Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced Theodore Wern has joined the firm, bringing 20 years of vast experience advising investor groups and businesses in acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, sell-side mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and investment management. In his new role at Akerman, Wern will lead Corporate Practice Group efforts in Chicago. He joins the firm from Perkins Coie LLP where he served as firmwide vice-chair of the Private Equity Practice. Wern’s skillset builds upon Akerman’s core strengths in corporate, private equity, and middle-market mergers and acquisitions.

Wern focuses his practice on representing public and private companies, private equity funds, family offices, and other investor groups in a variety of complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth equity financings, private placements, joint ventures, and fund formation. In addition, he acts as outside counsel to a variety of private company clients with respect to general corporate and strategic matters and has represented family business owners in sell-side M&A transactions with enterprise values from $10 million to $1 billion.

Several lateral partners have joined Akerman in the last year, further strengthening the Corporate Practice Group nationally. Otavio Carneiro, dual-licensed in Brazil and the U.S., expanded Akerman’s cross-border transactional experience with significant experience in Latin America. Bill Ide and Amanda Leech joined Akerman’s Atlanta office with robust transactional and governance experience, having represented numerous large corporations, Fortune 100 companies, and boards of directors in M&A transactions, general corporate governance and compliance, and board risk management reviews. Paul Foley, now serving as chair of the Investment Management Practice, joined Akerman in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with substantial experience in investment fund formation and fund offerings. Extensively experienced in institutional investments and fund formation, Ricardo Hollingsworth joined Akerman in New York.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has named Cheri Husney as its new Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer (CMBDO), based in the firm’s Atlanta office. Husney, a seasoned marketing executive with nearly two decades of experience across multiple industries, will be responsible for developing and overseeing Littler’s marketing and business development strategy and operations.

Prior to joining Littler, Husney spent a majority of her career with KPMG. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of Clients and Markets, fulfilling a dual position of regional director while managing all marketing directors and teams. In this position, she drove marketing strategy, developed relationship-nurturing initiatives, enabled account-based marketing programs and established an overall strategic vision. In addition to these senior-level responsibilities, she played a leadership role in women and diversity initiatives.

Husney began her career in the greater Atlanta area and worked with premier textiles, manufacturing and telecommunications companies, including Alsco and Cogent Communications. She earned her MBA from Mercer University and her B.A. from Florida State University.

Jennifer M. Lantz and Philip W. Woo have joined Duane Morris LLP’s Silicon Valley office as partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. Lantz and Woo are Silicon Valley veterans with decades of experience, including at global law firms such as Hogan Lovells and Sidley Austin.

Philip W. Woo has been in practice for 25 years, working in all areas of patent law including litigation, prosecution and contested proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has represented a wide spectrum of innovation-driven high-tech companies, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations. With a degree in electrical engineering and substantial real-world experience in industry, Woo works on the deep technical issues in intellectual property matters of commercial significance for the clients he serves. He was counsel in the first inter partes review proceeding resulting in a successful final determination invalidating claims of the patent at issue. Woo has been recognized in the 2013-2020 editions of Best Lawyers in America, and as a leading patent litigator by IAM Patent 1000.

Woo is a graduate of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1994) and the Southern Methodist University (B.S.E.E., cum laude, 1990).

Jennifer M. Lantz advises innovators at all stages on managing and protecting their valuable brands and other IP. She focuses on helping companies develop brands through enforcement policies, clearing marks for use, registering marks in the United States and abroad, commercializing marks through licenses and merchandising agreements, assessing infringement risks and defending against allegations of infringement. Lantz has been recognized in the 2020 World Trademark Review 100 as “An excellent hybrid lawyer … Lantz delivers crisp results whether securing trademark protections, enforcing rights or negotiating deals.” She represents clients of all sizes—from new startups to multinationals. In addition to her prosecution and counseling practice, Lantz has an active trademark litigation practice in federal courts around the country. She has obtained preliminary injunctions on behalf of a number of trademark clients and has also successfully defended against preliminary injunctions. Lantz has litigated other significant and complex intellectual property and business disputes for clients, including patents, trade secrets, rights of publicity, copyrights, licensing, contract disputes and numerous section 337 matters in the International Trade Commission. She handles opposition and cancellation proceedings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, oversees multijurisdictional disputes and regularly counsels clients regarding domain name issues and trademark issues in social media. Lantz has also spearheaded enforcement campaigns in the United States and overseas for clients in industries where counterfeiting and knockoffs are prevalent.

