George Yokitis is a partner in the firm of DeForest Koscelnik Yokitis Skinner & Berardinelli. He served as managing partner of the Pittsburgh office of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis from 1994-2001. His practice concentrates on commercial, products liability, environmental, media and labor litigation.

Mr. Yokitis has been lead trial counsel in numerous commercial disputes, including employment, intellectual property, securities, lender liability, commercial paper, contracts cases and in complex, multi-jurisdictional class actions involving tens of thousands of claims with billions of dollars at stake. He has litigated and tried cases in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Maine, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mr. Yokitis has argued in a number of federal courts of appeals and state supreme courts. He has experience before the United States Supreme Court.

In the employment area, Mr. Yokitis has defended and/or prosecuted cases involving covenants-not-to-compete, trade secrets and employment agreements. He has litigated cases involving age, sex, disability and race discrimination claims, drug testing policies and unfair labor practices.

As lead trial counsel Mr. Yokitis has obtained successful verdicts or summary dismissals in a number of recent cases. For example, Mr. Yokitis has:

• obtained defense verdict in complex lender liability trial following more than three weeks of trial.
• obtained dismissal based upon Daubert/Frye challenge in two leading reported Pennsylvania cases.
• obtained injunctive relief for national outdoor advertising company preserving sale of business.
• obtained multi-million dollar cost recovery award following successful alternative dispute resolution proceeding.
• obtained injunctive relief for national publication against copyright infringement.
• obtained a seminal ruling in a leading case under Hague Convention.

Mr. Yokitis has published in the Toxic Law Reporter and co-authored the Environmental Disputes Handbook: Liability and Claims. Mr. Yokitis is a frequent speaker for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and has lectured before the Society of Professional Journalists and various trade organizations. Mr. Yokitis is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Mr. Yokitis graduated magna cum laude Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Yokitis is a 1979 Temple University School of Law alumnus where he was the class Barenkopf Scholar and graduated first in his class. Prior to graduation from law school, Mr. Yokitis pursued a professional football career as a quarterback with the New York Jets.

Mr. Yokitis is active in a number of civic and professional organizations, including the St. Vincent dePaul Society Executive Committee and Berkeley Hills Athletic Association Board of Directors. He is head coach of the St. Sebastian boys varsity basketball team.