Michael Vail is an associate in the Corporate Litigation and Counseling Group.

An Idaho native, Mr. Vail obtained a B.A. from Brigham Young University studying Business and Economics and worked in the home security/automation industry prior to attending law school. He graduated from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School in the Spring of 2021. During law school, Mr. Vail served as an Associate Editor of the BYU Law Review, participated as a student advocate in the Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic, and was a member of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. Mr. Vail is conversational in Japanese.

Carlene S. Clark* is an associate attorney in the Corporate Litigation and Counseling Practice Groups. Ms. Clark joined the firm after completing a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Ferris W. Wharton of the Delaware Superior Court.  She graduated cum laude from Widener University Delaware Law School in 2019.

During law school, Ms. Clark served as the Josiah Oliver Wolcott Fellow to the Honorable Collins J. Seitz, Jr.—now Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.  She was the recipient of the National Bar Association, Justice Juanita Stout Scholarship and the Corporate Counsel Woman of Color Scholarship.  She served as Web Editor for the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, the Parliamentarian for the Black Law Students Association (“BLSA”), the Scholarship Coordinator for the Woman’s Law Caucus and was a member of the Transactional Law Honor Society.

Prior to law school, Ms. Clark worked in healthcare and received her Bachelor’s in Marketing and Technical Management.  A native of Philadelphia, she served on the board of a local non-profit and ran for public office in a city wide election.  Ms. Clark takes pride in community engagement and mentorship through various affinity groups within the Delaware legal community.

*Licensed in Pennsylvania only and not yet admitted to practice in Delaware.  Ms. Clark is supervised by attorneys of the Firm who are admitted to the Delaware Bar. 

Sam Gross is an associate in the Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling Groups.

A native of Ohio, Sam holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. He graduated cum laude from William & Mary Law School, where he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Lawrence R. Leonard of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and as a student fellow with the Center for the Study of Law and Markets. Sam was also selected as a student advocate in the prestigious Appellate and Supreme Court Clinic and as a teaching assistant for the school’s Trial Advocacy courses. He was a graduation recipient of the Gambrell Professionalism Award for his dedication to professionalism and integrity in the field of law.

Michael DeBaecke concentrates his practice on bankruptcy reorganizations and related litigation, representing a variety of Chapter 11 debtors, trustees, creditors’ committees, ad hoc groups of secured and unsecured creditors, landlords, purchasers of assets (including substantially all of a debtor’s assets or discrete asset lots such as single or multiple leases), contract counterparties, administrative claimants, intellectual property licensees or licensors, and parties named in various bankruptcy litigation matters including:

• preference and fraudulent transfer actions;
• breach of fiduciary duty actions;
• breach of contract actions; and
• lien priority actions.

In addition to a busy bankruptcy practice, which includes the handling of matters in bankruptcy courts located across the country, Mr. DeBaecke is a former law clerk in the Delaware Court of Chancery (clerking for then Vice-Chancellor Maurice Hartnett for the first half and then-Vice Chancellor Myron Steele for the second half) and maintains a targeted litigation practice focused primarily on Delaware Court of Chancery corporate litigation matters, Delaware Superior Court commercial litigation matters, and Delaware District Court commercial litigation matters.

Chambers USA notes that Mr. DeBaecke “works ‘diligently and persistently for his clients but knows when to compromise,’ according to sources.”  Others say that he “understands the big picture” and “gets things done that are in the best interests of the client.”

On the personal front, Mr. DeBaecke coached fifth and sixth grade boys basketball for six years at his grade school alma mater; currently is active in his daughters’ lacrosse and swimming pursuits; and he is an avid tennis player (singles preferred over doubles, but any tennis beats no tennis).

