Rick is an experienced trial attorney who represents high net worth individuals and corporate fiduciaries throughout Pennsylvania in estate and trust disputes, including cases involving the validity and interpretation of wills and trusts, breaches of fiduciary duty, and trustee removal and surcharge actions. Rick understands that disagreements regarding the transfer of personal and family wealth are both sensitive and important, and he leverages his experience representing family and closely held businesses in complex commercial disputes in order to guide clients through the dispute resolution process, whether in court or through private settlement. Rick has particular experience with trusts and estates that own specialized assets, such as mineral rights, state-legal cannabis, and digital property.
In addition to his estate and trust practice, Rick has significant trial and appellate experience litigating commercial disputes in the banking, energy, health care, and cannabis industries. He has briefed and argued numerous fiduciary and commercial cases in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court, and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Additionally, Rick regularly represents prisoners in civil rights litigation on a pro bono basis, and has served as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for minors in custody disputes.
Outside of his legal career, Rick is a competitive cyclist and active in his community. Rick has served as the president of the board of directors for Bike Share Pittsburgh, which operates the HealthyRide bike sharing network. He also has been a member of the Executive Leadership Council, Tour de Cure, for the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Diabetes Association.