Ronald L. Hicks, Jr.
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Intellectual Property Litigation; view more
Licensed in Pennsylvania since: 1987
Education: Wake Forest University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2007, 2011 - 2022, 2024 - 2025 Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Six PPG PlaceSuite 700
Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Phone: 412-730-3092 Email: Ronald L. Hicks, Jr. Visit website
Details
For more than three decades, Ron has handled complex and commercial litigation in trial and appellate courts at the state and federal level, and before arbitration and mediation panels throughout the Atlantic Coast and Midwest. As a trial and appellate lawyer, his litigation practice focuses on claims involving misappropriation of trade secrets, intellectual property disputes, breach of restrictive covenants, business competition matters, partnership and business owner disputes, contract and warranty claims, creditors’ rights and fraudulent transfers, estate and fiduciary liability, insurance coverage, real estate title disputes, oil and gas litigation, and telemarketing and online marketing matters. He is member of the Allegheny County Academy of Trial Lawyers and Litigation Counsel of America. He serves as an arbitrator, an early neutral evaluator and an e-discovery dispute Special Master for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
A proud member of the Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ community and the founding member of Three Rivers Business Alliance, the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce for Pittsburgh and the Greater Allegheny region, Ron represents LGBTQ+ business owners and clients across many industries, often serving as outside general counsel. He advises on general corporate issues and business transactions, including entity formation and operation, contract drafting and review, document retention and destruction policies, internet and social media matters, and intellectual property concerns including trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and warranties.
Additionally, Ron represents local, state, and federal Republican candidates and political committees, serving as their general or litigation counsel. As an election lawyer, Ron handles a variety of election law disputes, including election contests, ballot recounts, nomination objections, absentee, mail-in and provisional ballot challenges, and other pre- and post-election litigation. In addition, he has planned and participated in Election Day operations, including for the past five presidential campaigns. He regularly provides training on Pennsylvania election processes and procedures, and he has appeared before election boards and in state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania on various election law matters.
Ron has an AV Preeminent Rating from the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating Program.
Since 2011, he has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of commercial litigation, bankruptcy, construction, intellectual property and real estate litigation. In 2022, Ron was selected as The Best Lawyers in America’s Lawyer of the Year for Real Estate Litigation in Pittsburgh.
Other accolades include inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and in Who’s Who in American Law and being named to the Order of the Barristers. Additionally, City & State Pennsylvania selected Ron for its inaugural 2021 Top 50 Over 50 list of influential Pennsylvanians, its inaugural 2022 Pennsylvania Pride Power 100 list, and its 2022 and 2023 Pittsburgh Power 100 lists.
Practice areas
Business Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, Intellectual Property Litigation, Business/CorporateFirst Admitted: 1987, Pennsylvania
Professional Webpage: https://www.nelsonmullins.com/idea_exchange/news/press_relea...
- Fellow - Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, 2021
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court, 1987
- Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, Membership Committee
- Republican National Lawyers Association, Member
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2014
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Life Member
- Allegheny County Bar Foundation, 2016 Fellow, 2016
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, 1987
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2011
- National LGBT Bar Association, Member
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Life Member
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1988
- Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Litigation Section (Commercial and Business Litigation, E-Discovery, Energy Law, Intellectual Property Litigation, LGBT Litigator, and Technology for the Litigator Committees); Law Practice Management Section
