(305) 416-3180

Pennsylvania

Our Pennsylvania Team

Michael Goldman

Michael Goldman is a Partner at the firm’s New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices. His practice focuses in the area of employment law. Michael represents employers across a multitude of industries in litigation related to employment discrimination claims, wage and hour claims, and restrictive covenants. He also counsels clients on best practices.

Michael has extensive civil litigation experience and handles cases from inception through trial. He regularly appears in federal and state courts, as well as in administrative law and dispute resolution forums. Prior to joining the firm, Michael practiced as an associate at a prominent New Jersey firm, concentrating his practice in defense litigation on behalf of private and public entities, with an emphasis on tort liability, labor and employment law, and civil rights defense. He also represented clients in the areas of wage and hour claims, commercial litigation, construction law, and education law. Earlier in his career, Michael was an associate at a well-known litigation boutique where he focused his practice on representing public entities in matters involving tort liability, labor and employment law, and civil rights defense. Michael has been selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star list from 2019-2023.

Matthew Major

Matthew is a partner in our Philadelphia and New Jersey offices and a seasoned civil litigator with extensive experience representing clients in administrative proceedings and in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels. His diverse practice encompasses complex litigation matters, with a strong focus on construction litigation, professional liability, general liability, commercial litigation, insurance-related disputes, and the defense and counseling of clients in the financial services industry.

Construction

Matthew has developed a particular emphasis in defending developers, contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals in public and private construction disputes. He regularly handles matters involving construction defects, accidents, and contract disputes, and serves as outside counsel to contractors in Pennsylvania and New Jersey on issues including contract negotiation, risk transfer, and construction payment claims. For example, Matthew practice includes:

  • Representing a national engineering firm in a multi-day, seven-figure arbitration over a public project dispute, resulting in a favorable settlement;
  • Defending numerous engineering and architectural firms in construction defect litigation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania;
  • Representing developers, general contractors, and subcontractors in construction defect litigation involving low-, mid-, and high-rise projects;
  • Defending developers and contractors in seven- and eight-figure construction accident cases; and
  • Defending residential contractors in construction defect, warranty, consumer fraud, and breach of contract claims.

Professional Liability

In the professional liability space, Matthew is widely recognized for his defense of attorneys, insurance brokers, real estate professionals, title agents, accountants, and other licensed professionals in malpractice actions, licensing board matters, and disciplinary proceedings. Notable successes include:

  • Securing summary judgment for a New Jersey law firm and its principal in a legal malpractice action in federal court;
  • Successfully defending commercial and residential real estate brokers in post-transaction litigation;
  • Defending a title agency against mortgage fraud allegations and an accounting firm in a malpractice dispute;
  • Representing financial professionals in FINRA proceedings, including suitability claims brought by investors; and
  • Resolving numerous legal and insurance broker malpractice claims through early resolution.

Insurance Coverage

Matthew also has a robust insurance coverage practice, representing insurers in high-stakes disputes involving complex policy interpretations and bad faith allegations. He has:

  • Secured dismissals for insurance carriers in a declaratory judgment and breach of contract actions;
  • Successfully represented insurance carriers in coverage litigation before state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels affirming no duty to defend or indemnify;
  • Represented a reinsurer in an insurance coverage action; and
  • Represented a hospital in a multi-year insurance coverage battle involving multiple appeals.

Commercial Litigation

Outside of the insurance context, Matthew also represents individuals and corporate clients in sophisticated, high-profile commercial disputes involving business dissolution, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, products liability, and employment-related matters including ERISA, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, and wrongful termination claims such as:

  • Defended corporate clients in matters involving business dissolution, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and trade secrets;
  • Defended companies and their owners in corporate raiding cases;
  • Successfully represented an owner of a closely held corporation in a judicial dissolution action and a breach of fiduciary duty action;
  • Successfully defended a national staffing agency and various employees in a corporate raiding matter; and
  • Successfully represented medical professionals in RICO, insurance fraud, and licensure cases.

Matthew’s strategic, results-driven approach and breadth of experience make him a trusted advisor to professionals, insurers, and corporate clients facing complex and high-stakes litigation.

Michael Poreda

Michael Poreda is Of Counsel in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices of Lydecker. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and is admitted to practice in five of the federal jurisdictions in those states.

He is an experienced litigator who has practiced widely in the areas of discrimination, civil rights, health care, personal injury, consumer fraud, and professional malpractice. His past clients have included municipal entities such as school boards and police departments, a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, and political candidates.

Michael clerked for the Honorable Hector R. Velazquez of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Hudson County and for the Honorable William J. Martini of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark.

Michael graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University with a B.A. He has an M.A. from Teachers College – Columbia University. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law where he was a law review editor. Before attending law school, Michael taught high school history in New Jersey and has served as adjunct faculty at Rutgers University. He is the 2024-25 Chair of the LGBTQ Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Of Counsel

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