Damon Rowe, the former executive director of the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Fraud Enforcement, has joined Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman LLP in Dallas. Mr. Rowe will focus his practice on white-collar defense, federal tax disputes and governmental regulatory litigation. He has expertise in many areas including cryptocurrency, financial crimes, civil and criminal tax, money laundering, fraud, internal investigations and the Bank Secrecy Act.

Mr. Rowe began his IRS career in 1998 as a special agent and held numerous leadership positions for the agency including as Special Agent in Charge for both the Los Angeles and Dallas field offices.

In leading the Office of Fraud Enforcement, he implemented strategies to evaluate emerging threats through an increased reliance on data science and analytics, while establishing revised metrics, streamlined processes and a revamped organizational structure for the office. Those strategic decisions resulted in a dramatic increase in multimillion-dollar fraud schemes referred for civil fraud penalties as well as referrals for criminal investigation and prosecution.

Prior to serving in this role, Mr. Rowe was executive director of the Office of International Operations for the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division. During his tenure, the office increased its global footprint to detect financial-related cybercrimes and international money laundering and provided investigative support to federal task forces combating domestic and international terrorism.

Mr. Rowe is currently an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M School of Law, where he teaches a course in international white-collar crime.

“After two decades of public service, I felt the time was right to return to my Texas roots,” says Mr. Rowe. “Meadows Collier is respected nationwide as a leader in managing complex tax litigation and successfully defending clients in cases involving innovative claims and significant financial exposure. This is the right fit for me and I’m excited about the opportunities.”

Mr. Rowe earned a Master of Laws degree in taxation from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University and his law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston.

Attorneys with Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman bring both dedication and experience to clients’ legal matters. With origins in tax planning and tax litigation practice, the firm also provides counsel to clients with a variety of other specialized legal needs, including business and estate planning, probate, real estate, securities, banking, and commercial litigation. The firm also has a longstanding concentration in the area of white-collar defense and government regulatory practice.

MG+M The Law Firm (MG+M) is pleased to welcome Jonathan Dunleavy to our Miami office and our Maritime Litigation Practice. With a career spanning nearly 25 years, Jonathan is an experienced litigator who has successfully tried cases in state and federal courts. Jonathan focuses his practice on admiralty and maritime law and advises clients in claims related to insurance defense, personal injury protection, products liability, subrogation and construction defect claims.

“We are excited to welcome Jonathan to MG+M and grateful for the decades of experience he brings to our firm,” says MG+M Chairperson and Partner John B. Manning. “Jonathan’s skills and background as a successful litigator will be of great benefit to our clients, especially those in the maritime industry.”

Jonathan speaks regularly on maritime law, including at the Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club Seminar, Tampa Bay Mariners Seminar and Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute Annual Seminar. He belongs to the Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club and serves on its seminar committee. He is also an active member of the Miami Dade County Bar Association. Since 2005, Jonathan has taught public speaking as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami.

Prior to joining MG+M, Jonathan served as a partner and shareholder at two Florida law firms. He received his JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a BS in environmental science and public relations from Michigan State University.

DALLAS – Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP entertainment and business litigation partners Lauren Kilgore and Christian Barker have been selected to Billboard magazine’s 2022 list of Top Music Lawyers.

Ms. Kilgore and Mr. Barker, who were both recently promoted at Shackelford to equity partner, were honored for their “Talent and Litigation” work. It was the third selection for Ms. Kilgore and the first for Mr. Barker.

Billboard’s annual Top Music Lawyers list recognizes the nation’s “savviest legal counselors” who are advising clients on a range of issues from “familiar contracts and a surging tide of catalog sales” to new ventures arising from the metaverse.

“We are going to see a future that’s ripe with tokenization of intellectual property, where every songwriter has the ability and know-how to be in tune with real-time ownership and valuation of their assets,” said Mr. Barker, who was recognized for his representation of breakout TikTok star Warren Zeiders in securing a “record-setting” contract with Warner Records.

Ms. Kilgore’s practice focuses on complex litigation and sophisticated entertainment and business issues involving license agreements, trademarks, copyrights, rights of publicity, general releases, distribution agreements, publishing agreements, recording agreements, artist development agreements, and management agreements. She also handles online media issues and crisis management for individuals and corporate clients.

