Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (“CSG”) today announced seven attorney promotions, effective January 1, 2018.

The status changes are as follows:

· Diana Buongiorno, formerly counsel, has been promoted to member in the firm’s Environmental and Product Liability & Toxic Tort Groups. Buongiorno represents clients before various state and federal courts and regulatory agencies with regard to obligations under a myriad of environmental statutes, in addition to advising clients on environmental insurance coverage issues, commercial real estate transactions and environmental/land use permitting. Her experience in toxic tort and products liability matters is equally noteworthy; Buongiorno litigates matters involving claims for damages related to sanitary sewer overflows, polluted municipal water wells and exposure to various toxins, and represents corporations against claims of defective products, defective design, failure to warn and ancillary common law claims.

· Lisa John-Basta, formerly counsel, has been promoted to member in the firm’s Real Estate, Development and Land Use Group. Co-author of the state’s preeminent treatise on land use and zoning, John-Basta has spent more than a decade guiding developers and municipalities on matters relating to zoning, redevelopment, land use and entitlements.

· Brian Kantar, formerly counsel, has been promoted to member in the firm’s Fidelity & Surety and Litigation Groups. Kantar is an experienced commercial litigator, regularly representing surety companies, contractors and developers in a wide variety of contract disputes, performance and payment bond claims, affirmative claims, bankruptcy issues, contractor workouts and related matters.

· Lindsay Dischley, formerly an associate, has been promoted to counsel in CSG’s Litigation and Labor & Employment Groups. Dischley practices in the areas of employment and general commercial litigation, as well as civil rights litigation, in state and federal courts of New York and New Jersey. She also represents clients in matters before administrative agencies, including the New York State Division of Human Rights and the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

· Joseph Fenske, formerly an associate, has been promoted to counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. Fenske has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of engineering disciplines from mechanical technology to electrical engineering. His practice focuses on drafting and prosecuting patent applications for inventions in a variety of fields including computer systems, telecommunications, electronics, transportation and consumer products.

· Patrick O’Reilly, formerly an associate, has been promoted to counsel in the firm’s Public Finance and Regulatory Affairs Groups. O’Reilly has experience acting as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and trustee’s counsel in transactions involving local and state government entities, including the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. His regulatory affairs practice is focused on state and federal issues.

· Beth Rotenberg, formerly an associate, has been promoted to counsel in the firm’s Fidelity & Surety, Litigation and Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Groups. Rotenberg represents sureties with respect to performance and payment bond claims, the defense of prevailing wage claims, affirmative surety claims, probate and other types of bond claims. She also represents contractors and building material suppliers in litigation matters. In bankruptcy matters, Rotenberg represents sureties, landlords, and other creditors on a variety of issues.

“CSG’s success is a testament to the firm’s distinguished roster of attorneys, and we’re delighted to promote seven of New Jersey’s rising legal stars,” said managing member Daniel Schwartz. “These individuals not only provide the strategic legal counsel and client service on which CSG has built its reputation, but they also exemplify the collaborative approach to solving client problems that will fuel our firm’s continued growth in the years ahead.”