Randall (“Randy”) Teti has a diverse litigation practice in Delaware’s state and federal courts.  As a member of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation practice groups, Mr. Teti has a particular focus on contractual disputes in the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Superior Court. He also handles matters involving fiduciary duties, corporate governance, statutory rights, and other issues of Delaware corporate law in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Prior to joining Ashby & Geddes’ Medical Malpractice group, Mr. Teti worked for a large defense litigation firm representing healthcare providers and national transportation companies. This experience, along with his post-graduate clerkship for a Superior Court trial judge, provides Mr. Teti with unique insight into how medical providers prepare a defense and how judges approach legal issues.  His creativity, attention to detail, and intense work ethic has helped the firm achieve numerous multi-million dollar results on behalf of injured clients through trial and negotiated settlement.

A lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area, Mr. Teti received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University. He graduated summa cum laude from Widener University Delaware Law School, where he was the only back-to-back mock trial champion in the school’s history. Following law school, Mr. Teti served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Andrea L. Rocanelli of the Delaware Superior Court.

Philip (“Lee”) Trainer, Jr. is a Member of Ashby & Geddes’ Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups.  The focus of his practice is trial work.  Although primarily appearing before the Court of Chancery, Mr. Trainer also regularly litigates matters in Delaware’s Federal, Bankruptcy and law courts.

As a member of the firm’s Corporate Litigation and Counseling group, Mr. Trainer has tried a broad array of matters, including defending shareholder challenges to going-private transactions, determining the appropriate valuation mechanism for stock put rights, contesting proposed mergers, and valuing preferred stock in appraisal proceedings.

As a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Counseling group, Mr. Trainer’s experience has ranged from defending lender liability claims to prosecuting a breach of contract action against a major Western utility.  He has also represented one of Delaware’s largest municipal waste haulers in a Constitutional challenge to local “flow control” regulations, principals in the dissolution of closely held entities, and buyers and sellers in post-closing disputes.

Mr. Trainer is praised by Chambers USA 2017 for his “encyclopaedic knowledge of Delaware corporate disputes.”

Gregory A. Taylor is a Director a co-chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency group.

Mr. Taylor focuses his practice on corporate financial restructurings, bankruptcy litigation, asset acquisitions, debtor in possession financing and estate liquidations.  He regularly represents corporate debtors, official committees, Chapter 11 trustees, secured lenders, asset acquirers, commercial landlords and personal property lessors.  He also maintains a bankruptcy litigation practice involving, among other things, preferences, fraudulent transfers, and professional fee disputes.

Mr. Taylor has been recognized in Chambers USA (2021 and 2022) and The Best Lawyers in America (2022) for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; as a “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers in Delaware Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights (2012-2015); and is rated “Preeminent AV” (the highest rating) by Martindale-Hubble.

Mr. Taylor also provides pro bono services to abused and neglected children through the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate and is an active youth lacrosse coach.

A Director at Ashby & Geddes, Randall E. Robbins leads Ashby & Geddes’ Medical Negligence, Automobile Accident and Product Liability Practice.  Mr. Robbins is recognized by his peers as one of the top medical negligence lawyers in Delaware.  He believes that his success is due to his passion for what he does, his commitment to excellence and his many years of experience.

Mr. Robbins has been representing victims of negligence for over thirty years.  He has settled and tried to a jury numerous cases that have resulted in substantial awards to his clients, many exceeding one million dollars.

Mr. Robbins is a past President-Elect and President of the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association, having also served for many years on DTLA’s Board of Governors.  He is also a member of the American Association of Justice and the Delaware State and American Bar Associations.

He was a member of a Medical Liability Task Force created by the Delaware House of Representatives.  The Task Force, which consisted of the Lieutenant Governor, representatives of DTLA, the medical profession, the insurance industry and the lay public, studied issues involving the improvement of health care, the protection of victims, and the cost of medical negligence insurance in the State of Delaware.

Mr. Robbins received his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Richmond (B.A., magna cum laude, 1978; J.D. 1981).  He began practicing with Ashby & Geddes in 1984 and has been a member of the firm since 1989.  He began his career in 1981 as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Attorney General’s office.

Ricardo Palacio is a Director and co-chair of Ashby & Geddes’ Bankruptcy and Insolvency group. Chambers USA notes Mr. Palacio as a “smart guy with a nice disposition,” and “very personable, very practical, does a very good job on his feet.”

