.

Donna M. Modestine

Assistant Director, Health Care Department

Shareholder

DMModestine@mdwcg.com

Portrait of Donna M. Modestine

Marshall Dennehey Appoints Robin B. Snyder and Donna M. Modestine to Lead the Firm’s Health Care Department

January 3, 2023

Marshall Dennehey announced today that shareholders Robin B. Snyder and Donna M. Modestine have been appointed leaders of the firm’s Health Care Department, effective January 1, 2023. Snyder, formerly Assistant Director of the Department, was elevated to Director and Modestine is now Assistant Director. In this capacity, they will manage and supervise the firm’s 65+ health care attorneys throughout 14 of the firm's 19 offices.

The leadership transition marks the first time in the firm’s history where two female attorneys are leading a core department of the firm. Snyder inherits the position from T. Kevin FitzPatrick who successfully led the department for 11 years. While FitzPatrick is stepping down from leadership, he will maintain a robust health care litigation practice with the firm.

Both Snyder and Modestine have spent their legal careers at Marshall Dennehey and have long tenures with the firm.

An accomplished civil litigator and trial lawyer, Snyder is also a member of Marshall Dennehey’s Board of Directors. She has more than 25 years of medical malpractice litigation experience and has tried almost 40 civil cases to verdict. She will relocate from King of Prussia to the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Modestine, resident in the firm’s King of Prussia office, is an active litigator who represents a large number of hospitals in Southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as physicians, physician groups, allied health professionals and long-term care facilities.
 
“We are excited for the continued growth of the Health Care Department at Marshall Dennehey,” said Snyder. “Our goal is to build market share by offering superior litigation services and support to our clients. The rapidly changing healthcare environment is a core concern for businesses and countless medical professionals who tirelessly treat patients with quality care and put their professional reputations on the line every day. In Pennsylvania, we are monitoring changes to the medical malpractice venue rules and the anticipated impact on health care providers both locally and nationally.” 

Snyder and Modestine both agree that mentoring will be a strong component of their growth strategy moving forward.

“We will continue to place a high priority on fostering strong client relationships and a collaborative environment within the department,” said Modestine. “Our experienced bench of trial attorneys is complemented by a strong group of associates with a keen interest in honing their litigation skills. We are committed to the development of our younger attorneys, with the ultimate goal of seeing them in the courtroom defending our clients’ interests.”
 
Snyder is an elected associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges that works to enhance the civil trial jury system. A member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, she is also recognized among the Best Lawyers in America® in the area of health care litigation. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University and Widener University School of Law, she is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as well as the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Modestine is a member of the Pennsylvania and Delaware County Bar Associations. She is included in the 2022 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine in the area of medical malpractice defense, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.  
 

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