Lantz is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1994) and the University of Michigan (B.A., with honors, 1991).

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that Lynn Gandhi has joined the firm’s Detroit office as a partner in its Business Law Department and Tax, Benefits & Estate Planning Practice Group. Gandhi comes to Foley from Honigman LLP, where she led the State and Local Tax Practice Group.

With more than 30 years of experience counseling on complex multistate taxation issues – including 18 years serving as in-house tax counsel for major corporations – Gandhi is widely recognized as a leading state and local tax attorney. She advises clients on tax planning matters, audits, appeals and litigation, and has led legislative and administrative changes in tax laws that benefit business entities and their owners. In addition, Gandhi provides transactional support on the multistate tax implications of merger and acquisition transactions, and defense of post-closing indemnity and escrow claims related to pre-closing liabilities.

Gandhi’s clients include foreign-based companies with U.S. operations and national Fortune 500 companies, as well as Michigan-based businesses of all sizes. She has successfully represented clients in obtaining tax exemptions and incentive packages, contesting audit findings and resolving tax disputes, navigating unclaimed property issues, and successful submission of multistate voluntary disclosure agreements, among other matters. Gandhi is also a registered lobbyist in Michigan, representing clients on legislative tax initiatives.

In addition to her client work, Gandhi is a prominent member of her professional community, both at the state and national levels. Among other roles, she is a board member of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, serves on Bloomberg Industry Group’s State Tax Advisory Board, and is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School, her alma mater. A prolific writer and speaker on state tax matters, Gandhi has published more than 60 articles and spoken or presented at over 75 events. She is a certified public accountant in Michigan and Illinois and received an LL.M degree in taxation from New York University School of Law.

Gandhi is the latest high-profile addition to Foley in recent weeks, following the arrival of a team of four IP Electronics attorneys, a securities enforcement attorney who previously served as associate regional director for enforcement for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Denver office, and a prominent sports attorney and former general counsel to the New York Jets.

Foley & Lardner announced today that Andrew Lee, former general counsel to the New York Jets and the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, has joined the firm’s New York office as Of Counsel and Special Adviser to its renowned Sports & Entertainment Group. Lee joins a deep roster of other sports attorneys at Foley who have held high-profile, in-house leadership positions in the sports business, including Bob DuPuy (MLB), Jon Israel (NBA), Michael Wall (Boston Bruins) and Bobby Sharma (NBA, IMG).

Lee comes to Foley with more than 20 years of sports, media and entertainment industry experience in-house and as an outside adviser, with emphasis on counseling senior executive management of high-profile companies. He has extensive experience both as a litigator and a corporate transactional attorney, having handled complex litigation and business matters involving mergers and acquisitions, corporate compliance, nonprofit organizations, sponsorships and naming rights, intellectual property, employment issues, SafeSport investigations and compliance, among others. Lee is routinely recognized as a leader in the sports and entertainment field, having previously founded the firm ALL Counsel P.C., which was consistently ranked in the top-tier nationally by top law firm rating services.

Lee began his legal career in private practice with Proskauer Rose in New York City and then went on to serve on the senior executive management team of the New York Jets as general counsel. In this role, Lee oversaw all of the Jets’ legal and human resources initiatives, along with the organization’s corporate relocation to Florham Park, New Jersey. When the Jets and Giants elected to bid to host the Super Bowl in 2014, Lee was named as general counsel of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, which overlapped with his founding of ALL Counsel P.C. in 2009, a premier sports and entertainment law firm based in New York City. His clients have included, among others, the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, MetLife Stadium, the New York Jets, the United States Rowing Association, the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, the Miami Dolphins, RSE Ventures, Relevant Sports, Hiltzik Strategies, DKC News and others in the sports, arts, media, entertainment and general business fields.

Lee has been an integral and influential force in various major developments in the sports and entertainment industry. His experience includes being part of the executive teams that formed the joint venture between the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants to build a new joint stadium and the resulting development of MetLife Stadium, the successful bid of the New York City region to host the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, and the development of the New York Jets Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Andy also has extensive experience successfully representing professional sports agents, players and coaches in arbitrations and a variety of business matters.

