Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, a full-service business law firm with offices throughout New York, announced that four of the firm’s partners in Rochester and Buffalo have been named “Lawyer of the Year” in their practice area by The Best Lawyers in America© 2019.
Christopher M. Potash was honored as the Rochester “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Tax Law. A member of Harter Secrest & Emery’s tax law and employee benefits and executive compensation practice groups, Potash represents both public and private companies, from closely held businesses to Fortune 100 companies. He has broad-based experience advising clients in tax, corporate, securities and other laws and regulations affecting executive compensation, and he is the head of the firm’s executive compensation practice. Potash was previously honored by Best Lawyers® as “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Tax Law for 2017 and in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law for 2016. Earlier this year, Potash was named to the Law360 Tax Editorial Advisory Board.
Brian B. Shaw, leader of Harter Secrest & Emery’s Intellectual Property practice, was honored as the Rochester “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Litigation – Patent. He has expertise in a wide range of matters relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Shaw maintains a diversified practice including computer law; mechanical intellectual property, including sealing technologies, heat transfer, photocopying, and sheet-cutting technologies; biomedical technology, including immunoassay evanescent wave guide technology and blood-flow sensing and measuring; new media law; and international intellectual property. He is a member of the International Trademark Association, and a member and past president of the Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association.
Robert C. Weissflach was honored as the Buffalo “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Employment Law – Management. A member of Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment practice group, Weissflach has extensive experience in federal and state court litigation, as well as administrative proceedings, involving labor and employment matters on behalf of public and private employers. His experience includes jury trials in both federal and state court, as well as appellate practice at all levels of the federal and state court systems. He also provides day-to-day advice to employers concerning their employment policies, procedures, and practices. Weissflach was previously honored by Best Lawyers® as “Lawyer of the Year” in the areas of Litigation – Labor and Employment (2015 and 2017) and Labor Law – Management (2013 and 2018). He is AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Richard T. Yarmel was honored as the Rochester “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Health Care Law. The leader of the firm’s Health Care practice, Yarmel provides counsel to health care providers on a broad spectrum of medical/legal and regulatory issues. He works with clients on strategic planning, Certificate of Need applications, federal (OIG and DOJ), state (MFCU and OMIG) and joint commission audits and investigations, Medicare and Medicaid voluntary self-disclosures, corporate compliance, corporate integrity agreements, fraud and abuse, electronic health information exchanges, HIPAA, residency training program accreditation, patient-related issues, medical staff issues, professional licensure and misconduct, psychiatric commitment issues, discharge planning and guardianships, among other matters. Yarmel is an active participant in several Health Care panels and organizations, including the New York State Bar Association Health Law Section, the Legal Services Committee for LeadingAge NY, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Rochester Regional Chapter board of directors, and the Continuing Developmental Services, Inc. board of directors.
Best Lawyers® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys provided more than 6.7 million detailed evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Inclusion in Best Lawyers® is considered a singular honor. The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.