PARTNERS
Robert K. Beste, Jr. (Partner) admitted to bar, 1975, Delaware. Education: George Washington University (B.B.A., 1972; J.D., with honors, 1975). Since March of 2004, Mr. Beste has been the resident partner in the Wilmington office of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC. He has been engaged in the general practice of law in Delaware since 1975. Throughout his career, Mr. Beste's primary emphasis has been civil litigation. He also has extensive experience in estate planning, real estate, landlord/tenant issues, family law, bankruptcy, debt collection, foreclosures, construction matters and environmental insurance claims and now represents 14 Delaware nursing homes. In addition, Mr. Beste devotes substantial time to the practice of personal injury litigation. He has authored a 350-page, hard-bound treatise, published in 2003, entitled Automobile Injury and Insurance Claims: Delaware Law and Practice. The book is widely circulated throughout Delaware and is used by judges, attorneys, and insurance representatives as a reference guide. A fifth supplement to the book was printed in February 2008 and is published annually, and now itself exceeds 140 pages of up to date summaries of the most current Delaware law. He is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association and the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association. He also serves as a member of the Committee on Professional Ethics (Co-Chairman 2005-2009) and is a member of the Professional Guidance Committee and the Alternate Dispute Resolution Section of the Delaware State Bar Association. Mr. Beste is a member of the Board of Professional Responsibility, a certified mediator and a former special visitation master in the Family Court of Delaware. He has recently been appointed to the permanent advisory committee on Delaware Lawyers; Rules of Professional Conduct. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Family Law; Construction and General Civil Litigation; Debt Collection; Estate Planning .Email: Robert K. Beste, Jr.
James F. Harker (Partner) admitted to bar, 1974, Delaware. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1968); Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University (J.D., 1974). James F. Harker is a Partner in the Business Practice Group of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC. He is resident in the firm's Wilmington, Delaware office. He joined the firm in 2006, having practiced in Delaware as a Partner in a civil practice firm since 1974.
Mr. Harker's more than 30 years of legal experience includes a wide range of legal matters from litigation and real estate to wills and estates. Recently he has focused on residential and commercial real estate, land use, real estate litigation including title defense, title law and mechanics' lien law, and the defense of toxic tort litigation.
The following are some of Mr. Harker's recent engagements and accomplishments:
-Legal opinions regarding Delaware entities, bankruptcy remoteness and substantive consolidation involving multi-million dollar property acquisitions in New York City.
-Assisting in a multi-state refinance involving properties in five states.
-Represents three international companies in the defense of asbestos-related injury claims filed in Delaware.
-Represented numerous subcontractors concerning the filing of mechanics' liens and the successful recovery of amounts due.
-Successful defense of title insurance claims filed involving multiple residential properties.
-Assisted a large developer in acquiring, developing and constructing several large office buildings now occupied by national banking institutions.
-Assisted in the incorporation or establishment of Delaware corporations and limited liability companies.
-Handled the acquisition of several Wilmington city blocks for historic preservation and adoptive reuse, including use of historic preservation and new market tax credits.
Mr. Harker is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and has served as Director on several national corporations incorporated within the State of Delaware. He frequently gives seminars in property, title and land use issues, as well as business succession.
Mr. Harker is an avid rower with the Wilmington Rowing Center and a deep sea fisherman. Jim served as a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve on active duty from 1968 to 1971. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Business Law; Bankruptcy.Email: James F. Harker