MEYER DARRAGH ATTORNEYS NAMED  PENNSYLVANIA RISING STARS

Pittsburgh, PA —  Attorneys Paul R. Robinson and Constantine J. “Dean” Passodelis, partners in the law firm of Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck, P.L.L.C., were recently named Rising Stars for 2006 in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine.

Law & Politics magazine, which publishes Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and the Rising Stars edition, uses a three-step selection process to decide upon the lawyers who will receive the distinction of “Rising Stars.” Initially, ballots are mailed to the most recently selected Super Lawyers (the top five percent of lawyers in the state based on the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers selection process) where they are asked to vote for the best attorneys either age 40 and under or who have been in practice ten or fewer years. The next step involves a research team and a review of the credentials of the Rising Stars candidates and the assignment of points based on their evaluation criteria. After adding up points from the research process and the balloting process, the top approximately 2.5 percent are chosen as Rising Stars.

“It comes as no surprise to those of us who work side-by-side with these outstanding attorneys that they would be labeled Rising Stars,” said Marie Milie Jones, the firm’s managing attorney. “We’ve all known for quite some time that they are not only skilled and dedicated practitioners, but topnotch colleagues, and we proudly congratulate them on their inclusion in this elite group.”

A graduate of the New England School of Law, Mr. Robinson is recognized for his aggressive, determined, and skilled defense of clients with legal issues ranging from trucking litigation, product liability, and commercial disputes to insurance coverage and liability claims. Mr. Robinson chairs the firm’s transportation and product liability practice groups, and is a member of the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, the West Virginia State Bar, and various defense organizations. Mr. Robinson practices extensively throughout western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Mr. Passodelis obtained his degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and has developed a strong, focused litigation practice for several valued clients on a regional and national level. His clientele includes health care entities such as clinical laboratories, global medical device manufacturers, integrated dialysis providers, hospitals, and physicians. He also actively represents clients engaged in the business of employee relocation, time share management, and commercial and residential real estate management and sales. He chairs Meyer Darragh’s professional liability practice group and is a member of the firm’s executive and compensation committees. Mr. Passodelis, whose legal practice regularly takes him beyond the borders of Pennsylvania, is also a member of a number of bar associations, and is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Meyer Darragh, a 35-attorney firm headquartered in the U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh, also maintains branch offices in Greensburg, Altoona, and Cranberry Township Pennsylvania. The firm practices in a variety of fields including litigation defense, employment law, municipal law, professional liability, and motor vehicle and criminal defense.