Data Privacy and Security Pro Among Three Local Attorneys Joining McNees’ Growing Pittsburgh Office
August 1, 2022
Press Releases
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — (Aug. 1, 2022) McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC today announced the addition of three experienced local attorneys to its growing Pittsburgh office — including a leading privacy law attorney who is also counsel to the regional public transit agency, a longtime construction and litigation attorney and an intellectual property attorney — bolstering the firm’s already strong western Pennsylvania team and enhancing client services.
Sandy Brian Garfinkel represents a wide range of public and commercial clients and is an authority on privacy and data security law. Garfinkel is the former chair of Eckert Seamans’ Data Security & Privacy practice and joins McNees as co-chair of the firm’s Privacy & Data Security Group. He also serves as board solicitor and primary outside legal counsel for Pittsburgh Regional Transit, formerly known as the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and 26th largest in the United States.
“Sandy is one of the premier legal minds in Pittsburgh,” McNees Chair Brian Jackson said. “He is a well-known leader in privacy and data security and has a knowledge and love for Allegheny County that we deeply admire. His addition brings immediate value to our clients, both in Pittsburgh and across the nation.”
Timothy Berkebile joined the firm’s Construction & Procurement Law, Litigation and Real Estate teams and Donald J. McKay is a member of the Intellectual Property Law and Patent Groups.
“With Sandy, Tim and Don joining our team, our clients have access to a wider range of legal services,” Jackson said. “Their knowledge and experiences complement our existing team of attorneys and staff exceptionally well, and their longstanding reputations in the community as thought leaders will serve our clients’ comprehensive needs in the region.”
Since McNees opened its Pittsburgh office in December 2021, it has been committed to broadening its western Pennsylvania legal offerings and business services to help clients achieve their goals. The firm has since moved its office to One Oxford Centre to accommodate planned growth, created two leadership positions to support its expanding bench of legal talent and launched a human resource management consultancy to serve the increasingly complex HR needs of its clients.
About Sandy Garfinkel
Garfinkel comes to McNees from Eckert Seamans, where he practiced for 26 years.
In addition to his work with Pittsburgh Regional Transit and representing a diverse set of public and private sector clients, Garfinkel founded and led Eckert Seamans’ Data Security & Privacy Group. He has handled more than 200 data breach response matters and counseled clients in virtually every industry regarding compliance with consumer privacy laws.
A nationally regarded authority on data security and privacy matters, Garfinkel regularly speaks at industry conferences and appears in numerous publications. He has more than a decade of experience counseling clients on laws relating to the collection, use and protection of personal information; mitigating risks and reducing exposure to the loss, theft or exposure of personal data; and managing all stages of data breach issues.
Garfinkel earned his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law and bachelor’s degree from Emory University.
“Data security and privacy are increasingly important issues for companies and organizations of all sizes to understand and take seriously,” Garfinkel said. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues across the firm to help clients protect not just themselves, but also their customers and their stakeholders. And I’m thrilled to be joining McNees as the firm is strategically building a team for the future.”
This is a reunion of sorts for Garfinkel and Berkebile, as both were longtime colleagues at Eckert Seamans.
About Timothy Berkebile
Berkebile was most recently at Metz Lewis Brodman Must O’Keefe LLC in Pittsburgh but had previously spent 14 years at Eckert Seamans. He is a construction attorney and commercial litigator with nearly two decades of experience counseling clients — including owners, lenders, contractors and subcontractors, material suppliers and design professionals — in diverse industries and sectors.
Berkebile joins McNees’ strong and growing team of construction, procurement, real estate and litigation attorneys in Pittsburgh and across the region. He earned his juris doctorate from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Miss., and his bachelor’s in Economics from Penn State University.
“While the McNees name may still seem new in the Pittsburgh market, the firm’s attorneys are well-known in the field of construction, procurement and real estate law,” Berkebile said. “I’m excited to join such a distinguished and well-regarded team and believe my services will dovetail well with McNees’ current client offerings.”
About Donald J. McKay
McKay brings a wealth of intellectual property law experience to McNees. Prior to joining the firm, he founded a boutique business and intellectual property firm based in Pittsburgh that delivered individualized legal solutions for patent, trademark, contract and business matters.
He manages the patent and trademark portfolios of some of Western Pennsylvania’s fastest growing companies and has successfully helped businesses and corporations avoid regulatory and compliance issues, litigation and other problems. McKay earned his law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law and bachelor’s in Chemistry from Duquesne University.
“The Pittsburgh region is rich with innovative, forward thinking companies, and it is critically important that those companies protect their intellectual property,” McKay said. “At McNees, I have the unique opportunity to strengthen my practice serving trademark, patent and business clients while also working collaboratively with my McNees colleagues to offer a more comprehensive set of legal solutions to clients in my community.”
With these new additions, McNees’ western Pennsylvania team has grown to 11 attorneys. Garfinkel and McKay are the first attorneys in their respective groups to be based in the McNees Pittsburgh office.
McNees now offers a range of legal services from its Pittsburgh office, including construction, procurement and real estate law; corporate and tax law; intellectual property and patent law; labor and employment law; litigation; and mergers and acquisitions. The firm also offers dozens of additional legal services and a suite of business solutions to clients from across its network of offices.
Current and prospective clients may contact the McNees Pittsburgh office at 412-227-2500. For more information on the firm’s Pittsburgh practice and attorneys, visit mcneeslaw.com.
###
McNees is a full-service law firm with more than 140 attorneys representing corporations, associations, institutions and individuals. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Devon, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Scranton, State College and York, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Frederick, Md.; and Washington, D.C. McNees is also a member of the ALFA International Global Legal Network.