In addition, Gregory Marino has joined Foley’s Sports & Entertainment Industry Team as a special counsel. Marino also comes to Foley from ALL Counsel P.C., where he provided legal services to clients in the entertainment and media industries, with a particular focus on counseling emerging entertainment properties on corporate governance matters

Buchalter is pleased to welcome Marcus Williams as a Corporate Shareholder in the Firm’s Los Angeles and Seattle offices. Mr. Williams joins from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Williams advises some of the best-known public and private companies in the Western United States in corporate finance, securities compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law. His practice focuses primarily on public and mature private companies, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and ongoing corporate governance and securities compliance matters. He also has represented underwriters and investors in the technology, financial services, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and consumer products industries. Further, he has served as special counsel to boards of directors and committees, including the audit committee of one of the world’s best-known consumer products companies, and has extensive experience dealing with shareholder activists.

Williams has been named as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Corporate/Commercial (Washington) by Chambers USA from 2010-2018. He is also one of the Best Lawyers in America in Securities Law by Woodward/White, 2013-present and has an AV Rating® from Martindale-Hubbell®.

He earned his J.D. from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law in 1997, cum laude, and his B.A. in Political Science from Auburn University in 1988.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that L. Justin Burney has joined the firm’s Huntsville office as a partner in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Justin to our Huntsville office,” said Bradley Huntsville Office Managing Partner Frank M. Caprio. “Justin brings more than a decade of experience practicing corporate law in Alabama for major clients across many industries.”

Mr. Burney represents a broad range of clients in corporate and transactional matters, including contract negotiation and preparation, entity formation, corporate restructuring, corporate finance issues, M&A, and real estate sales and acquisitions. He also has significant experience preparing agreements involving licensing of software and technology to and from third parties. In addition, he represents government contracting companies in negotiating and preparing subcontracts, teaming agreements and joint venture documents, qualifying for socio-economic programs, interpreting the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Small Business Association regulations, and prosecuting and defending bid protest actions. His other experience includes guiding healthcare and dental providers on regulatory compliance matters involving health information privacy and compensation.

Prior to joining Bradley, Mr. Burney was an attorney at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.

Mr. Burney received his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law. He also holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science (cum laude), both in chemical engineering from the University of Alabama.

Attorneys in Bradley’s nationally recognized Corporate and Securities Practice Group guide and advise clients in a variety of industries, working with emerging companies, family and closely held business, and publicly traded corporations, as well as venture capital and private equity funds and their operating companies.

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 over 500 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, real estate, construction, technology, energy, insurance, and entertainment, among many others.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Michael Gordon has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, as a partner in its Banking and Financial Services Practice Group and as part of the firm’s Government Enforcement and Investigations Team.

“We are very excited to welcome Mike to our D.C. office and our team of highly experienced and accomplished banking and financial services attorneys,” said Bradley Washington, D.C., Office Managing Partner Douglas Patin. “Mike is a business-savvy attorney who adds significantly to our strength in key practice areas.”

Practice Group Leader Robert Maddox noted: “Mike Gordon is an accomplished consumer finance lawyer with more than 20 years of experience as a law firm partner, senior federal regulator, and fintech general counsel. Mike has established a reputation for helping financial institutions and service providers successfully navigate the complex and ever-changing regulatory environment of the financial services industry.”

Prior to joining Bradley, Mike served as general counsel and chief compliance officer for a fast-growing fintech and renewable energy company, where he oversaw legal, compliance, and regulatory functions. He was also the former chair of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Practice Group at WilmerHale, where he represented banks, financial services companies, fintech firms, and investors.

Mike also has substantial experience as a senior government official, having served as senior counselor to the director of the CFPB, counselor to the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Treasury, and chief investigative counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mike received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. (cum laude) from Harvard College.

Bradley’s Banking and Financial Services Practice Group counsels clients on complex legal needs, including matters involving litigation, regulations and compliance, and diverse corporate matters. The group’s attorneys represent a broad range of banks, lenders, and financial services institutions across the United States.

