Riker Danzig is pleased to announce that it has elected seven new capital partners and two new salary partners, and appointed three new counsel, effective January 1, 2024. Diane N. Hickey and Lauren N. Spitser have been elected salary partner. Sarah Heba-Escobar, Michael S. Kettler and Robert P. Vacchiano have been promoted to counsel. Jeffrey A. Beer Jr., Jeffrey M. Beyer, Rebecca A. Borgese, Ryan Lee O’Neill, Hunt S. Ricker, Jorge A. Sanchez, and Wendi Opper Uzar have all been elevated to capital partner.
Firm Managing Partner Michael P. O’Mullan said, “We are delighted to promote these outstanding attorneys and individuals, recognizing their exceptional legal skills and strong commitment to our clients. It is especially gratifying that we are advancing a diverse group of future leaders in a wide variety of practice areas, including six women, 50% of our promotions. We are proud that our women attorneys serve in leadership roles across the Firm, starting at the top with our Firm Co-chair Kelly Crawford. As a full-service law firm, we are keenly attuned to developing the next generation, with their unique backgrounds and perspectives, who will be prepared to build on our legacy across multiple practices and sectors.”
Riker Danzig’s newly elected salary partners are:
Diane N. Hickey is a Partner in the Firm’s Government Affairs and Public Utilities Groups. Her practice focuses on all aspects of municipal law and land development regulation. Diane regularly counsels public and private clients in matters involving compliance with the complex statutory and regulatory scheme governing public entities in New Jersey. In addition, she advises private clients on every phase of the development process and has assisted developers in obtaining land development and transportation approvals as well as other development related permitting. In that capacity, Diane appears frequently before municipal land use boards and State administrative agencies and has handled appeals of land use decisions and contested administrative agency actions.
Diane earned her law degree from Rutgers Law School – Newark in 2009, where she served as Notes and Comments Editor of the Women’s Rights Law Reporter. She earned her undergraduate degree with highest honors from Rutgers College, Rutgers University in 2006 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta, and Pi Sigma Alpha, as well as an Eagleton Institute of Politics undergraduate associate.
Lauren N. Spitser is a Partner in the Firm’s Trusts & Estates Group. She focuses her practice on all aspects of estate planning, estate administration, and related tax issues. Lauren works closely with clients to develop and implement sophisticated domestic and international tax and estate plans and lifetime gifting programs. In addition, she has significant experience administering estates and trusts. Lauren’s practice also extends to probate litigation, for which she provides advice in connection with various estate planning and tax issues that arise in the probate litigation context.
Lauren received her J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School in 2006. She graduated in 1999 from Lafayette College, cum laude, with a B.A. in Economics and Business/Art.
Appointed to Counsel are:
Sarah Heba-Escobar is Counsel in the Firm’s Commercial Litigation Group, focusing her practice on complex contractual claims, business torts, corporate and partnership disputes, corporate governance, noncompetition issues, and professional malpractice. Sarah was installed as the Northern Regional Trustee for the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association in 2023.
Sarah earned her law degree from Hofstra University’s Maurice Deane School of Law in 2015. She received her B.A. in English from Rutgers University in 2011. Following law school, she was a Law Clerk for the Honorable Travis L. Francis, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County.
Michael S. Kettler is Counsel in the Firm’s Environmental Law Group. Mike represents national and multinational corporations, public utilities, developers, and small businesses in both litigated and transactional matters. He advises clients regarding the numerous regulatory obligations of federal and state environmental law, and regularly guides clients through the complex and ever-changing requirements of the New Jersey site remediation program.
Mike earned his law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 2012, where he served on the editorial board of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Robert P. Vacchiano is Counsel in the Firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Group and Cyber Security & Data Privacy Group. Rob represents insurers and reinsurers in a broad range of complex insurance matters. He also works with the Firm’s Cyber Security & Data Privacy Group assisting businesses with legal issues relating to cyber insurance, cyberattacks, ransomware, data breaches, and other privacy and security-related matters.
Rob graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University School of Law in 2011. He earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 2008, cum laude.
Elevated to capital partner are the following:
Jeffrey A. Beer Jr. is a Partner in the Firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Group and Class Action Group. He represents clients in a variety of insurance-related areas, including insurance coverage litigation, as well as class actions and other complex commercial litigation. He is an experienced litigator, appearing regularly before both trial and appellate courts. Jeff is Co-chair of the Firm’s Hiring Committee.
Jeff received his law degree, cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law in 2014, where he served as a member of the Fordham University Urban Law Journal, Fordham Dispute Resolution Society, and Fordham Moot Court International Law Team, for which he was a Jessup Competition Regional Best Advocate. He graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in Communication from Rutgers University.
