PRESS RELEASE

The law firm of Ekker, Kuster, McConnell & Epstein, LLP announced that Matthew R. Thiry and Wade M. Fisher have joined the firm as associates.  Both Mr. Thiry and Mr. Fisher served as law clerks prior to being asked to join the firm.

Mr. Thiry graduated Summa Cum Laude from Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Philosophy and Political Science. In 2004, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing, Michigan.

While in law school, Matthew was employed as a research assistant at Michigan State University College of Law and as an extern for the Court of Appeals for the State of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Mr. Thiry is the son of Robert and the late Patricia Thiry of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania and a resident of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.

As an associate at Ekker, Kuster, McConnell & Epstein, LLP, Mr. Thiry will concentrate his practice in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, business and corporate law, and domestic relations.

Mr. Fisher graduated with Honors in Economics from Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in both Accounting and Economics. In 2004, he received the Juris Doctorate degree, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Akron School of Law in Akron, Ohio.

Mr. Fisher attended the University of Akron School of Law as a Millennium Scholar and received a full-tuition Board of Trustees Scholarship throughout his four years of enrollment.  He also was awarded the Corporate Law Scholarship in 2001 and was named to the Dean’s List in each semester in which he was eligible.

Mr. Fisher received the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor and Employment Law, the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal, and the American Bankruptcy Law Journal Student Prize.  He also received CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for Excellent Achievement in the Study of Bankruptcy Law, Constitutional Law, Employment Law, and Commercial Paper, Sales & Lease Transactions.

Mr. Fisher served for two years as a member of the Akron Law Review, one year each as assistant editor and associate editor.  His note, The Internal Revenue Service Collects from an Innocent Spouse in United States v. Craft:  Could Business Associates Be Next?, was published in the Akron Tax Journal and reprinted in the Monthly Digest of Tax Articles.

Mr. Fisher is the son of Melvin and Norma Fisher of Jackson Center, Pennsylvania.  He resides in Grove City, Pennsylvania, with his wife Diana and their three children.

As an associate at Ekker, Kuster, McConnell & Epstein, LLP, Mr. Fisher will concentrate his practice in the areas of corporate law, elder law, and estate planning and administration.

Both Mr. Thiry and Mr. Fisher have been admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In addition to Mr. Thiry and Mr. Fisher, the firm consists of Henry M. Ekker, William G. McConnell, Thomas W. Kuster, Richard W. Epstein, Ronald P. McCall, William G. McConnell, Jr. and Melissa D. Cochran, making it the largest law firm in Mercer County with offices at Sky Bank Building, One East State Street, Sharon, Pennsylvania, and 3545 East State Street, Hermitage, Pennsylvania

Ekker, Kuster, McConnell & Epstein provides services for diverse clientele with a sensitivity to business issues.  The firm’s well-established network of corporate, financial, legal and government relationships enables it to handle almost any legal matter.  The firm’s practice is concentrated in the following areas of the law:  banking and finance, corporate and business planning, estate planning and administration, elder law, health care, municipal and governmental, real estate and employment law.  The firm also maintains a fully staffed litigation practice which can provide the depth of service required for commercial, personal injury, and civil litigation.