Butler Snow Adds Att ...

Butler Snow Adds Attorneys in Birmingham and Richmond

September 13, 2022 | by Butler Snow

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Butler Snow LLP is pleased to announce the addition of two new attorneys to the firm. P. Thomas DiStanislao has joined the Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation group in Richmond, Virginia, and Sarah E. Rawls has joined the firm’s Commercial Litigation group in the Birmingham, Alabama, office.

“We’re pleased to welcome Thomas and Sarah to Butler Snow,” said Christopher R. Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. “They will bring tremendous value and experience to their respective practice groups and the firm’s clients, as well as the Richmond and Birmingham offices.”

DiStanislao brings experience representing clients in all stages of environmental and products liability litigation in federal and state courts across the country. He joins Butler Snow after clerking for the Hon. G. Steven Agee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After law school, DiStanislao also clerked for the Hon. Henry E. Hudson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

DiStanislao attended Wake Forest University for his undergraduate degree before earning his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law. He graduated first in his law school class and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. DiStanislao has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2013.

Rawls represents clients in commercial litigation matters and routinely handles cases pending in federal courts, state courts and arbitration tribunals. Prior to joining Butler Snow, she served as a law clerk for the Hon. R. David Proctor on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Rawls earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Samford University’s Cumberland Law School in Birmingham. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Birmingham Bar Association and Rotaract Club of Birmingham, where she serves as Co-Chair of the Professional Development Series and is a member of the 2022-2023 Leadership Development Class. Rawls also serves on the Junior Board of Girls, Inc.

Butler Snow’s Products, Catastrophic & Industrial Litigation group defends product liability claims on a regional and national basis. The practice group has extensive experience in handling the defense of single plaintiff as well as complex, multidistrict class-action and mass tort litigation. Areas within the practice include Toxic Tort, Asbestos and Silica Litigation as well as Machinery and recreational Product Litigation.

Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation practice group possesses experience across a breadth of commercial disputes, including business and shareholder disputes, real estate and oil and gas litigation, insurance claims and coverage, director and officer liability and failed financial institution litigation, breach of contract, breach of warranty, consumer protection, unfair competition, UCC and sales litigation, administrative bid protests, RICO, securities and bankruptcy cases, and related class actions. Led by some of the firm’s most experienced trial lawyers, who have gained regional and national reputations for successfully handling complex commercial litigation, the well-seasoned group is prepared to handle negotiations, settlements and alternative dispute resolution to reach the best client outcomes.