Daria Hall
Princeton Resident Becomes First Woman to Head McCarter’s NYC Office
Mary Jane Augustine, Former Head of Construction Practice, Steps Into Lead Management Position
NEW YORK, NY (April 13, 2010)—McCarter & English has appointed Mary Jane Augustine as Managing Partner of the New York office, effective April 1, 2010. Augustine is the first woman to hold that position in McCarter’s New York office. In her new management role, Augustine will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office, as well as coordinating business and practice development efforts. She will also continue her established construction law practice.
“We congratulate Mary Jane on her new role, and anticipate that under her leadership, we will continue to strengthen the firm’s reputation as a leader in the New York market,” said Eric Watt Wiechmann, McCarter’s firm-wide Managing Partner. “McCarter & English has long appreciated that the significant representation of women in firm leadership is essential not only to fulfill our diversity goals, but also to enable us to provide varying perspectives on legal solutions for our clients.”
As a 34-year practitioner of construction law, Augustine was previously the Practice Group Leader of McCarter’s Construction Practice Group, which is now part of the firm’s Real Estate/Construction/Environmental Practice Group. The firm’s construction practice includes three attorney/civil engineers, and five U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professionals, of which Augustine is one.
In her practice, Augustine focuses on the development of project delivery strategies and the drafting and negotiation of design and construction contracts for complex domestic and international building projects. Over the years, her clients have included project owners, developers, contractors, construction managers and design professionals. Augustine was the primary drafter and negotiator representing the New York Jets and New York Giants football teams in construction-related contract negotiations for their New Meadowlands Stadium, a $1 Billion project. The Stadium will be completed this month.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to guide our New York office,” said Augustine. “I look forward to building upon the accomplishments of my predecessor, Steve Fields, by continuing to grow the office and enhance the firm’s reputation in the New York marketplace through business development and community service initiatives.”
During the course of her career, Augustine has worked as an attorney in private practice, as a contracts consultant with an international project management firm, and as in-house counsel for a “signature” architectural firm. Twenty years ago, she made a strategic decision to abandon the litigation portion of her practice and focus exclusively on construction transactional work. Since that time, her work for Construction Industry clients has involved her in projects around the globe including some in South America, Asia and Russia, as well as in the U.S. A recent international project assignment included contract negotiations, representing the Architect, on the controversial Gazprom Tower in St. Petersburg, Russia, which required her to spend two weeks working in Moscow. Augustine’s contracting experience encompasses projects such as the renovation of Grand Central Station; the design of more than 20 museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art; several high rise office buildings in mid-town Manhattan; infrastructure projects; hospitals; sports facilities; cultural facilities; large scale condominium projects; and numerous institutional, mixed-use, commercial and entertainment projects.
Recognized as a “Leader in the Field” by Chambers USA 2008 – 2010, Augustine is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars. She is also a member of the ABA’s Forum on the Construction Industry. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, she earned her B.A., M.B.A and J.D. degrees from Emory University.
The New York office of McCarter is the third largest of the firm’s seven offices located throughout the Northeast region of the country. As the prior Office Managing Partner, Steve Fields oversaw the growth of the office that included the addition of 13 lawyers, including, Harley Lewin, Dan Pollack, Kenneth Yoon and Jamieson Karson. Fields will now focus on the continued growth of the Corporate and Financial Practice in New York, where he represents private equity clients.
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McCarter & English, one of the oldest firms in America, has a history of supporting the equality of women under the law and in the legal profession that dates back to the firm’s successful representation of Annie Oakley at the turn of the last century. Women attorneys of McCarter — both past and present — have made significant contributions to the growth and success of the firm. From the hiring of Rosalie B. Cooper (who later became a Superior Court Judge) as the first female associate in 1953, to the elevation of Mary L. Cooper (who later became a U.S. District Court Judge) as the firm’s first female partner in 1980, to the founding of the firm’s Hartford office by Cathy Mohan, who is still a partner there and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, to the appointment of Lois Van Deusen as the first full-time firm-wide Managing Partner in 2002, the firm has strongly supported the advancement of women, both within the firm and in the legal profession. Today, McCarter’s Women’s Initiative continues that tradition, with a focus on building positive relationships for women with their colleagues, peers, clients and their broader communities.
About McCarter & English, LLP
McCarter & English, LLP, established more than 160 years ago, represents Fortune 500 and middle-market companies in their national, regional and local litigation and on important transactions. Its 400 attorneys are based in offices in Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Stamford and Wilmington. www.mccarter.com
