Board of Advisers

Judge Smith has the longest tenure of all Article III judges within the Third Circuit who are in active service, and he is the only judge in the history of the Circuit to have served as both a chief district judge and chief circuit judge.

Judge Smith has served by appointment of the Chief Justice of the United States on the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) Space and Facilities Committee, concluding a three-year term as chair on September 30, 2016. In the 1990s, he served on the JCUS Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules.

Prior to his elevation to the Third Circuit, Judge Smith was the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He joined the District Court in 1988.

While on the federal bench, he has participated in various rule of law programs for the judiciary in a number of Eastern European Countries. Judge Smith also serves as an adjunct professor at Penn State Law, where he teaches a seminar on class actions. In 2016, the law school presented Judge Smith its first “Leadership Award,” and, in 2017, Penn State presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the University’s highest alumni honor.

Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Smith was a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Blair County, Pennsylvania; District Attorney of Blair County, Pennsylvania; and the managing partner in the law firm of Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier, Halpern and Smith. He resides in Altoona, PA, with his wife of 40 years, Karen.

He serves as the national leader of BakerHostetler's Tax-Exempt Organizations and Charitable Giving practice.

Ed’s experience includes the legal and administrative specialties required to establish and successfully guide the operations of charitable and educational organizations, healthcare institutions, and trade associations. He advises families, family offices, and their professionals with respect to the tax- efficient accumulation, management, and distribution of their personalwealth. His advice is often sought with respect to the governance and "best practices" of such organizations and the maintenance of their tax-exempt status, as well as the tax and practical aspects of contributions and other financial support programs. A significant aspect of Ed's practice involves the application of the tax laws to family and business financial arrangements, including the preparation of related documents to conserve and transfer wealth, the administration of such arrangements, and the representation of clients before legislative, judicial and regulatory branches of government at all levels.

For his entire professional career, Ed has lectured throughout the United States and has written extensively, including articles and speeches for the American Law Institute and the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He frequently chairs continuing education programs for private wealth professionals and has been an adjunct tax professor at the Georgetown University Law Center for 30 years, where he currently teaches and coordinates a graduate-level certificate program in Advanced Estate and Charitable Planning.

As General Counsel, Michael is responsible for coordinating and supervising the provision of legal coverage for all of UBS's businesses in the Americas, working with authorities and regulators to help navigate the firm through industry changes and helping our businesses achieve their strategic goals. He is a member of the Legal Executive Committee as well as the Americas Executive Committee and the WMA Executive Committee.

Before joining UBS, Mike worked at Barclays in a number of roles including General Counsel, Americas and, prior to that, Global General Counsel of Barclays Global Investors. Before joining Barclays, he spent more than ten years at Goldman Sachs holding various positions in New York, London and Hong Kong, including General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (Asia) and Global General Counsel of the Investment Banking Division.

A graduate of the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University and with a JD from New York University School of Law, Michael first worked as a Corporate Finance and M&A associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York.

Paul’s legal experience has been focused on matters relating to investment management including mutual funds, investment advisers, retirement investing, corporate governance and charitable investing. Prior to his role at Morgan Stanley, Paul was General Counsel at the ICMA Retirement Corporation in Washington, DC, a firm that provides investment management services to state and local government retirement plans. Paul spent the first twelve years of his career as Principal and Assistant General Counsel of The Vanguard Group of Investment Companies in Valley Forge, PA.

Paul is a 1984 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law and holds a BA in History from Penn State (1981).

Judge Gibson graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science degree, and, in 1975, he received his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law. While in law school, he was an editor of the Dickinson Law Review. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in June 1970 and, following completion of airborne and ranger training, he served as an armor officer until 1975 and as a JAG officer until 1978. Following his release from active duty, he continued to serve in the United States Army Reserve and, in 1996, retired as a Colonel, JAG, USAR. In 1991, he and his JAG Detachment were activated during the first Gulf War.

From 1978 to 1997, Judge Gibson practiced law as a sole practitioner in Somerset, Pennsylvania. During that time, he served as a public defender, attorney for Children and Youth Services, solicitor for a school district and various municipalities, and as solicitor for Somerset County. He was elected to the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas in 1997. During his time on the common pleas bench, he was instrumental in establishing Victim Impact Panels and a Juvenile Drug Court—the second such court in Pennsylvania at that time.

President George W. Bush appointed Judge Gibson to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on September 23, 2003. Judge Gibson is an adjunct instructor at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and a member of the Board of Counselors for the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. In 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Gibson as a member of the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM) of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Judge Gibson is the former co-chairman of the Flight 93 Task Force. Composed of members from all over the United States, this group was tasked by Congress to establish both a national memorial to the passengers and crew of Flight 93 and a national park at the site where Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.

