Our founding partner, the late Daniel Ryan, Esquire, was a well-known and highly respected trial lawyer who personally tried in excess of three hundred jury trials in an illustrious career spanning nearly six decades. All of our attorneys are proud to have learned under and benefited from his mentoring and tutelage and take pride in continuing his legacy as the consummate trial lawyer.  While he represented almost every major insurance company in the country, he also handled cases on behalf of catastrophically injured persons. He was a Judge Pro Tempore in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. His extensive background and the tremendous respect he enjoyed in the legal community afforded him the opportunity to act as a mediator and neutral arbitrator in catastrophic injury cases, roles which the remaining members of our firm have since assumed. Mr. Ryan chaired various state bar committees and was president of several leading national defense oriented litigation groups. He served as the President and Chairman of the Board of the Defense Research Institute, a national organization of approximately 10,000 trial lawyers and over 600 corporations, which is dedicated to enlarging the knowledge and improving the skills of corporate and insurance defense counsel. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and International Society of Barristers. Mr. Ryan was an active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (President, Pennsylvania Chapter, 1989), International Association of Defense Counsel (served as a faculty member of the Insurance Counsel Trial Academy, 1978), the Academy of Advocacy; and the Maritime Law Association of the United States. Mr. Ryan has served as Chairman of the Council of the Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (1973-74); a Member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association (1975-78); President of the Association of Insurance Attorneys (1968); and President of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (1983). He was continuously named in the publication The Best Lawyers in America (Seaview/Putnam & Co., 1983, Woodward White 1977-99) in the field of civil litigation.

He was active as an Adjunct Professor of Law in the Temple University School of Law Program leading to an LLM in Trial Advocacy. Mr. Ryan was a 1947 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy of Kings Point. He was a retired Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserve. He graduated with honors from Temple University Law School. At Temple, he served on the Law Review and as President of the Student Bar Association.  His colleagues at the firm honor his memory and legacy to the profession by putting into daily practice the methods and manner taught to them by this extraordinary trial lawyer.

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John R Brown, Esquire is a 1979 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University who earned a B.A. in History with honors. He received his J.D. in 1984 from the Delaware Law School of Widener University where he graduated cum laude, was Managing Editor of the Law Review, a member of the school's nationally ranked moot court competition team, and the recipient of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association's Outstanding Advocacy Award. He served as a clerk for the late Honorable Robert S. Gawthrop, Judge of the Chester County Court of Common Pleas and United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Brown concentrates his practice in matters regarding torts and commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis in products liability and transportation litigation. He has prepared hundreds of cases for litigation, tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts, and has successfully resolved many appeals before both state and federal appellate courts, including the preparation of briefs and presentation of oral argument. He has presented numerous legal educational seminars for insurance claims representatives and attorneys on a variety of trial and post-trial issues raised in tort litigation.

Mr. Brown is admitted to practice in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit United States Court of Appeals. He is a prime member for the Philadelphia area of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, a national organization of casualty litigators. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute. He serves on both the Pennsylvania State Procedural Rules and Arbitration Subcommittees of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and is a certified arbitrator in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

Mr. Brown is also a former radio and television broadcaster who has used this experience in that field to provide legal consulting services to entertainment professionals, particularly in the area of employment contract issues. He continues to work with broadcasters on a regular basis. He also has served as a legal commentator and consultant for news programs on Philadelphia area TV and Radio, including WCAU-TV (NBC-l0) and KYW News Radio 1060.

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brown@ryanbrown.com

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berger@ryanbrown.com

Mr. Gibbons concentrates his arbitration and trial practice in the area of insurance casualty litigation, representing several major national insurers, self-insureds, and third-party administrators. He has presented industry lectures on several insurance-related issues, such as bad faith, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, and verbal threshold or limited tort concepts under New Jersey and Pennsylvania law. He has also served as a panel member at several Pennsylvania Bar Institute Continuing Legal Education seminars on various topics, including evidence issues, selection of expert witnesses, and civil procedure. He also has an active appellate practice, preparing briefs and participating in oral argument before the Pennsylvania appellate courts. Mr. Gibbons is experienced in product liability, motor vehicle, and premises liability litigation. He is a member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, a national organization of defense casualty litigators. His trial experience includes cases throughout the state, federal and administrative courts in Pennsylvania. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Montgomery County (PA), United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Middle District. Mr. Gibbons is the Chair of the Montgomery County bar association Insurance Committee and a member of the Bench-Bar, Trial Lawyers and the Judiciary Committees. He operates his practice from a suburban satellite office in Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County, PA and has an active civil trial practice throughout the Eastern half of Pennsylvania. He has extensive trial experience and has successfully tried cases to verdict in multiple venues throughout Pennsylvania.

