Former Federal Public Defender Joins Womble in Charlotte, N.C.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 8, 2024) – Womble Bond Dickinson today announced that Erin Taylor has joined the Firm as of counsel. Erin joins Womble’s Business Litigation Group, where she will advise clients on matters relating to white-collar defense, internal investigations, and regulatory enforcement. She is based in the Firm’s Charlotte office.

For over 15 years, Erin practiced in federal court as an Assistant Federal Defender for the Western District of North Carolina where she represented clients under federal investigation and charged with federal crimes. Recognized for her trial experience and leadership qualities, Erin was elevated to the position of Trial Unit Chief for the Charlotte Division of the Federal Public Defender. As the Trial Unit Chief, Erin handled a full caseload while managing a team of trial attorneys and legal staff. She also acted as a liaison between the Federal Public Defender and federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the U.S. Probation Office.

Erin also serves as faculty for national trial skills training programs and electronic case management workshops.

This addition reflects continued momentum for the Charlotte office, which has welcomed 13 lawyers in as many months, including partner Kent Jones and of counsels Ellen Lloyd and Joshua Stone.

“Erin brings a combination of proven leadership and courtroom experience that will be hugely valuable to clients faced with business-critical enforcement and litigation matters,” said Office Managing Partner Sarah Motley Stone. “Our white-collar defense and broader litigation practice will benefit from her strategic insight, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Firm.”

Locally, Erin is an active member of the Mecklenburg County Bar and Bar Foundation. In the last decade, her leadership roles included chairing various committees, conducting investigations for the Grievance Committee, and serving on the Board of Directors. After being elected to the Executive Committee in 2018, Erin was elected President of the Mecklenburg County Bar in 2022.

Erin graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law and received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wesleyan University.

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About Womble Bond Dickinson
Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers based in 32 U.K. and U.S. office locations serving clients across every business sector. The firm provides core legal services including Commercial; Corporate; Employment; Dispute Resolution and Litigation; Finance: Banking, Restructuring, Insolvency; IP, Technology and Data; Private Wealth; Projects, Construction and Infrastructure; Real Estate; and Regulatory Law.

“Womble Bond Dickinson,” the “law firm” or the “firm” refers to the network of member firms of Womble Bond Dickinson (International) Limited, consisting of Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. Each of Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP is a separate legal entity operating as an independent law firm. Womble Bond Dickinson (International) Limited does not practice law. Please see www.womblebonddickinson.com/us/legal-notice for further details.

Epiq AI Expands Legal Solutions as Part of the Epiq Service Cloud

Epiq Service Cloud clients can now use integrated Microsoft AI capabilities to transform their businesses with legal intelligence and data-driven decision-making

NEW YORK – March 5, 2024 – Epiq, a global technology-enabled leader to the legal industry and corporations, announced today the latest Epiq Service Cloud AI solutions and AI-enabled analytics applications and dashboards built on Microsoft Azure.

With data security, data management, and access control features, the Epiq Service Cloud enables legal departments and law firms to accelerate innovation with the ability to build, adopt, and nurture AI model libraries and data sets tailored to legal and compliance use cases.

Epiq’s Metrics that Matter solution, powered by the Epiq Service Cloud, is a cornerstone of Epiq Legal Service Management. Through this legal analytics solution, clients can gain real-time insight into activity, measure progress, identify areas for process improvement, and enable benchmarking. Metrics that Matter is built on a service layer enabled by Microsoft Azure Databricks, Microsoft Fabric’s Azure Data Factory, and Microsoft Power BI, with plans to integrate Azure OpenAI Service for conversational interaction with the data. Epiq experts collaborate with clients to define KPIs, build dashboards, and create data frameworks to automate data collection and analysis securely.

In contrast to the use of multiple point solutions, prevalent within legal, integrating AI services and applications directly into the Epiq Service Cloud and leveraging Epiq Advisory consulting services, gives legal professionals access to data to make informed decisions across the legal enterprise. The Epiq Service Cloud hosts Epiq services, including Epiq AI, eDiscovery, compliance, reporting, and advanced analytics. The cloud-native platform will also introduce a managed, secure generative AI platform for clients, including prompt management and traceability, that takes advantage of the latest AI models later this year.

Epiq AI Extensibility Model: Available in 2024, Epiq’s extensibility model enables clients to innovate faster by accessing a large marketplace of legal-specific language models and developing custom AI models, all managed on the Epiq Service Cloud to ensure data security, privacy, and compliance.
Expert Consulting and Advisory: Legal departments and law firms can access Epiq AI consulting and advisory services to ensure that they use AI effectively, responsibly, ethically, and in a compliant and secure manner.
With the latest advancements in Copilot for Microsoft Power BI, users can pose “what if” questions to the data structured by Epiq intelligence and receive actionable insights instantly.