Mr. Barker represents artists, songwriters, producers, independent record labels, independent music publishing companies, and boutique artist management companies nationwide. He also has experience in family law matters involving disputed intellectual property assets. He is a former president of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and serves on the Board of Advisors for DIME Collective, a Nashville-based digital media company specializing in podcast production and marketing.

The Top Music Lawyers for 2022 were selected by Billboard editors, based upon such factors as peer and colleague nominations, as well as the representation of clients with a notable music industry impact. Recognition covers six categories including Talent and Litigation, Major Music Groups, Streaming, Live, Music Publishing, and Performing Rights.

About Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP
Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, is a transactional, litigation, aviation and entertainment law firm with attorneys and offices in Dallas, Houston, Frisco, Fort Worth, and Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Learn more about the firm at http://www.shackelford.law.

Foley & Lardner LLP secured a victory on behalf of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week when Honorable Judge Michael Beckloff of the Los Angeles County Superior Court denied a County resident’s petition for a writ of mandate in an attempt to block the transfer of Bruce’s Beach back to the legal heirs of Charles and Willa Bruce.

Bruce’s Beach was a popular Black-owned resort in the City of Manhattan Beach that catered to Black beachgoers in the 1910s and 20s. In 1924, the City of Manhattan Beach condemned Bruce’s Beach in an act of racial discrimination, seeking to drive out Black patrons from Manhattan Beach. Recognizing this profound historical wrong, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 796 into law, enabling the County to take appropriate actions to return Bruce’s Beach to the legal heirs of the Bruce family.

A County resident petitioned for a writ of mandate to block the transfer of the property. The resident primarily argued that the transfer of the property violates Article XVI, Section 6 of the California Constitution, which prohibits the Legislature from giving public funds to private citizens. Foley partner and the County’s lead counsel Byron McLain argued that returning the property to the Bruce family is not an improper gift in violation of the California Constitution because this act serves a clear and direct public purpose of addressing and redressing government racial discrimination. As stated in Senate Bill 796, this transfer enables the County to “rectify the historic injustice that was done to the Bruce family by returning the land…from whom it was taken in an act motivated by racism.”

Judge Beckloff denied the Petitioner’s writ of mandate and held that the anticipated transfer is constitutional, which effectively grants the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors the power to right this historic wrong. The County’s effort to return Bruce’s Beach “works to strengthen government integrity, represents governmental accountability. . . [and] fosters trust and respect in government,” Beckloff wrote in his ruling. “Redressing past acts of discrimination as well as preventing such acts in the future benefits the whole of the community. The public purpose served by [the County’s efforts] is direct and substantial,” Beckloff found.

McLain commented, “The Superior Court’s decision to allow the County of Los Angeles to transfer the Bruce’s Beach property back to the Bruce family is a huge step in support of the County’s concerted call to action for government entities to recognize and dismantle the history of racial oppression, injustice, and inequity that has left an indelible stain on this nation, most especially, its communities of color.”

In addition to McLain, the Foley team representing the County included Anum Amin and former Foley attorney M. Kristina Fernandez Mabrie. Paralegal Autumn McIntosh and Vivian Hong also assisted in this matter.

SAN DIEGO – Barnes & Thornburg has announced today the addition of Andrew “Drew” Galvin as a partner in the firm’s San Diego office. Galvin joins the firm’s Litigation team from the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California for nearly a decade.

Galvin is the fourth former Assistant U.S. Attorney to join the San Diego office since 2019. Galvin will leverage his experience to provide targeted counsel for clients in white collar criminal defense, complex business litigation, compliance, and internal investigations.

The firm’s White Collar, Compliance and Investigations practice now has nearly 30 former federal prosecutors who have experience with and relationships at over a dozen U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country.

“White collar criminal prosecutions are top of mind for the DOJ as it continues to ramp up its fraud enforcement efforts,” said Randy Brown, chair of the firm’s Litigation Department. “Drew’s previous experience as a federal prosecutor gives our clients an inside look into how the agency handles these investigations and the cases that will invariably be brought.”