Serving as both Delaware and lead counsel, Mr. Palacio’s practice focuses primarily on bankruptcy, restructuring and litigation matters.  In that practice, Mr. Palacio regularly represents corporate debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees (Chapter 7 and Chapter 11), commercial landlords and various other constituencies including secured lenders, buyers of assets, and aircraft/personal property lessors.  Mr. Palacio also maintains a bankruptcy litigation practice representing both plaintiffs and defendants in actions involving, among other things, preferences, fraudulent transfers, reclamation claims and professional fee disputes, and is frequently sought by clients for representation in high-stakes litigation.

Mr. Palacio serves clients on an national basis appearing in courts and matters located in California, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Additionally, given his fluency in Spanish, Mr. Palacio has assisted clients located in Mexico and South America on U.S. bankruptcy and restructuring matters.

Troupe Mickler is a litigator who has been a member of Ashby & Geddes’ corporate, commercial and bankruptcy groups since joining the firm in 2009.  He has litigated cases in each of Delaware’s state, federal and bankruptcy courts, including the Court of Chancery, serving as both lead and Delaware counsel.

In his corporate and commercial practice, Mr. Mickler represents companies, boards of directors, officers and stockholders in a variety of matters involving, among other things complex contract disputes, business torts, fiduciary duties, proceedings arising under the Delaware General Corporation Law, and non-competition and other restrictive covenants.  Through his work in the bankruptcy context, Mr. Mickler has litigated disputes on behalf of a diverse range of clients, including debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, landlords, defendants in adversary proceedings and trustees.

Outside of work, Mr. Mickler has presented on topics such as Delaware corporate law, corporate ethics and electronic discovery.  He takes pride in the Delaware Valley community, where he serves on the board of directors of a non-profit corporation, acts as a guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children, and volunteers in other legal and non-legal capacities.

A native of South Carolina, Mr. Mickler is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the school’s law review and was awarded the Class of 1991 Award for excellence in legal writing. Prior to law school, Mr. Mickler earned a degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina.

Andrew C. Mayo is a Director in Ashby & Geddes’ Intellectual Property group, where he has practiced since 2010.  Mr. Mayo’s practice is centered in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and focuses on providing Delaware litigation counsel services to in-house attorneys and other law firms involved in IP disputes encompassing a wide array of technology.  He is the immediate past president of the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.  Mr. Mayo’s work is recognized in Chambers USA, IAM Patent 1000, and Super Lawyers. Chambers USA describes Mr. Mayo as “hard-working and smart” and as having “great credibility with the judges.” IAM Patent 1000 indicates Mr. Mayo “has developed a great reputation as a reasonable litigator with excellent substantive patent law knowledge and a good feel for how judges will approach and decide a case.” Mr. Mayo has also been listed as a “Rising Star” for multiple years in Super Lawyers.  In 2013, Mr. Mayo completed the Federal Trial Practice Seminar, sponsored by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and the Federal Bar Association.  Prior to law school, Mr. Mayo worked inside the legal department for an international telecommunications company.

Tiffany Geyer Lydon practices in the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups, as well as the Intellectual Property group.  Ms. Lydon has litigated a diverse variety of corporate and commercial actions in the Delaware Court of Chancery, Delaware Superior Court, and Delaware Supreme Court, and has aided clients in Delaware transactions and the formation of Delaware entities.

Ms. Lydon has also appeared in intellectual property litigation in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware that has encompassed a variety of technologies including telecommunications, computer hardware and software, electronics, automobile, pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare.  Chambers USA rated Ms. Lydon a ”rising star” in the industry and has highlighted her substantial expertise in patent litigation.

Ms. Lydon is an active volunteer in several non-profit organizations and currently serves as the Vice President of Chesapeake Feline Association and a board member for the League of Women Voters of New Castle County, Delaware.  She was previously a Maryland Board of Library Trustee for the Cecil County Public Library.

Ben Keenan is Of Counsel with Ashby & Geddes and a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency group.