“Conversational interfaces enabled by Copilot for Microsoft Power BI and generative AI bridge data repositories with prompts accessible to a wide range of users, not just data scientists,” said Roger Pilc, President and General Manager of Legal Solutions at Epiq. “Naturalizing the interactions between humans and AI in this way has the potential to revolutionize legal services and fully realize our vision of helping our clients achieve Legal Service Management.”

“Epiq’s AI innovation is a testament to the power of next-gen AI platforms,” said Chief Data & AI Officer, Software & Digital Platform, Microsoft, Eduardo Kassner. “By using Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Power BI, Epiq has created an AI data and analytics platform that provides legal professionals with the metrics and insights they need to make informed decisions. Epiq’s AI-powered Metrics that Matter and data intelligence layer are two examples of how Epiq is helping legal departments and law firms manage data-driven reporting, identify cost savings opportunities, and providing actionable insights to clients.”

Epiq AI solutions provide relatable tools for legal professionals including:

Custom Copilots: Legal departments and law firms increase productivity with Epiq’s custom Copilot development, using tuned, relevant agents and predictive models, to build legal AI assistants with secure retrieval augmented generation to define and limit the search area for accurate results. Epiq’s custom Copilots are developed to handle inquiries related to positions like General Counsel, a Head of Legal Operations, and a Law Firm Partner to help manage specialized workflows across operations, eDiscovery, and compliance.
AI Text Summarization: Legal professionals can quickly locate and communicate key findings more effectively through concise and accurate summaries of large volumes of text produced by Epiq using the power of Azure OpenAI Service, reducing hours of analysis to minutes, enabling teams to focus on higher value work.
Responsible AI Adoption, Data Security, and Management Consulting: Clients benefit from end-to-end support rolling out Azure Purview, improving collaboration, productivity, and security while mitigating implementation risks. Epiq supports clients in integrating new Microsoft Security Copilot capabilities as they become available.
Epiq Data Intelligence Layer: Epiq uses the power of Azure to build, store, and deliver more than 100 expert-trained and industry-specific models that clean, enhance, and enrich legal spend data to guide legal departments in identifying cost savings opportunities.
Knowledge Search for Law Firms: Utilizing Azure OpenAI Service, Epiq’s proprietary knowledge search empowers legal professionals to find and fully leverage a firm’s experience and expertise. Utilizing Azure OpenAI Service capabilities and semantic search our platform collates knowledge sources, provides conversational access to knowledge and answers, and adheres to AI governance processes and practices, delivering a next-generation search experience.
About Epiq
Epiq, a global technology-enabled services leader to the legal industry and corporations, takes on large-scale, increasingly complex tasks for corporate counsel, law firms, and business professionals with efficiency, clarity, and confidence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline the administration of business operations, class action, and mass tort, court reporting, eDiscovery, regulatory, compliance, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters. Epiq subject-matter experts and technologies create efficiency through expertise and deliver confidence to high-performing clients around the world. Learn more at www.epiqglobal.com.

Womble Grows Telecom Team with Addition of Partner

Womble Grows Telecom Team With Addition of Richard Cameron

D.C. Partner Has Extensive Experience in Complex Regulatory Matters in the Broadband, Communications, and Technology Sectors

WASHINGTON (August 14, 2023) – Womble Bond Dickinson announced today that Richard R. Cameron has joined the firm’s Communications, Technology and Media team as a partner in Washington. A trusted advisor in the broadband, communications, and technology sectors, Cameron brings extensive experience in regulation, competition, universal service, regulatory compliance, satellite market access, and spectrum licensing matters, as well as in the rules governing federal grant awards and other financial assistance programs.

“Rich’s expansive knowledge of the complex business and legal issues affecting the telecommunications sector will be hugely beneficial to clients and play a significant role in furthering our strategic growth,” said Marty Stern, who leads the firm’s multidisciplinary Communications, Technology and Media team. “He is highly respected in the industry for his professionalism and depth of capabilities, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the firm.”

Elizabeth Lee, managing partner of the Washington office, added: “We have an exceptional group of lawyers in D.C. and throughout the firm, and Rich’s insight and sophisticated skill set make him an ideal fit for our platform.”

Cameron began his career at the Federal Communications Commission, gaining experience in telecommunications and media regulation as legal counsel to two bureau chiefs and as federal staff chair of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. He later served as a compliance officer at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and as in-house counsel at a domestic telecommunications carrier. Immediately prior to joining Womble, he was the principal of an independent legal practice for over a decade.

“I’m delighted to join Womble’s talented, vibrant, and growing team in D.C.,” said Cameron. “Great things are happening at Womble, and I’m excited to join my efforts with those of my new colleagues.”

Cameron graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School and received his A.B. from Cornell University. He also earned a Post Graduate Diploma in EU Competition Law from the Centre of European Law at King’s College London.

