Joe Kernen Named DLA Piper Managing Partner in Philadelphia; Nancy Rappaport Litigation Chair
DLA Piper announced that Joe Kernen has been named managing partner of the firm’s Philadelphia’s office and Nancy Rappaport chair of the office Litigation practice. Kernen succeeds Carl Buchholz, and Rappaport succeeds Kernen in the litigation role.
Buchholz, who passed away on May 23, 2016, served as office managing partner since 2014. He led the office through significant expansion and substantially raised its profile locally and regionally, while championing its deep commitment to pro bono service focused particularly on veterans, seniors and education. The Philadelphia office is currently comprised of more than 100 employees, including approximately 55 lawyers.
In a release, the firm said:
Kernen, who joined DLA Piper legacy firm Piper and Marbury as an associate months after it opened its Philadelphia office in 1992, maintains a diverse litigation practice with an emphasis on commercial disputes and class action matters for international, national and local clients. He also regularly counsels and defends companies in employment matters. In his previous role as office litigation practice group leader and hiring partner, he was integrally involved in the office’s recent expansion.
Rappaport focuses her practice on product liability and mass tort litigation, including the defense of multinational manufacturers in catastrophic injury cases arising from the use of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment, agricultural and construction equipment, and exposure to asbestos and chemicals. She also acts as national counsel for various manufacturers, litigates cases in state and federal courts nationwide, and counsels clients in preparing manuals and warranties for new products.
