Suzanne Ilene Schiller

Biography:

Suzanne Ilene Schiller focuses her practice in the areas of real estate and complex civil litigation. Ms. Schiller has represented Fortune 100 companies, leading shopping center owners, commercial real estate developers, big box tenants, building contractors, and municipalities such as the City of Philadelphia. Representative matters include:

• defending an international manufacturer of industrial inks in litigation arising from the closure of a manufacturing facility;
• defending the manufacturer of asbestos-containing building materials in property damage litigation;
• defending a grocery supplier against breach of contract and tort claims in litigation arising from the sale of a shopping center;
• representing the manufacturer of specialty concrete materials in a claim for breach of a distributorship agreement;
• representing a developer of residential condominium complexes in construction defect litigation;
• defending a leading pharmaceutical company in a breach of contract action;
• prosecuting an accounting action against a global steel trading company;
• representing the owner of a regional enclosed shopping mall in injunction proceedings to prevent uncontrolled labor activity from interfering with business activities; and
• counseling clients on compliance with labor and public access laws nationwide.

Suzanne has litigated on behalf of her clients in many venues, representing parties in jury and non-jury cases in federal and state courts, arbitration proceedings, and pre- and post-trial evidentiary hearings. In addition, Ms. Schiller has briefed to and argued before many appellate courts, including the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court (from the United States Bankruptcy Court), the California Supreme Court and the California Court of Appeals.

A member of the International Council of Shopping Centers for more than 20 years, Suzanne is a frequent speaker at industry trade conferences addressing subjects such as public access, Title III of the ADA, and leasing rights. She also has been a regular author on real estate issues for industry publications such as Shopping Center Legal Update and Commercial Leasing Law and Strategy. She is also AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated through Martindale-Hubbell®.

Prior to joining the firm, Suzanne spent 12 years at Spector Gadon & Rosen, P.C. She was an active member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group, chaired the firm’s technology committee, and was a director of the firm’s charitable giving foundation.

In law school, Suzanne was a recipient of the Hastings 1066 Foundation Scholarship and was the Executive Technical Editor of Comm/Ent: Hastings Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law. A graduate of Bennington College in Vermont, she served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 1992-1996. She currently serves on The Mann Center Corporate Partners Board, and has previously served on the Boards of The Print Center and VIP, a legal services organization providing pro bono representation to economically disadvantaged individuals. Suzanne is a member of the International Visitors Council which hosts international business, government and student guests visiting the greater Philadelphia community. She is also a volunteer ski patroller at Jack Frost Mountain and an instructor of Outdoor Emergency Medicine.

Education:

• Hastings College of Law, J.D., 1987
• Bennington College, B.A. (literature and languages) 1983

Memberships:

• Admitted to practice in the state courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California
• Admitted to practice in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania; the District of New Jersey; and the Central, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of California; and before the United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Third Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States
• International Council of Shopping Centers
• Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America

Speaking Engagements:

• "Sustainability Legal Issues & Risk Management Strategies for Existing Buildings" presented at BOMA Philadelphia, May, 2012
• "Greening Your Real Estate Deal" presented at the Temple Real Estate Institute, April and May, 2012
• "Medical Monitoring & Toxic Tort Claims: Preparing for the Future in a Post-Dukes Environment" presented at American Law Institute-American Bar Association (ALI-ABA) Teleseminar, December, 2011
• "Discovery in Deep: Corporate Preservation and Identification of Relevant Evidence" presented at the HB Litigation Conferences' Oil in the Gulf: Litigation & Insurance Coverage Conference, November 2010
• "Hot Topics in Environment Law: Recent Developments in CERCLA: Interpreting Atlantic Research and Burlington Northern" a Presidential CLE Program presented at the 2010 American Bar Association Annual Meeting, August, 2010
• "Recent Developments in ADA Compliance and Enforcement" presented at Pennsylvania Bar Institute's 2004 Annual Real Estate Institute, December, 2004
• "The Perils of Letters of Intent" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' 2003 U.S. Law Conference, October, 2003
• "Recognizing and Enforcing Continuous Operating Covenants" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' 2002 U.S. Law Conference, October, 2002
• "Advanced Seminar on Public Access Issues" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers" 1999 U.S. Law Conference, October, 1999
• "Advanced Seminar on Labor, Security and Public Access Issues" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' 1997 U.S. Law Conference, October, 1997
• "Sublessees' Rights To Enforce Master Lease Provisions" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' 1996 U.S. Law Conference, October, 1996
• "Update On Public Access Issues" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' 1995 U.S. Law Conference, October, 1995
• "Drafting Public Access Rules" presented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' New Jersey Seminar on Public Access Rules, February, 1995

