FLORHAM PARK, NJ, JANUARY 7, 2014 – Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. is pleased to announce that attorneys Regina Pepe Martorana, Karen E. Murphy and Tracey Salmon-Smith have been elected Principals of the firm.
“The members of Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. are proud to introduce our newest Principals,” said Brian F. Amery, Managing Partner. “Regina, Karen and Tracey all bring to their practices an extraordinary level of dedication, skill, strategy, and commitment to serving their clients. They truly are among the best and the brightest members of the New York and New Jersey legal communities.”
Regina Pepe Martorana joined Bressler upon her graduation from New York Law School. She has built her practice in the firm’s securities law group and has become known for her pragmatism and litigation skills. Regina focuses her practice on the representation of global broker-dealers and registered representatives in arbitrations and regulatory matters, often appearing before self-regulatory organizations, state and federal courts. She has developed an expertise for representing clients in FINRA arbitrations and mediations against allegations ranging from selling away to fraud and other sales practice claims arising from the purchase and sale of securities.
Regina takes special pride in her work mentoring the firm’s summer and junior associates and is an active participant in the firm’s Women’s Initiative. Prior to entering New York Law School, Regina earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Investments form Bernard M. Baruch College in New York.
Karen E. Murphy joined the firm in August 1993 as a paralegal. Soon after joining, she set her sights on becoming a practicing attorney. Karen achieved that goal, earning her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1998, at which time she became an associate at the firm. Karen has developed an expertise in the environmental and real estate areas. She provides strategic counsel to a diverse mix of clients in regulatory, compliance and transactional matters, including companies in the shipping, logistics, manufacturing and petro-chemical industries. She regularly advises buyers, sellers, developers, lenders, borrowers, landlords and tenants of commercial and industrial real property in the negotiation, structure, and closing of acquisitions, leases and other real property–related transactions.
Karen has significant experience regarding the sale and purchase of environmentally challenged properties, including negotiating funding alternatives that facilitate the transactions. She also has experience with the redevelopment of brownfields and has served on the Steering Committee for Brownfield Development Areas in New Jersey. Karen earned her Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University.
Tracey Salmon-Smith joined the firm from UBS Financial Services Inc, where she was Director and Associate General Counsel in the Sales Practice Litigation Area, and a member of the UBS E-Discovery Working Group. Prior to her work at UBS, Tracey was Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of NY, where she served as Acting Chief of Environmental Litigation and Chief of Bankruptcy. In her litigation practice at Bressler, Tracey represents companies in matters involving commercial disputes, employment litigation, premises liability, and securities law. She also advises on e-discovery and information management issues.
In her employment practice, Tracey has extensive experience defending corporate clients in race and gender discrimination, sexual harassment, whistle-blower, and wrongful discharge claims. In the area of securities law, she defends brokerage firms and their brokers in arbitration matters before FINRA against allegations including fraud, misrepresentation and unsuitability. In the premises liability area, Tracey defends clients against premises liability claims for injuries sustained on private property, from pre-suit investigation and negotiations through resolution including trial.
Tracey holds various leadership positions within the ABA Litigation Section and was recently appointed by the ABA President to the ABA Working Group on Corporate Counsel/Government Lawyers. She is on the Board of the New York Lawyers in the Public Interest and volunteers her time to mentor junior lawyers.
Tracey earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and her A.B. from Dartmouth College.