The Association of Corporate Counsel is accepting registrations for Xchange 2019, The Mid-Year Meeting for Advancing Legal Executives.

General Counsel News readers who register by Jan. 30 will receive a $100 discount when using the code GCNEWS19.

The event is scheduled for April 28-30, 2019, at the Hotel Minneapolis in Minneapolis, MN.

ACC has arranged for four curricula addresses in the areas of contracts, leadership, legal operations, and litigation.

More information may be found here:

• Program agenda
• Rates and registration
• Hotel and travel

Register for the event.

The historically large rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit proposal is creating new uncertainty for companies doing business in the United Kingdom.

“Questions about the terms of Brexit is already affecting currency exchange rates and the confidence of business leaders and long-range investment plans,” says Tony Magee, a former Chancery Barrister practicing in the U.K., and now a trial attorney in Dallas. “The risk for U.S. companies is that if Brexit happens without a clear long-term deal on customs rules and tariffs, that could inhibit trade with the U.K. and encourage U.S. companies to deal more with the European Union.”

Magee notes that while it is too early to predict the overall Brexit process and timing, the situation is very dynamic and volatile with the Prime Minister now required to come back to the House of Commons within three days to outline her “Plan B” proposal.

“It is possible that Brexit could be delayed by mutual consent and that the government could hold a second referendum to ask the electorate to vote on whether they still want to leave the E.U. But it is unlikely that a second referendum could be scheduled before the March 29 Brexit deadline. Publicly, May’s cabinet is not currently willing to hold a second referendum, but there are reports of differences of opinion in the cabinet on that score. Things could develop and change very quickly.”

Freeborn & Peters LLP announced that the firm has elected Joseph L. Fogel as its new co-managing partner.

As co-managing partner along with William E. Russell, Fogel is responsible for development and execution of the firm’s overall growth strategy and its various industry initiatives.

“It is an honor to join Bill in this new leadership role and to help promote Freeborn and its rich history of serving clients and the community,” Fogel said. “I also feel fortunate to be able to support our work and attorneys following some of the most significant growth in our firm’s history, with the additions of offices in New York, Tampa (Fla.) and Richmond (Va.) all within the last three years. It is an exciting time at our firm and we are enthusiastic about what’s to come.”

Richard J. Traub, a Freeborn partner and chair of the firm’s Executive Committee, said, “We are thrilled to introduce Joe as Freeborn’s new Co-Managing Partner to help lead our firm through ongoing prosperity and success for our clients. Joe is an accomplished litigator whose deep knowledge and understanding of the law will be great assets as we continue to leverage Freeborn’s talented bench of attorneys and international-scope capabilities as a Litigation Powerhouse®.”

Russell added, “I am eager to work alongside Joe to continue to foster our firm’s core values of integrity, caring, effectiveness, teamwork, and commitment through our work and our relationships with our valued clients.”

Fogel joined Freeborn in 1994. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and serves as Co-Leader of the Complex Litigation Group. He has experience litigating complex business and commercial disputes in state and federal courts and arbitral forums around the country, the firm said in a release.

Prior to joining Freeborn, Fogel was associated with the firms Jenner & Block and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He received his J.D. (with honors) from DePaul University College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, San Diego.

John Duke has been named office managing partner for Hogan Lovells’ Philadelphia office effective January 1.

In a release, the firm said Duke is a corporate transactional partner whose corporate practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, public equity offerings, joint ventures, corporate governance and public company compliance matters. He has advised on dozens of public offerings, including initial public offerings and other capital markets transactions, and has represented public and private companies in connection with mergers, acquisition and carve-out transactions.

In his new role, Duke succeeds Ginny Gibson, a former federal prosecutor and the first Assistant U.S. Attorney and Civil Chief in two federal districts. Gibson will continue with the firm, defending clients under federal and state scrutiny against accusations of fraud and regulatory violations.

Jackson Walker announced the addition of three partners and one senior counsel to its Dallas and Houston offices. Greta Cowart and Kal Grant join the firm as partners in Dallas, while the Houston office added Christian Triantaphyllis as partner and Catharine Yen as senior counsel.

In a release, the firm listed the new hires:

Greta E. Cowart joined the Labor & Employment, Employee Benefits, & Executive Compensation practice over 30 years of experience in counseling employers on human resources and employee relations issues related to benefits and executive compensation. She focuses on complex employee benefit plan issues – representing plans and plan sponsors before the various regulating government entities and in negotiations – and on resolving retirement plan issues through voluntary compliance programs.