During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Galvin was the office’s Financial Fraud Coordinator and investigated and prosecuted complex white collar matters, including securities fraud, extortion, tax offenses, art forgery, investment fraud, money laundering, procurement fraud, public corruption, mortgage fraud, and embezzlement.

Notably, Galvin prosecuted the architect of a $400 million Ponzi scheme – the largest in the history of the Southern District of California. He also led a series of investigations in sophisticated securities fraud schemes involving market manipulation and insider trading, resulting in convictions of more than a dozen corporate executives, attorneys, stockbrokers, and stock promoters. Prior to serving as a federal prosecutor Galvin worked at a nationally prominent firm’s Los Angeles office, representing executives and companies confronting government investigations, as well as companies involved in high-stakes civil litigation.

“Drew made a name for himself at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Major Frauds and Public Corruption Section, and he will be able to hit the ground running advising on government investigations,” said Troy Zander, San Diego partner-in-charge. “He’s a well-respected leader who has deep roots in San Diego, and strong connections to the legal and business community in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. We are excited to welcome him to our litigation team and continue our growth trajectory in San Diego.”

Galvin earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, and his B.A. from Brigham Young University, magna cum laude.

With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Jackson partner W. Wayne Drinkwater has been inducted into The University of Mississippi School of Law Alumni Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame recognizes select alumni who have perpetuated the university’s good name through their accomplishments and contributions to their communities. A 1974 graduate of The University of Mississippi School of Law, Mr. Drinkwater was one of five recipients in the Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2022, inducted on March 26, 2022.

“Wayne is nationally recognized as an exceptional attorney, mentor, and community advocate. He is absolutely deserving of this recognition for his achievements in the state and within our firm,” said Bradley Jackson Office Managing Partner Margaret Oertling Cupples.

Mr. Drinkwater has extensive experience in major business, commercial and constitutional litigation. He has tried some of Mississippi’s most significant cases and handled more than 70 appeals, arguing more than 30 of them in state and federal courts across the country. A former law clerk of former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, Mr. Drinkwater is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He also is an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Drinkwater has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® for 25 years and has been listed in Chambers USA since 2003.

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 almost 600 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.

Brown Rudnick announced today that Mark Grider has joined its Washington, D.C., office as a partner in the White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance practice and head of Brown Rudnick’s Crisis Management Litigation Government Response team. He will focus on representing clients in False Claims Act cases, consumer fraud litigation, crisis management litigation and federal criminal investigations, as well as advising them on corporate compliance matters.

Grider brings to the Firm extensive experience in criminal and regulatory enforcement after serving nearly 20 years in the federal government, including as a senior advisor in the White House and as a deputy assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). After his tenure as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he tried cases, Grider became a senior counsel to the deputy attorney general, served as the DOJ special counsel on health care and co-chaired the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Task Force. He also advised on operational and policy issues involving computer crime, intellectual property, computer forensic matters, among other areas.

Grider served in the Office of White House Counsel as senior associate counsel and special assistant to the president. In that role, he advised senior administration officials on broad oversight and regulatory matters involving the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and federal agencies contributing special expertise on health care regulatory and litigation matters and science and technology oversight and policy issues.

“We’re very excited to welcome Mark to Brown Rudnick. His arrival enhances our already highly regarded White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance group, further expanding our federal government investigations capabilities,” said Steve Best, a former federal prosecutor and chair of Brown Rudnick’s White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance practice.

“It comes in response to client demand and the increasing number of investigations in traditionally regulated industries as well as disruptive technology companies,” Best added. “His deep experience in both the legislative and executive branches, as well as his strong relationships with key players in Washington, will be critically important to our clients.”

In his most recent government role, Grider served as the DOJ’s deputy assistant attorney general, overseeing criminal matters relating to the Antitrust, Civil, Tax, and Environment and Natural Resources Divisions, as well as the Consumer Protection Branch. Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, Grider was a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, where he led its Crisis Management and Congressional Investigations practice.

Grider is the second lateral partner to join Brown Rudnick’s White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance group in 2022, signifying the Firm’s strategic investment in this core practice. Jeff Cottle, who arrived on Jan. 24, serves a global client base in London and Washington, D.C.

