Mr. Krassenstein, our managing partner, is a business and litigation attorney having an extensive background in general business matters, commercial litigation, employment issues, oil, gas and energy-related issues, bankruptcy and creditors' rights matters. Formerly a judicial clerk for two federal bankruptcy judges, Mr. Krassenstein combines his knowledge of the court system with sound practical experience gained as a certified public accountant for Arthur Andersen & Co. and from over twenty years of practicing law. During his career, Mr. Krassenstein has represented businesses of all sizes from a variety of industries in various corporate matters including acquisition agreements, bank lending issues, contractual drafting, negotiation and disputes, construction litigation, franchise review and franchise enforcement, and employment/labor matters. In the bankruptcy forum, he has represented corporate debtors, secured lenders, trustees, asset purchasers, landlords and general creditors.

Mr. Krassenstein is admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and is also licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising, serves on the Ohio State Bar Association's Bankruptcy Law Subcommittee and is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association's Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section. He has served on the Board of Directors of many organizations including the Advisory Board On Autism And Related Disorders (ABOARD), the Brooktree Office Park, the Borough of Bradford Woods Zoning Hearing Board, Temple Ohav Shalom and the Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce.  Mr. Krassenstein is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh.

Since 2005, Mr. Krassenstein has served as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of PFBC Environmental Energy Technology, Inc., a Western Pennsylvania renewable energy concern.  In this capacity, Mr. Krassenstein has drafted and negotiated contracts, overseen private equity fundraising and coordinated financial reporting requirements.

Mr. Krassenstein received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio , in 1983, and received his Juris Doctor Degree from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1986. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1987.

Mr. Krassenstein has been awarded an AV® peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell—the country’s preeminent lawyer rating service.  An AV rating is the highest possible rating and is based on peer reviews by members of the Bar and Judiciary.  The AV rating indicates that the lawyers and judges with whom the attorney works feel that he is among the best in the business not only for legal skills, but also for honesty and integrity.  

Ms. Saénz, a co-founder of our firm, concentrates her practice in the areas of franchise compliance, corporate law and estate planning and administration. In her franchise practice, Ms. Saénz represents both national and local franchisors in the initial phases of franchising activity as well as with ongoing regulatory compliance. In the business area, Ms. Saénz primarily represents small and medium-sized businesses in connection with matters ranging from choice of entity, corporate compliance, relationships between shareholders and partners, acquisitions and contractual arrangements. In her estate planning practice, Ms. Saénz represents individuals with both modest and complex estates, preparing wills, trust agreements, powers of attorney, living wills and other planning documents.  In addition, Ms. Saénz provides probate and estate administration services.

Ms. Saénz was admitted to the practice of law in Pennsylvania in 1988.  Prior to the formation of our firm in 1993, she was an associate with the Corporate Department of a major Pittsburgh law firm.

Ms. Saénz received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in 1982 from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Juris Doctor Degree with Honors in 1988 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as Research Editor of The North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation. She is a member of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Like Mr. Krassenstein, Ms. Saénz has been awarded an AV® peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Ms. DiGiacobbe practices in the areas of commercial litigation and general corporate law. Ms. DiGiacobbe has significant experience representing individuals, businesses and financial institutions in various litigation matters. Ms. DiGiacobbe has handled contract disputes, shareholder derivative actions, employment discrimination actions, environmental cases and class action cases. She has extensive experience representing clients in arbitration hearings, non-jury trials and jury trials. Ms. DiGiacobbe also has experience representing various sized businesses in a variety of corporate matters, including acquisitions, leasing arrangements, incorporations and contract preparation.
 

Ms. DiGiacobbe began practicing law in 1989 at Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation in the Real Estate Section. Her areas of responsibility included preparing commercial loan documents, leases, mortgages and other related documents. At Buchanan Ingersoll Ms. DiGiacobbe represented a number of financial institutions as well as corporate borrowers. In 1990, Ms. DiGiacobbe joined the law firm of Tucker Arensberg, P.C. as a member of the litigation department. Her litigation responsibilities included representing clients in commercial litigation disputes. The clients represented by Ms. DiGiacobbe included major telephone companies, numerous financial institutions and corporations. In 1995, Ms. DiGiacobbe left Tucker Arensberg to establish a solo practice. In her practice, Ms. DiGiacobbe serves as corporate counsel to such companies as MDX Corporation, Extremity Imaging Partners, Inc. and Trench Shoring Services as well as several other corporations. Her duties include personally handling cases, as well as overseeing outside counsel on complex litigation matters, contract review and preparation, negotiating contracts, incorporations and all other related corporate matters.

Ms. DiGiacobbe graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 1986. She received her Juris Doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law in 1989, where she served as the Research Editor of the Law Review. She is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Supreme Court of West Virginia. She is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the West Virginia Bar Association.

Ms. Krassenstein, a co-founder of our firm, is a general business lawyer having a background in corporate law, securities and franchise law. Ms. Krassenstein primarily represents small and medium-sized businesses in connection with a wide variety of matters, including choice of entity, shareholder and partnership relationships, acquisitions, leasing arrangements, and raising capital through private securities offerings.

During her many years of practice, Ms. Krassenstein has also represented banks and other publicly-held companies in securities compliance matters, corporate governance issues and internal policy compliance procedures. She participated in the consolidation and acquisition of several regional financial institutions, and handled Federal and State securities and bank regulatory applications relating to those transactions. In addition, Ms. Krassenstein was designated recommended counsel by one of the region's largest financial institutions to represent minority and women-owned businesses in connection with a lending program for such businesses; she has been appointed Special Master by the Honorable Alan N. Bloch of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, on a periodic basis to provide reports and recommendations on certain matters before the Court; and she has represented a number of local non-profit organizations, providing assistance with applications to obtain tax-exempt status and advice on various corporate matters. In the franchise area, Ms. Krassenstein represents both national and local franchisors in the initial phases of franchising activity as well as with ongoing regulatory compliance, and she routinely evaluates franchise opportunities for those seeking to become independent business owners.

Ms. Krassenstein received her B.A. from Smith College in 1982, and her Juris Doctor Degree in 1987 from The Ohio State University College of Law. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.

Ms. McNulty began her legal career at Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation in Pittsburgh in 1987, where she was a member of the Corporate Finance and Banking and Bankruptcy Sections. In 1993, she formed the law firm of Friedberg & McNulty, continuing her representation of business clients and physicians. In 1997, Friedberg & McNulty merged its practice with Krassenstein & Associates.

Ms. McNulty is a 1984 graduate of the University of Virginia and received her Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1987, where she served on Law Review. Ms. McNulty co-authored "Corporate Reorganization in the 1990's: Guiding Directors of Troubled Companies Through Uncertain Territory", which appeared in The Business Lawyer, November 1991. In addition to her law practice, Ms. McNulty has served as an officer/appointee to the Mount Lebanon Hospital Authority and as a board member of The Center For Creative Play, a non-profit corporation serving children with disabilities and their families. She is also a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association.