Blank Rome Welcomes Honorable Judge Timothy K. Lewis and Brandy Ringer in Pittsburgh
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Timothy K. Lewis, former judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Brandy S. Ringer have joined the firm’s Pittsburgh office in the Corporate Litigation group as senior counsel and associate, respectively. The duo joins from Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis where Judge Lewis was co-chair of the firm’s alternative dispute resolution practice and former co-chair of the appellate practice.
Judge Lewis was appointed to both judicial positions by President George H. W. Bush. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Lewis served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania and as an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Judge Lewis and Brandy are the latest additions in a string of strategic hires. Nationally, Blank Rome has experienced significant growth across the firm’s offices and practice groups since the start of the year, welcoming more than 24 lateral partners to date and opening a Dallas office. Recently the Pittsburgh office welcomed Andrew P. Cross and Alexander J. Bell.
“We are honored to welcome Judge Lewis and Brandy to the firm,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Chair and Managing Partner. “Judge Lewis has had a remarkable career as a prosecutor, judge, private practitioner, and activist, and we are fortunate to have him join our ranks. Whether he is helping a trial team steer an appellate case, a client navigate mediation, or aiding a nonprofit in the pursuit of civil rights, Judge Lewis draws upon his decades of unmatched experience to reach sound and successful resolutions. He and Brandy will be tremendous additions to our national litigation team.”
Judge Lewis will advise domestic and international clients through arbitration, mediation, and other means of alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”). Additionally, Judge Lewis counsels lawyers, businesses, and individuals on appellate strategy for matters pending in state and federal appellate courts throughout the country. Judge Lewis also handles federal and state criminal cases and corporate investigations.
Brandy’s practice spans all aspects of general commercial litigation, including product liability, aviation law, contractual litigation, internal investigations, and appellate litigation. She has experience in all facets of litigation, including drafting pleadings, facilitating pre-trial discovery, taking plaintiff and fact witness depositions, drafting and arguing dispositive motions, and participating in trial preparation, trial, and settlement negotiations. She also has experience briefing appeals in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court; the Third Circuit; and the Ninth Circuit.
“We’re thrilled to have Judge Lewis and Brandy join our litigation team in Pittsburgh,” said Amy Joseph Coles, Partner and Co-Chair of Blank Rome’s Pittsburgh office. “Judge Lewis is a powerhouse figure in the Pennsylvania legal community and brings to Blank Rome expansive knowledge of state and federal courts as well as an impressive track record of successfully resolving disputes out of court.”
Roy W. Arnold, Partner and Co-Chair of the Pittsburgh office, added, “Since becoming co-chairs of the firm’s Pittsburgh office in January, Amy and I have been focused on the development and growth of the team here. We are very excited about the top-tier talent we have welcomed this year to serve clients, locally and nationally, and look forward to continued momentum in the months ahead. Judge Lewis and Brandy are highly skilled, service-oriented, collaborative attorneys and will be great fits with our office and firm culture.”
“While I’m absolutely thrilled to join Blank Rome, I must acknowledge that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Schnader, which gave Brandy and me an important platform to address professional matters and social issues of significance to our local communities and beyond,” added Judge Lewis. “I’m extremely excited to bring all my experience to the firm. I’ve worked with Blank Rome for years and many of the firm’s attorneys appeared before me when I sat on the bench. I am deeply impressed with the professionalism and experience of the firm’s lawyers, and I look forward to expanding my ADR and appellate counseling practices through Blank Rome’s national platform.”
While at Blank Rome, Judge Lewis will also dedicate time to pro bono and community investment initiatives focused on issues related to civil and human rights, as well as judicial independence and upholding the integrity of the judiciary throughout the country. For example, he sits on the board of directors and officers and serves as treasurer of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit.
Judge Lewis is an active participant in many organizations in and outside of the legal community, including the American Law Institute; the American Arbitration Association; the CPR-International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution; the Council on Criminal Justice; The Appellate Project; and the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness; among others. He has also served as an adjunct professor, faculty member, guest lecturer, moot court judge, and commencement speaker at various law schools, including the University of Pittsburgh, the Georgetown Law Center, Duquesne, Temple, and Harvard. He earned his J.D. from Duquesne University and his B.A. from Tufts University.
Brandy served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Christine L. Donohue at both the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Superior Court. As a judicial law clerk, Brandy worked on a wide array of matters and issues of first impression. She earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, magna cum laude.