Drinker Biddle Celebrates New Partner Class Reflecting Firm’s Ongoing Commitment to Gender Equity

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is pleased to announce the election of nine new partners, representing four of the firm’s offices and six practices.

“Our new partners have demonstrated excellence in their respective practice areas, an instinct for leadership, and above all, a commitment to their clients. They form a best-and-brightest partnership class whose collective talent and passion bode well for our firm,” said Drinker Biddle Chairman and CEO Andrew C. Kassner.

“These nine partners distinguish themselves—and Drinker Biddle—in another important way,” added Kassner. “They are a diverse group that has taken multiple paths toward partnership. We are proud of our history of promoting diverse partner classes, and feel our nine new partners reflect important demographic and social changes occurring within the legal industry.”

The 2019 partnership class comprises five women and four men, one of whom is African-American. Eight of our new partners are parents, and six of those partners became first-time parents while at Drinker Biddle. Seven of the eight took family leave to spend time with their children; four have used the firm’s part-time work policies and two still do. Of the 41 lawyers promoted to partner at Drinker Biddle over the past five years, 46 percent are women; in three of the past five years, more than 50 percent of newly promoted partners are women.

The firm’s commitment to flexible work arrangements and diversity starts at the top and extends through the ranks. In 2018, Drinker Biddle achieved an industry milestone with the election of seven new managing partners resulting in a Governing Board of 50 percent women. The firm’s Executive Leadership Team also is 50 percent women.

The following are the nine accomplished attorneys who exemplify Drinker Biddle’s culture and commitment to excellent client service and whose recognition as partners is richly deserved:

Christopher P. Bruenjes (Washington, D.C.) is an experienced patent litigation attorney representing clients in the industrial chemical, pharmaceutical, large hygiene product manufacturer, and medical device industries, among others.

Aggeliki Delimaris (Philadelphia) advises public and private clients on corporate and securities matters, including capital-raising transactions, and public company boards of directors on a range of routine and extraordinary corporate governance matters.

Molly E. Flynn (Philadelphia) focuses her practice on the defense of major pharmaceutical and medical device companies in complex litigation and serves as local and national counsel in litigation for these clients. She has significant experience litigating for and defending against claims for statutory attorneys’ fees.

Levi J. Giovanetto (Chicago) represents corporate and individual clients facing government inquiries, conducts internal investigations and handles complex commercial litigation. He is a contributor to the firm's SEC Law Perspectives Blog, which provides reports, discussions, and analyses on trends in enforcement and regulatory activity of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies.

Monica A. Novak (Philadelphia) advises clients on a wide range of employee benefits matters. She routinely counsels clients regarding the design, implementation and administration of benefit plans to ensure consistency with plan terms and compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA requirements, and the requirements under Health Care Reform.

Lee Roach (Washington, D.C.) has helped multiple clients secure merger clearance from federal regulators and has defended against merger challenges brought by antitrust regulators in federal court. He also has defended clients’ interests in lawsuits alleging price fixing and other anticompetitive conduct.

Zoë K. Wilhelm (Los Angeles) has a diverse litigation practice with a focus on class actions, accounting and valuation litigation, and general business disputes. She has a deep understanding of complex financial issues, including those related to allocations, the valuation of pass-through entities, and discount rates.

David L. Williams (Chicago) counsels multi-series and multi-class funds and their boards, money market funds, exchange-traded funds, multi-manager funds, and investment advisers. David also represents and advises sponsors of unregistered investment funds organized in the United States and offshore. He provides advice regarding the organization and structure of both managers and funds. David is an active member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Nicole C. Wixted (Philadelphia) advises and represents life insurers, property & casualty insurers, and brokerage general agencies on a broad range of issues, including the secondary market for life insurance, premium financing, and market conduct and compliance.