- Allegheny County Bar Association, Board of Governors (former member); Committee for Diversity & Inclusion (former Co-Chair); Civil Litigation Section; LGBT Rights Committee; Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Gender Equality (former member); Judiciary Committee (former member), Appellate Practice Committee, Court Rules Committee, Political Action Committee (former member), Finance Committee, Women in Law Divisions Gender Bias Committee (former member)
- United States Supreme Court, 1993
- Herder Spring Hunting Club v. Keller, 143 A.3d 358 (Pa. 2016), cert. denied No. 16-554 (U.S. Jan. 9, 2017); Northern Forests II, Inc. v. Keta Realty Co., 2015 Pa. Super. 253 (Pa. Super. 2015); Exec. Wings, Inc. v. Dolby, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123729 (W.D. Pa. 2015); Southwestern Energy Prod. Co. v. Forest Res., LLC, 83 A.3d 177 (Pa. Super. 2013), reargument denied 2014 Pa. Super. LEXIS 30 (Pa. Super.), appeal denied 96 A.3d 1029 (Pa. 2014); Roser Techs., Inc. v. Carl Schreiber GmbH, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129242 (W.D. Pa. 2013); In re Nomination Papers of Robertson, 55 A.3d 1044 (Pa. 2012); IPEG, Inc. v. Hamilton Avtec, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103028 (W.D. Pa. 2011); Lookout Windpower Holding Co., LLC v. Edison Mission Energy, 714 F. Supp. 2d 547 (W.D. Pa. 2010), injunction granted at 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85370 (W.D. Pa. 2010); FedEx Ground Package Sys. v. Applications Int'l Corp., 695 F.Supp.2d 216 (W.D. Pa. 2010); Alturnamats, Inc. v. Harry, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71446 (W.D. Pa. 2008), as amended by 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4789 (W.D. Pa. 2009); In re Substitute Nomination Certificate of Barr, 956 A.2d 1083 (Pa. Commw.), aff’d 958 A.2d 1045 (Pa. 2008); FedEx Ground Package Sys. v. Applications Int'l Corp., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107896 (W.D. Pa. 2008); Elliott v. Kiesewetter (In re Kiesewetter), 391 B.R. 740 (Bankr. W.D. Pa. 2008), aff’d 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 110573 (W.D. Pa. 2011); Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. Power Source Supply, Inc., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56942, 66 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (Callaghan) 680 (W.D. Pa. 2008); Reunion Indus. v. Steel Partners II, L.P., 410 B.R. 170 (W.D. Pa. 2008); Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. Power Source Supply, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24352 (W.D. Pa. 2007); Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. Power Source Supply, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15306 (W.D. Pa. 2007); Tredennick v. Bone, 647 F. Supp. 2d 495 (W.D. Pa. 2007), aff’d 323 Fed. Appx. 103 (3d Cir. 2008); Kichler v. Wieland Int'l, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85402 (W.D. Pa. 2007); Brockway Pressed Metals, Inc. v. Eynon Assocs. (In re Brockway Pressed Metals, Inc.), 363 B.R. 431 (Bankr. W.D. Pa. 2007), aff’d by Eynon Assocs. v. LaSalle Bank Nat’l Assocs. (In re Brockway Pressed Metals, Inc.), 304 Fed. Appx. 114 (3d Cir. 2008); In re Nomination of Nader, 905 A.2d 450 (Pa. 2006), cert. denied Nader v. Serody, 549 U.S. 1117 (2007); Kiesewetter v. Elliot (In re Kiesewetter), 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89713 (W.D. Pa. 2006); Cornerstone Sys. v. Knichel Logistics, L.P., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59998 (W.D. Pa. 2006), aff’d in part, vacated in part 255 Fed. Appx. 660 (3d Cir. 2007); Urbano v. Stat Courier, Inc., 878 A.2d 58 (Pa. Super. 2005); Kiesewetter v. Elliott, 912 So. 2d 1240 (Fla. DCA 4th Dist. 2005); In re Nomination of Nader, 860 A.2d 1 (Pa. 2004), cert. denied 543 U.S. 1052 (2005); In re Canvass of Absentee Ballots of Nov. 4, 2003 Gen. Election, 839 A.2d 451 (Pa. Commw.), rev’d in part 843 A.2d 1223 (Pa. 2004); Michaels v. Breedlove, 34 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 2850 (3d Cir. 2004) Elliott v. Kiesewetter, 112 Fed. Appx. 821 (3d Cir. 2004); Pierce v. Allegheny County Bd. of Elections, 324 F. Supp. 2d 684 (W.D. Pa. 2003); FTC v. Common-wealth Mktg. Group, Inc., 72 F. Supp. 2d 530 (W.D. Pa. 1999); Sumsion v. USX Corp., 22 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 2657 (W.D. Pa. 1999); First Philson Bank, N.A. v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co., No. 727 A.2d 584 (Pa. Super.), appeal denied 747 A.2d 901 (Pa. 1999); Infocomp, Inc. v. Electra Prods., 109 F.3d 902 (3d Cir. 1997) Elliott v. Kiesewetter, 98 F.3d 47 (3d Cir. 1996); Greene County Mem’l Park v. Behm Funeral Homes, Inc., 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 40945 (3d Cir. 1994); Conner v. Munsey, 620 A.2d 1103 (Pa. 1993) Snell v. Performance Assocs. Corp., 1993 Ohio App. LEXIS 6306 (Oh. Ct. Ap. 2d Cir. 1993); Greene County Memorial Park v. Behm Funeral Homes, Inc., 797 F. Supp. 1276 (W.D. Pa. 1992), aff’d w/out op. 993 F.2d 876 (3d Cir.), cert. denied 510 U.S. 866 (1993); Levendos v. Stern Entertainment, Inc., 909 F.2d 747 (3d Cir. 1990) & 860 F.2d 1227 (3d Cir. 1988); Housing Authority of Pittsburgh v. Metz, 550 A.2d 599 (Pa. Commw. 1988).
