Member Profiles

Kathleen Zellner has the rare distinction of having won major verdicts in civil and criminal cases. Most trial attorneys only try cases in one area of law.  Ms. Zellner has won first degree murder trials, multi-million dollar civil verdicts, criminal and civil appeals, and post-conviction exonerations. She is the only trial attorney in the United States who has won 5 multi-million dollar record verdicts in the span of 11 months.  She currently has the highest civil rights verdict in the United States calculated per months of incarceration, totaling $1 million per month.  Additionally, she has the highest false arrest settlement, calculated at $15,555 per minute for a total of $1.4 million for a 90 minute false arrest. There is no other civil rights attorney in the United States who has won larger verdicts when the months of incarceration or the minutes of false arrest are calculated. By monthly comparison, a $21 million verdict for 11 years would be $159,000 per month. Another example is a $9 million verdict for 4 years imprisonment, totals $187,500 per month. The underlying premise of Zellner’s remarkable success is that she is not just “practicing” law, she is getting unparalleled results. Her ability to win in the courtroom, no matter the type of case, is the result of her creative trial strategies to winning for the victims of injustice. AREAS OF PRACTICE Civil Rights Violations Medical Malpractice Prisoner Abuse Criminal Appeals Post-conviction and Habeas Actions Sexual Assault Civil Liability

Terrence M. Dunn is a founding Partner of Einbinder Dunn & Goniea and has been practicing law since 1983. He is the senior partner in charge of the firm’s business, real estate, trusts and estates and fashion law practices. He works on significant commercial real estate matters in New York City and nationwide. He is well-regarded in the franchising field for his work in franchise development, registration and transactions, including the launch of new franchise systems. He has represented clients in large scale franchise acquisitions and sales, including multi-unit and area developments, and he has managed the introduction into the U.S. of international franchise systems. He has over thirty years of experience in business law, representing businesses of all sizes and in every industry imaginable in structuring, financing, transactions and intellectual property. He has practiced for over 25 years in fashion law, trademarks and trusts and estates. Through his work in real estate and franchising, he has become highly knowledgeable about the area’s restaurant industry. His knowledge of real estate law has proven invaluable to the Firm’s franchisor, franchisee and other business clients. Terrence has been interviewed by and written articles for major publications such as Entrepreneur, New Jersey Lawyer Magazine and the Franchise Law Journal. He also speaks at franchising-related events such as the International Franchising Association Symposium and the ABA Forum on Franchising. Terrence is the author of the firm blog, franchiselawyerblog.com.

Mr. Kaplan is widely recognized as a leading antitrust litigator and has led the prosecution of numerous antitrust class actions, which have resulted in billions in settlements for class members. He has been a lead counsel or member of the Executive Committee in dozens of antitrust cases (some of which are listed hereafter) since he left the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Kaplan was a lead counsel in In re Air Caro Antitrust Litigation ($1.25 billion in settlements). In re Flat Glass Antitrust Litigation, he successfully argued the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which issued a ground breaking and often-cited summary judgment opinion. In 2015, The Legal 500 named Mr. Kaplan as one of the leading antitrust attorneys in the country.

Mary Joyce is recognized for her representation of clients under OECD guidelines and coordination of investor prosecution of cases under European Competition Law. In that capacity, Ms. Carlson supervised the workload of lawyers litigating French, Italian & German antitrust complaints coming before the European Commission. Her international work has included collaboration with the European Public Service Union and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture & Tourism Trade Unions. She has also represented clients before the Brazilian Labor Prosecution Service (Ministério Público do Trabalho), and holds an International Global Legal (IGL) designation. Ms. Carlson’s career has featured critical wins in Labor & Employment Law, and she has gained an international reputation for creating new lines of inquiry and innovative legal theories that result in successful litigation, particularly in regards to coordinating complex EU anti-competition matters. Ms. Carlson has built an impressive portfolio of clients and professional contacts that include large nonprofit organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, advocacy groups, professional associations, and national labor unions, including SEIU, CWA, and UAW. In addition, Mary Joyce provides due diligence and client consultation on responsible investments and union-side investment funds, including shareholder litigation. As counsel for The Fight for Fifteen, Mary Joyce Carlson played a key role in elevating more than 22 million workers to win $62 million in raises, a successful legal battle that MSNBC’s Chris Hayes stated, “…has completely changed the politics of the country.” Mary Joyce served as Distinguished Scholar & Speaker at Cornell University, conducted faculty-student lectures, spoke at many ABA International Law meetings, and has been quoted in Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more. Throughout her career, Ms. Carlson has served on select panels, including the ABA “Future of Worklife, Post Pandemic” panel. She recently served as guest commentator at the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law’s 36th Annual Kenneth M. Piper Lecture, featuring Jared Bernstein, former chief economist and economic adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden. For the Harvard Law School Clean Slate Project Working Group, she played an active role in drafting solution sets and proposals for a variety of constituencies and communities. A native of rural Tennessee, Mary Joyce participated in student Civil Rights protests while earning her undergraduate degree. She later earned a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University School of Law, where she prepared for her career in Civil Rights and Economic Justice. After practicing law in Georgia and Maryland, Ms. Carlson continued her career in Washington, DC, where she successfully challenged the longstanding discriminatory gender and racial composition of juries, helped lift a cap on the wages of nurses, brought winning antitrust lawsuits against hospital networks for colluding to depress nursing salaries, and played a critical role in reforming racially biased policies on nursing assignments to hospital specialty units. Mary Joyce was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to the position of Deputy General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board. Ms. Carlson recently won the prestigious Sidney Hillman Foundation George “Citizen” Barrett Award for Public Interest Law. She is a lifelong believer in positive change to foster meaningful progress in Civil Rights, Economic Justice, and Gender Equality. Mary Joyce’s compassionate engagement style, visionary legal acumen, strong international business expertise, and proven capacity to advance her clients’ interests, have all combined to position her as a trusted advocate for her growing client portfolio.