Articles:

• "Environmental Access Agreements: Enter at Your Own Risk," Association of Corporate Counsel’s Green-house Counsel, November 2011
• "Superfund Liability: How Recent Court Decisions May Affect Companies' Ability to Recover Costs," Association of Corporate Counsel's Green-house Counsel, December 2010
• "Don’t Lien On Me: Considerations for Commercial Landlords When Tenants Improve Property," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (20:12), 2008 - with Monica Mathews Reynolds
• "Protecting Against the Possibility of Catastrophic Events," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (19:1), 2006 - with Monica Mathews
• "Contending with Title III of the ADA: Tips for Property Owners and Managers," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (17:10), 2005
• "Recent Developments in Accessibility to Movie Theaters," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (17:5), 2004
• "From Macro to Micro: The ADA’s Revised Guidelines," The Legal Intelligencer, August 2004
• "Protecting Your Leasehold: Keeping Competitors at Bay," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (16:2), 2003
• "How States Differ Regarding Enforceability of Oral Agreements for Real Estate Commissions," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (15:6), 2002 - with Christopher G. Barnes
• "Ensuring That Landlords Are Protected by Well-Drafted and Comprehensive Guarantees," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (14:8), 2002
• "Recognizing and Enforcing Continuous Operating Covenants," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (13:9 & 13:10) Two-part article, (2001); [Reprinted in The Legal Intelligencer, March 2001 - Commercial Real Estate Special Supplement]
• "Formulating a Discovery Plan: The Keystone of Every Case," The Legal Intelligencer, January 2001
• "Determining Damages for Failure to Return Premises in Good Condition," Corporate Real Estate Executive (15:8), 2000
  
• "Follow-Up: New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds Public Access to Shopping Centers," Shopping Center Legal Update (20:2), 2000
• "State's High Court Gives Guidance on Regulation of Public Access to Shopping Centers," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (13:3), 2000
• "New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds Public Access to Shopping Centers," SCWonline.com, [http://www.scwonline.com/news/0006/000628a.html], June 2000
• "When a Shopping Center is a Public Forum," The Legal Intelligencer, April 2000 - Commercial Real Estate Quarterly Special Supplement
• "How to Successfully Manage Access to Shopping Centers During Labor Disputes," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (12:9), 2000
• "Managing Public Access: Don't Be Caught Off Guard," Corporate Real Estate Executive (15:2), 2000
• "California Court Provides Guidance on Public Access Rules," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (10:5), 1997
• "California Court of Appeal Upholds Constitutionality of Public Access Rules," Shopping Center Legal Update (17:2), 1997
• "New Summary Judgment Standard May Reduce Nanty Glo to Embers," The Legal Intelligencer, August 1996 - Litigation Quarterly Special Supplement; with K. Byrnes
• "Court Weighs Free Speech Against Private Property Rights," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (7:8), 1995
• "PruneYard and Trespass Laws: A Look At Enforcing Access Rules Through Arrest and Criminal Prosecution," Shopping Center Legal Update (12:1), 1992

Law Review Notes:

• "Black and White and Brilliant: Protecting Black and White Films From Color Recoding," Comm/Ent (9:3), 1987
• "The Relationship Between Motion Picture Distribution and Exhibition: An Analysis of the Effects of Anti Blind Bidding Legislation," Comm/Ent (9:1), 1986