VLS Welcomes 6 Alumni to the Board of Consultors
Villanova University School of Law (VLS) welcomed six alumni as members of its Board of Consultors on October 19, 2012. Joining the VLS Board of Consultors are:
James J. Bowes ’78, General Counsel and Secretary of Liberty Property Trust. Mr. Bowes joined Liberty in November 1996 from the Philadelphia law firm of Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley, where he was a partner in the Corporate Department. Prior to joining Blank Rome, he served with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Bowes graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in economics.
J. Gordon Cooney, Jr. ’84, partner in the Litigation Practice of Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Managing Partner of the Philadelphia office. Mr. Cooney's practice encompasses a broad variety of commercial and civil litigation, with particular emphasis on the defense of class actions in state and federal courts. Before joining the firm, he served as a law clerk to Judge J. William Ditter, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Cooney is active in civic and philanthropic organizations and served for 11 years as an adjunct lecturer in law at VLS. He received his BA from Wesleyan University.
D. Douglas Gaston, IV ’92, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Comcast Cable. Mr. Gaston previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Comcast Cable, where he was responsible for overseeing the Operations Section of the cable law department. Before joining Comcast, Mr. Gaston was a corporate associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius. He began his legal career as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Jan E. Dubois, United States District Court. Mr. Gaston holds a JD from Villanova University Law School where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member. He received his BA in Radio, Television, and Film from Temple University.
Michael J. Heller ’89, President and Executive Partner of Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia. Mr. Heller also chairs the Business Law Department, heading the emerging business and venture capital practice. Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor, he practiced at Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen. As a VLS student, Mr. Heller was a law review editor and a member of the Order of the Coif. He received his BS from Pennsylvania State University.
Mark A. Kearney ’87, Hiring and Managing Shareholder of Elliott Greenleaf in Blue Bell, PA. Mr. Kearney has substantial experience in complex commercial litigation and in matters relating to the fiduciary obligations owed to private and public entities and their stakeholders. He earned a BA in Economics and English from Villanova University in 1984, followed by a JD from Villanova University School of Law in 1987. Following law school, Mr. Kearney served as a judicial clerk for the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. He is also a past President of the Montgomery County Bar Association.
Jeffrey A. Pott ’90, General Counsel of AstraZeneca in London. Mr. Pott previously served as AstraZeneca’s Assistant General Counsel for Intellectual Property and Antitrust Litigation. Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 1995, he spent five years at Drinker Biddle and Reath, where he specialized in pharmaceutical product liability litigation and antitrust counseling and litigation. Mr. Pott graduated from Wheaton College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
Villanova Law’s Board of Consultors was established in 1952 by the School’s first Dean, Harold G. Reuschlein. Since that time, the Board has remained an active and valued group of prominent lawyers and judges, comprised of both alumni and non-alumni, who advise the Dean on a variety of issues facing the law school, as well as planning for the future. Click here for a complete list of the Board of Consultors.