Mr. Gibbons is also an Adjunct Professor at The Drexel University School Of Law, currently teaching Interview, Counseling and Negotiation.

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gibbons@ryanbrown.com

Alessandra D. Berger, Esquire graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. She pursued a law degree and graduated from Temple University School of Law in 1998 where she distinguished herself by earning the Barrister Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy in Trial Advocacy.

Ms. Berger has a solid range of experience as an attorney which includes products and premises liability, commercial motor vehicle claims, automobile negligence, insurance coverage, subrogation matters and general liability claims.

She is a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of New Jersey and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. She is a certified arbitrator in Philadelphia County.

Ms. Berger is fluent in Italian.

Lynda concentrates her practice in the areas of elder law, wills and estates, as well as motor vehicle and premises liability claims.

She is admitted to the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of New Jersey and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Lynda is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia Estate Planning Council, and Saint Joseph's University Law Alumni Association.

Amy N. Gampico, Esquire graduated from Widener University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a minor degree in Spanish.  During college, Amy was a member of the English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta and served as an Academic Mentor.  Following college, Amy attended Widener University Law School where she received her Juris Doctorate in 2001.  Since 2001, Amy has been practicing insurance defense law with an emphasis on litigation. 

gampico@ryanbrown.com

Brian Patrick Lawlor, Esquire is a 1978 graduate of St. Joseph’s College who earned a B.A. in English. He earned a J.D. in 1987 from the University of San Diego and began his practice in insurance defense litigation in commercial, construction, motor vehicle and legal malpractice matters in California State and Federal Courts at the firm of Flahaven, Hudson and Francis in Los Angeles. Mr. Lawlor returned to the Philadelphia area and worked with the law firms of William Tobolsky & Associates and Delany & O’Brien handling litigation in bankruptcy, commercial, construction, domestic relations, environmental and workers compensation throughout State and Federal Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. Lawlor spent 5 years as a Senior Counsel with the Philadelphia Housing Authority supervising and selecting outside counsel in the handling of commercial and personal injury litigation in addition to other duties related to Risk Management. More Recently, Mr. Lawlor practiced mass tort, premises and motor vehicle litigation with the firm of Jack Emas & Associates throughout the State and Federal Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. Lawlor has personally handled all phases of litigation including arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences and jury/bench trials in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Lawlor is admitted to practice in California, Hawaii, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and before the United District Courts in the Central and Southern Districts of California, District of Hawaii, District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Josiah Knapp, Esquire graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1984, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Justice.  Joe received his J.D. in 1990 from Rutgers University School of Law – Camden.  During the first year following law school, Joe clerked for The Honorable John A. Fratto, J.S.C. in the New Jersey Superior Court, Camden Vicinage.  Thereafter, Joe became an associate and later a partner at the law firm of Tomar, Simonoff, Adourian, O'Brien, Kaplan, Jacoby and Graziano in Haddonfield, New Jersey.  While at the 60 lawyer general practice Tomar Law Firm, Joe handled both transactional matters and complex litigation. Joe's transactional and litigation practice included issues focusing on real estate, contracts, commercial loans, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, insurance coverage, environmental law, construction, and bankruptcy.  Joe's real estate experience includes real property purchase and sales, development approvals, governmental incentives, construction, leasing and workouts. 

In 1999, Joe joined NFI Industries as a Vice President and General Counsel, charged with creating a legal department for the national $750 million dollar transportation, warehousing, logistics and real estate company.  In 2005, Joe became a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NFI Industries.  While at NFI as its General Counsel, Joe directed all legal department aspects of transactional and litigation matters for the entire 5,000 employee organization. This included performing transactions involving customer contracts, commercial loan agreements, software licensing agreements, mergers/acquisitions, bankruptcies, labor and employment matters, real estate purchase/sale agreements, leases, development, and construction issues and agreements. Litigation matters dealt with  employment/discrimination, auto/general liability, insurance, contract, commercial loan, bankruptcy, collection, construction and real estate matters.  Joe also interacted with federal, state, county, and municipal agencies nationwide on regulatory, labor, and land-use matters.  In 2007, Joe was promoted to President and COO of the real estate operating company of NFI Industries, NFI Real Estate. 

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