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About Womble Bond Dickinson

Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers based in 31 U.K. and U.S. office locations serving clients across every business sector. The firm provides core legal services including Commercial; Corporate; Employment; Dispute Resolution and Litigation; Finance: Banking, Restructuring, Insolvency; IP, Technology and Data; Private Wealth; Projects, Construction and Infrastructure; Real Estate; and Regulatory Law.

Womble Adds Corporate Partners to Continue Expansion of Government Contracts, Cross-Border Trade Practice

August 9, 2023 – Womble Bond Dickinson announced the further expansion of its Government Contracts and Cross-Border Trade practice with the addition of partners Robert Broadbent and Cherylyn Harley LeBon in the firm’s Charlottesville and Tysons, Virginia, offices, respectively. Broadbent represents clients in international trade and national security matters and government investigations in the commercial and defense sectors. LeBon focuses her practice on government contracts and corporate matters, including regulatory compliance.

“Al and Cherylyn are well-known and highly respected practitioners who are immediately credentialing to our Government Contracts and Cross-Border Trade practice and, indeed, the firm as a whole,” said Corporate & Securities Practice Group Leader Jamie Francis. “We could not be more pleased to welcome them to Womble.”

The addition of Broadbent and LeBon follows a string of strong hires within the firm’s Government Contracts and Cross-Border Trade practice, including partners Chris Lockwood, David Vance Lucas, and Richard Raleigh and global trade advisors Angela Ennis and John McCullough.

About the new partners:

Robert A. Broadbent is a trusted advisor to clients in many areas of international trade and national security, including export controls (ITAR/EAR/DOE/NRC and E.U. dual-use controls); economic/trade sanctions programs (OFAC); foreign direct investment/national security reviews and investigations (CFIUS); space, aerospace, and autonomous systems development strategies; trade agreements and foreign market access strategies; and defense and intelligence project strategies.

Broadbent served for over three decades in the federal government, providing legal advice to senior national and military leaders. Most recently, he was Acting Associate General Counsel for the Mission and International Law Division of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Office of General Counsel, where he supervised ten civilian attorneys and five active-duty judge advocates dispersed globally.

Cherylyn Harley LeBon is a highly regarded lawyer, advocate, and strategist with over 25 years of leadership experience in Washington, D.C., and abroad. With a distinguished background as a Presidential appointee at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, LeBon leads clients through every stage of the federal procurement process. Her experience is aligned with the SBA’s portfolio, including bank loans, financial assistance, disaster response, and government contracting for 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUB Zone firms.

LeBon also advises clients on a range of corporate matters, including complex contracts, mergers and acquisitions, banking representations, employment policies, and corporate governance. Prior to private practice, she was president and CEO of her consulting firm, KLAR Strategies, providing business strategy and guidance to clients, including mid-size companies, technology firms, and boards.

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About Womble Bond Dickinson

The Financial Times Ranks DLA Piper Second Most Innovative and Second Most Digital Law Firm in 2020

“DLA Piper is pleased to announce it was ranked second by the Financial Times for both the Most Innovative and Most Digital law firm in the FT North America Innovative Lawyers 2020 report. The inaugural Most Digital award is based on the firm’s use of data and technology across all aspects of its client service and business. These impressive overall firm rankings are in addition to being commended in four individual categories,” posts DLA Piper in their Newsroom.

“DLA Piper’s pro bono work was included in the ‘Social justice and rule of law section’ of the report. The Financial Times editors noted that the case studies included in the report ‘…reflect some of the best practice emerging’ from law firms that ‘have harnessed the law to overturn inequities.'”

“DLA Piper was cited in this section for its: ‘1,400 hours of pro bono support to food banks and food distribution organisations since January.’ This work included helping with employee safety, supply chains, food storage, applications to the Paycheck Protection Program and advising related to the use of National Guard troops in food distribution. The Financial Times also noted that the firm provides pro bono legal counsel to the UN’s World Food Programme.”

Read the article.

Michael Best Elects Six Attorneys to Partnership

Michael Best is pleased to announce six attorneys have been promoted to the firm’s partnership. The newly named partners are as follows: David E. Cline, David M. DiGiacomo, Daniel J. Gawronski, Nicholas J. Herdrich, Tanya M. Salman, and Kevin J.T. Terry.

David E. Cline (Broomfield) is a member of the Corporate Practice Group and Venture Best® team. Cline focuses on counseling high-growth companies and investment entities in a variety of industries on mergers and acquisitions, raising or investing capital, structuring and restructuring, governance, and succession and intergenerational planning. Cline earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law and his B.A. from Loyola Marymount University.

