Herbert B. Conner

Herbert B. Conner

Herbert Bennett Conner has more than 30 years of legal experience. He has built a broad practice achieving many successful results for clients involved in general corporate, litigation, transaction and real estate matters.

Herbert counsels business owners, executives and boards of directors in defending against threats to the continued viability of their businesses. He has handled mergers, acquisitions, financings, employment disputes, shareholder disputes and product and shareholder litigation. He assists clients with complex transactions, providing counsel and representation from the beginning of the process to final resolution.

In addition to his legal representation, Herbert was appointed by Governor-elect Ed Rendell to serve on his transition team and assist in the selection of the Cabinet and other high-level appointees. He was also appointed by former Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh to serve on the Ethics Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a board member for three years and chair of the board for two years.

Among the many diverse matters Herbert has handled for clients, he has:

· Obtained an $80 million settlement for a minority shareholder in a privately held aluminum company, which grew out of a $100,000 investment made four years prior.

· Led a group of investors in the purchase and subsequent sale of the Westinghouse Building and the Frick Building, two large and prominent office towers in the Golden Triangle area of Pittsburgh.

· Obtained a $2 million jury verdict in the longest commercial case in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, history on behalf of a selling business owner against the buyer, Cybex International, a public strength-training equipment manufacturer.

· Enabled a large shareholder to retain control of a billion-dollar manufacturing company; the case required prosecuting suits in federal, state, and chancery courts.

· Represented the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California in litigation in the state courts.

· Assisted the owner of a home security company with annual revenues of $50 million, with managing the growth, reorganization and sale to a large national concern, including negotiating sales contracts, employment and stock agreements and merger documentation.

· Represented a developer in the acquisition, planning and construction of a multi-story parking complex in downtown Pittsburgh.

· Counseled the owning partnership of a large office building and parking facility in the acquisition, development, refinancing and eventual sale of the project.

· Successfully represented, on multiple occasions, the Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh in its city and county real estate tax appeals.

· Represented a national real estate and parking firm in acquisition, leasing, city planning, tax appeals, zoning and eminent domain issues.

Herbert was the owner of Pittsburgh's largest ground transportation company, which he sold to Coach, USA in late 1997. He is currently a principal in Allegheny County's largest aircraft charter and service company and is an owner of major downtown Pittsburgh real estate.

Civic & Charitable

WQED Pittsburgh, chairman of the Board of Directors

South Hills Mental Health and Mental Retardation Association, past president

Family and Children Services, past director

Urban League of Pittsburgh, past director

Civic Light Opera, past director

Arthritis Foundation, past director

Grubstake, past director

Affiliations

Past chair, Ethics Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association

Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County

Pennsylvania Defense Institute

American Bar Association

(Also at Miami, Florida Office)