“We are fortunate to welcome Greta to Jackson Walker. Her wide-ranging background in employee benefits and executive compensation lends valuable experience related to planning and audit representations,” said Austin partner Chuck Campbell, who chairs the firm’s ERISA practice.

Kal Grant joins the Wealth Planning, Probate, & Trust practice as a trust and estate strategist working with clients to counsel them through the optimal creation, use, and coordination of estate planning vehicles and techniques, including trusts, family-owned entities, charitable planning, and various disposition matters. In her practice, Grant regularly corresponds with and counsels clients on trust administration practices, including assisting co-trustees in carrying out fiduciary duties and assisting in trustee succession planning, governance processes, and trustee appointments and resignations.

“We are excited to work with Kal to provide our diverse clientele with strategies for building and transferring wealth to their family and to their community,” Wealth Planning Chair Sam K. Hildebrand said. “Her many connections, strong community involvement, and experience in the wealth planning industry will make a great addition to the firm.”

Christian A. Triantaphyllis, joining the Land Use & Real Estate practice, has experience in business and immigration matters, specifically related to assisting foreign nationals from around the world through the EB-5 visa program. Triantaphyllis advises regional centers and real estate developers in establishing projects nationwide and provides analysis from an immigration law perspective on financing structures. He also handles matters pertaining to USCIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Department of State immigration requirements.

“We are proud to welcome such an accomplished attorney who brings a diverse set of skills and knowledge related to business and immigration law,” Houston Managing Partner Kurt D. Nondorf said. “In combining Christian Triantaphyllis’ international experience with Jackson Walker’s business acumen, we can further expand the services we offer our clients across the board.”

Also joining the Houston real estate group is senior counsel Catharine W. Yen, who brings particular experience in foreign investment and immigration matters. In her practice, Yen corresponds with and counsels individual investors, regional centers, agents, securities attorneys, economists, and business plan writers to help her individual investor clients and regional center clients accomplish their goals.

Houston Chair Vytas A. Petrulis said: “Christian and Catharine add solid experience in business immigration matters and have both worked outside the United States with clients around the world. We are fortunate to welcome two attorneys who bring such strong capabilities to the firm.”

A bill filed in the Texas Senate would require home sellers to disclose if their property is in a flood-prone area or if it has already flooded, according to a post on the website of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing.

The legislation from Houston-area Sen. Joan Huffman is meant to prevent a repeat of some of the flooding damage from Hurricane Harvey, when many people learned too late that their homes were built in flood plains or in reservoir areas designed to catch floodwaters.

Dallas insurance attorney Stacy Thompson of Perry Law P.C. said she believes the measure, if adopted, could lead to better insurance coverage for consumers, but would also affect insurance companies.

“Knowledge is certainly power. However, the implications of this bill reach far beyond home ownership,” she said. “Undoubtedly disclosing this information would affect property values, increase insurance premiums and have a lasting effect on the housing market in the coastal counties of Texas. Moreover, the bill would allow insurance companies to gain a better understanding of the risk they are insuring and hopefully offer a better overall product to customers. That would result in better coverage and a better outcome when natural disasters inevitably strike.”

Lando & Anastasi, LLP announced that Gregory K. Gerstenzang, Nathan T. Harris, Hannah R. Koyfman, Ph.D., and David M. Roccio have been elected partners of the firm.

In a release, the firm said Gregory K. Gerstenzang works with clients to leverage their intellectual assets through strategic patent portfolio development and management. He prosecutes patent applications domestically and abroad in a wide range of technologies. Gerstenzang uses the insight gained from nearly a decade of technical experience in the semiconductor industry to maximize clients’ return on their intellectual property.

Nathan Harris has an IP practice, with experience in patent and trademark prosecution, litigation, and counseling, as well as domain name disputes. Harris has handled matters involving a variety of technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning in the areas of computer vision, identity authentication, and text analytics, the firm said.

Hannah R. Koyfman, Ph.D. counsels clients in the life science industries to design and execute a global patent strategy. Her work includes drafting patent applications and prosecuting them to issue, as well as managing a prosecution strategy with foreign associates in numerous countries. She also performs freedom-to-operate analysis to help clients understand the extent and strength of third-party positions. In addition, she conducts due diligence on patent portfolios to help venture firms and large pharmaceutical companies gauge the value of their investments. Koyfman also has experience working as a member of litigation teams.

