Our Attorneys

Todd Allen Reiner Mays

Todd Mays focuses his legal practice on family law, DUI law, and criminal law. He prides himself on delivering results for his clients through creative problem solving tailored to each client’s goals and objectives.

Mr. Mays is an accomplished litigator and one of a handful of lawyers who has represented the Commonwealth in trials in front of all of Berks County’s sitting criminal court judges. As a prosecutor, Mr. Mays handled felony cases including homicides, aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries, firearms and drug offenses from their investigatory stages through trials and sentencing. He also spent significant time focused on juvenile justice, mastering the procedures and rules that are unique to cases with young defendants and a system geared towards rehabilitation.

While a prosecutor, Mr. Mays served as lead attorney on various high-profile jury trials in Berks County. Additionally, he oversaw the Treatment Court diversionary programs for the District Attorney’s office. He worked hand in hand with Berks County judges, the probation office and the defense bar to develop innovative alternatives to incarceration while addressing the underlying problems of people struggling with mental illness and drug addiction. Mr. Mays also represented the District Attorney’s office in Veterans’ Court, a special program for the men and women who have served our country in combat.

A Berks County native, Mr. Mays played on Wilson High School’s 2000 District championship football squad and served as a coach for the Wilson track team. Mr. Mays resides in Wyomissing with his wife Kristen. He is the proud owner of two dogs and has trained seeing-eye dogs through the Berks County 4H club.

Education:

• Penn State University, B.S.
• Villanova University, J.D.

 

Dorothy Day Pro Bono Award of ServiceAdmissions: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Christopher B. Connard

Chris Connard concentrates his practice on civil and criminal litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Connard has broad experience as an advocate and advisor in local, state, and federal courts. Beginning his career in the City of York solicitor’s office, Mr. Connard advised the mayor and city council members on a host of legal issues, coordinated litigation with outside counsel, and represented the city at oral argument in front of the Commonwealth Court.

Mr. Connard went on to serve in both the trial and appeals units of the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. As a trial lawyer, he successfully prosecuted cold-case homicides, rapes, felony drug offenses, and contractor fraud cases involving thefts in excess of $600,000.   In the appeals unit, Mr. Connard identified decisions ripe for appeal and represented the County in both state and federal court.

Moving on to become Assistant Counsel in the Commonwealth’s Office of the Inspector General, Mr. Connard directed investigations into fraud, waste and abuse in Pennsylvania’s executive branch. He counseled Pennsylvania agencies on remediating problems uncovered during investigations and recommended criminal charges in select cases.

Before going to law school, Mr. Connard worked in organic and biodynamic agriculture at farms in Ireland, New York, and New Hampshire. He was also a counselor at a residential school for children with complex developmental disabilities.

Mr. Connard’s family was drawn to Berks County by the Reading Railroad, which chose his great-grandfather to serve as chief counsel, and later president, at its height. He was a competitive, Division I skier in college and still hikes the Appalachian Trail around Berks County.

• Bates College, B.A.
• Penn State Dickinson School of Law, J.D.
  • Comments Editor, Penn State Environmental Law Review

• Publication: Sustaining Agriculture: An Examination of Current Legislation Promoting Sustainable Agriculture as an Alternative to Conventional Farming Practices, 13 PENN ST. ENVTL. L. REV. 125 (2004)

Admissions: Third Circuit Court of Appeals
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Leah Rotenberg

Leah Rotenberg concentrates on civil litigation and family law. As an Assistant District Attorney, Ms. Rotenberg focused on prosecuting crimes of family and intimate partner violence in a specialized position funded by the Department of Justice. She represented the Commonwealth at trials and oversaw criminal investigations in felony-level cases. She was also the District Attorney’s liaison to organizations and law enforcement agencies that serve victims of family violence and financial exploitation.

At the beginning of her legal career, Ms. Rotenberg was a law clerk for the late Honorable Thomas M. Golden of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As Judge Golden’s clerk, she had broad exposure to best practices in cases ranging from civil rights to medical malpractice. She was then recruited to the litigation department of one of Philadelphia’s largest law firms, defending manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices from class action lawsuits and advising clients on FDA regulations.

Before going to law school, Ms. Rotenberg worked in corporate and foundation relations for a university and for performing arts organizations, successfully soliciting and managing grants as large as $5,000,000.

A Berks County native, Ms. Rotenberg serves on the board of Reading/Berks Habitat for Humanity and as a volunteer for the Berks Opera Company.

• Brown University, B.A.
• Emory University, J.D. with honors
  • Emory Public Interest Committee honors
  • Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship

Admissions: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Eastern District of Pennsylvania