Rubin, Fortunato & Harbison P.C.

View the profile as it appeared in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2008 (PDF)

At RubinFortunato, the “playbook” doesn’t change much from year to year. “Our 30-plus lawyers continue to focus on the litigation of employment claims, restrictive covenants, and the protection of customer lists and trade secrets,” says Greg Rubin, founder and chairman, selected five times to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® magazine 2004 to 2008. Rubin is joined by Mike Fortunato (selected to Super Lawyers 2008 and Rising Stars in 2005), Gigi Hughes (selected in Super Lawyers in 2006 and 2007), Joe McAlee (selected in Super Lawyers 2005 and 2006), Michelle Liebesman (selected in Rising Stars 2006), Juli Peck (selected in Rising Stars 2005 through 2007), Maria Martin (selected in Rising Stars 2007) and Sean Duffy (selected in Rising Stars 2006).

Through four decades, RubinFortunato has represented a broad range of businesses, from Broad Street to Wall Street, and in all 50 states—all courts, all levels. Their accomplishments are well chronicled in Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and in numerous other publications, periodicals and reported opinions.

Employment Litigation

“We sue employees who jump ship, take the books and records and try to steal the customers,” says Rubin. “We write agreements with post-employment restrictive covenants, and we enforce them. Nothing like an injunction to level the playing field.” Harbison, chairman of the general litigation practice group adds, “Employment agreements are 90 percent of the game. Every company who needs them should have them.”

Employment Claims

While half the firm is chasing down opportunistic, disloyal employees, the other half is litigating employer/employee disputes—discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, SOX, and the like.

“We’ve seen this from both sides,” says Mike Fortunato, the well-traveled chairman of the employment law group, whose team has defended corporations and institutions throughout the country, but not without a stop here and there to represent a plaintiff or two … or more.

Employment Counseling

When they’re not busy wearing their litigation hats, Liebesman and her team of attorneys have a full plate counseling clients embroiled in raiding/recruitment turf wars, advising on risk management and litigation avoidance, and educating employers on the do’s and don’ts of hiring and firing. As Liebesman says, “before you hire them, hire us.”

On-The-Job

“We’re switched on 24/7, holidays and weekends,” says Rubin. “That’s what we offer. That’s what our clients expect. That’s what we do. That’s who we are.”