Jonathan S. Ziss
Partner
- Direct — 267.519.6820
- Fax — 267.519.6801
- jziss@goldbergsegalla.com
Practice Groups
Jonathan Ziss is a partner in the firm's Philadelphia office. He has accumulated a significant amount of trial and appellate experience in the state and federal courts as well as before administrative tribunals. Jonathan concentrates his practice in the area of commercial litigation, aviation litigation, and professional liability. He has written articles on the subject of fiduciary responsibility and professional standards, and he has lectured accountants, architects, attorneys, bankers and fiduciaries on topics related to professional risk and claims management.
Jonathan has represented many local, regional and national accounting firms in a wide variety of matters and in a number of forums including all forms of ADR. In professional negligence matters, he has represented accountants in lawsuits brought by former clients; by purchasers or sellers in disputes arising out of business combinations; by factors, banks and other lenders; by creditors in bankruptcy and bankruptcy trustees; and by other affiliated professionals. In addition, Jonathan is frequently called upon to represent accountants in investigations by federal, state and local authorities, including the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and the Department of Labor, as well as investigations by bankruptcy trustees and creditors’ committees. He has worked with accounting firms preparing for grand jury appearances.
Jonathan has also counseled accounting firms on questions concerning ethics and professional standards, involving client engagements and disengagements, record production requests, subpoena compliance, conflicts of interest, auditor independence, privilege, confidentiality, and the unauthorized practice of law, to mention but a few. Outside of the E&O arena, he has counseled and represented accountants on matters relating to covenants not to compete, employment liability, and other business and internal matters.
Throughout his career, Jonathan has represented regional, national and international air carriers, as well as under wing service providers, municipal authorities, general aviation owners and operators, as well as fixed base operators, in connection with property and casualty liability litigation. In addition to handling disputed matters, he counsels commercial airlines in connection with industry-related consumer compliance and contractual matters.
Jonathan counsels clients and litigates, arbitrates, and mediates commercial disputes in a wide range of industries, from healthcare to hospitality. He is frequently called upon to handle matters involving employment claims, covenants affecting post-employment competition and the use of confidential and proprietary business information, creditors’ rights, indemnification, and other contract-based claims.
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association: Member, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Aviation Litigation Committee
- Professional Liability Defense Federation: Current Assistant Vice President
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS): Immediate Past Chair, PLUS Mid-Atlantic, Steering Committee
- Pennsylvania Defense Institute
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance: Current Lead Chair, Professional Liability Committee
- Defense Research Institute: Member, Aviation Law Leadership Committee
Honors
- Selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (Metro - Professional Liability: Defense)
Admitted to Practice
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Education
- Franklin and Marshall College, B.A., cum laude, 1981 (Elected Phi Beta Kappa)
- Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1984 (Staff Member, Villanova Law Review)
Publications/Presentations
- Featured in “Legal Implications of Social Media,” PICPA Beyond the Copy, May 2013
- Co-Author, "Transactional Insurance: How Better to Manage Litigation Than to Prevent It?" Litigation Management, Spring 2013
- Co-Author, “Who Owns the Working Papers,” Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy Newsletter, February 2013
- Author, “Does Liability Protection Mean Never Having to Say You’re Sorry?” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2013
- Quoted in “A Tale of Two Lawsuits — PricewaterhouseCoopers and Colonial Bank,” Forbes.com, November 10, 2012
- Quoted in “Insurance May Provide Little Relief for Knight Capital Losses,” Reuters, August 4, 2012
- Author, “Still Crazy After All These Years: Lateral Moves and Non-Compete Agreements,”American Agent & Broker, August 2012
- Author, “When Moonlighting Becomes Your Problem,”Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2012
- Co-Author, “Who Are You Calling Miscellaneous? Professional Liability Insurance for This Booming Service Sector,”Litigation Management, Winter 2012
- Author, “Ask the Right Questions: Choosing Professional Liability Insurance,”Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2012
- Podcast Interview, “The Need for Professional Liability Insurance,” Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, November 2011
- Author, “Bill Designed to Protect Travelers Could Prove Difficult to Implement,”Travel Weekly, November 14, 2011
- Author, "Keeping Secrets,"Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Fall 2011
- Quoted in “Aviation Lawyers Say Airline Claims Up, Air Crash Cases Steady,”The Legal Intelligencer, August 2, 2011
- Presenter, Medicare Set-Asides in Personal Injury Litigation Seminar, National Business Institute, Philadelphia, June 28, 2011
- Presenter, “Pennsylvania Supreme Court Clarifies Key Auditor Defense to Claims Based on Management Fraud,” 114th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Lake Buena Vista, FL, June 20, 2011
- Quoted in “Professional Liability a Hot Area, Even as Med Mal Claims Cool,”The Legal Intelligencer, May 31, 2011
- Author, “Recognize and Avoid the Unauthorized Practice of Law,”Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2011
- Author, “FDIC Professional Liability Group Set to Pursue Audit Firms,”The Legal Intelligencer, February 8, 2011
- Presenter, “Professional Liability in Business Valuation Engagements,” Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 2010 Business Valuation Conference, November 1, 2010, Harrisburg, PA
- Presenter, “How to Identify and Manage Malpractice Risks in Your Role as an Expert Witness,” National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA) Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA) 2010 Annual Consultants’ Conference, Meeting of The Minds in Miami, June 2 -5, 2010, Miami Beach, FL
- Presenter, “Mock Trial: Litigation Boot Camp for Forensic Financial Experts,” National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, sponsors of the Certified Forensic Financial Analyst (CFFA) designation, Loews Hotel, Philadelphia, 2009
- Author, “Use a Proper Release to Avoid Future Traps,” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Summer 2009
- Author, “Avoid Sitting in Two Boats at Once,” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2009
- Presenter, “Elder Care — Professional Liability Issues for CPAs,” Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Greater Philadelphia Chapter in Cooperation with the Bar Committee, Philadelphia, 2008
- Presenter, “The Importance of Due Diligence for Art Collectors,” 15th Anniversary Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA), Chicago, 2008
- Presenter, “The Rising Standard for IT Competency — Why E-Discovery Is Only the Edge of the Wedge,” Forensic and Litigation Services Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Philadelphia, 2008
- Presenter, “Electronic Discovery and Data Retention Programs,” CPA Club of Greater Wilmington, Wilmington, DE, 2008
- Presenter, “Mock Trial: Beware the Not-For-Profit Executive — A Criminal Indictment,” Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Greater Philadelphia Chapter in Cooperation with the Bar Committee, LaSalle University, Philadelphia, 2007
- Presenter, “Electronic Discovery and Data Retention Programs — New Obligations and New Exposures,” PLUS Education Event — Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Wilmington, DE, 2007
- Author, “Reminders Help Client Relations,” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Fall 2007
- Author, “Trouble Can Be Heard in a Whisper or a Scream,” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Summer 2007
- Author, “Keeping Your Thoughts to Yourself,” Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2007
- Presenter, Legal Issues for Pennsylvania Architects — Identifying the Standard of Care,” Half-Moon Seminars (CPE Accredited), Fort Washington, PA, January 2007
- Author, “Weeding Out the Problem Client,” Journal of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Summer 2006
- Presenter, “Arbitration Workshop,” Forensic and Litigation Services Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Philadelphia, 2001
- Presenter, “Fiduciaries’ Responsibilities With Regard to Art in Estates and Trusts,” American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, Chicago, 2001
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