His practice focuses on representation of Chapter 7 Trustees and creditors’ rights.  His representations include liquidating trustees, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, contract counterparties, and numerous defendants in adversary proceedings under section 547 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Mr. Keenan is a graduate of Kenyon College, with distinction, and Widener University, School of Law, cum laude.

Stephen E. Jenkins serves as Of Counsel to the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups.

Mr. Jenkins has for many years been named to “Best Lawyers in America,” “Best Lawyers in Delaware,” and a “Super Lawyer.”  He is also rated “AV” by Martindale Hubbell (its highest rating).  Chambers USA says that Mr. Jenkins “epitomizes the standard of excellence that other Delaware lawyers aspire to.  He is an effective, balanced and tough litigator.”  In addition to litigation, Mr. Jenkins has advised numerous corporate boards and special committees on a wide range of matters.

Chambers USA 2017 notes that Mr. Jenkins is ‘extremely smart’ and ‘very well-respected by the judges.’  One market source notes, ‘He’s thoughtful in arguments with people and clever in not stirring things up in a way that’s counterproductive.”  Mr. Jenkins is known for his work in stockholder disputes, proxy contests and corporate governance litigation.’

Mr. Jenkins is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center, from which he graduated magna cum laude and as an Executive Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.  He was admitted to the bar in 1982 and has primarily practiced in the fields of corporate litigation and counseling since that time.

Richard D. Heins has been a Director in Ashby & Geddes’ Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups since 1997.

Since joining the firm in 1991, Mr. Heins’ practice has focused on corporate and commercial litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery.  He represents corporations, substantial stockholders, officers, directors, partnerships and other entities in litigation involving corporate governance, contests for control and other tort, fiduciary and contract actions.  He also counsels clients in connection with potential transactions and other issues of Delaware law, including providing legal opinions.

Mr. Heins is a member of the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association and a former member of the Board of Bar Examiners of the Delaware Supreme Court.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Heins clerked on the Delaware Court of Chancery for The Honorable William T. Allen, Chancellor from 1989 to 1990.

James McC. Geddes has specialized expertise in public utility rate regulation matters.  In addition to advising clients generally with respect to such matters, Mr. Geddes has acted since the firm’s founding as special counsel to the Governor and the Attorney General in connection with the Public Service Commission.

Delaware’s Public Service Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over matters involving the regulation of investor-owned gas and electric utilities.  This representation involves acting on behalf of all Delaware ratepayers in administrative proceedings on a wide range of financial, accounting, and engineering issues.  Mr. Geddes also represents the Public Service Commission in appellate work before the Delaware Superior Court and the Delaware Supreme Court.  More recently, he provided counseling services to a major industrial client with regard to service reliability issues involving an out-of-state utility.

In addition, Mr. Geddes is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Counseling Practice with broad-based experience in commercial litigation in both the Delaware Superior and Chancery Courts.  In a recent case, he was able to bring his public utility experience to bear in prosecuting a commercial action on behalf of the largest consumer of electricity in Wyoming in a jury trial involving repeated interruptions of electrical power.

Catherine A. Gaul is the President and Managing Partner of Ashby & Geddes where she is a member of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups.  Ms. Gaul’s practice is focused primarily on corporate and commercial litigation disputes in the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware Superior Court, acting in either a lead or local role.

Ms. Gaul has successfully argued appeals to the Delaware Supreme Court and taken a key role on a successful appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  She also litigates corporate and commercial disputes in the U.S. District Court of Delaware, and has conducted internal investigations on behalf of special committees.

Ms. Gaul has been ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Guide to Leading Lawyers for Business since 2017 in the Chancery practice area.  Over the years, Chambers USA has described Ms. Gaul as “‘terrific: incredibly personable and very smart,’” and highlighted her sound judgment, responsiveness, and practical approach to litigation.

A native of Wilmington, Ms. Gaul graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1999 with degrees in Chemistry and Earth Sciences, and earned her J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School in 2002.

Marie M. Degnan is a Director of the firm and a member of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Counseling groups.  Her practice focuses on corporate and commercial litigation in Delaware’s state and federal courts, with an emphasis on litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery and in the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware Superior Court.