“Mark brings an impressive background and an inside perspective that will prove very valuable to our clients,” said Sunni Beville, managing director of Brown Rudnick’s Dispute Resolution & Restructuring Department. “He has excellent legal credentials, but more than that, he can translate policy into practical guidance for our clients in regulated industries. Mark makes a great addition to our growing and talented team.

As head of the Crisis Management Litigation Government Response team, Grider will counsel companies and individuals on strategic growth opportunities, as well as guide them through sensitive legal and business scenarios to proactively manage and avert crises, minimize legal exposure, and manage reputation. He will also focus on engaging in diversity, inclusion and equity efforts at Brown Rudnick, which has achieved Mansfield Certification two years in a row. The Mansfield Rule program is designed to increase diversity in law firm lateral hiring, partner promotions, marketing, and firm governance.

“I look forward to working with the Firm’s outstanding white collar and litigation teams, which are known for crafting comprehensive solutions for clients facing the most challenging problems,” Grider said. “Brown Rudnick is a true full-service platform that has established itself as a force in this space and beyond, and I am happy to bring my own knowledge and capabilities to this team.”

Grider received his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Truman State University. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

“Google’s general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado in a company blog post Thursday called for revamping the American patent system, sounding alarms over what she called a decline in the quality of U.S. patents and a rise in “shakedown campaigns” by so-called patent trolls,” reports Blake Brittain in Reuters.

“DeLaine Prado told Reuters the patent system has “historically been a place where the advancement of progress and technology for the benefit of the public is encouraged,” adding, “we feel that we lost our way recently on that.” Her post said Alphabet Inc’s Google supports a bill in Congress to expand an administrative process for challenging patent validity at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office known as inter partes review.”

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“In November, I wrote that Big Law firms could use the surging value of their equity shares to check off one of their most pressing tasks: retaining talent. All they’d have to do is hand out equity shares to more people—specifically, those they’re most interested in keeping. It didn’t really happen, at least in the,” reports Roy Strom Bloomberg Law.

“Despite Big Law recording its best year in more than a decade. Revenue across the 100 firms rose 15% last year while profits per partner spiked by nearly 20%, AmLaw reported. The number of equity partners in the AmLaw 100 rose by a paltry 1% last year. Congratulations to the 265 new shareholders—I hope you were one of the lucky two.”

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“Acreage Holdings, Inc., a multi-state operator of cannabis ‎cultivation and retailing facilities in the U.S. today announced the appointment of Corey Sheahan as General Counsel of Acreage, effective today. Corey replaces Jim Doherty as General Counsel, who previously announced his departure,” reports Globe Newswire in their blog.

“Corey returns to Acreage after an 18-month tenure as Executive Vice President of Legal and Chief Legal Officer at Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. Previously, Corey served as Deputy General Counsel at Acreage where he successfully led and managed Acreage through various high-profile transactions, including its going public.”

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“Illinois residents who have appeared in a photograph on the Google Photos app within the last seven years may be eligible for a cut of a $100 million class-action privacy settlement reached by Google this month. The lawsuit alleges Google’s face grouping tool, which sorts faces in the Google Photos app by,” reports Talia Soglin in Tech Xplore.

“The settlement was filed in Cook County Circuit Court April 14, and Judge Anna M. Loftus issued an order granting preliminary approval of the agreement Monday. Google did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which resolves a group of lawsuits filed by five named plaintiffs. The first lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court.”

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“Crown Resorts Limited (ASX: CWN) has finalised a $125 million settlement in the Federal Court today after years of battling displeased shareholders, who launched the class action lawsuit after the operator’s share price plummeted in late 2016 as a result of 19 employees being arrested in China. The bust,” reports Amila Dedovic in Business News.

“It was initiated on the suspicion employees were illegally promoting VIP gaming services despite Beijing implementing a crackdown on gambling adverts from overseas. Today’s ruling was the final tick of approval needed for Crown’s board, which announced the deal was “in the best interests of Crown and its shareholders six months.”

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“As consumers started paying more at the gas pump and the grocery store last year, businesses spent more for work done by their outside legal counsel,” reports Marilyn Odendahl in The Indiana Lawyer.

“The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium’s 2021 State of the Industry Survey found spending on outside law firms nearly doubled from the previous year. The median external legal expenditure reached $14.5 million in 2021, compared to $7.9 million in 2020.”