Experience:

• Successfully managed Cooper v. Goldfarb, the longest running patent interference in U.S. history. This 18-year conflict involved three appearances before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI), and two appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit).
• Successfully represented the University of Iowa before the BPAI and the Federal Circuit in an interference proceeding involving the use of polynucleotides to treat allergy by selectively stimulating the immune system. The Federal Circuit decision made new law regarding the statutory deadline within which an applicant may provoke an interference with a patent. 
• Successfully represented MIT in two patent interferences before the BPAI with respect to methods for detecting genetic defects.
• Briefed and argued three litigation related appeals to the Federal Circuit, one being the seminal case of Vitronics Corporation v. Concentronic, Inc.
• Briefed and argued three ex parte appeals to the Federal Circuit, one being In re Sullivan, overturning a board decision of obviousness.
• Participated in five patent infringement trials, three of which were jury trials.

Activities:

• American Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
• Boston Bar Association
• Boston Patent Law Association

Michelle specializes in the area of Regulatory Compliance and, as a member of Turner’s Ethics and Compliance Office, advises all of Turner’s businesses on various aspects of federal regulatory compliance, including FCC, export control/OFAC, FCPA and state corporate law compliance. In addition, she collaborates with Turner’s other compliance officers to advise on matters such as conflicts of interest and compliance with Turner’s standards of business conduct, to conduct internal investigations, and to design training and awareness programs for Turner’s 10,000+ employee population. Prior to joining Turner, Michelle spent 7 years at renowned global law firm Jones Day, where she focused on corporate and securities law. In addition to her substantive work, Michelle is active in the Turner Legal Department’s community outreach programs, including the Street Law and Scott Elementary School programs, each of which targets disadvantaged youth.

Michelle is a cum laude graduate of Duke University, where she earned a BA in English and Political Science with a minor in Classical Studies, and a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where she was an editor of the Dickinson Law Review and a member of the Woolsack Honor Society. In her leisure time, Michelle enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and two children.

She also has experience with the Lanham Act, Sherman Antitrust Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Freedom of Information Act, and the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law. Recently, she served on a team that successfully secured a preliminary injunction for a number of non-profit entities against the federal government and on a team that successfully defended against significantly valued breach of contract claims. Alison is experienced at handling various stages of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, motions, and appeals. She serves on the Firm's e-Discovery Committee.

Alison coordinates the Pro Se Pro Bono ADR Program for the Western District of Pennsylvania, matching pro se litigants with pro bono counsel for ADR purposes. In addition, she is active in the Firm's pro bono efforts before trial and appellate courts. She successfully argued an immigration appeal before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, litigated a landlord tenant action before the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, and assisted a client in reaching settlement as part of the Pro Se Pro Bono ADR Program. She is active in the community, serving on the board of directors for Hosanna House, Inc. and the Penn State Law Board of Counselors.

Alison is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Allegheny County Bar Association.

Kelly manages a caseload of approximately 250-300 cases at any given time, primarily consisting of felony and misdemeanor violations of The Controlled Substances Act, including Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Possession with Intent to Deliver, Acquisition by Fraud, Drug Delivery Resulting in Death, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, among others. She also handles various other types of criminal offenses as assigned, up to and including criminal homicide. Kelly is a 2010 graduate of Penn State Law. While at Penn State, she served as President of the Student Bar Association, as well as on the executive board for the Penn State Law Review. Kelly obtained her undergraduate degree from Juniata College. She resides in Harleysville, PA, with her husband Kent, also a 2010 graduate of Penn State Law, and their son, Jesse.

Steve has deep energy industry experience earned during nearly a dozen years of service as general counsel of Constellation Energy's power generation business and its multi-national nuclear joint ventures, preceded by several years in the energy practices of internationally recognized Washington D.C. law firms. Earlier in his career, he served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's corps.

Steve brings a keen business management understanding to his practice and clients, honed during his years at Constellation. During his tenure at Constellation, in addition to general counsel and company secretary roles, he served as president of a multi-national generation development company, senior vice president of generation strategy, chief compliance officer, and head of regulatory/legislative affairs. Prior to joining Constellation, Steve represented numerous merchant energy clients in project development, regional transmission organization formation, and FERC regulatory matters. During his active duty service, among other things, he defended the Department of the Navy in several high-profile civil proceedings in federal trial and appellate courts.

