Zabela Named New Managing Partner of Vorys’ Pittsburgh Office
Vorys announced today that Keith Zabela has been named the managing partner of the firm’s Pittsburgh office. Zabela has 15 years of experience working with clients on oil and gas and real estate law. Prior to joining Vorys in 2015, he served as the managing partner of Burleson LLP’s Pittsburgh office.
“Keith will be an outstanding leader of our Pittsburgh office and brings a unique set of skills to the job,” said Michael Martz, Vorys’ managing partner. “He has been instrumental in the growth of our firm’s energy practice and will be influential in the firm’s continued strategic growth in Pittsburgh.”
Zabela advises clients on title, due diligence, leasing, acquisitions and divestitures, operating agreements, joint development agreements, purchase and sale agreements, royalty issues, curative matters and all other facets of day-today operations. He has represented title insurance companies in the resolution of claims involving lien priority, estate, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and other title issues. Zabela also represents individuals and corporate clients in the areas of real estate, business, contracts, estate and , landlord-tenant law. Zabela is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, American Association of Professional Landmen, Michael Late Benedum Chapter and Northern Appalachian Landman’s Association.
“I’m excited to take on this new leadership opportunity at Vorys,” said Zabela. “Since I joined the firm, we’ve expanded both the physical size of the Pittsburgh office and the number of attorneys in the office. I’m looking forward to continuing this growth in a city that I have called home for my entire life.”
The Vorys Pittsburgh office opened in 2013 with just three attorneys. The initial focus of the office was to broaden the oil and gas work that Vorys was handling in Pennsylvania. The office has since expanded its focus and is home to 21 lawyers with experience in energy, intellectual property, real estate, banking, finance, brand protection and health care law.
Daren Garcia, the former Pittsburgh office managing partner, has relocated to the Vorys Cincinnati office to focus his efforts on the continued development of the firm’s fastest growing practice area, Vorys eControl. Garcia is the co-chair of the eControl team, which is comprised of attorneys and professionals primarily located in the firm’s Cincinnati office.
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and has grown to be one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with more than 375 attorneys in seven offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.