David M. DiGiacomo (Broomfield) is a member of the Corporate Practice Group, co-leader of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Team, and a member of the Venture Best® team. DiGiacomo helps start-up and early growth companies navigate entity formation, corporate finance, contract negotiations, compliance, investment and capital, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and other transactional matters. DiGiacomo earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law and both his M.B.A and B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Daniel J. Gawronski (Milwaukee) is member of the Corporate Practice Group and Venture Best® team who advises corporate clients of all sizes and brings a broad range of experience to his practice in corporate law, including early-stage planning and formation, venture capital and angel fundraising, commercial licensing and contracting, and mergers and acquisitions. Gawronski earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Nicholas J. Herdrich (Madison) is a member of the firm’s Corporate Practice Group and Venture Best® team. Herdrich advises clients on a variety of corporate issues including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings, securities, and other transactional matters involving start-up, emerging businesses, and investment funds. Herdrich earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tanya M. Salman (Madison) is a member of Michael Best’s Litigation Practice Group. She counsels clients on a wide array of complex business litigation matters, including disputes over contracts, business torts, real estate, and trademark infringement. Salman earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Kevin J.T. Terry (Milwaukee) is a member of the Labor & Employment Relations Practice Group. Terry litigates and provides counsel on all aspects of employer-employee relationships, with expertise in issues related to the National Labor Relations Act, including union organizing and unfair labor practices brought by or against labor organizations, NLRB proceedings, and arbitrations. Terry earned his J.D. from Marquette University Law School and his B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

Article Link: https://www.michaelbest.com/Newsroom/242004/Michael-Best-Elects-Six-Attorneys-to-Partnership

Tom D’Amore Recognized as Finalist for San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association 2020 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award

The D’Amore Law Group, P.C. is proud to announce that managing partner and owner Tom D’Amore is a finalist for the 2020 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award presented by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA). Tom was named along with co-counsel Steve Brady of the Brady Law Group. A winner will be recognized at a gala on August 27, 2020.

The SFTLA board of directors annually honors an attorney or team of attorneys for an exceptional trial victory of the last year based on the size of the verdict, stakes in controversy, diligence and determination shown by counsel, and the rights and interests of society that were vindicated through the verdict.

D’Amore is nominated along with Steve Brady for their co-representation of a husband, Matthew Allison, and the estate of his wife, Sara Allison, against transportation companies Horizon Transport and Smoot Enterprises and their drivers. The case was Allison et al. v. Smoot Enterprises Inc. et al., case number 2:17-cv-01598, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

In May 2019, an Oregon federal jury returned a record personal injury $26.4 million verdict against the two transportation companies and their drivers for their prolonged bout of “road rage” with one another that caused a head-on accident with a car, killing 30-year-old Mrs. Allison and severely injuring then 27-year-old Mr. Allison.

The jury deliberated for nearly six hours following a nine-day trial and found that the concerted negligence of the defendants caused the fatal June 2016 crash. The jury found that Mr. Allison suffered $600,000 in economic damages and $7 million in noneconomic damages, and his wife’s estate suffered $2.38 million in economic damages and $10 million in noneconomic damages. The jury also found for the Allisons against the transportation companies in the amount of 6.5 million in punitive damages against Smoot and Horizon.

An attorney for more than 29 years, D’Amore is licensed to practice law in Oregon, Washington and California, and is a board-certified civil trial attorney with the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). He is also one of a few attorneys in the United States board-certified in trucking injury law by the NBTA.

Rich Sharff Rejoins Bradley as Member of Healthcare Practice

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Rich Sharff has rejoined the firm’s Birmingham office as counsel in the Healthcare Practice Group.

Mr. Sharff has represented a variety of healthcare providers in his career, in a range of transactional, compliance and litigation matters.

“We are pleased to welcome Rich back to our Birmingham office,” said Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. “Rich brings nearly three decades of diverse experience and insights that will further enhance our firm’s healthcare practice.”

Mr. Sharff was an attorney at Bradley from 1994-2007 before leaving to join Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA), a nationwide owner and operator of outpatient surgery centers, as its executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary in 2007. After SCA’s acquisition by Optum, he was also named general counsel of OptumHealth, which is one of the three primary business segments within Optum and includes care delivery businesses such as SCA, physician groups/IPAs and urgent care centers, and numerous other major platforms serving behavioral health, population health, complex care and consumer offerings at Optum.

Mr. Sharff earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.

Bradley’s Healthcare Practice Group is a nationally recognized, interdisciplinary team of attorneys and advisors who provide a comprehensive suite of services to virtually the entire range of health industry participants. The Healthcare Practice Group is routinely relied on to guide major transactions, advise on complex regulatory matters, and handle high-stakes litigation. Many of the group’s attorneys have served in high-profile industry leadership positions, including as president of the American Health Lawyers Association, and many have been recognized by leading legal industry referral guides, including Chambers, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others.

Akerman Expands International Tax Expertise with Mauricio Rivero in Miami

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, welcomes Mauricio Rivero in Miami, expanding the national presence of the Tax Practice Group and widening the firm’s expertise in international taxation. Rivero resolves domestic and international tax matters, representing foreign trusts and estates, investors, and businesses in cross-border transactions throughout the U.S. and Latin America.