Jeffrey M. Beyer practices in Riker Danzig’s Insurance and Litigation groups. Jeff focuses his practice on insurance coverage litigation and counseling, as well as complex commercial litigation and insurance defense matters involving personal and premises liability. He practices in the state and federal courts of both New Jersey and New York. Jeff has significant experience in both first-party and third-party insurance coverage disputes involving property and casualty, general liability and various other types of insurance coverages. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, cum laude, and earned his A.B. from Dartmouth College.
Rebecca A. Borgese is a partner in Riker Danzig’s Securities Litigation, Arbitration, Regulation and Investigations Group. Her broad yet specialized practice focuses on arbitration, litigation, mediation and regulatory compliance arising out of the financial services industry. She represents broker-dealers, investment advisors, and registered representatives in the defense of sales practice disputes involving federal and state securities laws and regulations. Rebecca also regularly counsels clients on the resolution of pre-litigation investment-related disputes and internal investigations. In addition, Rebecca represents financial institutions in connection with examinations, subpoenas, and investigations by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Before joining Riker Danzig, Rebecca worked in the Securities Practice Group for a large New York law firm and as Assistant General Counsel for UBS Financial Services Inc. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2011. Rebecca graduated from New York University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics.
Ryan Lee O’Neill is a Partner in Riker Danzig’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group. Her practice focuses on criminal defense, corporate and government investigations, state administrative proceedings, and complex civil litigation.
Ryan rejoined the Firm in 2022 after serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Criminal Division, where she supervised complex criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions involving a range of matters, including large-scale healthcare fraud schemes, corporate misconduct, tax, civil, and regulatory offenses, and qui tam whistleblower actions. Ryan most recently served in the Office’s Healthcare Fraud Unit. Her prior positions included roles in the Office’s Opioids Abuse Prevention & Enforcement Unit and the Public Protection Unit, where she handled cases involving drug diversion, violent crimes, and child sex offenses. She is Co-chair of the Firm’s Hiring Committee.
Ryan received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2010. She received a B.S. in Business Management from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 2007.
Hunt S. Ricker is a partner in the Firm’s Securities Litigation, Arbitration, Regulation and Investigations Group. He has extensive experience representing broker-dealers and their employees in a multifaceted range of matters unique to the securities industry. Hunt routinely litigates before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) throughout the country and in both the state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York. His practice is focused on representing financial institutions and their employees in a variety of employment disputes and intra-industry claims, including raiding, anti-competition, misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information, as well as enforcement of non-compete and non-solicitation covenants. Hunt has recovered millions of dollars for broker-dealers in employment-related matters primarily arising from breaches of employment agreements. He also has substantial experience in defending financial institutions against sales practice claims alleging violations of SEC/FINRA Rules and in connection with investigations opened by federal and state regulatory authorities.
In addition to his securities practice, Hunt routinely handles complex business and commercial disputes, and he also devotes a portion of his practice to securities regulation and litigation relating to cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and blockchain technology. Hunt earned his J.D. from New York Law School in 2010, and his B.A. from the College of Charleston in 2006.
Jorge A. Sanchez is a Partner in Riker Danzig’s Commercial Litigation Group. His practice includes a variety of commercial litigation cases, with an emphasis on banking litigation and title insurance claims. He regularly handles title disputes, including claims and litigations involving mortgage fraud, forgery, mortgage priority disputes, boundary line disputes, and quiet title and ejectment claims, lender liability claims, and commercial foreclosures.
Jorge is Co-chair of the Firm’s Diversity Committee, and serves as a Trustee of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey and the Morris County Bar Foundation.
Jorge received his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, cum laude, in 2010. He was the Senior Notes Editor and Associate Editor of the Rutgers Law Record and a member of the Order of the Coif. Sanchez received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Rutgers University in 2005.
Wendi Opper Uzar is a partner in Riker Danzig’s Intellectual Property Group. Wendi, who is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, focuses on obtaining, protecting and enforcing the intellectual property rights of her clients, which includes patents, trademarks and copyrights. She has extensive experience in prosecution, licensing and litigation concerning patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Wendi has handled numerous litigations before the federal courts and Opposition and Cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also represents clients when transferring intellectual property rights through the sale of a business, merger or license agreement and the associated due diligence and opinion work. She provides opinions relating to patentability, infringement, freedom to operate and trademark clearance to clients in industries including software, consumer goods, electronics, entertainment, fashion, luxury goods, furniture, merchandising, beauty, mobile applications, jewelry, fabric design, and more.
Wendi received her J.D. degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2005 with a concentration in Intellectual Property Law, where she was Patent Chair of the Intellectual Property Society. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in Saint Louis in 2002.
