May 1, 2005 - Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP Managing Partner, David M. Gilden, announced today that Howard Merten has joined the Firm as partner. “We are pleased to welcome such a highly-skilled and wellrespected attorney to the partnership. The depth and breadth of experience that Howard Merten brings to the Firm further strengthens an already solid business litigation practice.”

Mr. Merten, formerly a partner at Vetter & White, is a veteran litigator with 20 years’ experience representing businesses, financial services institutions and individuals in complex civil litigation. His practice focuses on products liability, commercial, insurance, media, and intellectual property matters. Mr. Merten‘s achievements have earned him recognition in The Best Lawyers in America since 1997, in both the Media Law and Commercial Litigation Categories. Howard Merten is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the Rhode Island Bar Association, Federal Bench Bar Committee, the American Bar Association, the Maritime Law Association and the Media Law Resource Center. He is active in Defense Research Institute and a participant in Lawyers for Civil Justice, an organization of corporations and defense attorneys working towards civil justice reform.

Mr. Merten is admitted to practice in Rhode Island’s state and federal courts and before the U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Boston University School of Law. His undergraduate degree was earned cum laude from Princeton University. Mr. Merten resides in Warwick, Rhode Island.