Rivero focuses his practice on international tax planning, business succession planning, U.S. tax compliance, and tax controversy work. He has experience servicing high-net-worth international families with U.S. tax planning, expatriation, pre-immigration and succession planning, including the use of Private Trust Companies (PTCs), and U.S. income and transfer tax aspects of foreign trusts and estates. He has also assisted U.S. and foreign investors and businesses with both inbound and outbound U.S. tax planning, income tax treaty planning, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate and partnership tax matters, and has assisted clients with REIT structuring, particularly involving foreign investors.

Rivero follows the arrival of Robert Lowey to Akerman’s Tax Practice Group in New York. He focuses his practice on U.S. and international tax planning.

Akerman Welcomes Veteran Litigator Charles Critchlow in New York

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, announced that Charles Critchlow has joined the firm’s national Litigation Practice Group in New York. Critchlow brings a four-decade legal practice resolving matters related to antitrust and trade. His experience extends to Latin America, India, and Africa, representing international enterprises in the transportation and logistics, fertilizer, natural resources, and electrical sectors.

Critchlow focuses his practice on export antitrust matters. He counsels clients on competition law applicable to joint venture export corporations. Additionally, he advises on antitrust exemptions and a broad range of corporate-related matters, including joint venture agreements, corporate procedures and compliance, and export sales and distribution contracts. With a focus on antitrust and commercial litigation, he also advises on joint ventures, merger clearance, cartel investigations, class actions, and general business litigation. He has worked on matters relating to industrial chemicals, fertilizers, oil, electrical contracting, gasoline, moving and storage, and paper industries.

Critchlow has appeared before federal agencies and in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has handled antitrust and trade matters in Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, India, and South Africa, and coordinated antitrust legal compliance matters in over two dozen overseas jurisdictions. His experience includes general commercial litigation, antitrust litigation, and representation of companies in government and grand jury investigations. Critchlow has counseled on antitrust merger clearances, at home and abroad, in connection with acquisitions in the coal, industrial gases, household and agricultural insecticides, and fertilizer industries.

Critchlow helps build upon Akerman’s national bench of more than 350 litigators and trial lawyers across the United States. Most recently, complex commercial litigator Grasford Smith joined Akerman’s office in West Palm Beach, and Joel Forman, Philip Touitou, and Joseph Silver joined in New York, growing the firm’s experience in securities litigation and professional liability. The Honorable Ruben Castillo joined Akerman’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice in Chicago, following his retirement from the bench. Akerman’s recently acquired litigation skills expand to Atlanta, where Robin Johnson and Anthony Morris handle commercial litigation matters.

Nathaniel Greeson Joins Bradley’s Government Contracts Practice in Washington

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Nathaniel J. Greeson has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as an associate in the Government Contracts Practice Group.

Greeson represents clients in a range of government procurement issues, including bid protests, claims, disputes, audits, and investigations. He has extensive experience with Government Accounting Office (GAO) bid protests, agency-level protests, Court of Federal Claims (COFC) bid protests, and appeals before the Small Business Administration Office of Hearings and Appeals. He also is experienced with agency-level requests for equitable adjustments (REA) and claims, and Boards of Contract Appeals claims.

“We are very pleased to welcome Nathaniel as the newest member of our highly regarded team of government contracts attorneys,” said Bradley Washington, D.C., Office Managing Partner Douglas L. Patin. “With his experience in private practice, and as a government attorney with DHS/FEMA, Nathaniel brings valuable knowledge and expertise that will help our clients navigate highly complex government contracts legal matters.”

Prior to joining Bradley, Greeson was a government contracts associate at an AmLaw 100 firm in D.C., as well as senior litigation advisor for the Procurement and Fiscal Law Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Chief Counsel. For the agency, he litigated bid protests before the GAO and COFC, and appeals at the CBCA. In addition, he advised FEMA on a variety of legal issues related to solicitation structures, technical evaluations, source selection decisions, debriefings, cure notices, and terminations.

Greeson received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from Belmont University.

Bradley is recognized as having one of the nation’s leading government contracts practices with work that covers all aspects of federal, state and local contracting and a particular focus on bid protests and claims matters. The group’s attorneys represent contractors of all sizes, including more than 30 of the 200 largest government contractors in the United States. The firm’s government contracts work extends to a wide variety of industries that includes defense, aerospace, construction, engineering, information technology, consulting, energy, manufacturing, electronics, professional services, communications, and healthcare.

Stroock Adds Allison Miller to Nationally Ranked Financial Restructuring Practice

Allison Miller, a seasoned and well recognized corporate lawyer with wide-ranging experience in all aspects of corporate law and restructuring and special situations transactions, has joined Stroock’s national Financial Restructuring Group as a partner in the New York office.