- Three Rivers Business Alliance and Foundation, Board of Directors, President, 2017 – present, Steering Committee, 2017 - 2019
- Republican Committees of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, Solicitor, 2012 – present, Committeeperson Pgh. 3rd Council Dist. Ward 17, 2004 - present
- Republican State Committee, Deputy Solicitor for Western Pennsylvania, 2017 – present, Commonwealth club, member
- Penn State University College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society, Board of Directors, 2012 – 2017, Mentor, 2010 - 2015
- NGLCC National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, National Legal Industry Council, 2016 - 2020 Corporate Advisory & Procurement Councils, 2016 - 2020, Supplier Certification Committee, 2017 - 2020, 2016
- Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, Director/Chair of Development Committee, 2017
- The Pennsylvania Society, Member
- Penn State Alumni Association, Life Member
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers®
- City & State PA’s Top Fifty Over 50 awards celebrate Pennsylvania’s most prominent leaders in government, business, media and beyond. Each honoree in the inaugural Top Fifty Over 50 class was chosen for their distinguished public service and commitment to making Pennsylvania a better place to work and live. Ron is one of only four honorees who have been selected from the greater Pittsburgh community out of 50 recipients across the state of Pennsylvania., Pennsylvania’s 2021 Top Fifty over 50, City & State PA, 2021
- Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Its methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Lawyers who are named “Lawyer of the Year” are individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the "Lawyer of the Year" for each specialty and location., Pennsylvania 2022 Lawyer of the Year - Real Estate Litigation in Pittsburgh, Best Lawyers, 2021
- Order of the Barristers, 1987
- The Chairman's Award recognizes those for nationally distinguished service for protecting the honesty and accuracy of U.S. elections., RNLA Robert J. Horn Chairman's Award, 2018
- Included in 2012 Top Rated Lawyers® in Insurance, 2012
- AV Premium rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers®, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Litigation – Construction and Litigation – Real Estate
- Who’s Who in American Law, 1997
- Included in The Best Lawyers® Annual Guide to Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2011
- Wake Forest University School of Law, J.D., 1987
- Penn State University, B.A. Pre-Law, 1984
- With the ever-growing potential that Pennsylvania will play a significant role in the United States’ production of natural gas in the 21st Century, more lawsuits are being filed over who owns the rights to the subsurface gas. Generally, such lawsuits involve a dispute between the heirs of the early landowner who recorded a deed that severed the natural gas from the surface estate and one whose chain of title emanates from a tax sale held after the severance was recorded. Several commentators have opined that if the land was “unseated” at the time of the tax sale and the severed subsurface estate was not separately assessed, then the tax sale “washed” the prior recorded severance and passed title of the natural gas to the tax sale purchaser even though the underlying tax assessment was directed solely to the surface estate or other mineral interests. However, decisions from Pennsylvania federal and state courts alike, including several from the trial courts in north-central Pennsylvania were such “title washing” was purportedly practiced at the turn of the 20th Century, have cast serious doubts on the extent to which severed natural gas titles have been lost or divested by these early tax sales., Co-Author, Debunking The Myths Surrounding Natural Gas Title Washing: "How Can One's Title Be Divested If Natural Gas Was Not And Cannot Be the Subject Of A Proper Real Estate Tax Assessment?", Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, Oil & Gas, 2014
- When drafting contracts, using indemnity provisions and insurance clauses should be more than just a “copy and paste” operation. Such clauses should be tailored to the specific needs of the contracting parties. This article provides tips on drafting effective indemnification provisions and insurance clauses in contracts involving the sale or purchase of goods and services., Co-Author, The Interplay Between Indemnification Provisions and Insurance Clauses in Contracts for Goods and Services, ACC Docket, 2014
- While some businesses (individuals and companies alike) execute these contracts without reading or understanding the significance of such indemnity and insurance provisions, many others have come to appreciate that such clauses constitute a risk-transfer tool that can help protect their business from potential risks that may arise in the future, including the other party’s breach of contract., Author, Indemnification Provisions and Insurance Clauses: Why Have Both in Contracts for Good Service?, Association of Corporate Counsel, 2012
- For years, concerns have been raised over the rise of Rambo tactics in civil litigation. This article identifies who is a Rambo lawyer and some of the common characteristics of this uncivil style of litigation. Then, this article focuses on some of the most popular Rambo civil litigation tactics and suggested ways to combat them. Finally, this article provides some practical advice or tips that one can use to keep a Rambo civil lawyer in check. , Author, Returning Civility to Civil Litigation, ExecSense, Legal, 2012
- This book covers various topics of interest to litigation lawyers, including managing client expectations, confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, advising CEOS, and handling Ranbo lawyers. , Co-Author, Hot Topics from Litigators, ExecSense, Legal, 2012
- In 2021, City & State Pennsylvania named Ron to its inauguaral Top Fifty over 50 list. City & State’s 2021 list celebrates Pennsylvania’s most prominent leaders in government, business, media and beyond. Each honoree in the inaugural Top Fifty Over 50 class has been chosen for their distinguished public service and commitment to making Pennsylvania a better place to work and live. Ron was one of only four honorees who were selected from the greater Pittsburgh community out of 50 recipients across the state of Pennsylvania., 2021
- In 2021, Best Lawyers named Ron as Pennsylvania's 2022 Lawyer of the Year for Real Estate Litigation in Pittsburgh. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Its methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Lawyers who are named “Lawyer of the Year” are individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the "Lawyer of the Year" for each specialty and location., 2021
- Emerging Industries
- Energy & Mineral Rights
- Insurance
- LGBTQ Businesses
Office location for Ronald L. Hicks, Jr.
Six PPG Place
Suite 700
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2007, 2011 - 2022, 2024 - 2025