ROBERT P. AVOLIO
email: rpa@avoliohanlon.com
Mr. Avolio received a B.A. degree from George Washington University with honors and a J.D. with honors from Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA. He is admitted to practice in the following states and jurisdictions:
- State of New Jersey
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- State of Florida
- State of New York
- District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida,
- United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Claims
- The United States Supreme Court
Mr. Avolio served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert Wilentz, Chief Justice of New Jersey Supreme Court. Special areas of practice include: Corporate and commercial litigation, business law, insurance and self-insured product and general liability defense litigation, mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Avolio is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney Board Certified by the Supreme Courts of New Jersey and Florida. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, New Jersey Defense Association, American Bar Association, New Jersey Bar Association, Mercer County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Bucks County Bar Association, Florida Bar Association, New York Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association.
PAUL R. SHEEHAN
email: prs@avoliohanlon.com
Mr. Sheehan received his B.F.A degree from Rhode Island School of Design, his M.F.A. from Temple University, and his J.D. from the James Beasley School of Law, Temple University in 2003. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey; the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; United States District Court, District of New Jersey; United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Pennsylvania State Bar Association, Mercer County Bar Association, and Bucks County Bar Association. He is also a Member of the Mercer County American Inn of Court.
Mr. Sheehan interned as a summer law clerk with the Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and, after serving a year as a staff editor, served on the Editorial Board of the Temple International & Comparative Law Journal in his capacity as Articles Editor. Before joining Avolio & Hanlon, P.C. in 2003, Mr. Sheehan was the Associate Director of Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA), a nonprofit legal service organization serving individual artists, authors, and cultural organizations in Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware. Today, PVLA is a program of, and provides its services through, Philadelphia’s Arts & Business Council. Mr. Sheehan was with PVLA nearly nine years.
His areas of practice include civil and commercial litigation, premises liability, business contracts, real estate, commercial law, copyright, trademark, and publishing.
CATHERINE BRENNAN RINALDI
email: cbr@avoliohanlon.com
Ms. Rinaldi received her BS from St. Joseph’s University in 1990, and her JD from Seton Hall Law School in 1994. She is admitted to practice law in New Jesrey, United District Court, District of New Jersey and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
During law school, Ms. Rinaldi was a member of the moot court board. After law school, Mr. Rinaldi clerked for the Honorable Donald G. Collester, J.S.C. (now a sitting Judge of the Appellate Division). She concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation, including construction, real estate, insurance, business and land use cases.
AMIE C. KALAC
email: ak@avoliohanlon.com
Ms. Kalac attended the London School of Economics and Political Science and Boston College where she received her BA. Ms. Kalac received her J.D. from Western New England College School of Law in 1998. She is admitted to practice law in New Jersey. She has been an environmental lawyer since 2000 and represents clients in environmental, land development and litigation matters. She assists clients in identifying applicable standards, assuring compliance, securing governmental approvals and protecting clients’ rights in environmental, land use and municipal matters. Ms. Kalac is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.
BARRY W. DEGROOT
email: bwd@avoliohanlon.com
Mr. DeGroot received his B.A. degree in Letters, Arts and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. Degree from The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University in 2001. Mr. DeGroot is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Bucks County Bar Association.
Mr. DeGroot’s areas of practice include litigation, commercial transactions, real estate related matters, land acquisitions, construction and contractor matters, business formations and general business issues. Mr. DeGroot also serves as an expert witness on issues relating to the standard of care of real estate brokers in real estate transactions.
TRACY L. MARKHAM
email: avhnfl@msn.com
Ms. Markham received her B.A. degree from Cornell University and her J.D. from Syracuse University in 1988, graduating summa cum laude. She has been a Clerk for the Honorable Thomas J. McAvoy, United States District Court, Northern District of New York and has been an Adjunct Professor at Cornell Law School.
Ms. Markham is licensed to practice in the States of New York and Florida, United States Federal Court for the Northern and Western District of New York, United States Federal Court Second Circuit Court of Appeals and United the States Federal Court for the Middle District of Flordia. Ms. Markham focuses her practice on wrongful death and personal injury claims.
Ms. Markham is a member of the New York State Bar Association, The Florida Bar, the St. Johns County Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
DAVID M.W. SETZLER
email: avhnfl@msn.com
Mr. Setzler received his B.A. degree from Florida State University, cum laude, in 1986, Phi Eta Sigma; and his J.D. degree from University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis in 1989 with honors in legal research. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1989, and in 1990 to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He was also admitted in 1990 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and in 1991, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. In 1995, Mr. Setzler was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
He is a member of the Jacksonville and St. Johns County Bar Associations, The Florida Bar and Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Mr. Setzler’s areas of practice focus on civil trial practice, personal injury, and wrongful death claims. He primarily practices out of the firm’s St. Augustine and Jacksonville offices with most clients located in St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Palatka, and Palm Coast, Florida.
LISA R. FRIEDMAN
email: attorneys@avoliohanlon.com
Ms. Friedman received a B.A. from Wilkes College and a J.D. from Villanova University of Law. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Ms. Friedman clerked for both the Honorable Oscar S. Bortner (Bucks County Court of Common Pleas) and the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and has drafted regulations for the State of New Jersey, Department of Insurance and Department of Law and Public Safety on taxation and environmental issues.
Her primary area of practice is wills and trusts.
CHARLES J. HANLON, JR., of Counsel
email: attorneys@avoliohanlon.com
Mr. Hanlon received a B.A. degree from LeMoyne College and a J.D. from Seton Hall University. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1976 and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, District of New Jersey and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was formerly Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Del Webb’s Claridge Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From 1980 to 1982, he was the Chief of the Trial Section of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. In this capacity, he supervised the trial practices of the Division and the prosecution of civil litigation resulting from the Division’s investigations.
As counsel to the New Jersey Racing Commission he rendered legal advice to the Commission and represented its interests at administrative law hearings, in the Superior Court both in the Law and Appellate Divisions. Mr. Hanlon became the Project Director of the New Jersey Statewide Arson Strategy. In this position, he organized a massive training effort to establish a core of arson investigators and an arson reporting system. This assignment required the establishment of a working relationship with leaders in law enforcement, the fire service, the insurance industry and other concerned groups.
Since joining the firm, Mr. Hanlon has focused on defense litigation representing self insured amusement parks and water amusement parks, private security companies and small corporations. He also has an extensive practice in the Municipal Courts representing clients in both traffic and criminal matters. He has been designated as assigned counsel by the New Jersey Attorney General for state employees who are charged by private citizens when fulfilling their job duties, primarily law enforcement and correction officers. He also serves as a court appointed arbitrator for the New Jersey Superior Court as well as a designated arbitrator for private parties.
Mr. Hanlon also represents individual charged with crimes which are heard in the New Jersey Superior Court, Criminal Division.
ROBERT DeGEORGE, Special Counsel
email: attorneys@avoliohanlon.com
Mr. DeGeorge received his B.A. degree and his J.D. degree from Rutgers University. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1974 and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, District of New Jersey and United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was formerly Assistant Attorney General of New Jersey and formerly Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor of Mercer County.
His areas of practice include civil and criminal defense litigation, employment litigation, premises liability, theft of trade secrets, corporate management audits and internal investigations.