Miller has spent nearly two decades advising companies, boards, investment funds and other investors regarding the unique and complex legal issues raised by distressed and special situations transactions. She also has significant experience advising boards and special committees as outside general counsel for companies assessing and moving through liability management exercises and advising creditors as part of the same process, including in their post-reorganization role as owners of reorganized companies.

Miller was the leading transactional attorney on a number of recent landmark restructurings, including Sears, Avaya, iHeart Communications, SunEdison, American Tire Distributors and Seadrill. She is also listed as a 2019 “Notable Practitioner” in restructuring in the IFLR1000 legal directory.

Miller joins Stroock from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she was also a partner.

Buchalter Welcomes New Insurance Coverage Practice Group Chair in Seattle

Buchalter is pleased to welcome Bradley Hoff as Chair of the firm’s Insurance Coverage Practice Group. Mr. Hoff, who is based in Seattle, joins from Foster Garvey PC.

Hoff has 25 years of experience representing insurance policyholders, including litigating and negotiating the resolution of disputes arising under third-party policies such as general liability, employment practices liability, pollution liability, directors & officers liability and errors & omissions/professional liability policies. He also has litigated many first-party policies such as commercial property, condominium, apartment, homeowners, business interruption and employee dishonesty/theft policies. Additionally, he counsels clients regarding risk management.

Outside of his practice, Hoff serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Education, Board of Commissioners for the Seattle Sports Commission, and is a member of the of 101 Club (Washington Athletic Club).

Hoff earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, and his B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Washington, cum laude.

Cohen Seglias Grows Wilmington Office with Attorneys Sally J. Daugherty, Stephen A. Venzie, and Brionna L. Denby

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC is pleased to announce the growth of its Wilmington office with the addition of Sally J. Daugherty as senior counsel in the Commercial Litigation, Construction and Labor & Employment Groups, Stephen A. Venzie as senior counsel in the Construction Group, and Brionna L. Denby as an associate in the Government Law & Regulatory Affairs, Internal Investigations, Title IX, and Scientific Misconduct Groups.

About Sally J. Daugherty

Daugherty, a seasoned litigator, represents small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of industries in business disputes, employment and labor matters, finance and securitization, and business best practices. She brings more than three decades of experience representing businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and her clients come from a wide range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, real estate and development, hospitality, and technology.

In addition, Daugherty has significant experience handling complex cases from inception through trials and appeals in state and federal courts in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Penn State Dickinson Law, and her B.S. from Elizabethtown College, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Prior to joining Cohen, Seglias, Daugherty was the managing attorney for the Delaware office of Salmon, Ricchezza, Singer & Turchi, LLP.

About Stephen A. Venzie

As an experienced construction litigator, Venzie counsels public and private owners, engineers, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, suppliers, and sureties through all stages of public, private, and federal projects. He represents clients on projects such as commercial and retail buildings, casinos, libraries, schools and universities, student housing, restaurants, condominiums, courthouses, airports, rail lines, hospitals, roads, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, fire stations, process piping plants, and military-owned facilities.

Further, Venzie assists clients through the various disputes that can occur on a construction project. When a dispute is not resolved during the course of the project, he represents clients in the prosecution and defense of claims in all phases of post-completion litigation in both federal and state court.

In addition to his construction litigation practice, Venzie counsels clients through ancillary commercial disputes and issues such as shareholder redemption and operating agreement disputes, non-compete clauses, employee wage disputes, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levies, and corporate formation and dissolution.

Prior to joining Cohen Seglias, Venzie served as the managing attorney for Venzie, Phillips & Warshawer’s Delaware office and its New Jersey practice. He earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

About Brionna L. Denby

Denby counsels corporations, educational institutions, non-profit groups, and other entities that are faced with allegations of wrongdoing. Before joining Cohen Seglias, Denby served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Delaware Department of Justice in the Civil Division, Defensive Litigation Unit, and in the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust. As a Deputy Attorney General, she handled complex, long term investigations into government corruption, financial fraud, voter fraud, and campaign finance violations from the initial allegation through resolution.

Denby also served as a trust compliance officer for a large financial services company where she managed legal and regulatory compliance of various trust business lines, operations, and sales groups. She earned her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and her B.A. from Spelman College, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York.

A native of Wilmington, Denby is active in the community and serves in various leadership roles, including as a trustee for the Delaware Historical Society and Vice President of the Delaware Barristers Association.

Beth Gould Joins Freeborn’s Richmond Office as Associate in the Litigation Practice Group and Insurance/Reinsurance Industry Team

GittingsLegal – NE72568

Freeborn & Peters LLP is pleased to announce that Beth Gould has joined the Firm as an Associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Insurance/Reinsurance Industry team.

We are very pleased to welcome Beth to Freeborn as an attorney in the Richmond office,” said Theodore I. Brenner, the Firm’s Richmond Office Managing Partner. “We believe Beth’s background and extensive trial experience will be a valuable asset to our acclaimed Litigation Practice Group and Insurance/Reinsurance team.”