Representative Experience:

• Served as Acting GC and executive counsel to the Board and CEO, for Middle East Area state-owned corporation constructing four nuclear reactors in one of the world’s largest power generation projects.
• Negotiated and led the successful structuring, formation, regulatory approval, and governance implementation of several international joint ventures, which are now models for foreign investment in U.S. critical infrastructure assets.
• Led legal negotiations and implementation of the US$4.5 billion sale of 49.99% of a major U.S. nuclear business to a large foreign nuclear owner/operator, which included a US$2 billion liquidity facility (involving 12 separate generation asset sales agreements and approvals), debt restructuring, investor agreements, complex federal/state regulatory approvals, creative governance structures, and extensive change management.
• Led US$600 million transaction in the sale to a foreign company of 50% of a major U.S. new nuclear development business. Managed all ongoing legal activities of and support to the new joint venture, including project financing, engineering/procurement/construction contracts, foreign export credit agency/U.S. government loan guarantee processes, and major procurement.
• Led legal teams in the purchase and integration of three nuclear power plants/businesses.
• Identified and attained permanent US$12 million annual operating cost reductions through previously unutilized Federal Energy Regulatory Commission precedent.
• Led the integration teams and corporate turnover of a major U.S. nuclear generation business.

He also has extensive experience in counseling clients in risk mitigation and litigation preparedness.

Kevin also has extensive experience in counseling clients in risk mitigation and litigation preparedness, litigation, arbitration and other proceedings. Recent representations include the successful prosecution of an action on behalf of the beneficiary of a foreign grantor trust, the improper formation of which had compromised asset protections and exposed the beneficiaries. Recent representations include the successful prosecution of an and the successful defense of an accounting firm in a lengthy arbitration arising from the subprime market collapse, based on the panel's conclusion that the trustee failed to prove loss causation.

Over the course of his legal career, Kevin has spearheaded appeals in a number of state and federal jurisdictions, including appellate courts in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and South Dakota. He tried his first case to (successful) verdict less than one year into practice.

Kevin's litigation practice is enhanced by his extensive experience advising corporations and nonprofits on a variety of issues and matters of concern, including serving on the Penn State Law Board of Advisers.

The son of an Airborne paratrooper, Kevin proudly leads Serving Those Who Serve Others – the Philadelphia office's Signature Pro Bono Project, dedicated to providing legal services for America's veterans. He has partnered with clients on numerous initiatives and has been recognized for his extensive pro bono work, which includes representing veterans of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts in matters before the Department of Veterans Affairs, investigative work for the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions and representing an asylum seeker who escaped political persecution in his home country.

Kevin has also served as the Litigation Training Partner for the Philadelphia Office.

Curt structures, negotiates and manuscripts various specialized environmental contracts and insurance products, including cost cap, pollution legal liability and integrated environmental risk programs.

Areas of Concentration:

• Brownfield redevelopment
• Complex project
• Military base reuse
• Environmental risk and mitigation
• Environmental insurance products
• Real estate finance
• Professional & Community Involvement:
• Board Member, Penn State University, Dickinson School of Law,Board of Counselors Awards & Recognition
• Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law, 2012-2015
• Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, "Top Tier" Firm in Real Estate, 2013
• Listed, USA Guide, 2005-2006, 2008-2013
• Team Member, a Law 360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2011 and 2012
• Member, Winning Team, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2010

Education:

• J.D., The Dickinson School of Law
  • Member, Dickinson Law Review
  • Member, Appellate Moot Court Board
• B.S., Political Science and Communications/Rhetoric, University of Pittsburgh, 1989

Prior to joining the Board, Judge Ward served as Deputy General Counsel for the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In that capacity, she led a staff of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel providing legal advice across a wide array of NOAA programs that manage the nation’s commercial and recreational fisheries and protect at-risk marine species and their habitat. That work included the timely resolution of significant legal issues relevant to NOAA’s mission in over 200 rulemaking actions annually, as well as providing critical litigation support to the Justice Department in a docket that, on average, included approximately 100 pending federal court cases. During her tenure at NOAA, Judge Ward was recognized twice for her work with the Commerce Department Gold Medal, the Department’s highest award.

Prior to joining NOAA in 2004, Judge Ward served as trial attorney, Assistant Chief, and ultimately as Deputy Chief in the Justice Department’s Environmental Defense Section, where she litigated on behalf of EPA and other federal agencies in both federal district and appellate courts. That litigation included defending rules issued and other actions taken by EPA under federal pollution control laws, representing the United States against claims of responsibility for costs to cleanup polluted sites, defending against claims challenging federal agency compliance with federal and state pollution control laws, and prosecuting violations of the Clean Water Act. Before joining the Justice Department in 1987, Judge Ward was an associate with the Environmental Department of Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen in Philadelphia, PA.  Judge Ward earned her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and Bachelor of Science Degree in Mineral Economics with Highest Honors from the Pennsylvania State University.