Walter DeForest is a partner in the firm of DeForest Koscelnik Yokitis Kaplan & Berardinelli. He represents companies in litigation, technology, higher education, media law, non-profit and labor and employment matters.

Mr. DeForest's litigation work has been primarily in the civil area, including commercial disputes, technology disputes, defamation claims, First Amendment actions, media access matters, employment contracts, non-competition provisions, wrongful termination suits, and discrimination and sexual harassment cases. Mr. DeForest has litigated numerous cases in the state and federal courts both locally and nationally, including cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, California, New York, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa and Alabama. He has had cases and been admitted to practice before nine federal courts of appeals. He also has had considerable practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. DeForest is a member of the Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio bars.

Mr. DeForest has served as legal counsel for more than 500 licensing arrangements in the technology area, including both out-license and in-license arrangements, covering a wide range of technologies, such as: artificial intelligence; green chemistry; electronic data storage; biotechnology; atom transfer radical polymerization; fuel cells; computer assisted surgery; distance learning; and the 360-degree, spin-effect television camera operation technology for the 2001 Super Bowl. Mr. DeForest wrote and negotiated one of the first commercial licenses for the Internet. He is involved in complex transactional work for organizations relating to collaborations and other business relationships, many involving academic and commercial consortia, and he has extensive experience in the business aspects of intellectual property matters. Mr. DeForest has been lead counsel in the spin-off, formation and structure of a wide range of technology-based start-up companies. He regularly represents buyers, sellers, licensors and licensees in the acquisition of technology, know-how and other intellectual property. In addition, Mr. DeForest counsels for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in the decision-making process regarding the protection, utilization and marketing of their intellectual property and in commercial litigation of intellectual property disputes.

Mr. DeForest has represented academic institutions for more than thirty years and is experienced in virtually every type of issue relating to higher education clients. Mr. DeForest was the General Counsel of Carnegie Mellon University from 1993-2002 and in that capacity advised regarding, and personally litigated all aspects of higher education issues. Mr. DeForest has conducted the legal defense of significant government criminal and civil investigations in the academic area.

Mr. DeForest's work in the labor and employment area has included union election proceedings, collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, equal employment opportunity charges and litigation, investigations by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, wage and hour matters, pension and retirement litigation, and employment contracts. Mr. DeForest represents non-union employers, including employers with white collar, clerical, technical, and professional employees, as well as employers that have unionized work forces.

Mr. DeForest represents numerous television and radio stations regarding all aspects of litigation, defamation, media access, union and employment issues, discrimination claims and talent agreements.

Mr. DeForest obtained his undergraduate degree in 1966 from the University of Pittsburgh and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1969. He has been recognized in every edition of the book The Best Lawyers in America.