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Gould was an Associate at Kalbaugh, Pfund & Messersmith, P.C. She focuses her practice on insurance defense for personal lines, trucking, commercial general liability, and restaurants and retail. Ms. Gould has vast trial experience, working in partnership with her clients to craft a litigation strategy in order to ensure their needs are met and the desired outcome is achieved.

She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond School of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. Ms. Gould is licensed in the state of Virginia.

Known as a Litigation Powerhouse® with a Big Law-caliber reputation in litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States and internationally, Freeborn has a team of litigators that includes former federal and state prosecutors with decades of trial experience handling all areas of complex disputes and litigation. Freeborn’s Insurance/Reinsurance group serves all areas of the global insurance and reinsurance marketplace, and has immersed themselves in the intricacies of reinsurance custom and practice and the commercial relationships upon which participants in the industry depend. The Freeborn Insurance/Reinsurance practice has been recommended by the 2019 Legal 500 United States Guide for Insurance.

ABOUT FREEBORN & PETERS
Freeborn & Peters LLP is a full-service law firm with international capabilities and offices in Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.; Richmond, Va.; Springfield, Ill.; and Tampa, Fla. Freeborn is always looking ahead and seeking to find better ways to serve its clients. It takes a proactive approach to ensure its clients are more informed, prepared and able to achieve greater success – not just now, but also in the future. While the firm serves clients across a very broad range of sectors, it has also pioneered an interdisciplinary approach that serves the specific needs of targeted industries.

Freeborn’s major achievements in litigation are reflective of the firm’s significant growth over the last several years and its established reputation as a Litigation Powerhouse®. Freeborn has one of the largest litigation departments among full-service firms of its size – currently with more than 90 litigators, which represents about two-thirds of the firm’s lawyers.

Freeborn is a firm that genuinely lives up to its core values of integrity, effectiveness, teamwork, caring and commitment, and embodies them through high standards of client service and responsive action. Its lawyers build close and lasting relationships with clients and are driven to help them achieve their legal and business objectives. For more information, please visit www.freeborn.com.

Nancy Williams Ball Joins Bradley’s Birmingham Office as Trusts and Estates Partner

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Nancy Williams Ball has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as a partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice Group.

Ball focuses her practice in areas that include estate planning and estate administration, taxation, real estate, and corporate law. She also speaks regularly on estate planning topics.

Ball is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Birmingham, Inc., and the Alabama Planned Giving Council. In addition, she currently serves as secretary of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Probate Section and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Prior to joining Bradley, Ball was a partner at Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas & O’Neal LLP.

Ball received her J.D. (summa cum laude) from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She also holds a Master of Laws in taxation (magna cum laude) from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Science (cum laude) from Birmingham-Southern College.

Bradley’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group attorneys represent a wide range of clients, including business executives, owners of closely held businesses, highly compensated employees, and many other individuals and families. In the area of probate law, Bradley represents the personal representatives and beneficiaries of estates.

Greensfelder Welcomes Scott Cruz as Employment and Labor Officer in Chicago

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that Scott Cruz has joined the firm’s Chicago office as an Officer in the Employment and Labor practice group.

“We are thrilled to welcome Scott to our growing team of attorneys in Chicago,” said Thadford A. Felton, Managing Officer of Greensfelder’s Chicago office. “Scott is a leader in employment and labor law and is actively involved in the city’s business and civic communities.”

Mr. Cruz represents public and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including civil litigation and preventative counseling. His practice includes representing employers in state and federal courts and administrative agencies involving claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, retaliatory discharge, breach of contract, labor arbitration, and class actions. He is particularly versed in all aspects of state and federal law relating to minimum wages, overtime, exemptions, and wage payment issues. He also trains management and employees on workplace legal issues and conducts workplace investigations and legal audits.

Mr. Cruz serves on the board of directors of Alivio Medical Center, a not-for-profit health center dedicated to increasing access to comprehensive, affordable quality health care for Chicago’s Hispanic community.

Prior to joining Greensfelder, Mr. Cruz was a labor and employment attorney at Clark Hill PLC.

Licensed to practice in Illinois and Missouri, Mr. Cruz received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Marquette University.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., founded in 1895, is a full-service law firm with offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Belleville, Ill. Greensfelder offers comprehensive legal solutions for clients locally, nationally and internationally. Areas of practice include business services; communications and media; construction; educational, religious and tax-exempt organizations; employee benefits; employment and labor; energy; franchising and distribution; health care; intellectual property; litigation; real estate; securities and financial services; and trusts and estates. Find out more at www.greensfelder.com.

