Erik R. Anderson

Profile

Litigator Erik R. Anderson’s practice focuses on navigating companies and professionals in sensitive and complex governmental and commercial litigation, white collar government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, attorney ethics defense and professional licensing prosecutions. Clients who engage Erik often find themselves confronted by the intense glare of professional, political, reputational or media scrutiny.

Government Services and Appellate Law
Erik has represented clients at the nexus of government, law and public policy for nearly two decades. With that, he has represented elected and appointed officials — from both sides of the aisle — from each branch of Pennsylvania state government, each Chamber of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the General Assembly itself in civil, appellate, criminal or administrative proceedings. He also has significant experience briefing and arguing constitutional issues before state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Commercial Disputes and Litigation
Erik represents plaintiffs and defendants in various disputes in federal and state courts and arbitration forums. He has helped clients avoid the cost and risks of courtroom battles by achieving highly favorable pre-suit and pretrial outcomes and has handled matters involving:

• Breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract
• Corporate governance
• Defamation
• Employment
• Energy litigation
• Fraud
• Intellectual property
• Lanham Act
• Partnership disputes
• Restrictive covenants
• Trade secrets
• Unfair trade practices

White Collar Defense, Public Corruption and Investigations
Erik defends businesses and individuals in white collar government investigations, regulatory enforcement proceedings, federal and state grand jury investigations, and trials. His white-collar representations have included high-profile public corruption cases and several confidential matters where charges were avoided. Erik is regularly called on to conduct sensitive internal investigations for law firms, businesses, government agencies and religious institutions.

Professional Licensing and Ethics Defense
He brings experience providing counsel to attorneys and law firms, responding to ethics inquiries and defending against prosecutions brought by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In addition, Erik defends judges before the Judicial Conduct Board. He advises on various ethics issues, including conflicts of interest, attorney misconduct, fees, firm organization, unauthorized practice of law and defending and prosecuting disqualification actions.

Previous Experience
Before entering private practice, Erik spent nearly a decade in government service, first as a Deputy Chief Counsel with the Pennsylvania General Assembly and then as a Deputy Attorney General with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General (OAG). As Agency Counsel for the OAG, he served as chief in-house counsel and represented the office in labor and employment litigation matters. He also conducted internal investigations into misconduct allegations by law enforcement agents and prosecutors in collaboration with the Office of Professional Responsibility.

Before joining McNees, Erik was a commercial litigator at Post & Schell, P.C., where his practice was concentrated on complex commercial, governmental, and employment litigation; attorney and law firm defense; government investigations; and internal investigations. He also was the lead attorney in the Harrisburg office of Myers, Brier & Kelly, LLP.

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• February 15, 2023 — “The Formalities & Ethics of Billing,” Dauphin County Bar Association CLE
• August 18, 2021 —”Avoiding Legal Malpractice: Identifying Actions You Can Take to More Effectively Manage Your Risks,” Dauphin County Bar Association CLE Webinar
• May 19, 2021 —”‘Up the Ladder’ Reporting: Counsel’s Ethical Obligations for Addressing Potential Misconduct by Executive-Level Managers,” West LegalEdcenter CLE Webinar
• April 2019 —”Fourth Amendment Search & Seizure,” Widener Commonwealth Law Review Symposium
• October 2017 —”Medical Cannabis Educational Summit,” Dauphin County Bar Association
• May 2017 — “When Friendship Turns to Peril – Ethical Guidelines of Relations and Contacts with the Judiciary,” Dauphin County Bar Association
• 2016 — “The Civil Administrative Consequences of Criminal Actions: Complexity, Curtailment, and Convictions,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI)