Highspire Environmental Lawyers

Mark Wendaur serves as counsel in the firm’s Business Law & Transactions practice group. Mark maintains a broad corporate and transactional practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions, commercial agreements, corporate governance, venture capital transactions, and corporate restructurings. He also represents clients in commercial real estate and energy matters, including transactions, financing, land use, and zoning issues. Mark represents clients of all sizes, including individuals, closely held companies, investor groups, publicly traded companies, and government entities. He regularly provides strategic business counseling to these clients to help them achieve their goals and business objectives. Prior to joining Offit Kurman, Mark owned and operated...

David Cedar is the co-founder of Williams Cedar and prior founding member of the Cedar Law Firm, Merovitz & Cedar, L.L.P. and Merovitz, Cedar and Gruber., L.L.C. He is a graduate of Rutgers State University, School of Law, Camden (1992). He is admitted to practice in the bars of Pennsylvania (1993) and New Jersey (1992), along with various district courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. David Cedar was appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney (2001) a honor awarded to less than 1% of all attorneys...

David J. Brooman has more than three decades experience in zoning and land use development, as well as environmental law. His background includes negotiating creative solutions in complex land use and environmental disputes, during project development and litigation. He has also counseled public and private companies, developers and lenders, and municipal governments on the business risks and economic impacts of federal, state and local land use and environmental regulations. Brooman is well-versed in crisis management and controversial land uses.

Brooman’s engagements include serving as special environmental and land use counsel to a Pennsylvania municipality in its acquisition and redevelopment of a...

Rich Sokorai is a Partner at High Swartz LLP. Rich concentrates his practice in trials, appeals and related advice on behalf of business entities, municipalities and individuals in municipal, commercial, and tort matters. Significant cases that Rich has handled include disputes over control of closely held corporations, franchise disputes, claims for breach of fiduciary duty for both non-profit and for profit corporations, construction disputes, ordinance validity challenges, and large tort cases.

Rich has tried cases in state courts, federal courts and boards of view, as well as administrative courts such as the Environmental Hearing Board and the Public Utility Commission. He...

Stephen Zaffuto concentrates his practice on real estate law, environmental law, and business and commercial law. He has extensive experience with commercial and residential tax assessment appeals, real estate title opinions, easement agreements, and environmental compliance issues. Stephen has also counseled small businesses and start-ups on various matters, including business formation, trademark issues, and fundraising.

Prior to joining High Swartz in 2018, Stephen was an associate at Tucker Arensberg in Pittsburgh. He has an interest in entrepreneurship and startup culture, and is himself a co-founder of a custom menswear brand, ModaMatters, based out of Philadelphia.

Attorney Andrew Sacks received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Grinnell College and his Juris Doctorate from Dickinson School of Law. He began his legal career practicing personal injury law in Philadelphia. Later, he began administrating legal service plans for large labor unions, servicing a collective membership of over 50,000 members and their families.

In 1994, Mr. Sacks purchased his employer's assets and launched Sacks Weston, LLC. The firm handles personal injury, medical malpractice, maritime matters, and significant efforts were devoted to toxic tort and environmental contamination litigation.

Sacks Weston, LLC pioneered N.O.R.M. litigation, which resulted in the largest, single-landowner verdict in...

Rated among the top three tax practices in Philadelphia for 2024 by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jared practices business, corporate, and tax law. Jared focuses his practice on all manner of corporate transactions and matters, including formations, liquidations, mergers, negotiating commercial agreements, non-profit entity and S Corporation compliance, and more. He particularly enjoys helping start-up clients navigate legal hurdles. Aside from general corporate expertise, his niche specialty lies in transactional tax matters, and includes tax structuring and analysis attendant to corporate transactions as well as advising clients on tax considerations in connection with debt financing, choice of entity questions, and M&A....

Brian received his bachelor's degree in political science from Rutgers University College Camden where he graduated summa cum laude, earning the Jack Marvin Weiner award and the Armitage award for highest overall grade average. He graduated from Rutgers School of Law Camden in 2008. While in law school he performed pro bono work for the Community Dispute Resolution Pro Bono Mediation Project and completed a pro bono research project for a local maritime non-profit. Brian has over twenty years experience as a licensed mariner and over fifteen years in marine management positions, including Port Captain. He has extensive experience in...

Ms. Friedman joined Williams Cedar as their newest associate immediately after graduating from Rutgers Law School with honors in May 2017. During law school, she received the Deans Academic Excellence Award, the Rutgers Alumni Scholarship, and the Deborah Michael Richards Memorial Family Law Scholarship. Due to her remarkable research and writing skills, Ms. Friedman was also selected to serve as a legal research and writing teaching assistant for first-year law students.

Before joining Williams Cedar as an associate, she worked as a paralegal for the Cedar Law Firm and was an integral part of the firm’s daily operations. She worked closely...

As one of the partners and co-founders of Williams Cedar, Gerald Williams concentrates on environmental toxic tort cases, whistleblower claims, and civil rights violations, as well as complex personal injury cases. His impressive legal career spans thirty-five years during which time he has practiced law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where he earned some of the highest honors in the legal community. After graduating from Temple University School of Law in 1982, he was an associate at a Philadelphia law firm before starting his own practice in 1983. He has received the “AV Preeminent” rating, the highest rating given, from...

Co-Founder, Shareholder and Department leader of major suburban-Philadelphia law firm with emphasis on skilled and passionate representation, client responsiveness and productivity, community involvement and dedication to high standards of ethical conduct. I have personally represented individuals and non-profit organizations, government and businesses that range in size and complexity from closely held to Fortune 500, in business and real estate transactions, land use entitlements, environmental and regulatory approvals and litigation.

Adjunct Professor of Law, Real Estate Transactions, Temple University Beasley School of Law

Education

LLM, Taxation, Temple University School of Law, 1986

JD, Temple University School...

Beth Cole is a litigator specializing in personal injury, auto accident cases, civil rights, dram shop, liquor liability cases, “lemon law” claims, consumer protection and pharmaceutical litigation. She also has significant experience with — and interest in – veterans issues, including assisting those disabled due to Agent Orange exposure.

“Not a lot of firms do civil rights work because it’s very difficult. Everyone deserves a voice, to be treated with respect, and to have the protection of the Constitution. “

Ms. Cole has been recognized for her civil rights work. Cole and two Williams Cuker Berezofsky colleagues, Gerald Williams and...