OF COUNSEL

Dan Miller 

Since 2013, Dan has served as state Representative in the 42nd District (Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Castle Shannon, Baldwin Twp & parts of Upper St. Clair). Prioritizing disability and mental health, as well as criminal justice and labor rights, Dan has written dozens of bills, hundreds of amendments, and sponsored numerous events throughout our area on a variety of important topics. Most noticeably, he hosts the annual Disability & Mental Health Summit which is the largest collection of related resources in western PA. 

Dan recently completed a term as House Majority Whip, after previously being elected by his peers as Minority Caucus Chair and Allegheny County Delegation Chair. In his legislative capacity, Dan has received numerous advocacy awards in the disability and mental health arena, including acknowledgments from the Arc of Pennsylvania, Mental Health America, the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, Autism Connection, the Pittsburgh Local Task Force, The Peal Center, Unique Source, Achieva and the Watson Institute. 

Prior to his election to the state House, Dan was an Allegheny County Assistant County Solicitor focusing on child safety and education, and previously worked as an Assistant Public Defender primarily focusing on representing juveniles.

Dan graduated from Catholic University Columbus School of Law in 2002, where he was the executive editor of the Communications Journal, led the Public Interest Auction and was honored with two community service awards. He lives with his wife and son in Mt. Lebanon

ASSOCIATE

Jessica Tully

Jessica Tully is an associate attorney at Ruder Law.

Following her graduation from the Dickinson School of Law in 2017, Jessica worked as an associate attorney at a local general practice firm for four years.  Jessica’s caseload included many different practice areas, including civil litigation, appellate litigation, civil rights, personal injury, criminal defense, and estates.

During law school, Jessica worked as an intern for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge W. Terrence O’Brien, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General (civil division), and Penn State Student Legal Services.  Jessica volunteered during law school as a mediator for the Center for Alternatives in Community Justice, a non-profit community mediation center.  She also worked as a student advocate for the law school's Children’s Advocacy Clinic.  She served on the Trial Advocacy Board, was elected as the Dickinson School of Law Delegate of the Graduate & Professional Student Association, and served as the Women’s Law Caucus Vice President.

As a college student, Jessica wrote for various publications, including USA TODAY, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, McClatchy Newspapers, and Lazerpro Digital Media Group.  Jessica graduated from Penn State University in 2014.

ASSOCIATE

Antonette Hornsby

Antonette Hornsby is an associate attorney at Ruder Law. Prior to joining Ruder Law, Antonette served as in-house counsel for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) where she advised on issues stemming from contracts, employment law, civil forfeiture, criminal procedure, and public records law. She also spent much of her time in the courtroom bringing risk protection order petitions under Florida’s “red flag law.”

Antonette attended Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida, where she graduated summa cum laude. As a recipient of the St. Thomas More Full Tuition Scholarship, Antonette earned CALI Awards as the highest scoring student in numerous courses including Constitutional Law, Tenets of Constitutional and Statutory Interpretation, Evidence, and Trial Advocacy. Antonette interned for the Honorable Sheri Polster Chappell, District Judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida as well as the State Attorney’s Office. She also served on the moot court executive board and gained recognition for her advocacy skills by placing as a semi-finalist and quarterfinalist in competitions in Orlando and Chicago.  Antonette also worked in the Human Trafficking Law Clinic and received the St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Award—an award recognizing outstanding performance in clinical programs.

Prior to attending law school, Antonette served as a guardian ad litem volunteer representing the best interest of abused, abandoned, and neglected children. She earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Antonette is admitted to practice law in both Florida and Pennsylvania.

ASSOCIATE

Thad Kotarski

Thad Kotarski is an associate attorney at Ruder Law.

Thad graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2023. While at Pitt, Thad worked as a teaching assistant, research assistant, certified legal intern (Environmental Law Clinic), and Barco Law Library research fellow. Thad also volunteered extensively with various civil rights and social justice groups in law school, graduating with Pitt Law’s Pro Bono Excellence and Public Service Recognition commendations upon graduation.

Prior to joining the firm, Thad worked as an associate attorney or law clerk with the Halpern Law Firm, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, and Friday & Cox, LLC.

 Thad graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 and worked at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a local immigration law firm before attending law school at Pitt.