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 LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, is pleased to announce that it has enhanced its Intellectual Practice Group with the addition of Alejandro Fernandez and Stephen Leahu. Fernandez and Leahu, both Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Intellectual Property (IP) and registered patent attorneys, practice in Akerman’s office in Tampa. They bring a deep understanding of IP protection and enforcement, further strengthening the firm’s capabilities in advanced software, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, and medical device industries.

Fernandez is a versatile IP counselor and litigator. For nearly twenty years, Fernandez has represented clients in every stage of IP litigation around the country. During that time, he has also negotiated many IP agreements and drafted countless heavy-duty patents in varied technical fields. His collaborative approach and IP knowhow has led colleagues and former opposing counsel to refer clients to Fernandez or co-counsel with him in later cases.

Leahu partners with clients to protect and enforce their rights in all areas of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, domain names, unfair competition, idea misappropriation, and trade secrets. He is actively involved in patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, litigation, licensing and the counseling of clients on their product development, and transactions concerning intellectual property rights. Leahu represents clients in intellectual property litigation in various state and federal courts and before the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Selman Breitman LLP is pleased to announce that Karen B. Goldberg has been elected to the firm’s partnership.

Goldberg, who practices in the firm’s Los Angeles office, concentrates on products liability and toxic tort litigation. She represents a broad range of clients, including premise owners, as well as manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of a wide variety of products. Goldberg also represents companies in the manufacturing, petrochemical, construction, distributing, maritime contracting and automotive industries.

Goldberg earned her J.D. from the Southwestern University School of Law and her B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce the arrival of three international arbitration partners to the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. The high-profile team joins from Dentons and includes Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid in New York, and William O’Brien and John Lomas in Washington DC. Ms. Al-Rashid and Mr. O’Brien are already resident in their respective offices while Mr. Lomas will join Eversheds Sutherland in the next few weeks.

In addition to growing the practice in the United States, Eversheds Sutherland added seven partners in key arbitration markets around the world last year. The global arbitration practice covers all the leading global arbitration hubs, including New York, London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Zurich and the Middle East. With a solid presence in the US, the group will continue to grow in the Americas, and is looking to build in Latin America, as well as the US.

About the Lawyers

Al-Rashid represents and advises clients on complex international disputes with a focus on public international law, including issues related to human rights, war crimes, genocide, and international investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration, foreign investor risk management, and arbitration legislative reform in various jurisdictions. Her practice covers a broad spectrum of industries, including mining, mineral resources, infrastructure, oil and gas, civil engineering, textiles, hospitality, and real estate. Al-Rashid has served as counsel in disputes and transactions involving parties from around the globe, including Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and Europe. Her experience includes participation in arbitrations before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Court of Justice (ICJ), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), as well as under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

O’Brien guides clients through complex and high-stakes international arbitrations, litigation, and dispute resolution, in which he serves as lead counsel before all major arbitral institutions and US courts. His work spans a wide variety of sectors, including aviation/aerospace and defense, construction, energy, government, manufacturing, and transportation. He focuses on high-profile, and often politically charged, cross-border matters, including enforcement of arbitration awards, treaty issues, foreign sovereign immunity, government contracts, and defense against fraud or corruption allegations.

Lomas helps his clients from across the globe achieve their strategic goals in complex and challenging transnational disputes before US trial and appellate courts and the major international arbitration institutions. He focuses his practice on commercial and business disputes, intellectual property, False Claims Act and fraud claims, and competition/antitrust issues. His work spans a variety of industries, including technology, health care, manufacturing, finance, transportation, and defense.

Harrity launched its Minority Firm Incubator last year to help women and minorities establish their own law firms in an effort to change the disparity of minority-owned firms in the field. James was selected for the program from a large pool of applicants due to both his experience in IP law and his desire to create opportunities for minorities to succeed in underrepresented industries.

“Our firm’s Diversity Mission is focused on fostering inclusion within the legal community and encouraging the growth and success of individuals from all backgrounds,” said firm Managing Partner John Harrity. “The Minority Firm Incubator is a service-oriented program intended to further this mission by helping underrepresented groups flourish in a field where diversity is lacking. James not only shares our beliefs on the importance of diversity in the practice of law, but he is committed to using this role with the incubator as a community outreach platform to help overcome the socioeconomic barriers that many minority groups face. These values, in addition to James’s impressive background in intellectual property law, make him the ideal candidate to launch our Minority Firm Incubator program.”