In her capacity as both lead and Delaware counsel, Ms. Degnan has represented corporations, alternative entities, stockholders, directors, and officers.  Representative matters include the litigation of disputes involving fiduciary duties and corporate governance, statutory appraisal, M&A transactions, indemnification and advancement of directors and officers, and various other commercial tort and contract issues.

Ms. Degnan holds a B.A. in Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she was a Managing Editor of Temple Law Review.  She is the author of No Actual Bias Needed: The Intersection of Due Process and Statutory Recusal, 83 Temp. L. Rev. 225 (2010).

John G. Day is a Director in Ashby & Geddes’ Intellectual Property group.  His practice focuses on providing Delaware litigation counsel services for in-house attorneys and many of the nation’s leading intellectual property firms in patent and trademark disputes before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, both on the plaintiff and defense side.  Mr. Day’s IP practice includes a broad variety of technology, involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, consumer electronics, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and other technologies.

Mr. Day is serving or has served as Delaware counsel in many major patent cases, including the following representations: Idenix Pharmaceuticals LLC, et al. v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., C.A. No. 14-846-LPS, Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, et al. v. Power Integrations, Inc., C.A. No. 12-540-LPS, C. R. Bard, Inc., et al. v. AngioDynamics, Inc., C.A. No. 15-218-SLR-SRF, International Business Machines Corporation v. Groupon, Inc, C.A. No. 16-122-LPS-CJB, and Blackberry Limited v. Nokia Corporation, et al., C.A. No. 17-155-RGA. Mr. Day also serves as Church Attorney to the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware.

Lawrence C. Ashby serves as Of Counsel to the Corporate Litigation and Counseling group within Ashby & Geddes where his practice focuses on corporate governance issues, major transactions and the litigation that often accompanies such matters.

Steven J. Balick chairs the Intellectual Property Litigation group within Ashby & Geddes, and has gained a national reputation for his intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of local practice before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware as well as his expertise in litigating patent cases and other intellectual property disputes before that Court.  Mr. Balick serves as both Delaware litigation counsel and as a general advisor, working with intellectual property law firms across the country to represent corporate clients in patent litigation and other intellectual property cases which span numerous areas of science and technology.  Mr. Balick has served on the District Court’s Lawyer Advisory Committee, and he has assisted in drafting the Court’s pattern jury instructions in patent cases.

Mr. Balick has been ranked in Chambers USA: Leading Lawyers in America since 2004, has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2007, and has been listed in IAM Patent 1000 since 2012.

Don A. Beskrone is a Director in Ashby & Geddes’ Bankruptcy and Insolvency group. For over 30 years, Mr. Beskrone has practiced bankruptcy law in several jurisdictions, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

Since 2001, he has practiced exclusively in Delaware’s Bankruptcy Court. Prior to joining Ashby & Geddes, Mr. Beskrone was a trial attorney with the Office of the United States Trustee in Delaware.  He is a chapter 7 panel trustee in Delaware. Status Reports of Chapter 7 Case Administration of Large and Converted Cases can be found here.

William P. Bowden serves as Of Counsel to the firm’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency group.  He was recently included in The Deal’s Top Bankruptcy M&A Lawyers as well as named to the American Institute of Bankruptcy Attorneys’ 10 best bankruptcy attorneys in terms of client satisfaction.  Mr. Bowden has been ranked as a Leading Individual in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (“Chambers”) from 2005 through 2017.

Mr. Bowden has practiced in Delaware’s Bankruptcy Court for the last 26 years, and he regularly represents parties with an extensive variety of interests including, without limitation, chapter 11 debtors, official and “ad hoc” committees of secured and unsecured creditors, retirees and equity holders, investors in distressed assets and debt, and pre and post-petition lenders.

Mr. Bowden has been praised by his clients as “fantastic to deal with”, a “masterly practitioner” who “gives first class advice, knows the players and gets maximum results” in Chambers (2017, 2012). Chambers has reported that clients view him as “fabulous, level-headed and effective,” a “terrific lawyer,” “tough negotiator,” and praise his “all around strength.”