Peckar & Abramson, P.C. (P&A) is pleased to announce that Cornelius “Lee” Banta, Jr. and Stephen E. Irving of P&A’s Houston office, and Brett J. Moritz and Stefanie A. Salomon of the firm’s Miami office have been promoted to Partner. P&A is also pleased to announce the promotion of the following attorneys to the ranks of Senior Counsel and Senior Associate:

Senior Counsel:

• Paul F. Williamson (Washington, DC)

Senior Associate:

• Darien K. Blair (New York)
• Nadia Ennaji (Miami)
• Steve D. Garcia (Houston)
• Kellie M. Ros (Houston)
• Skyler L. Santomartino (New York)

“Each year, we have the privilege of celebrating the progress of our dedicated attorneys,” said Steven M. Charney, Chair of P&A. “Our firm is deeply committed to developing a strong and talented team of attorneys who will serve our clients and lead our organization for generations to come. Recognizing our attorneys for their contributions to the firm and the construction and infrastructure community, as well as celebrating the milestones in their careers, not only honors these remarkable individuals but also underscores the bright and enduring future we are building together.”

About the Attorneys

Cornelius “Lee” Banta, Jr. joined as an associate in 2019 and quickly became an indispensable part of the team. He has experience with delay and lost productivity claims, lien and bond claim disputes, construction defect litigation, and general commercial matters in arbitration, state, and federal court. He has represented owners, contractors, subcontractors, and materialmen at all stages of the litigation process, securing favorable judgments for his clients. Lee earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, where he received the Susman Godfrey L.L.P. Award for Outstanding Paper in the Area of General Litigation (2015) and his B.A. in History from Amherst College. His professional accomplishments include recognition by Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” (2022–2025).

Stephen E. Irving is co-vice chair of the Labor & Employment practice. He focuses his practice on labor and employment law, including occupational safety and health, labor relations, employment discrimination claims, wage and hour compliance and claims, Davis-Bacon Act and other Federal Contract compliance matters, noncompetition agreements, and employment policy draft and review. Stephen regularly works with clients facing government investigations, including OSHA, MSHA, EEOC, and the Wage-Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. Stephen is also experienced in employment immigration matters such as temporary/non-immigrant worker visas and visas for employment-based lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Stephen earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and his B.A. in Speech Communications from Boston College. He is board-certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a member of the Texas Bar College.

Brett J. Moritz is board-certified by the Florida Bar as a Construction Law Specialist and focuses on transactional matters and a variety of litigation issues, representing developers, contractors, and other construction professionals in all manners of commercial disputes. Brett works with clients before, during, and after construction, drafting/negotiating contracts, and project administration to avoid disputes and ensure project success and, where unavoidable, the litigation of claims. Brett graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and earned his Juris Doctor, also magna cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and received multiple academic honors. His professional accolades include recognition by Best Lawyers (2023–2025) and Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2022–2024).

Stefanie A. Salomon focuses on contract negotiation, project management, commercial construction dispute resolution, and construction defect litigation. She has extensive litigation and trial experience, representing clients in state and federal court. Her litigation expertise includes motion practice, taking and defending depositions, and her successful representation of clients in multimillion-dollar litigation. Stefanie is on the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Broward County. She has been named to the Best Lawyers Ones to Watch list for the past two years. Stefanie earned her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law and her B.S. from Florida Atlantic University.

Paul F. Williamson focuses his practice on construction, government contracts law, and complex commercial litigation. He has successfully represented general contractors, subcontractors, and owners in litigation in federal and state courts in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New York, and California, as well as before various boards of contract appeals. Paul leverages his trial and alternative dispute resolution experience to help clients develop risk management strategies to allow them to focus on their businesses. Prior to entering private practice, Paul was a judicial intern for The Honorable Mae A. D’Agostino and The Honorable Lawrence E. Kahn in the Northern District of New York. He also spent several years in the defense industry, focusing on FAR compliance, contract pricing, financial risk analysis, and proposal preparation as part of Northrop Grumman’s New Business Acquisition unit. Paul earned his B.A. from Dickinson College and J.D. from Albany Law School, where he served as Executive Editor for Business of the Albany Law Review. His professional achievements include recognition by Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” (2025) and Washington, DC Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2024).

Darien K. Blair is an experienced litigator, highly respected for his work across multiple practice areas, including civil and complex commercial litigation. He represents owners, construction managers, general contractors, and sureties in a wide variety of complex litigation matters, including contract disputes, construction defect claims, payment and performance bond claims, mechanic’s lien claims, and delay claims. Darien earned his B.A. from the University at Buffalo and his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. While in law school, he served as a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, Minority Law Students Alliance, and was Secretary of the Black Law Students Association. His professional accomplishments include recognition by Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” (2025) and Super Lawyers (2025).

Nadia Ennaji is a member of the Construction & Infrastructure and Litigation practice groups. Nadia represents foreign and domestic clients in various complex litigation matters. Her extensive legal experience involves all aspects of business and commercial disputes, including matters involving breach of contract, business torts, and injunctions. Nadia earned a Bachelor of Law degree in Belgium and a master’s degree in international law from City University, London. She then obtained her Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University. Since graduating, Nadia has been a yearly judge for the Jessup International Law Moot Court. She was also a recipient of the Bennett Scholarship and attended the International Advanced Advocacy program at the prestigious Oxford University in England in the summer of 2022.

Steve D. Garcia, fluent Spanish speaker and native Houstonian, focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation involving engineering and construction contract disputes. Drawing on his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Houston and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, Steve brings a unique blend of legal and technical insight to every matter. His recent practice highlights include managing disputes exceeding $1 million, developing critical litigation strategies in bet-the-business disputes, authoring or contributing to industry publications, and guest lecturing on Liens and Bonds as well as Remedies for Breach of Contract for the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering Department of Construction Management.

Kellie M. Ros focuses her practice on construction litigation, commercial litigation, and real estate law. Though a native Houstonian, she earned her B.S. in Marketing from Clemson University in South Carolina. Kellie returned to Texas to earn her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston, where she graduated cum laude. She is an active member of the AGC Houston Construction Leadership Council and has guest lectured on construction law for the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering Department of Construction Management. Kellie is admitted to practice in Texas and before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Skyler L. Santomartino concentrates his practice on litigating multifaceted construction disputes in both state and federal court. Skyler represents primarily construction managers and general contractors in a wide variety of construction disputes involving public infrastructure and private commercial construction projects, including delay, impact, and acceleration claims, design defect claims, mechanic’s liens, change order disputes, and prompt payment disputes. Skyler received his J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where he was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Business & Technology Law, Treasurer of the Business Law Society, and a member of the Transactional Law Team.

About Peckar & Abramson, P.C.

Peckar & Abramson, P.C. maintains offices in New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Houston, and Dallas and has affiliations with global firms in Latin America (through its founding membership in CONSTRULEGAL) and across Europe (through its founding membership in Leading Construction Lawyers International Alliance). In addition to its core construction practice, the firm has affiliated practice groups who counsel contractors on labor and employment matters, corporate and regulatory compliance issues including D/M/WBE compliance and general corporate and real estate matters.