PERSONNEL FILE: Martin & Seibert welcomes new attorneys

MARTINSBURG -- Martin & Seibert L.C. is continuing the growth of its Collections Group, adding two attorneys to the Firm's practice group.

Alice R. Gonlin and Erin H. Preston, working on cases in Maryland and Virginia respectively, each bring a diverse professional background to Martin & Seibert.

After graduating from Duquesne University in 1985, Gonlin spent four years in retail management before switching gears and entering the insurance industry. A Pittsburgh native, she spent the next decade working with insurance claims for Geico and Allstate Insurance, while completing her J.D. studies at the University of Baltimore.

During her final year of law school, Gonlin studied abroad in London through an exchange with the University of Miami. While in England, she studied international litigation and conflict of laws.

During her time as a law student, Gonlin worked at the law firm of Funk & Bolton, where she worked on issues of insurance lobbying. She also completed an internship with then Chief Judge Martha Rasin of the District Court of Maryland in Annapolis, Md.

After working as an intern in the area of alternative dispute resolution, Gonlin was hired as Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Programs. She headed up the District Court of Maryland ADR office from 2000-2006 before entering private practice. Ms. Gonlin has also been a mediator for the past eight years.

Erin Hillary Preston joins the Martin & Seibert Collections Practice after serving as the Deputy Town Attorney for the town of Leesburg, Va. Preston is originally from Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

While working in Leesburg, Preston acted as legal counsel to the town's Planning Commission and the Board of Architectural Review. She advised staff as well as the town's boards and commissions on all legal issues. She was specifically active in the areas of land use, contracts, litigation, aviation, employment and utilities.

While studying law at Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Fla, Preston completed a clerkship at the United States Attorney's Office for the middle district of Florida. She also worked for the law firm of Holcomb and Mayts in Tampa. During her final semester at Stetson, Preston researched local government issues, working in the Pinellas County Attorney's Office. She was also a member of the legal honorary Phi Delta Phi.

Gonlin and Preston join Christopher R. Moore in the firm's Collections Group. Moore has been with the firm since 2006, and leads the firm's practice in West Virginia. In early 2007, the Martin & Seibert Collections Group was ranked seventh nationally among collections law firms.

The attorneys and staff at Martin & Seibert, are looking forward to expanding their services with the help of both new attorneys.

"We are extremely pleased with the addition of these very qualified attorneys who will join our Collections Group to continue our regional growth," managing partner Walter M. Jones III said. "With our reengineered focus on local and regional clients, the addition of attorneys who are customer service oriented evidences the Firm's commitment to providing the very best service to our clients at the most efficient cost.

Founded in 1908, Martin & Seibert is one of the oldest law firms in West Virginia. The firm's 24 attorneys, five of whom are shareholders, practice in a wide variety of areas, including litigation, real estate, collections, and employment law.