Steven Kapustin

Steven Kapustin, Partner in Reger Rizzo & Darnall’s Philadelphia office, currently concentrates his practice on being an arbitrator and mediator. He is able to provide clients the benefit of more than 45 years of commercial litigation experience, having participated in all phases of litigation in over 20 jurisdictions. He has represented petroleum refineries and marketers, distributors, franchisors and franchisees, real estate developers, business owners, securities firms, investors, automobile dealers, and individual professionals in both litigation and alternative dispute resolution settings. 

Mr. Kapustin has extensive experience as a neutral arbitrator, mostly as Chair in American Arbitration proceedings, Court Ordered Arbitration, and private arbitrations. His experience includes rulings on numerous professional separations (physicians, accountants, lawyers), and franchise, shareholder and partnership disputes, with extensive experience concerning information disclosure issues and financial evaluations. 

He also has extensive commercial mediation experience, both privately and as a Judge Pro Tem with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. He is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, and former member in North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was certified as a South Carolina State mediator, after completing more than 40 hours of mediation training. 

Mr. Kapustin has represented franchisors and franchisees in disputes relating to territories, franchisee fees, trademarks violations and adherence to standards; manufacturers and distributors in controversies involving antitrust violations, pricing, commissions and terminations; shareholders and investment houses in matters relating to disclosures, investment suitabilities and broker terminations; employers and employees in termination, restrictive covenant, and age and sexual discrimination cases; business owners in shareholder and real estate disputes; and companies and individuals who are the subject of civil investigations by state and federal governments.

Mr. Kapustin possesses a keen understanding of the intricate laws regarding specialty franchises, such as gasoline dealers being subject to the federal Petroleum Marketing Practices Act and automobile and agricultural equipment dealers being subject to state regulations. He also brings to the firm his extensive experience in successor liability cases, where it is alleged that entities are hiding assets by illegitimate corporate or personal transfers.