Minneapolis-Based National Litigation Firm Foley & Mansfield
Names Two New Partners
 

Minneapolis, MN (January 1, 2007)—The national litigation firm of Foley & Mansfield has named Aaron Ponce and Howard Wallach as the firm’s newest partners.  Ponce is located in the Minneapolis office and Wallach is in the Detroit office. 

Aaron Ponce works in the growing practice area of environmental and pollution law.  With a background in construction engineering, he represents insurance companies, owners, contractors, manufacturers, and energy producers and distributors in the areas of construction litigation, product liability and catmn-web1phic loss caused by fires and explosions, and property damage and subrogation.  He is certified in hazardous waste operations and emergency response standards and works with OSHA and international building code compliance issues.  Aaron is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the National Fire Protection Association.  His pro bono work is also involved in the construction industry where he assists people and organizations with housing court issues and construction payment disputes. Ponce received his Juris Doctorate in 1999 from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota, the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and the 7^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Ponce was recently named a 2007 Rising Star® by Minnesota Law and Politics magazine, an honor given to 2.5% of the best up-and-coming attorneys in Minnesota who are under the age of 40 and have practiced less than 10 years. 

Howard Wallach practices in the commercial practice and litigation group, with extensive experience in the litigation aspects of commercial and real estate disputes. Wallach has successfully handled numerous commercial litigation matters for clients involving partnership breakups, business and employment disputes, professional liability and other general civil litigation.  He also has extensive experience in family law, especially in the area of highly-sensitive child custody situations.  A leader in the Detroit Jewish community, Wallach has been a Board member of numerous local Jewish organizations.  He received the Jewish Welfare Federation’s Agency Leadership Award in 1988.  In 1997, he was elected as one of the youngest presidents in the history of the Jewish Community Council.  He is also past Chair of the Michigan Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League and a member of the Farmington, Michigan Board of Education, currently serving as Vice President.  Wallach’s professional memberships include the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board, the Michigan Bar Association, and the Michigan Trial Lawyer’s Association.  Wallach received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1978.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in criminal justice from Michigan State University in 1975.  He is admitted to practice in all Michigan State courts, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6^th Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

Founded in 1989, Foley & Mansfield is fast becoming one of the nation’s leading litigation law firms. Over 90 attorneys serve clients ranging in size from multi-million dollar corporations to small businesses and their owners in a wide range of civil litigation matters, including commercial litigation, construction law, employment litigation, environmental and pollution claims, insurance coverage matters, intellectual property, probate and trust, and product liability litigation, as well as commercial transactions and bankruptcy.   The firm is headquartered in Minneapolis and has additional offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, St. Louis and San Francisco.

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