Lewis Brisbois Expands Energy, Oil, and Gas Capabilities in Pittsburgh With Addition of Experienced Transactional, Litigation Team

Pittsburgh, Pa. (June 11, 2025) - Lewis Brisbois is pleased to welcome Partners Jesse Zirillo, Samantha Cavalier, Gabrielle Carbonara, and Bridget Sasson, as well as Associate Jesse Harcar, to its Pittsburgh office as members of the firm’s Energy, Marine, & Power and Real Estate & Land Use Practices. Mr. Zirillo will serve as co-chair of the Energy, Marine & Power Practice. With deep and varied transactional and litigation experience, these attorneys represent companies conducting business in the oil and gas space. The team consistently achieves clients’ goals in matters involving a range of legal issues, including energy, natural resources, and mineral law, as well as real estate, construction, and contracts.

In discussing the team’s move from Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote to Lewis Brisbois, Mr. Zirillo explained that Lewis Brisbois’ pioneering approach and significant resources appealed to him, noting, “I was intrigued by the synergy of the entrepreneurial spirit and the legal talent at the firm. Also, Lewis Brisbois’ broad suite of resources will allow us to maximize the efficiencies of our practice, which will drive even better results for our clients. I look forward to growing our business in the energy, oil, and gas space.”

Lewis Brisbois’ National Managing Partner Greg Katz described, “We are excited about the growth in our Pittsburgh office and how we are continuing to grow our footprint across the country in a multitude of practice areas. We are very excited about Jesse and his team joining our firm. The recent addition of this talented team allows us to expand the depth and breadth of services that we provide to our oil and gas clients in Pittsburgh and throughout the United States. These attorneys are highly skilled in both litigation as well as a variety of transactions that take place regularly within the industry. We look forward to their contributions across a wide range of matters.”

Chair of Lewis Brisbois’ national Corporate Practice and Co-Chair of its Securities & Corporate Finance Practice Michael Platner agreed, noting, “We are so pleased to have these attorneys on board and we look forward to boosting the already high level of service we provide to our oil and gas clients – not only in Pittsburgh but across our nationwide network. This team is well-versed in counseling oil and gas businesses across several areas of law, and our clients will benefit significantly from the presence of these experienced, accomplished lawyers.”

Pittsburgh Managing Partner Todd Gray described, “We are thrilled to welcome Jesse, Samantha, Gabrielle, Bridget, and Jesse to our office. We are looking forward to working with them and learning from them, as they bring many years of experience as well as valuable insights and perspectives to several of our practice areas. The arrival of this stellar team is yet another exciting element of our office’s continued growth.”

Jesse Zirillo 

Mr. Zirillo has been practicing law for more than 17 years. He has substantial experience handling a wide range of matters for clients in the energy, natural resources, and real estate industries as well as other business industries. His practice includes matters pertaining to land and title, due diligence, acquisitions and divestitures, public and private financing transactions, and other corporate and business-related transactions. In addition, he is well-versed in all contracts and agreements frequently used in these industries. Mr. Zirillo also handles litigation for firm clients, consistently achieving positive results that align with their ultimate business goals. In addition, Mr. Zirillo has experience working in-house for a large international oil and gas company. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Bridget Sasson 

Ms. Sasson has more than a decade of experience handling energy matters that involve both litigation and complex transactions. She advises organizations on issues arising from the ownership, lease, purchase, and development of oil, gas, and other minerals. She also has handled real estate, construction, and insurance defense matters, and has experience preparing a range of real estate transactional documents on behalf of corporations and individuals. Ms. Sasson is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Gabrielle Carbonara

Ms. Carbonara, who has been practicing for 12 years, handles an array of transactional oil and gas matters including title review, curative work, and mineral due diligence. She advises on complex heirship and leaseholds and prepares certified mineral title opinions, purchase and sale agreements, assignments, and deeds. Ms. Carbonara also represents clients in real estate litigation and transactions, routinely preparing a variety of legal instruments. In addition, she counsels clients on purchase agreement disputes, planning and zoning matters, and real estate tax assessment issues. Ms. Carbonara is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well as in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Southern District of West Virginia.

Samantha Cavalier

Ms. Cavalier practices in the areas of energy law, mineral law, real estate, and estate planning and administration. With more than a decade of experience, she has represented energy clients in various transactional matters, routinely handling title review, division order title opinions, due diligence, contract drafting and negotiation, and curative work. Ms. Cavalier is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.

Jesse Harcar

Mr. Harcar practices in the areas of energy law and real estate, with a particular emphasis in oil and gas. With ten years of legal experience, Mr. Harcar previously worked as an abstractor with a Pittsburgh-based firm and as a title curative specialist for a local real estate information and technology services company. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.