Four New Lawyers: Motley Rice responds to growing litigation trends

Four New Lawyers Join One of the Nation's Largest Plaintiffs' Law Firms

Motley Rice announces continued growth in its securities, consumer fraud, occupational disease and toxic tort practice areas to help meet increasing client needs with the hire of four new lawyers Kristen M. Hermiz, Michael J. Pendell, Lisa M. Saltzburg, and Robert M. Zabb.

Hermiz, a 2010 graduate of Rogers Williams University School of Law, litigates on behalf of individuals and families suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases caused by asbestos exposure in the workplace, environment or home. With a background in civil rights litigation and constitutional law, she was a Roger Williams Scholarship recipient, CALI Award winner and member of the The Roger Williams University Law Review prior to joining the legal profession.

Pendell, a 2007graduate of Albany Law School, litigates on behalf of individuals and institutional clients in complex securities and consumer fraud litigation, shareholder derivative suits and numerous other consumer and commercial cases. Pendell has previous experience in several diverse areas of the law, including commercial litigation, and has been recognized for his oral advocacy and writing skills as member of such organizations as The Order of the Barristers and the Gold Key Honor Society. 

Saltzburg, a 2006 graduate of Stanford Law School, represents individual and institutional clients in merger and acquisition cases, shareholder derivative suits and consumer and commercial litigation. A former judicial clerk for the Honorable Karen J. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, she adds strong research and writing skills, as well as experience in constitutional and environmental law. Saltzburg additionally served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review and as an executive editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal while in law school.

Zabb joins Motley Rice with more than 20 years of securities and consumer fraud litigation experience and graduate degrees in accounting, finance and taxation. His background in both federal and state securities class actions, 10(b) lawsuits, employment litigation and tax law comes from years of fighting on behalf of the investing public. He has served as lead or co-lead counsel in several large securities class actions and has also handled high-stakes litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court, representing two large insurers seeking contribution and authoring the prevailing Supreme Court brief.

Hermiz and Saltzburg work in the firm's Mt. Pleasant, S.C., office. Pendell is based in Hartford, Conn., and Zabb is based in Los Angeles.