James is a patent attorney with nearly 15 years of experience counseling clients on matters related to intellectual property law. His practice focuses on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in a variety of technological fields, including electrical and software technologies. James has experience in private practice and as an in-house attorney.

James began the Minority Firm Incubator program, which consists of four phases, Feb. 3. During the first phase, James is focusing on efficiently drafting effective, high-quality patent applications through the use of Harrity’s in-house tools and processes. In the second year, he will focus on prosecuting pending patent applications. The third phase consists of firm management training, during which James will learn best practices for hiring and training attorneys, establishing and maintaining an office, managing human resources, accounting, docketing, pitching and retaining clients, and more. At the beginning of the fourth year, James will launch his own firm, through which he hopes to reshape the perspective of minority-owned firms and improve the diversity of the legal field.

“Given my own background as an individual who was raised by a single mother in a low income household, who was the first college graduate in my immediate family, and who is a member of an underrepresented group in the legal profession, I am very grateful for and fortunate to have had great experiences in my legal career thus far,” James said. “I understand the obstacles someone with my background needs to overcome to be successful in this profession, and I understand the importance of improving diversity in the legal field. I want to use this program/platform as a means to give back in light of the great experiences in my legal career. I also hope to help provide a blueprint or guide to success for members of underrepresented groups, so they can see me as a testament that success in any professional field, and more particularly in the legal field, is a realistic possibility in their future.“

Harrity’s Minority Firm Incubator program is currently accepting new applications. To learn more and apply to the Minority Firm Incubator, and to read about Harrity’s other initiatives for driving diversity in the IP legal field, visit harrityllp.com/diversity.

About Harrity & Harrity, LLP
Harrity & Harrity is a leading patent preparation and prosecution firm specializing in the electrical and mechanical technology areas and is considered a Go-To Firm for the Patent 300®. Our clients trust in our high-quality work, experienced people, industry leading innovation, and outstanding service. For more information, visit harrityllp.com.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that James A. Collura, a partner in the firm’s Houston office, has been appointed to the executive committee of the Institute for Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law. He will serve a one-year term as chair of the Oilfield Services Committee.

The Institute for Energy Law is one of the world’s oldest continuing legal education providers and an international organization with membership that includes leading energy companies and attorneys. It presents several educational conferences and seminars each year, publishes papers and periodicals, and provides an important forum in which contemporary issues affecting the energy industries can be discussed.

“We are very proud of Jim’s involvement with the Institute for Energy Law and we congratulate him on being chosen to serve in this important leadership role,” said Bradley Houston Office Managing Partner Ian P. Faria.

A member of Bradley’s Construction and Energy practice groups, Mr. Collura has a nationwide energy and construction complex litigation practice. He also currently serves as the Houston representative on Bradley’s managing board. Mr. Collura has litigated to verdict or award hundreds of millions of dollars in claims and has served as lead counsel on hundreds of matters in state and federal courts across the country. His experience includes claims involving merger and acquisition disputes, commercial ownership disputes, fraud, covenant not to compete enforcement and defense, theft of trade secrets, commercial construction disputes, partnership claims, oil and gas matters, business torts, catastrophic torts, and indemnity claims. Mr. Collura also has extensive experience litigating in domestic and international arbitration, as well as regulatory matters.

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.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Jason P. Mehta, a partner in the firm’s Tampa office, has been selected as a 2020 Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).

As a Fellow of the LCLD, Mehta will participate in one of the most comprehensive legal talent development programs in the country. It is designed to increase diversity at the leadership levels of the nation’s law firms and corporate legal departments. With more than 300 members, the LCLD is a national organization made up of the general counsel and managing partners of the leading corporations and law firms in the country. The LCLD was launched in 2011.

Formerly an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, Fla., Mehta is a member of Bradley’s Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group. He advises companies and individuals on bet-the-company litigation and investigations. His practice relates primarily to responding to and defending government investigations, asset forfeiture actions, False Claims Act (FCA) and qui tam cases, and business litigation matters. He focuses his practice on compound pharmacy, urine toxicology, and telemedicine/telehealth prosecutions. He also routinely counsels private healthcare, banking and other clients on compliance and proactive defense strategies.