Stevan Pardo is a leading authority on Florida construction and corporate hospitality law. During the past 39 years as a construction and business litigator, Stevan has represented companies involved in virtually all aspects of the construction and business industry including owners, contractors, design professionals, subcontractors, sureties, and insurers. One of his construction specialties is representing condominium associations after developer turnover, including construction defect claims and accounting claims, arising out of the turnover of condominium property to unit owners. His legal representations have also included delay and defect claims arising out of commercial and residential, high-rise residential, hospitality and resorts, multifamily, retail, and office construction projects. Stevan’s clients rely on him to advise them on all aspects of the delivery of construction and engineering projects, from procurement and the drafting and negotiation of contracts, to contract administration, the avoidance and resolution of disputes, and insurance matters. Stevan has developed an impressive track record representing developers and investors in multimillion-dollar real property transactions, including purchases and sales, joint ventures, and residential and commercial development. He has also been at the forefront of Florida Condominium Association lawsuits against Hotel Condominium structures involving several branded and independently operated hotel condominium properties. Stevan brings a unique perspective to the real estate side of his practice because of his 25 years of personal experience as a real estate developer and a hotel owner, builder, and operator. His own experience handling complex construction, buying and selling properties, and negotiating with lenders, has given him deep insight into the world of construction and renovation and has served to enhance the legal advice and business strategies he provides to his hotel clients. As a result of his practical knowledge, Stevan is well-versed in both the business impacts and legal aspects of his clients’ real estate and construction endeavors. His real-world experience has helped Stevan to become a go-to attorney when negotiating and implementing real estate deals in Florida and across the country. Stevan’s distinctive business background also has given him a unique ability to troubleshoot difficult projects for clients before they devolve into full-blown disputes, and to craft business solutions to his clients’ business problems. When necessary, however, Stevan brings extensive trial experience in representing clients before the Florida courts, federal courts, mediators, arbitration panels, and appellate courts. Other key areas of Stevan’s expertise include working with franchisors and franchisees, management companies, vendors, and insurers. Drawing from his real-life experience in hotel ownership, Stevan provides his clients with insight into the business aspects of a legal decision and the legal effects of a business decision. Stevan has developed relationships with various hotel franchisors, including Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and other well recognized industry flags. This holistic combination of legal experience and hospitality industry knowledge brings a critical and essential benefit to Stevan’s hotel and resort clients. Stevan’s membership in the Hotel Trade Organizations and Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Hospitality, Real Estate and Construction Networks allows him to remain current on issues relating to the business and legal challenges in today’s construction, real estate, and hospitality community. His role as a member of the Executive Committee of the local YPO Chapter enables Stevan to keep his pulse on the trends, changes, and challenges facing the construction, real estate, and hospitality community in South Florida, the United States, and internationally. A strong believer in pro bono work, Stevan has committed his legal and construction skills to bettering his local community. Stevan formerly served as the Chair of the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board. In that role, Stevan combined his experience as a real estate developer, a lawyer, and a resident to balance the importance of historic preservation with development. Stevan also served as both construction and legal consultant to a large new community center in his neighborhood. He was the President of the Venetian Island Homeowners Association for several years and spear headed the historic preservation of the Venetian Causeway, a historic link between Miami and Miami Beach, was President of Temple Beth Sholom and is a long standing member of the Duke University South Florida Regional Board. Prior to launching his law firm, Stevan, an AV-Preeminent rated lawyer for several years, was a partner and leader of the construction litigation department of Greenberg Traurig, where he practiced law for more than a decade.