Corporate Need for Legal Guidance on Global Trade Rises With Increased CFIUS and OFAC Oversight

Lowenstein Sandler’s Global Trade & Policy group adds to its ranks Christian C. Contardo, who joins the firm’s Washington, D.C., office after over a decade of experience in federal agencies such as Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Christian most recently served as Attorney Advisor in various Treasury offices, including the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), where he counseled on economic sanctions, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) matters, counterintelligence/insider threat programs, anti-money laundering, security clearance investigations, information security, and data privacy.

Why it matters:
The United States is both the largest recipient of foreign direct investment and the world’s largest investor in overseas businesses. In the last few years, the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice have responded to this trend by strengthening their enforcement teams and announcing more stringent compliance best practices. CFIUS has dramatically increased its review of deals involving both foreign investment and foreign investors, with a growing number of transactions at risk of being suspended or blocked.

As government scrutiny of global transactions rises, tech startups, private equity firms, hedge funds, C-suite executives, and other stakeholders engaged in international business must comply with ever-tougher CFIUS and OFAC regulations to avoid potentially devastating impacts on their investments and operations abroad. They need guidance in order to navigate the complex world of sanctions, tariffs, and investment restrictions under the Treasury Department’s evolving regulatory regime.

What:
Lowenstein Sandler’s Global Trade & Policy practice is expanding to meet this burgeoning need. In 2019 alone, Lowenstein completed over 500 venture-backed deals involving some of today’s most innovative companies. Its private equity and M&A teams handled a record-breaking number of deals, including numerous large-scale cross-border matters worth billions of dollars both for strategic acquirers and investment funds.

The firm’s global trade lawyers support these transactions by ensuring that clients and portfolio companies understand tariff engineering, country of origin requirements, OFAC sanctions, export restrictions, and CFIUS to minimize risks and maximize current and future profits. They help them to implement consistent and forward-thinking compliance programs and to anticipate supply chain issues and foreign investment requirements so that clients can plan for the future.

How:
The firm’s ranks are growing with experienced professionals deeply immersed in the ever-changing policies and laws governing CFIUS foreign investment national security reviews, OFAC economic sanctions, export and import transactions, cyber security, and data privacy. Doreen M. Edelman, chair of the firm’s Global Trade & Policy practice, says, “Our corporate lawyers understand that clients need this expertise to initially analyze a proposed transaction. National security concerns can actually cause an entire transaction to unravel. And national security now includes technology companies and those with access to personal data. We need more lawyers to advise not only our venture clients, but also our hedge fund and private equity companies. CFIUS alone is becoming a routine pre-deal concern.”

Bradley Jackson Office Managing Partner Margaret Oertling Cupples among MBJ’s 2020 CEO Awards of Mississippi Winners

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Margaret Oertling Cupples, managing partner of the firm’s Jackson office, has been named by the Mississippi Business Journal (MBJ) as one of the winners of its 2020 CEO Awards of Mississippi.

“We congratulate Margaret on being recognized by the Mississippi Business Journal as among the top organization leaders in Mississippi,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. “Margaret is an outstanding attorney and a tremendous asset to our firm.”

The CEO Awards of Mississippi recognize leaders around the state who demonstrate excellence among the top executives in their field. The honorees have helped their companies achieve strong growth and success and have made a profound impact on their company and community. Ms. Cupples was recognized in the Medium Companies category.

A member of Bradley’s Appellate Practice Group, Ms. Cupples focuses her practice on civil appeals and commercial litigation, including asbestos, benzene and silica mass-tort and products liability cases, as well as litigation involving insurance sales practices, consumer finance, and other general commercial matters. She has participated in more than two dozen appeals in Mississippi’s Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Cupples is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Appellate Law and Products Liability Litigation, and in Benchmark Litigation as a Litigation Star and as one of the Top 250 Business Women in Litigation.

Christine E. Hollis Joins Freeborn as Director of Attorney Recruiting, Development and Diversity

Freeborn & Peters LLP is pleased to announce that Christine E. Hollis has joined the Firm as Director of Attorney Recruiting, Development and Diversity.

“We are thrilled to welcome Christine to Freeborn as Director of Attorney Recruiting, Development and Diversity,” said William E. Russell, the Firm’s Co-Managing Partner. “We believe Christine’s background perfectly aligns with Freeborn’s goals for continued advancement in hiring, development, and diversity.”

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Hollis worked in attorney recruiting at both Barnes & Thornburg LLP and McGuireWoods LLP. With a background in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, she utilizes these skills to create, develop and implement effective and innovative processes for the recruiting life cycle. Her role at Freeborn includes working with leaders of the firm to execute the strategic initiatives of the Recruiting, Management and Executive Committees with respect to the hiring of associates and lateral partners across all offices. She also manages the integration of lateral hires, attorney training programs and initiatives, and oversees the firm’s CLE programs.

Ms. Hollis received her Master of Science (magna cum laude) from DePaul University, and her Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Spelman College.

Ms. Hollis also volunteers for several organizations focused on enriching and improving the youth on the south side of Chicago, and is passionate about mentoring young women to achieve both professional and personal success.