David M. Roccio’s practice focuses on obtaining patents and counseling clients on a range of patent-related issues. He has represented clients covering a broad spectrum of technologies, including Mobile AdHoc Network communications, switching and routing, data centers, uninterruptible power supplies, load centers, network-based conferencing/compression, programmable RF transceivers, digital imaging, and semiconductor devices and manufacturing, the firm said.

A team of lawyers with Boyd Powers & Williamson alleging deceptive business practices against BBVA Compass Bank won a $98 million verdict for their client, a real estate developer who was working to build three luxury subdivisions in Tarrant County, Texas.

On its website, the firm explains the case:

“David Bagwell is a real estate developer who was working to build three luxury subdivisions in Tarrant County, Texas. Following the financial crisis of 2008, Mr. Bagwell entered into modification negotiations with his bank, BBVA Compass, to refinance the loans which were funding the new developments. In the course of the negotiations, Compass repeatedly told Mr. Bagwell that his loans would be renewed. However, after secretly negotiating with one of his competitors, those same loans were sold off at a discounted rate. A short time later, the competitor foreclosed and Mr. Bagwell was forced into bankruptcy.”

Read details about the case.

Justice Neil Gorsuch

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with a long-haul truck driver who sued his employer for failing to pay him a minimum wage, handing down a decision that could have broad ramifications on the transportation sector and the economy as a whole, reports CNBC.

CNBC reporter Tucker Higgins explains:

“In an opinion delivered for a unanimous court, Justice Neil Gorsuch held that courts must decide whether an exception in the Federal Arbitration Act, or FAA, for transportation workers applies before requiring arbitration. And, he wrote, that exception applies not just to traditional employees but also to independent contractors.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce had urged the court to rule in favor of the employer.

Read the CNBC article.

Business Insider reports that about 2,000 of HP’s and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’s salespeople will finally be getting their share of a $25 million settlement paid to them by the two companies.

“In 2017, HP agreed to the $25 million settlement, from which the lawyers will take their cut — but it was just this week that the court approved the settlement arrangement, according to Business Insider’s Julie Bort. “That means the money should be soon forthcoming to the plaintiffs at last, according to the final court documents seen by Business Insider.”

The company’s salespeople complained that the company’s antiquated computer systems were not doing a good job of calculating their commissions.

Read the Business Insider article.

The lawyer who led Sullivan & Cromwell in the 1980s and 1990s died from injuries he suffered in a fire in his Manhattan apartment.

John Merow, 89, was found near his wife, Mary, 85, after the fire broke out in their apartment about 5 a.m. on Jan. 12, reports Above the Law. His wife was dead at the scene with severe burns, while Merow later died at a hospital.

“Merow, a graduate of Havard Law School, worked for Sullivan & Cromwell for 60 years,” writes Above the Law editor Staci Zaretsky. “He first joined the firm in 1958, became a partner in 1964, became the firm’s vice chairman in 1986, and continued his leadership ascent to become the firm’s chairman and senior partner in 1987. Merow served as chair until 1994, but retained the senior partner title for more than two decades before his death.”

The New York Post reported that police sources believe the fire started when Mary allegedly fell asleep on the couch with a lit cigarette in her hand.

Read the Above the Law article.

The National Safety Council’s recently released report on preventable injury and fatality statistics, reveals that accidental opioid overdoses have overtaken car accidents as a leading cause of deaths among Americans, according to a post on the website of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing.

“For the first time since the early 1960s, the life expectancy of Americans is consistently decreasing. Irrespective of all the advances in medicine that have occurred since the early 1960s, Americans are actually living shorter lives than they did only 10 years ago. The primary reason for this decline is the opioid epidemic, which was created in substantial part by the irresponsible marketing and distribution of these drugs by major drug companies,” notes Dallas attorney Jeffrey Simon of Simon Greenstone Panatier, P.C.

Simon Greenstone and co-counsel collectively represent more than 50 counties in Texas as well as other states in opioid litigation, seeking to recover economic damages caused by the reckless and negligent spread of highly addictive opioid drugs in communities across the U.S.

“The fact that the risk of death from accidental overdose of opioid drugs now exceeds the death risk from motor vehicle crashes, fire, drowning or even gun assault is another grim testament to the fact that corporate misconduct can, and has, destroyed many innocent lives. On behalf of our clients, we will hold those companies accountable for the harm they’ve done.”

