THIS C&W JOURNAL PROFILE HIGHLIGHTS CIPRIANI & WERNER’S PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, OFFICE
There is no place like home. This is exactly what Rebecca Sember Izsak thought after she was provided the opportunity to return to Cipriani & Werner after the unexpected passing of her husband in 2011. Although she had known success in Seattle, where she had made partner at one of the largest insurance defense firms in the city in less than three years, the tug to return to practice in Pittsburgh was too strong. “I really benefited from my time in Seattle. I travelled throughout the state representing clients in the bigger cities, including Seattle and Tacoma and the smaller ones, including Chehalis and Yakima. The legal landscape is quite different than in Western Pennsylvania. At first it was a shock, but, after awhile, I adapted. The whole experience made me a better lawyer.”
Rebecca is no stranger to new experiences and trying life in different places, but she always seems to return to Pittsburgh. After graduating from Duquesne University, she packed the car and headed to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she attended Tulane University School of Law. “I’d never lived outside of Pittsburgh before and here I was, 21 years old and living on my own in New Orleans, trying to balance law school and two jobs to pay for it all. I drank a lot of coffee!”
After graduating in 1994, Rebecca returned to live in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, a small town 30 miles north of State College, where she clerked for President Judge Richard Saxton. “The experience was invaluable. I wrote a lot of opinion memos and sat through hundreds of trials, hearings, and arguments. I learned useful lessons about the practicalities of a civil trial, and the fact that the final product depends 90% upon what you do in preparation, months before the case hits the courthouse steps.” It was during that time Rebecca knew she wanted to be a civil litigator, “nothing else seemed satisfying,” she said.After her clerkship, Rebecca returned to Pittsburgh and began a career in the courtroom—working at first as the only woman at a small eight-person defense firm and then moving onto larger, regional firms where she thrived while representing a variety of clients in different types of litigation. “The exposure to a variety of practice areas early in my career allowed me to hone in on my strengths and understand how I can do the most for the client.” She found that she had a knack for defending against injury claims in a variety of practice areas. “I love the medicine. I make it a point to not only attack liability, but also to learn the nuances of alleged injuries so that I can provide a comprehensive analysis to my client and combat a plaintiff’s claims of injury, if the case warrants.”
Since returning to Cipriani & Werner as partner in November 2011, Rebecca continues to practice in the areas of premises liability, municipal liability and professional liability representing retailers, local governments and doctors, hospitals, and institutional medical and long-term care providers in both state and federal court. In addition to her practice, Rebecca has resumed her activities in the community and the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA), serving as the firm liaison to the ACBA Diversity Summer Clerkship Program and being appointed to the ACBA Rules Committee and Public Service Committee.
“I am lucky. Being at a well-respected firm like C & W provides me the opportunity to continue representing long-standing clients and help newer ones. It is engaging and challenging work… let’s just say, I am glad to be home.”