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“Davis Polk announced its new return to office policy late last week. As the whole Biglaw world waits to see which reopening plan becomes the new normal, DPW adopted an approach that maintains a work from home element while mandating full office attendance on certain days to facilitate the in,” reports Joe Patrice in Above The Law.

“It seems to me that three to four days a week and mandating attendance for three specific days means lawyers are going to work three days a week. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s what’s going to happen. On the one hand, there’s a value to guaranteeing that everyone is in the office at the same time. On the other hand, is there.”

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“Pico, a leading provider of mission critical technology, software, data and analytic services for the financial markets community, has named Lauren Goldberg as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Lauren will lead all aspects of Pico’s legal function, providing critical support for its global operations and,” reports Globe Newswire in their blog.

“Lauren has more than 25 years of legal experience, including serving previously as the General Counsel of two public companies, VEREIT, Inc. and Revlon. She also served nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Prior to her legal career, Lauren was an accountant and worked at Coopers.”

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“Venator Materials PLC (NYSE: VNTR) today announced that it received $85 million in cash from Tronox pursuant to its settlement agreement with Tronox related to the recent Superior Court of Delaware judgement in favor of Venator for $75 million. The settlement amount of $85 million includes an,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Additional $10 million of value representing a negotiated amount of interest originating from 2019 when conditions were met that required Tronox to pay a $75 million Break Fee to Venator. The settlement agreement resolves all legal disputes between the parties contested in the Superior Court of Delaware. Venator is a global manufacturer.”

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“State lawyers are prepared to settle a landmark class-action lawsuit filed more than 20 years ago by Native Hawaiians waiting for homestead land leases. Attorneys representing the state have asked the Legislature to fund a $328 million settlement in the case with roughly 2,700 plaintiffs. The,” reports Andrew Gomes in Star Advertiser.

“The request follows 15 days of nearly back-to-back settlement conferences with a state Circuit Court judge between March 24 and April 13 in the case known as Kalima v. State of Hawaii. Lead plaintiff Leona Kalima and two other named plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in 1999, arguing that the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, overseer.”

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“The Supreme Court seemed ready to hand a victory to railroad company BNSF in a lawsuit brought by two of the company’s injured workers. A solid majority of the justices appeared unconvinced that the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, a federal law that allows railroad workers to sue their employers for injuries that occur on the job, allows the workers to sue the company – which is incorporated in Delaware and has its principal place of business in Texas – in Montana, even though neither worker lived in Montana or was injured there,” reports Amy Howe in Scotus Blog.

“Arguing for BNSF, attorney Andrew Tulumello told the justices that the Montana state court’s decision allowing the case against the railroad to go forward was flatly wrong. Under the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in Daimler AG v. Bauman, he contended, the Montana courts could not have jurisdiction over the injured workers’ lawsuits because the railroad was not “at home” in Montana.”

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“Cyberattacks on three European wind-energy companies since the start of the war in Ukraine have raised alarm that hackers sympathetic to Russia are trying to cause mayhem in a sector set to benefit from efforts to lessen reliance on Russian oil and gas. The companies attacked haven’t publicly,” reports Katherine Stupp in The Wall Street Journal.

“Attributed the hacks to a particular criminal group or country and Russia has consistently denied that it launches cyberattacks. But the timing of the attacks suggests potential links to supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Christoph Zipf, a spokesman for Wind Europe, a Brussels-based industry group. Serious cyberattacks on industrial.”

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“The Jets have signed their four exclusive-rights free agents cornerback Javelin Guidry, safety Elijah Riley wide receiver Jeff Smith and defensive lineman Tim Ward to contracts. Guidry (5-10, 190) saw the most action of the quartet last season as a member of the Jets’ CB rotation. He had 45 tackles,” reports Randy Lange in New York Jets.

“Including a career-high 10 tackles in the overtime win over the Titans — along with three pass defenses and 1.5 tackles for loss. He was one of only Green & White defensive players to play in all 17 games, totaling 486 defensive snaps and 134 more on special teams. He’s played in 28 games (five starts) the past two seasons with 70 defensive.”

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