Image by Norbert Aepli

The most critical driver for consumers’ adoption of autonomous vehicles, above technological advancement and adequate investment, is coherent national regulation amid consumer safety concerns. That’s according to a new survey of automotive and technology leaders and state and federal regulators by global law firm Perkins Coie LLP and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the world’s largest nonprofit organization devoted to advancing the unmanned systems and robotics community.

Survey participants indicated they saw a potential to increase convenience and reduce traffic incidents that stem from further development of autonomous vehicle technology. And while survey respondents are focused firmly on consumers’ perceptions regarding safety, no clear majority of respondents agree on which regulatory authority should be responsible for overseeing liability issues amid the current patchwork of federal, state and local rules.

“The emergence of any new technology requires adaptation of existing regulatory regimes,” said William G. Malley, office managing partner for Perkins Coie in Washington, D.C. “The same is true with automated vehicles. Regulators at every level will need to rethink and update existing requirements. In the long run, smart regulation can help to facilitate the development and deployment of this new technology by providing regulatory certainty and helping to reinforce the public’s confidence in the new technology.”

In a release, the firm discussed the survey:

Liability and Consumer Perception Top Challenges

Liability concerns ranked first among the challenges that industry leaders and regulators believe could impede the driverless-car market, just slightly ahead of consumers’ safety perceptions. Respondents also see an urgent need for infrastructure, such as smart signs, traffic lights and merge lanes, to make roads shared by fully autonomous, semi-autonomous and traditional cars safe for everyone.

“You don’t see liability issues go through the courts until you have already had an accident,” said Daniel P. Ridlon, Co-Chair of Perkins Coie’s Unmanned Vehicle Systems Industry group. “Participants in our survey from across the spectrum of industry and regulatory insiders understand this, telling us in a variety of ways that safety and product liability risk are principally important and closely related. They also recognize how both issues can affect consumer sentiment, impacting the industry well beyond the immediate costs related to lawsuits.”

Investment Opportunities Abound

With the market for driverless cars projected to grow to as large as $7 trillion by 2050, respondents see multiple investment opportunities as equally attractive and urgent. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication technology, 5G technology and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were seen as the most enticing investments, followed closely by precision mapping and location technology.

“This survey shows a young industry with tremendous potential and understandable growing pains as technology shapes the future of transportation,” said Brian Wynne, President and CEO of AUVSI. “Lawmakers, consumers and regulators alike should embrace the advantages of the future AV era as we work to resolve early-cycle challenges in the years ahead.

Other Key Survey Findings

• A majority – 54 percent – of industry respondents said they would rather see regulation come from the federal level. This reflects the difficulty automakers anticipate in achieving widespread adoption of AVs without a broad and coherent regulatory framework.
• All survey respondents – technology and automotive executives as well as regulators – saw the possibility of reducing vehicle accidents as the most important benefit of AVs. More survey respondents selected reduced traffic accidents as the greatest benefit to consumers than all other options combined.
• Respondents believe the price of investment, behind safety concerns, is one of the top obstacles to the growth of the AV industry with those in technology fields considering investment costs the most worrisome obstacle.

See the complete survey report.

Steven P. Gallagher of Akerman LLP offers some tips on what to do — and not do — when considering arbitration agreements for new hires.

He discusses some of the advantages and potential disadvantages to having arbitration agreements in place for employees.

“Because arbitrations are private, the proceedings, claims, and ultimate outcomes are ordinarily confidential. Most interesting to employers is that arbitrators tend to award lower damages than juries,” Gallagher writes.

But sometimes arbitration is “neither quicker nor less expensive than litigation, and arbitrators are sometimes inclined to ‘split the baby,’ even if the law is clearly on your side.”

Read the article.

Weatherly Ralph Emans has joined FisherBroyles, LLP as a partner in the firm’s Boston office in its Private Investment Funds practice group.

“We are very pleased to welcome Weatherly to FisherBroyles and to our team in Boston,” said FisherBroyles Managing Partner Michael Pierson. “Weatherly’s substantial experience counseling investment funds clients, along with her impressive credentials, makes her a great addition to our deep bench of partners serving our private investment funds clients. Her arrival at the firm bolsters our firm’s growing funds practice, and we are pleased that FisherBroyles is able to offer an even greater client offering as a result of Weatherly joining our firm.”

