Blank Rome LLP announced that Maria “Masha” Trainor has joined the Firm’s Pittsburgh office as a Partner in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. Masha is the sixth attorney to join the Firm’s Corporate, M&A and Securities group since the beginning of the year, following the arrival of partners Dean S. Nordlinger (Washington, D.C.), Stacy H. Louizos (New York), and Craig R. Culbertson (Chicago), as well as associates Jose A. Manalo, Jr. (Los Angeles) and Simon I. Bord (Washington, D.C.). Masha joins Blank Rome after serving as vice president, general counsel, and secretary for Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation.
“Masha is another great addition to our strong Corporate, M&A, and Securities group and our expanding Pittsburgh office,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Managing Partner and CEO. “Her experience will further contribute to the Firm’s commitment to seizing opportunities for strategic growth and attracting some of the best legal talent in practice areas of increasing importance to our current and prospective clients.”
Masha focuses her practice on international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, joint ventures, private debt and equity financings, commercial transactions, and contract management, as well as venture capital and private equity transactions. She advises clients—including private and public companies, startups, emerging growth businesses, and financial investors—on negotiated and hostile acquisitions, joint ventures, private and public securities offerings, corporate restructurings and recapitalization transactions, business formation, planning and governance matters, strategic and financial investments, financings of emerging growth companies, and commercial contracts. Masha’s clients have spanned a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, proprietary education, technology, oil and gas, and robotics, among others.
“Masha’s prior experience as an M&A lawyer at a leading international law firm, coupled with her most recent position in-house at Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, will serve as a tremendous asset for clients who seek well-rounded counsel,” said Louis M. Rappaport, Co-Chair of Blank Rome’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. “Masha is uniquely aware of the challenges that general counsel face in-house, which will enable her to provide invaluable strategic advice in order to prevent and mitigate problems before they arise.”
In her prior role as vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Ampco Pittsburgh Corporation, Masha was responsible for handling all legal, compliance, and corporate governance matters, as well as providing advice to the company’s board, CEO, and corporate and segment leaders on a wide variety of matters, including public company, M&A, capital markets, commercial, litigation, employment, and intellectual property. She also worked with the company’s auditors and executive compensation consultants on various projects and engagements. Prior to Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, Masha served as an M&A lawyer at a leading international law firm for more than a decade.
“I have been impressed with Blank Rome’s strategic expansion over the past several years, particularly with regards to their focus on growing the Pittsburgh office since it opened in 2015,” said Masha. “In addition, the Firm’s entrepreneurial mindset and its commitment to the development and promotion of women is extraordinary. I have known and respected many of the Firm’s attorneys, both in Pittsburgh and throughout Blank Rome’s other offices, for a number of years, and am excited to have the opportunity to work with them and all of my new colleagues throughout a Firm that has such a great culture.”
“Masha is a tremendous lawyer with a broad range of experience and we are pleased that she will be joining our growing Pittsburgh office,” added James J. Barnes, Partner and Chair of Blank Rome’s Pittsburgh office. “She will be a great addition to our team, and will notably enhance our current corporate service offerings and capabilities.”
Outside of the office, Masha serves as a member of the board of directors for the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. She earned her J.D. from The University of Tulsa College of Law, her M.B.A. from The University of Tulsa and her B.S., summa cum laude, from Missouri Southern State University.