In Further Expansion of Litigation, Corporate, Construction Law, and Employment & Labor Practices, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. Welcomes 4 New Attorneys
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. announces an expansion of its Litigation, Corporate, Construction Law, and Employment & Labor practices with the addition of partners Daniel Guadalupe, Deanna Koestel, Keith D. McDonald, and Oren Chaplin. All four attorneys will join as partners on April 1, 2021 in the firm’s Hackensack office, with Daniel Guadalupe and Deanna Koestel joining as co-chairs of the firm’s Construction Law practice. All four attorneys previously worked at Norris McLaughlin, P.A.
“We welcome Dan, Deanna, Keith, and Oren to our practice, and are excited to have them as part of our team,” said Pashman Stein Managing Partner Michael S. Stein. “Bringing on lawyers of this caliber and sophistication will strengthen our already formidable litigation bench and increase our range in corporate, construction, and employment matters. Building on our existing construction litigation practice, we are thrilled to have Dan and Deanna lead and expand our Construction Law practice group, which is another sign of the firm’s strategic growth in services. And as we continue to expand our client offerings, deepening our corporate bench with the addition of Oren is a tremendous asset to our clients and firm. We look forward to him helping to lead and grow our Corporate practice. Keith McDonald will be an invaluable resource to our clients and the firm. He bolsters our strong bench of seasoned litigators and employment lawyers.”
“This growth follows recent additions to our Litigation, Cannabis, ADR, and Health Care practices and supports and enhances our capabilities for providing comprehensive legal services for our clients,” added Stein.
Daniel R. Guadaluperepresents clients in commercial litigation and “outside” general counsel assistance with a specialty in construction, manufacturing and distribution, business disputes, medical device companies, professional liability, franchise law, arbitrations and mediations, and international matters. He served as the co-chair of the Litigation Department at Norris McLaughlin. He is a trusted, reliable advisor to many business owners and companies. Guadalupe is a former President of the New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association and former General Counsel to two consecutive presidents of the Hispanic National Bar Association. He is a former member of the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the U.S. District Court and served on two U.S. Magistrate selection committees.
Guadalupe is counsel to two major pharmaceutical companies, a national dairy products manufacturer, and a global chocolate products manufacturer. He also has been counsel to the Newark Housing Authority, the City of Perth Amboy, and the Perth Amboy Business Improvement District. He has handled and supervised litigation and transactional matters in Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico.
Early on in his career, Guadalupe wrote the winning trial and appellate briefs for former Governor Tom Kean in an election dispute and received a letter commendation from the Governor after the New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed the lower courts’ decisions. In 2011, Governor Christie appointed Guadalupe to serve on the Governor’s advisory and policy center for Hispanic affairs in New Jersey.
Guadalupe is on the exclusive roster of arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association. He formerly served as an International Chamber of Commerce Arbitrator and as an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University School of Law.
In addition, Guadalupe served on the Board of Trustees for GlassRoots, Inc., a Newark non-profit that provides opportunities and a nurturing environment for underserved, at-risk youth, ages 10-18, to achieve self-esteem through creative expression, while also learning basic business skills and valuable life lessons. He was also a Board Trustee of CentraState Healthcare System. Recently Guadalupe was named one of the Mentors of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal.
Guadalupe earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A. from Columbia College. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Deanna L. Koestel concentrates her practice on commercial litigation, construction law, shareholder disputes, and general business law matters in New Jersey and New York. Koestel has represented clients in many different industries and has significant expertise representing clients in the construction, food and beverage, and healthcare industries and often acts as an “outside” general counsel to her clients. She has experience handling matters including breach of contract, fraud and consumer fraud actions, breach of fiduciary duty and other business disputes, product defect and liability, and professional negligence claims, and regularly assists clients with responses to non-party subpoenas. Koestel is experienced in all aspects of commercial litigation from commencement through trial, and has in-depth knowledge and experience advising clients regarding electronically stored information (“ESI” or “e-discovery”).
Koestel has significant experience handling all aspects of construction law. She routinely represents residential and commercial property and business owners, contractors and subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers with various construction contract issues including breach of contract, warranty actions, building supply defects, and professional liability disputes. She also handles construction lien and mechanic’s lien issues on behalf of owners and contractors alike. Koestel’s experience on the litigation side of construction matters has provided her with valuable insight that she uses for her clients’ benefit in drafting construction contracts that reduce her clients’ risks.
For 10 consecutive years, Koestel has been named a New Jersey Rising Star by the Business Litigation section of Super Lawyers. Koestel currently serves as a Board Member for the non-profit organization Girls on the Run NYC. She proudly served as Board President of that organization from 2015-2019. In 2013, the non-profit organization H.A.R.K. (Healthy Active Responsible Kids) honored Koestel as its Volunteer of the Year. She was also a founding board member of Girls on the Run of Central New Jersey.
Koestel earned her J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Maryland. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Keith D. McDonald concentrates his practice on commercial litigation, labor and employment law, and higher education law. In the area of commercial litigation, McDonald represents an array of clients in all phases of litigation in both state and federal court. He has recently litigated cases involving false advertising, product disparagement, restrictive covenants, and contract-related disputes. McDonald has developed an expertise in federal court practice and has substantial experience in handling emergent matters and dispositive motion practice. He has also litigated several matters through the trial and appeal stages.
McDonald’s labor and employment law practice focuses on the representation of employees and management in all aspects of employment law, with particular focus on litigating discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims. He regularly counsels employers and their human resource departments on a wide range of employment-related policies and procedures, with a particular focus on wage and hour compliance and employee leave and accommodation issues. McDonald also focuses his practice on negotiating employment contracts and separation agreements on behalf of corporate executives and other key employees.
In addition, McDonald represents several colleges and private primary and secondary schools in New Jersey and New York. He also provides outside legal counsel to clients in several other industries, including food and beverage, consumer products, hospitality, transportation, technology, and financial services.
McDonald earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from Muhlenberg College. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Oren M. Chaplin is a corporate and business law attorney whoacts as outside general counsel to businesses and business owners on legal, compliance, and contracting issues in both regular operations and special/extraordinary transactions and initiatives. His clients’ markets include medical, financial services, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, fashion, photography and the arts, manufacturing, higher education, and professional services, among others.
Chaplin assists clients with developing strategy, preventing liability and attaining business and individual objectives. He analyzes risks of commercial activities and helps clients with their decision-making process. He counsels clients in their life-cycle events from startup/formation, to growth, and ultimately to market exit, and his experience spans a wide range of commercial contexts including relationships among equity stakeholders, between business partners, and across unrelated co-venturers. These agreements supplement his general contracting and corporate experience, which includes: merger, acquisition, and business planning documents; entity formation, corporate governance, and due diligence matters; operating and shareholder agreements; supply and distribution agreements; referral, services, consulting, employment, and termination agreements; and other documents and instruments.
Chaplin earned his J.D. from New England Law - Boston and his B.A. from the University of Delaware. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and is a member of the American Bar Association. He has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of multiple not-for-profit organizations throughout the years and is an active participant in trade groups that are comprised of professional advisers to businesses.