Emans said, “I am very excited to continue serving my clients from this superb, cutting-edge law firm platform, and to getting to know and working alongside experienced and talented FisherBroyles partners across numerous practice areas and throughout the country.”

In a release, the firm said Emans focuses her practice on domestic and international private investment fund formation. She represents fund managers in the formation of closed- and open-ended funds and funds of funds. She also advises clients on management-level ownership and operating arrangements, ongoing operations, and compliance. Emans represents emerging fund managers and clients in investments in portfolio companies, as well as institutional and individual investors/LPs in funds. In addition, she works with startup/emerging company clients in formation and early financing rounds. She also represents her clients in other corporate matters.

Prior to joining FisherBroyles, Emans practiced law at Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, PC, and Pepper Hamilton LLP, both in Boston, and at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago. Previously, she also worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. Prior to law school, she worked in finance in New York and taught Latin for a year.

Emans received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She also holds an M. Phil from Oxford University and a B.A. (magna cum laude) from Yale University.

Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Rasha Elganzouri Gad has joined the firm’s Real Estate Group as a partner in its Chicago office.

Gad’s practice covers complex commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, financing, construction, joint venture formation, development, leasing, hotel management and operation, structuring of entities for investment, and cross-border commercial transactions.

She has more than 20 years of experience working for international law firms based in the United States, Dubai, UAE and Cairo, Egypt. Prior to joining Quarles, she led the Middle East practice at a Chicago commercial law firm and worked in-house for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers.

“Rasha’s real estate practice transcends borders and meets the needs of clients wherever they do business,” said Paul Langer, Chicago Office Managing Partner. “She is adept at handling the full cycle of a real estate deal, whether it is a traditional real estate development project or a complex cross border transaction involving multiple parties across different countries. We are excited to have another savvy dealmaker join our team.”

In a release, the firm said Gad is trilingual (Arabic, English, Spanish) and is a frequent speaker at leading industry conferences. She is a member of the Illinois Bar Association and the American Chamber of Commerce Egypt. Rasha received her joint J.D./M.B.A. degree, with honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College.

Litigators Michael Kelly and Douglas Paul have joined Akerman LLP from Hogan Lovells as partners in the Washington, D.C. office. They work in white collar crime and compliance.

In a release, the firm said Kelly and Paul, a former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) branch chief, have decades of experience in government investigations and criminal and civil enforcement actions, including matters related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), securities fraud, and other U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and SEC investigations.

“We are excited to expand our White Collar Crime team in Washington, D.C. with Mike and Doug, who build upon our national capabilities in compliance, liability and enforcement,” said Lawrence Rochefort, chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. “Mike and Doug join us at a time when Akerman has experienced tremendous growth and success for our clients. Their unique background make them a valuable addition for our clients facing increased government scrutiny.”

Kelly defends companies and individuals in criminal and civil enforcement actions covering a wide variety of issues. He has helped clients respond to allegations concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, health care fraud, sanctions, tax fraud, accounting fraud, government contracting fraud, mail fraud, false statements, conspiracy, and food safety. Mike also advises boards of directors and audit committees on the most effective ways to respond to allegations of illegal conduct, and conducts independent investigations on their behalf.

Paul, a former branch chief in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement and a former Assistant Independent Counsel, represents individuals and companies in government investigations and enforcement actions covering a variety of areas. He has assisted clients in responding to allegations of securities fraud, insider trading, other violations of the Securities Act of 1933, Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) violations, health care fraud, accounting fraud, fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

As a branch chief in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, he exercised direct supervisory authority over the far-reaching and complex investigation into Enron Corp. When serving as an assistant independent counsel, Paul prosecuted public corruption.

Trial lawyers Amy Doehring from McDermott Will & Emery and Ellen Robbins from Sidley Austin LLP recently joined Akerman’s Chicago and Los Angeles offices, respectively. They were preceded by former in-house counsel Elliot Strader in Dallas, whose practice focuses on insurance and high-stakes litigation matters. Other recent additions include a four-person insurance litigation team in Houston, two former federal prosecutors who joined the Chicago office, and a six-member professional liability team joining the West Palm Beach office.

Cheryl L. Erato has joined Farrell Fritz in its Uniondale, NY, office as a trusts & estates litigation associate.

Erato is a Massapequa, NY, resident. Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, she was an associate at Salem, Shor & Saperstein, LLP in Lake Success, NY.

She earned her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Stony Brook University. She is admitted to the New York bar and the New Jersey bar.

