Wiley Rein Announces Five New Partners and Two New Of Counsel

December 31, 2008

Wiley Rein is pleased to announce the election of five new partners and two new of counsel to the firm, effective January 1, 2009.  Joining the partnership are Cara Tseng Duffield, Daniel P. Graham, Nicole J. Owren-Wiest, Jessica N. Rosenthal and Robert J. Scheffel.  Promoted to of counsel are Robert D. Benton and Dylan G. Trache. 

"As the firm begins its next quarter-century, these appointments are reflective of our continued growth and diversity," commented Managing Partner Richard E. Wiley.  "This group of outstanding individuals has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the firm and its clients, and we congratulate each of them on this well-deserved accomplishment."

The Firm's Newest Partners:

Cara Tseng Duffield, formerly an associate in the Insurance Practice, represents professional liability insurers nationwide in coverage, bad faith and rescission litigation at the trial and appellate levels.  Ms. Duffield, who served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Nancy F. Atlas of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, graduated cum laude from The University of Chicago Law School.  She belongs to the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).

Daniel P. Graham, formerly an associate in the firm's Government Contracts Practice, represents contractors in bid protests and contract disputes with the federal government and other contractors.  He also counsels contractors on claims preparation, compliance with ethics and procurement integrity laws, procurement fraud investigations, and suspension/debarment proceedings.  Mr. Graham served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable D. Brooks Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and to the Honorable Christine Odell Cook Miller of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  He received his law degree from Marshall-Wythe School of Law, The College of William & Mary, where he was articles editor of the William & Mary Law Review.  He is Co-Chair of the Contract Claims and Disputes Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Public Contract Law, and is an editor of the Public Contracts Law Journal.

Nicole J. Owren-Wiest, formerly an associate in the Government Contracts Practice, counsels and represents government contractors on a broad range of legal matters, including bid protests, audits and cost allowability issues, data rights and intellectual property issues, internal investigations, subcontracting, teaming agreements, claims preparation and negotiation, contract disputes, terminations, suspension/debarment and export controls.  Ms. Owren-Wiest co-chairs the Accounting, Cost & Pricing Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Public Contract Law, and serves as an editor of The Procurement Lawyer, the section's quarterly newsletter.  She is a graduate of Willamette University College of Law, where she was the Symposium Editor of the Willamette Law Review.

Jessica N. Rosenthal handles transactional work, with a focus on broadcast transactions.  Formerly of counsel in the firm's Business & Finance and Communications practices, she has signed and closed hundreds of acquisitions and sales of radio and television stations for clients ranging from small broadcasters to global media companies.  Ms. Rosenthal graduated with honors from The George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics.

Robert J. Scheffel, most recently of counsel in the firm's Intellectual Property Practice, has experience in patent, trademark and copyright litigation, prosecution and counseling, with an emphasis on chemical and pharmaceutical technologies.  Mr. Scheffel is a chair of the Attorney-Client Privilege Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Pretrial Practice Committee.  Most recently he was actively involved in several patent infringement cases, three of which resulted in grants of summary judgment in favor of Wiley Rein clients.  He received his J.D. from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, and subsequently served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  Mr. Scheffel also has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

The Firm's Newest Of Counsel:

Robert D. Benton, formerly an associate, practices with the firm's Business & Finance, International Telecommunications and Environment & Safety groups and has particular experience in private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, satellite industry transactions, solid waste industry transactions and general corporate law, including U.S. securities laws and regulation of investment entities.  He has recently served as lead counsel to an international provider of solid waste disposal services in their debt and equity financings and a purchaser of satellites in complex acquisition and private equity and debt financing transactions involving parties in the U.S., Russia, Hong Kong, England, Cayman Islands and Bermuda.  Mr. Benton received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Dylan G. Trache, a member of the firm's Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Practice, advises and counsels clients in a range of matters, including corporate reorganizations, creditor's rights, litigation, government contracts, intellectual property and aviation.  Mr. Trache, who is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification of the American Bar Association, graduated with honors from The George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of The George Washington International Law Review.  He is resident in the firm's Northern Virginia office.