ASSOCIATE

Laura McWilliams

Laura McWilliams (she/her/hers) joined Ruder Law as an associate attorney in 2024. Prior to working at Ruder Law, Laura spent more than a decade working in the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender. As an assistant public defender, Laura represented both adults and children charged in the criminal legal system but spent most of her time as a public defender representing children in juvenile court. Her work with kids focused on creating exits from the school-to-prison pipeline and helping children thrive in their homes, their schools, and their communities. While it undeniably costs less money to send a child to Harvard than it does to incarcerate them, our society continues to choose the more expensive path for children who have the highest needs.  “The denial of appropriate education undoubtedly serves to perpetuate a vicious circle of incarceration for [an already] at-risk population.” –Buckley vs. SCI Pine Grove. In 2021, Laura became a managing attorney in the Public Defender’s Juvenile Division and in 2022, she was appointed to be Deputy Director of the Juvenile Division. In 2023, Laura was named Chief Deputy of the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender.  

Laura graduated summa cum laude in 2003 from Wayne State University in Detroit with a B.F.A. in drawing and painting. In 2012, Laura graduated summa cum laude from Suffolk University Law School. Laura lives in Penn Hills with her husband and two children. She spends her free time running, playing with her kids, and sewing.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” -Maya Angelou

ASSOCIATE

Lisa Postlewait

Lisa Postlewait is an associate attorney at Ruder Law. Lisa also serves as an Allegheny County Solicitor, serving the Office of Children Youth and Families in child abuse and neglect matters. She serves as the chair of the Internal Operations Committee for the Board of Directors at Community Living and Support Services (CLASS). Previously, Lisa worked as a staff attorney at KidsVoice for over six years advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children involved in the juvenile and dependency court systems.

Lisa earned her law degree from Duquesne University in 2010 where she earned the CALI Award for the Highest Grade in Employment Discrimination and a Distinction in Clinical Work for her pro bono work with the Community Enterprise Clinic. During law school, Lisa worked full-time at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania where she served in multiple roles, including positions in Workforce Development and Employer Services where she helped people with barriers obtain employment. Lisa graduated cum laude from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2005 with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Sociology.

ASSOCIATE

Allison Ware

Allison is an associate attorney at Ruder Law.  Prior to joining Ruder Law, Allison was a public defender and focused her practice primarily on representing children in delinquency proceedings and educational advocacy. She also participated in the origin of the Summary Representation Project that has represented children in over 700 hearings at the magistrate level, many for minor school-based offenses. Allison graduated from Duquesne University School of Law in 2020. While attending Duquesne University, she participated in the Youth Advocacy Clinic and represented children in special education matters as well as discipline hearings. 

community outreach coordinator

Marilou Weidus

Marilou Weidus is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Ruder Law.  She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Notre Dame College of Ohio in 1979.  She received her Master’s degree in Education in 2001, from Marygrove College of Michigan, also graduating Summa Cum Laude.  Marilou received her Transition to Work endorsement credentials from Kent State University in Ohio in 2014.

Prior to joining the firm, she was a Transition Coordinator for 10 years for the Brunswick City School District in Ohio, retiring in June, 2022.   She also served as an Intervention Specialist at both Normandy High School in Parma, Ohio as well at Brunswick High School, 1997-2012. 

Marilou’s career in special education has spanned over 40 years.  She started the first high school special education program for the Cleveland Catholic Diocese in 1980, and she worked for the nonprofit HELP Foundation for 40 years in their Summer Extended School Year Education Program, serving as the Program Director for 35 years from 1981-2016.

In addition, Marilou was instrumental in establishing and operating the Saturday Continuing Adult Education Program for the Office of Disability Services through Catholic Charities from 1991-2000.  Presently, she is a Community Partner for Confection Connection, a community wholesale bakery that opened in June, 2023, for the purpose of training/hiring individuals with disabilities in Brunswick, Ohio.  Marilou spearheaded this project with the I Am Boundless Agency of Ohio.  

Throughout her career, Marilou has been recognized for her leadership and service in the field of special education.  She was awarded the HELP Distinguished Leadership Award in 1986, The Pilgrimage Award of Honor in 1997, by Disability Services and Ministries of Catholic Charities, The Ralph Fried Dedication to Children Award in 2006, and the HELP Foundation’s Employee of the Year Award in 2009.  Marilou was honored as the Brunswick City School District Teacher of the Year in 2008, and Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2016.