New York, NY – January 7, 2020 – Chaffetz Lindsey, a leading New York-based arbitration and litigation boutique, announces the promotion of five team members to new roles in the firm.  The firm promoted Andrew (Drew) Poplinger to partner, Rainbow Willard to counsel, and Joshua (J.D.) Anders, Karen Baswell and Ted DeBonis to Senior Attorney.  These promotions follow the firm’s recruitment of two prominent lateral partners, Caline Mouawad and Alan Lipkin.

Drew joined the firm in September 2012, following his clerkship with the Honorable Richard K. Eaton of the United States Court of International Trade. He was promoted to counsel in 2017.  He represents clients in commercial disputes before state and federal courts, and before all major arbitral institutions and in ad hoc disputes in a variety of industries, including insurance and reinsurance, oil and gas, construction and financial services.  Legal 500 USA has recognized Drew‘s work, naming him one of six “Next Generation Attorneys” nationwide for Advice to Insurers.

“Drew is a gifted advocate and consummate common law lawyer,” said founding partner Peter Chaffetz.  “He works tirelessly and with contagious enthusiasm to master each new case.  We are so pleased to promote Drew to the partnership.”

Drew is admitted to practice in New York and Texas.  He earned his JD summa cum laude in 2006 from Albany Law School, where he was a senior editor for the Albany Law Review. He obtained his BA and MA in political communication from the State University of New York at Albany in 2003.

Rainbow regularly appears in front of international arbitration tribunals and U.S. courts.  One of her great talents is the ability to simplify case presentation and strategy in complex, cross-border matters. She has also helped several clients navigate parallel proceedings in international arbitration and national courts in a host of foreign jurisdictions.  Rainbow is fluent in English, Spanish, and Kaqchikel Maya.

Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey in 2017, Rainbow was a senior associate in the international arbitration group of Allen & Overy LLP, where she practiced in the London and New York offices.  Rainbow clerked for the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and served as an assistant federal public defender in the Southern District of Florida, where she appeared as lead defense counsel in more than 100 federal felony cases.  She earned her JD with high honors from Emory University School of Law, an MA in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and her BA cum laude from Tulane University’s Newcomb College.  Rainbow serves as a member of the Global Steering Committee for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Members Group, and as Secretary to the Executive Committee of the New York International Arbitration Center.

Commenting on the promotion of Rainbow Willard to counsel, Aníbal Sabater, a member of Chaffetz Lindsey’s management group, said, “Rainbow has played a leading role in some of our most complex arbitration matters.  She is a talented advocate in both English and Spanish. We could not be more impressed with her intelligence and judgment. We look forward to her continued success.”

The firm is promoting Karen Baswell, J.D. Anders and Ted DeBonis to Senior Attorney.  Commenting on these three promotions, Peter Chaffetz said, “J.D., Karen, and Ted have been at the heart of many of our greatest successes.  Our clients benefit from their rich experience and leadership on the complex matters the firm handles.  We are very pleased to promote them to a new position that recognizes their contribution.”

Since joining Chaffetz Lindsey in 2013, J.D. has represented individual and corporate clients in disputes in state and federal court and in arbitration proceedings. His strong research and analytical skills have made him a key team member in a succession of complex disputes.  He is also a go-to lawyer for anything related to e-discovery.  J.D. earned his BA and MA degrees from Northeastern State University and his JD from Harvard.  He began his career at Paul Weiss.

Karen started her career at Clifford Chance and was one of the original seven attorneys when Chaffetz Lindsey opened for business in 2009.  She has been a mainstay of the firm’s insurance and reinsurance practice, and has experience in international arbitration, with a focus on construction disputes.  Karen has keen quantitative skills, which she enjoys using to help organize and understand complex data that other lawyers often find daunting.  Karen received her JD from Hofstra University School of Law where she was Articles Editor of the Hofstra Law Review and graduated summa cum laude.  Previously she earned both BA and BS degrees from the University of Richmond.

Ted has represented clients in a wide range of complex litigation and arbitration matters, including representing insurers, reinsurers, corporations, and individuals in commercial litigation, arbitration, and mediation.  Ted’s clients recognize his steady leadership, in-depth analytical capabilities, and exemplary case management.  A graduate of St. Johns Law School (JD) and Columbia College (BA), Ted began his career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP before joining Chaffetz Lindsey in 2011.