted advisor to numerous regulated banks, debt funds, public companies, and private equity-backed companies for more than 20 years. He currently represents and leads transactions for, among others, PNC Bank, U.S. Steel, Coronado Global Resources, Graycliff Partners, and MassMutual. He is a member of the Firm's LIBOR Transition Working Group, ESG Working Group, and Opinion Committee. He is also a frequent presenter on ESG (environmental, social, and governance), electronic signature, capital markets, and secured lending matters at continuing legal education and client training programs.
Best Law Firm Mentors - Jane Borthwick Story
Ms. Story is a partner in the Government Regulation Practice and has counseled clients for more than a decade in state and federal environmental health and safety issues in the context of litigation, compliance counseling, and business transactions. Her active litigation practice includes representing clients in Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) cases, addressing issues such as the scope of arranger liability and the intricacies of cost recovery versus contribution claims. Her practice focuses on advising clients on a diverse range of environmental matters, including management of removal and remedial actions at Superfund sites, defending against federal and state enforcement actions for alleged violations of environmental law, and environmental reporting requirements and options for voluntary self-disclosure. She is the New Lawyers Group coordinator for Jones Day’s Pittsburgh Office, helping all new lawyers with substantive training sessions, serving as a central conduit for work assignments to balance work flow, creating opportunities for new lawyers to meet other lawyers at the Firm, and helping new lawyers determine the right practice group fit. Her mentees say she not only gives practical support for success, but also the emotional and mental support that reassures them so they can succeed.
Diversity Initiative – Zachary Brecheisen
Mr. Brecheisen is a partner in the M&A Practice who focuses on domestic and cross-border M&A as well as general corporate and transactional matters. He has experience representing public and private companies and private equity firms engaged in acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, and related commercial transactions. He also counsels clients on a variety of general corporate governance matters, including takeover defense and fiduciary duties. He has advised domestic and international clients in a broad range of industries, including energy, mining, manufacturing, heavy metals, cosmetics, and broadcast technology. He serves as a co-chair of the Firm's LGBTQ+ Affinity Group and is a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and has been honored a number of times by Penn State Law, his law school alma matter, and the Pennsylvania State University in connection with his volunteer and diversity and inclusion efforts. In 2021, Mr. Brecheisen founded the Lavender Law and Career Support Fund, a $25,000 program fund at Penn State Law that provides funding for LGBTQ+ students to participate in career development activities and conferences.
Lawyers on the Fast Track – Joshua Nightingale
Mr. Nightingale is a partner in Jones Day's Intellectual Property Practice. He represents leading domestic and international technology companies in high-stakes patent litigation. His litigation matters before U.S. district courts, the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the Federal Circuit have involved a variety of technologies across numerous industries. He is actively involved with the PTAB litigation group at Jones Day and has represented clients in more than 40 post-grant trials at PTAB. He represents clients as both petitioners and patent owners in inter partes review (IPR) and other contested proceedings before PTAB. Some of the world’s top technology companies such as Qualcomm Incorporated and NXP USA, Inc., rely on Mr. Nightingale for high-stakes litigations at the PTAB. Mr. Nightingale is president of the Pittsburgh IP Law Association and is also on the board of BEST Robotics, Inc., a nonprofit organization that holds robotics competitions for middle and high school students around the United States.