As an assistant U.S. attorney, Mehta worked on both civil and criminal matters throughout the Middle District of Florida, including in Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Ocala. During his five years as a prosecutor, he recovered nearly a quarter of a billion dollars for the U.S. government through FCA suits and prosecuted dozens of companies and individuals. He was recognized in 2017 with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Director Award, one of the highest honors bestowed upon DOJ employees. Previously, Mr. Mehta also worked as an attorney-adviser for the U.S. Department of State.

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.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Akane R. Suzuki has joined the firm’s Trust & Estate Planning practice as a partner in the Seattle office. In addition to serving the Seattle region, Akane has unique experience in the Japanese market and will help expand the practice’s international footprint.

Akane counsels clients through all stages of their estates life cycle. She represents entrepreneurs, retirees, business executives and owners, family-owned businesses, and trust beneficiaries on matters related to succession planning for business owners, probate and trust administration, complex giving, charitable giving, international estate planning, powers of attorney, and wills. Akane also works on intellectual property and labor and employment matters.

In addition to her estate planning practice, Akane also assists Japanese business clients with a variety of real estate matters including acquisitions, lease reviews, and corporate maintenance.

Akane is co-founder of the Seattle branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is a fellow and chair-elect for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She received her B.A., with honors, from Lewis & Clark College; her J.D., with honors, from the University of Washington School of Law; and her LL.M. from New York University School of Law.

Barnes & Thornburg has added Eric S. Fisher as a partner in the Litigation Department in Atlanta. Fisher is the latest example of growth in the firm’s Atlanta office, and is the fifth legal professional to join since the beginning of the year.

Fisher, an active member of the bar in both Georgia and California, represents clients in disputes involving contracts, business partnerships, and insurance and employment matters. He also handles cases involving fiduciary duties, breaches of contract, business torts, real estate agreements, and creditor disputes. He has experience in state, federal and appellate courts, and helps clients navigate alternative dispute resolution proceedings and commercial arbitrations. Fisher counsels clients that span a wide breadth of industries such as the financial services, entertainment, medical, higher education, and transportation sectors.

His arrival follows that of four corporate tax and credit attorneys and Misty Holcomb as Director of State Government Affairs.

Fisher’s accomplishments for his clients and his work within the community have been recognized by various organizations. In 2017, he was featured in the On the Rise section of the Daily Report’s 2017 Professional Excellence Awards. He has also been awarded the Good Apple Award for Outstanding Volunteerism that Promotes Justice by the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, and the Daniel R. Ginsberg Leadership Award by the Anti-Defamation League.

In addition, he has been highlighted by Georgia Trend on its Legal Elite list in 2012-2013, 2015-2016, and 2018-2019 and also listed in Georgia Super Lawyers 2020 and on its Rising Stars list from 2011-2019.

Fisher is a member of the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region board of trustees and on its executive committee and is the board treasurer if Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. He also is an Associate Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Fisher earned his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Ray Hartman has joined the firm’s Environment, Energy and Resources (EER) practice as a partner in the San Diego office. Hartman is an experienced environmental litigator and has represented clients in complex cases involving such issues as groundwater contamination, toxic exposure and real estate disputes.

Hartman focuses his practice on environmental litigation, as well as real estate and commercial litigation. His successes include securing a reversal of a $100 million judgment against a major pipeline company and a favorable settlement in environmental litigation alleging $400 million in damages related to a sports stadium.

Hartman also currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches a class entitled Experiential Advocacy Practicum: Litigation. He is an active member of the local community, including through pro bono counsel and in serving local charitable organizations.

He joins Perkins Coie from Cooley LLP. Ray earned his B.A., cum laude, in political science from the University of San Diego; an M.A. in political science, law and public policy from the University of Southern California; and his J.D. from University of California Hastings College of the Law.

Foley & Lardner announced that the firm has expanded its national intellectual property capabilities with the addition of four attorneys to its Intellectual Property Department and Electronics Practice Group. Eric Sophir and Gary Solomon join as partners, while Matthew Horton and Kamyar Maserrat join as senior counsel and associate, respectively. All will be based in Foley’s Washington, D.C. office, except for Solomon, who is based in Dallas.

