Press Release

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2024, Susan M. Vignola and Justin Zaremby will become partners of the firm, and Sara A. Arrow, J. Jay Cho, Zhiqiang Liu, Tara J. Norris, Ryan J. Sheehan, and Christopher Wilds will become counsel.

Susan M. Vignola practices in the firm’s Tax-Exempt Organizations department, where she represents a wide range of charitable and nonprofit institutions, including private foundations and public charities, donor-advised fund sponsoring organizations, social justice and advocacy organizations, international grantmaking institutions, schools and universities, and arts and cultural institutions, as well as their affiliated organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Ms. Vignola also counsels individual, family, and corporate donors on philanthropic planning and engagement with tax-exempt organizations. She regularly advises clients in governance, regulatory and compliance matters, donor-advised funds, cross-border philanthropy, management and expenditure of endowments, and related corporate, tax, and regulatory matters. Ms. Vignola also helps tax-exempt organizations manage institutional collaborations and has extensive expertise advising clients on 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) affiliations and helping clients navigate the rules relating to lobbying and political activity.  Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Vignola spent over a decade working for nonprofit institutions in the U.S. and overseas. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, M.A. from the George Washington University, and B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 

Justin Zaremby practices in the firm’s Tax-Exempt Organizations department, where he represents a wide range of public charities and private foundations. Mr. Zaremby’s clients include universities, museums, and other cultural institutions, artist endowed and family foundations, donor-advised funds, human rights organizations, business leagues, social clubs, and other tax-exempt entities. His practice includes a special focus on the intersection of corporate transactions and tax-exempt organizations; helping clients with program- and mission-related investments; structuring joint ventures with for-profit companies; cross-border philanthropy and international grantmaking and operations; and advising on mergers, financing, and restructuring. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Zaremby served as a law clerk to the Hon. José A. Cabranes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School, Ph.D. from Yale University, and B.A. from Yale College.

Sara A. Arrow practices in the firm’s Litigation department. Ms. Arrow’s practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, government investigations, and employment law. She has represented major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, financial services, and consumer products companies, as well as universities and other tax-exempt organizations. From 2016 to 2017, Ms. Arrow served as a law clerk to the Hon. Michael A. Chagares of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. From 2015 to 2016, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. Paul S. Diamond of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Arrow received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University.

J. Jay Cho, Ph.D. practices in the firm’s Litigation department, with a focus on patent litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space. Mr. Cho has been involved in numerous patent cases related to small molecules, polypeptides, vaccines, and antibodies in the United States District Courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has litigated various patent cases brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act, and has a deep knowledge in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and neuroscience. Mr. Cho obtained his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and B.S. from Korea University.

Zhiqiang Liu, Ph.D. practices in the firm’s Litigation department, with a focus on patent litigation. Mr. Liu has represented pharmaceutical, medical devices, and agrochemical companies in various Hatch-Waxman and patent infringement suits. He has represented clients in inter partes review proceedings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Liu was a Senior Research Scientist at the Colgate-Palmolive Company, where his work resulted in more than 20 issued U.S. and European patents. Mr. Liu received his J.D., summa cum laude, from Rutgers University Law School, Ph.D. from Columbia University, and B.A./B.E. from Dalian University of Technology.

Tara J. Norris practices in the firm’s Litigation department. Ms. Norris represents clients in a variety of litigation contexts, from pre-suit investigations through trials and appeals. Ms. Norris has represented major companies in RICO and civil fraud suits, defamation suits, internal investigations, and contractual disputes. Her clients include major pharmaceutical companies, publishers, nonprofit entities, and individuals. From 2017 to 2018, Ms. Norris served as a law clerk to the Hon. Susan L. Carney of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. From 2015 to 2016, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. Paul G. Gardephe of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ms. Norris received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ryan J. Sheehan practices in the firm’s Litigation department, concentrating on patent and other technology-focused litigation. Mr. Sheehan’s practice includes representing multinational corporations in the consumer electronic device, semiconductor, electric vehicle, and medical device industries in litigation, intellectual property counseling, and transactional matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Sheehan held a variety of engineering and management positions at startup software companies, developing internet, electronic commerce, and enterprise software applications. Mr. Sheehan received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, and his B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Christopher Wilds practices in the firm’s Litigation department, where he represents clients in a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Mr. Wilds has represented medical device and surgical instrument manufacturers, media corporations, and religious organizations, as well as orthopedics, transportation, legal services, and payments technology companies. He is a member of the Independent Monitoring Team for the Newark Police Division, responsible for overseeing the City of Newark, New Jersey’s and NPD’s compliance with a Consent Decree entered into with the United States Department of Justice. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Wilds served as a law clerk to the Hon. Johnnie B. Rawlinson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Wilds received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, and B.A. from Morgan State University.