Miller & Chevalier Chartered announced that government contracts expert Jason N. Workmaster joined the firm as a member in the Government Contracts Counseling and Litigation Practice.

Workmaster joins Miller & Chevalier from law firm Covington & Burling LLP. Previously, he spent more than 13 years at multinational law firm McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP (now part of Dentons), then home to one of the world’s preeminent governments contracts practices, the firm said in a release.

“I’m thrilled to be joining a group at Miller & Chevalier that includes experienced trial lawyers who have significant expertise representing government contractors,” Workmaster said. “Miller & Chevalier is known for its high quality, and as a firm that has successfully deployed its multi-disciplinary teams to assist with the full gamut of issues that contractors confront, including high-stakes internal investigations and litigation when needed.”

The firm said Workmaster advises defense and civilian agency contractors who provide commercial and non-commercial goods and services to the government – such as weapons systems, IT services, cutting-edge software, and staff augmentation. He counsels these clients on all facets of the contracting process – from bid protests, to claims and disputes, to responses to government audits and investigations, to False Claims Act (FCA) cases.

Among his client engagements, Workmaster led the team representing Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) in their successful 11-year litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) of a $44 million cost allowability dispute with the government involving KBR’s and its subcontractors’ use of private security contractors to protect themselves as they provided vital logistical support services to the military at the height of the Iraq War. Just earlier this month, he argued before the Federal Circuit in the government’s appeal of the ASBCA’s decision in KBR’s favor. His work in United States ex rel. Ubl v. IIF Data Solutions has been recognized as a rare jury verdict victory in a multi-million-dollar FCA action involving the GSA Schedules program. Further, he has counseled clients including Lockheed Martin Corporation and ITT Corporation on complex and newsworthy bid protest actions.

A frequent author and lecturer, Workmaster currently serves as President of the Boards of Contract Appeals Bar Association, the principal bar association focused on supporting and improving the practice of law before the federal Boards of Contract Appeals. He is also Co-Chair of the Pricing and Regulatory Compliance Oversight Committee of the Coalition for Government Procurement, the leading trade association for companies that sell commercial items to the government.

“Jason is a creative, experienced government contracts lawyer whose broad skillset will immediately benefit our clients that engage the government across multiple fronts. He is highly respected within the legal community and his record of success representing clients across the government contracts spectrum speaks for itself,” said Andrew T. Wise, Chair of Miller & Chevalier’s Litigation Department.

“Jason has developed a national reputation as a thoughtful and dedicated advocate for his clients. He is a seasoned government contracts lawyer and an accomplished practitioner in litigation, bid protests, and FCA disputes, which complements and expands our existing capabilities,” said Marc J. Gerson, Chair of Miller & Chevalier. “His well-rounded offering will greatly benefit our clients and we are pleased to welcome him to the firm.”

Workmaster earned a J.D., summa cum laude, from the Regent University School of Law and a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Florida.

Steven T. Snyder, a senior attorney in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Charlotte office, has earned the Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) designation from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

“We are very proud of Steve’s ongoing leadership in the privacy space, and we congratulate him on achieving the Fellow of Information Privacy credential,” said Bradley Charlotte Office Managing Partner Christopher C. Lam. “Steve is among numerous Bradley attorneys with top industry credentials who help guide our financial services and technology clients through complex and evolving security and privacy issues.”

A member of Bradley’s Banking and Financial Services Practice Group and the firm’s Privacy, Security, and Innovation team, Snyder uses his industry experience as a network engineer and cyber risk manager to assist clients in navigating the increasingly complex matters related to data protection arising from emerging technologies, the firm said in a release. He represents clients in cyber risk assessment and mitigation in many industries, including financial services, healthcare, retail, e-commerce, health and fitness, and education. He advises on all aspects of clients’ privacy and data security programs and regularly works with technical, legal and business stakeholders to mitigate security and privacy risk.

A registered patent attorney, Snyder also holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) and the Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) credentials through the IAPP and is certified in Cybersecurity Fundamentals by the IT governance association ISACA.

The firm said individuals who have earned the FIP designation have demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of privacy laws, privacy program management and essential data protection practices through the successful completion of two IAPP credentials. The designation also indicates considerable on-the-job experience helping organizations navigate through and remain current with the complexities of the privacy industry. Founded in 2000, the not-for-profit IAPP is the largest and most comprehensive global information privacy community and resource that helps define, support and improve the privacy profession globally.