The team comes over from Dentons, where Sophir and Solomon were partners. Sophir also served as co-practice leader of the firm’s IP group.

Sophir counsels clients on protecting innovations, gaining market share, resolving patent disputes and monetizing patents. His practice includes various aspects of patent law, including patent preparation and prosecution, infringement and validity analysis in patent litigation, licensing and selling, due diligence, clearance and landscape analysis, and post-grant proceedings. Sophir’s practice has a particular emphasis on strategic portfolio development, including invention harvesting and patent filing strategies. His clients range from startups to Fortune 50 companies.

A major component of Sophir’s practice is counseling on patent issues and not just patent preparation and prosecution. He advises clients on the risks and value associated with acquiring, licensing or otherwise commercializing a patent portfolio. Such advice includes clearance and freedom-to-operate analysis, clearance and landscape analysis, and patentability analysis. He also provides advice on prosecution strategies to better protect a product or more effectively deter competitors and has litigated a wide range of complex disputes involving patents in federal court, arbitration and re-examination proceedings. He has also conducted analyses and prepared opinions regarding patent infringement, invalidity and enforceability, and has counseled clients asserting patents and defending allegations involving competitors and non-practicing entities.

Solomon’s practice focuses on patent preparation, prosecution, and the monetization and protection of intellectual property assets. He has years of experience creating large and strategic patent portfolios for his clients, as well as conducting IP due diligence and evaluating the quality of IP assets. Solomon also has extensive experience preparing patent legal opinions, including those related to novelty, non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability, and has participated in a number of IP transactions, including acquisition, funding and company sales.

Solomon brings more than three decades of experience working with startup companies in both technical and legal capacities, including 10 years as a practicing engineer and more than 20 years as a patent attorney. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and has significant expertise in the areas of communications systems, telecommunications automatic control systems, power systems, robotics, antennas, microelectronics and industrial equipment, medical devices, fashion and beauty, and many more.

Horton, who is fluent in software code and complex mathematics, brings a combination of legal and technical knowledge to his work on high technology, patent law and intellectual property protections. His practice focuses on cybersecurity platforms and processes, mobile devices and applications, cloud computing systems, and computer hardware and semiconductor technologies. Horton has successfully drafted and prosecuted a variety of high technology patents, and regularly counsels clients on developing strategic intellectual property portfolios.

A former patent attorney with IBM, Maserrat brings in-depth experience to his preparation and prosecution of U.S. patent applications involving software and other electronics. His invention experience spans a wide range of technologies, including cloud computing, natural language processing, data analytics and migration, advertising, e-commerce, and other software and business method innovations.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Michael S. Gzybowski to its Intellectual Property Department as a Senior Counsel in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. Gzybowski joins Dykema from Brinks Gilson & Lione.

A former patent examiner for the United States Patent & Trademark Office with more than 30 years of private practice experience, Gzybowski’s practice focuses on preparing and filing patent applications and obtaining patents on behalf of clients in the U.S. and abroad. He has successfully prosecuted more than 1,000 patent applications in his career across a wide range of technical fields. Gzybowski also provides counsel on patent litigation, patentability, infringement, right to use, validity issues, and licensing and intellectual property agreements.

Utilizing an engineering degree and years of experience, Gzybowski represents inventors and research and development personnel on patent matters related to their inventions.

Gzybowski earned a J.D. from the George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Brian P. Kavanaugh has joined the firm in Chicago as a partner in its global Litigation group. He joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a litigation partner and one of the leaders of its Data Security & Privacy practice. Kavanaugh will split his time between the firm’s Chicago and Dallas offices.
Kavanaugh has built a robust practice focused on healthcare, insurance and data privacy. He has defended clients in matters ranging from multidistrict litigation and class action suits to complex commercial disputes and arbitrations. A litigator for over two decades, Kavanaugh has represented major companies in a variety of industries, including life sciences, insurance, automotive, energy and cybersecurity.

Kavanaugh previously served as a member of Law360’s Privacy & Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board and was recognized as an “Illinois Rising Star” in Class Actions by Super Lawyers. He practices in both Illinois and Texas.