D.S. Berenson, Partner

Mr. Berenson serves as general and special counsel to residential remodeling contractors, multi-national banks, consumer lenders and mortgage companies, specializing in a range of business and corporate matters. He is active in all areas of business law, with an emphasis in residential construction and home improvement law, consumer finance and lending, state and national business transactions, corporate quality control, agency representation, specialized litigation, ESOPs, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structure, securities and finance, commercial lending and asset protection.

Recognized nationally for his experience and expertise in construction law and financing, Mr. Berenson is the author of “Pratt’s State Law and Regulation of Closed-End Credit.” This six-volume series covers all aspects of installment and credit sale practices, procedures and licensing from both the federal and state perspective, for the credit seller as well as later finance purchasers and investors.

A frequent lecturer and contributing author to various trade journals, Mr. Berenson received his law degree from Duke University and serves on the American Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Conduct and Committee on Consumer Financial Services.

His internship experience includes the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Mr. Berenson was the lead strategist and negotiator in the successful defense of the $200,000,000 Truth-in-Lending/RESPA consumer class action lawsuit brought against Sears, Roebuck & Co. and various local and national lenders. He has structured and negotiated numerous national and international business combinations, and has completed licensing and franchise relationships for clients with Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, Macy’s East, Inc., Lowe’s, Kmart, Home Depot, Hechingers, Owens Corning and Century 21.

Memberships include The Florida Bar; the District of Columbia Bar; the Pennsylvania Bar Association; the Virginia Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Court admissions include the U.S. Tax Court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; the Florida Supreme Court; the Virginia Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Peter N. Lobasso, Associate

Peter N. Lobasso is an associate attorney at Berenson LLP in the Great Falls, Virginia office. Mr. Lobasso’s current practice is concentrated in labor and employment law contracts and trademark litigation.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lobasso practiced law on Long Island, New York for five years, during which time he represented the mortgage banking industry in connection with residential real estate settlements, contested judicial foreclosure actions, estate administration proceedings, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy cases, and litigation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Upon relocating to Virginia, he continued work on behalf of the industry, focusing primarily on disputes arising in the context of non-judicial foreclosure proceedings. Thereafter, Mr. Lobasso managed complex title litigation matters and also successfully litigated an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court in a significant reported creditors’ rights decision.

Mr. Lobasso received his B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science (emphasis in International Relations) from the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 1992. While at UCF, he also completed a comprehensive minor in Business Administration. Mr. Lobasso earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Huntington, New York in 1997. At Touro, Mr. Lobasso was a member of and contributing author to the Touro Law Review and earned the Academic Excellence Award for highest achievement in no less than six different subject areas. He also was honored with the award for the best article written by a graduating student for his work entitled Originalism, the Supreme Court, and the Nonexistent Right of Privacy. Finally, Mr. Lobasso was an active member of the Touro Chapter of the Federalist Society, where he served as the organization’s vice president for two years. Mr. Lobasso is a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia Bar, the District of Columbia Bar and the New York Bar.

Mr. Lobasso is admitted to practice law in New York, Second Department, in the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Kevin M. Tierney, Associate

Kevin M. Tierney is an associate attorney at Berenson LLP in the Great Falls, Virginia office. Mr. Tierney’s current practice focuses on a wide range of business and corporate matters, including consumer finance and lending, construction law, corporate quality control, ESOPs, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structure, securities and finance, commercial lending, and asset protection.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Tierney practiced securities and corporate law privately in Washington D.C.

Mr. Tierney received his B.S. in Political Science from Florida State University in 2001. Mr. Tierney earned his law degree from American University’s, Washington College of Law in 2004, at which time he served as a law clerk in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Corporation Finance. Mr. Tierney is a member of the Georgia Bar, the District of Columbia Bar and the Commonwealth of Virginia Bar.

Mr. Tierney is admitted to practice law in the State of Georgia, District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia.