Blank Rome LLP announced that Jeffrey E. Cohen has joined the firm’s New York office as partner in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group, which also just added Terrence Everett as a partner in the Los Angeles office.

Cohen, with experience in the corporate realm, regularly advises public companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, public and Rule 144A offerings, securities law reporting, securities and corporate compliance, and corporate governance matters. He joins Blank Rome from Baker McKenzie where he served on the firm’s Global Securities Steering Committee and, prior thereto, as head of the Securities group at Coudert Brothers LLP.

“We are delighted to have Jeffrey, an accomplished corporate attorney, join our firm,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Managing Partner and CEO. “He has continuously proved himself as a leader within the legal community and is recognized for providing superior guidance to clients on their most complex corporate and securities matters. He is a wonderful addition to our growing corporate practice.”

In a release, the firm said Cohen advises clients on a broad range of client matters, including negotiated private company acquisitions and public company mergers, securities law, public offerings and capital markets, Rule 144A offerings, venture capital, and private equity, as well as public company corporate governance, corporate compliance, and ongoing securities law reporting. He has represented both U.S. and foreign issuers and investment banks in private and public equity and debt offerings, as well as foreign governmental instrumentalities in major privatizations.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jeffrey to Blank Rome,” said Louis M. Rappaport, Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities practice group. “Having a team of exceptional corporate attorneys is crucial to keeping any business on an upward trajectory. Jeffrey’s background in corporate law will strengthen our team and ensure that our clients are satisfied with everything from day-to-day management and strategic planning to solidifying a once-in-a-lifetime deal.”

“I am extremely confident in my decision to join Blank Rome and look forward to leveraging the firm’s collective resources in service of our clients,” Cohen said. “The firm has been recognized time and time again for their work in corporate law and M&A transactions, and I could not be more excited to join a group of such talented and dedicated attorneys. Further, Blank Rome offers unique synergies to my practice, coupled with the opportunity for cross-practice and cross-office overlap, adding critical value and counsel to our clients.”

Cohen earned his J.D. from Harvard University and his A.B. from Princeton University.

Hanzo, a company involved in technology in dynamic web archiving for compliance and ediscovery professionals, announced the appointment of James Murphy as the Vice President of Product.

As VP of Product, Murphy is responsible for defining the product vision, strategy, planning, and execution working closely with development, sales, marketing, and operations to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction. During the last five years, Murphy has served as the Director of Service Delivery for Hanzo and has more than 19 years of experience working within litigation support, information technology, ediscovery and web archiving. Previous to Hanzo, he served as the Director of Professional Services/Operations Engineering with the Merrill Corporation and has held various roles in technical support, business information technology, and solutions architecture.

“Jim pairs extensive experience in supporting ediscovery and compliance with first-hand knowledge of Hanzo’s technology and customer base, making him ideally positioned to evolve the product roadmap towards the next generation of AI-based automation and dynamic content review and analysis,” said Denis Maurin, Chief Technology Officer, Hanzo. “His innovative and customer-centric approach, along with his commitment to results will enable Hanzo to deliver the right products to serve real-world market challenges.”

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Government lawyers have taken the first step in trying to seize private property using the power of eminent domain to build a border wall — a contentious step that could put a lengthy legal wrinkle into President Trump’s plans to build hundreds of miles of wall, reports The Washington Post.

Previous eminent domain attempts along the Texas border have led to more than a decade of court battles, some of which date to George W. Bush’s administration and have yet to be resolved, according to the Post‘s Katie Zezima and Mark Berman. Many landowners are vowing to fight anew.

The reporters quoted Gerald S. Dickinson, an assistant professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh, who said this newest fight will be different because the earlier effort mostly included federal government land.

“If it’s going to be a contiguous wall across the entire southwest border, you’re talking about a massive land seizure of private property,” he said.

Read the Post article.

Early reports on the pending divorce of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie indicate that the couple, despite a combined wealth estimated at close to $140 billion, doesn’t have a prenuptial agreement, points out Androvett Legal Media & Marketing in a release.

“Although it goes against what many expect from high net-worth couples, it’s really not surprising if they don’t have a prenup,” says Dallas family law attorney Brad LaMorgese of Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP. “This is a couple that married long before Amazon became a billion-dollar enterprise. Right or wrong, not many young couples of modest means enter into a prenup when they are just starting out.”

Absent a prenup, how their amassed fortune is divided might be dictated by geography. With their primary residence listed as Washington, a community property state, the property and marital assets accumulated during the marriage will most likely be evenly split.

“Almost all of their entire fortune was earned during the course of the marriage, and each had a hand in building Amazon, so it would be difficult to argue that they shouldn’t now share in those proceeds,” says LaMorgese. “There is more than enough money, which can make divorce go smoother as the couple isn’t going to fight for pennies. This type of divorce can be surprisingly amicable simply because neither spouse is going to suffer real financial hardship.

“However, even in an amicable divorce, there is still much work to do. The devil will be in the details. Even the most seemingly air-tight agreement can fall apart if there is a disagreement over the smallest issue. If emotions don’t get in the way, they should be able to sort this out.”

A former Oregon lawyer who stole money from her clients and used it to pay her mortgage, do landscaping projects at her home and subsidize lavish vacations and plastic surgery was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in federal prison, reports The Oregonian.

“[Pamela S.] Hediger worked from 2010 to 2017 as an attorney, president and managing shareholder at Evashevski, Elliott, Cihak & Hediger law firm, focusing on personal injury cases. While at the firm, she embezzled money from the firm’s client trust and business operating accounts, according to prosecutors,” explains The Oregonian‘s Maxine Bernstein.

In addition to the prison sentence, Hediger also was ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution, $471,399 in outstanding federal income tax and forfeit her Corvallis home.

Read the Oregonian article.

Even an informal email can constitute acceptance of a contractual offer, warns The In-House Advisor.

“Moreover, just a few months ago, Judge Timothy Hillman took this principle one step further by ruling, in Witt v. American Airlines, that an exchange of emails can form a binding settlement agreement, even if the parties have not agreed to all of the terms of that settlement,” explains author Shepard Davidson, a Burns Levinson partner.

The judge found that both sides had agreed to a settlement in an email exchange. When the plaintiff later tried to reopen discussions, American Airlines filed a motion to enforce settlement agreement. The court allowed the motion.

Read the article.

The Texas Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in Barrow-Shaver Res. Co v. Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc., on the interpretation of a farmout agreement providing that an assignment could not be made “without the express written consent,” according to a post on the website of Porter Hedges.

“The issue—whether the provision means consent can be withheld arbitrarily or only reasonably,” the post states. “Regardless how the Texas Supreme Court rules, there are three lessons in Barrow-Shaver for contract drafters: (1) be precise in contractual language; (2) address the use of non-final drafts in interpretation disputes; and (3) consider other provisions that may be impacted by the implied reasonableness issue.”

The post offers some pointers on each of those three points.

Read the article.

Many of the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on arbitration agreements cases have been decided by narrow 5-4 majorities, which has raised the possibility that the replacement of Justice Anthony Kennedy by Brett Kavanaugh might lead to some softening of the court’s position in those cases.

But as Ronald Mann, writing in the SCOTUSblog points out, the latest such ruling will shed no light on that broader question, because even the justices more skeptical about arbitration saw no merit in the arguments against arbitration here.

Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for the unanimous court. In this case anyway, none of the justices saw any merit in a process calling for collateral litigation over the gateway question of arbitrability.

“At bottom, the question is whether a court or an arbitrator decides whether an arbitration agreement governs a particular dispute,” writes Mann.

Read the article.

Healthcare lawyers Wendi Campbell Rogaliner and Scott Schardt have joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s newly opened Dallas office in the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group.

Both lawyers join Bradley from the Rogaliner Law Firm, a boutique health law firm Rogaliner founded 15 years ago.

“Wendi and Scott are top-notch attorneys who will strengthen our new Dallas office and expand the reach of our national healthcare practice,” said Jonathan M. Skeeters, Bradley’s Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner. “We know firsthand of their excellent work, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the firm, bringing us to over 50 attorneys who are licensed in Texas.”

In a release, the firm said Rogaliner and Schardt focus their practices on a variety of regulatory and transactional matters for healthcare providers, with a particular emphasis on hospital and health system operations.

“Wendi and Scott are highly respected in the health law bar and will be a tremendous resource for our clients,” added Travis Lloyd, chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group. “Their addition deepens our bench, broadens our experience base, and bolsters our core strengths.”

Rogaliner has represented hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers for more than 20 years. She has experience in healthcare facility operations, and she is routinely called on to advise on transactions, contract negotiations, licensure and enrollment matters, clinical trial issues, and the intricacies of the Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).

Rogaliner earned her law degree with honors from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Prior to owning and managing the Rogaliner Law Firm, she served as in-house counsel for a publicly held hospital system.

“After working in the healthcare industry for more than two decades, I can tell you that Bradley’s lawyers are among the most accomplished and well-respected in the industry. When I learned that they would be opening a Dallas office, I jumped at the opportunity to become part of their team. I’m proud and honored to join their ranks, and partnering with Dick Sayles and the lawyers that have joined him from the former Sayles Werbner team is the opportunity of a lifetime. I could not be more excited about expanding the scope of expertise Scott and I can offer to our clients from the Bradley platform, and we are both proud to be part of the founding lawyers of this Dallas office of Bradley,” said Rogaliner.

Schardt focuses his practice on regulatory matters applicable to hospitals and healthcare providers, including Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute compliance, Medicare provider enrollment and reimbursement, HIPAA and other compliance matters. He has represented healthcare providers in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions.

Schardt received his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law. He currently serves as chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Health Law Section.

“Reforms in healthcare and an ever-changing business environment have created unique obstacles for healthcare providers and suppliers,” said Schardt. “I look forward to serving as a strategic advisor to Bradley’s healthcare clients.”

“The addition of Wendi and Scott to our new Dallas office immediately adds to the services we can provide to our clients in Texas and beyond,” said Richard A. “Dick” Sayles, managing partner of Bradley’s Dallas office. “We’re excited to have these talented lawyers joining our team and expect this is a sign of more exciting news to come from Bradley’s Dallas office.”

A Forbes contributor has a an alternative take on the results of a recent annual survey of law firm fiscal performance that touted firms’ “strongest growth in a decade.”

Legal consultant Mark A. Cohen takes a close look at the 2019 Citi Hildebrandt Client Advisory.

“While the 6.3% revenue growth of Citi’s surveyed firms is impressive, it is offset by the 5.9% increase in firm costs,” Cohen points out. “That yields a miniscule 0.4% increase in profits. Longer collection cycles, declining realization, and ‘dispersion’— the near even split between firms that see demand increase and firms that see demand decline year-to-year– tell a different story than the Report’s bullish headline.”

He writes that the report also reveals several ominous trends for firms.

 Read the Forbes article.

Greg Palm is retiring as Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s co-general counsel, the company’s CEO wrote in a memo to staff Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg’s Sridhar Natarajan and Tom Metcalf describe where Palm’s income ranks among corporate lawyers in the United States:

“For his role at the forefront of Goldman Sachs’s toughest battles, Palm has been rewarded generously by his employer. He’s pulled in about $500 million, including about $180 million worth of Goldman shares, as well as dividends, distributions from firm-managed funds and proceeds from stock sales, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That ranks him among America’s wealthiest corporate lawyers and the richest people working within any global investment bank, underlining his persistent importance to Goldman over 26 years.”

Read the Bloomberg article.

Bloomberg Law is reporting that a former Hunton Andrews Kurth partner is stuck with securities fraud and conspiracy convictions after his drunken brag led to insider trading before a Pfizer merger, the Second Circuit said Jan. 10.

Robert Schulman was a Washington-based partner with Hunton & Williams, now Hunton Andrews Kurth, working on a patent dispute involving King Pharmaceuticals when he learned of the potential merger of King and Pfizer in August 2010.

He made reference to that deal to his investment adviser, Tibor Klein, at a dinner less than two weeks later. Klein “purchased 65,150 King shares for $585,217 in various accounts” and made a profit in less than two months when the merger became public, the opinion said.

Read the Bloomberg Law article.

Chris Donoho has been named Practice Area Leader for Hogan Lovells‘ global Business Restructuring and Insolvency practice. Donoho succeeded Stephen Foster of the London office effective January 1.

In a release, the firm said Donoho has been with Hogan Lovells for nearly a decade, and since 2015, he has served the firm’s New York office as administrative partner. He represents creditors in restructurings, frequently on behalf of investment funds or banks. He also has experience in representing companies facing distress, either in or out of court, including currently representing Orexigen Therapeutics in its Chapter 11 proceeding in Delaware. Donoho has played a leading role in several award-winning deals including his representation of the Kodak Pension Plan in the Eastman Kodak Company Chapter 11. He recently co-led the representation of the Official Committees of Unsecured Creditors of Abengoa, and also recently represented the private equity sponsor in a new value plan in the RMH bankruptcy in Delaware.

Foster, who led the practice for over eight years, will return to his practice full time after a successful tenure as practice lead. His worked in restructuring and insolvency, including strategic planning and advisory work, distressed M&A transactions, debt/equity swaps, debt sales, and formal insolvency processes.

Last April, a three-partner team led by Richard Wynne that included Bennett Spiegel and Erin Brady joined the firm’s Los Angeles office. The New York office recently saw the addition of debt capital markets partner Stuart Morrissy and partner Douglas Taber, GE Capital’s former Lead Executive Counsel, Restructuring & Banking.

Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications has some advice for lawyers: If you want to promote your legal practice, think like an editor and publisher.

“By this, I mean think about your business objective (as a publisher would do) and then come up with a concrete schedule of content that helps you meet those objectives,” she explains in a post on the Muse website.

She points out that a daily newspaper isn’t just filled with breaking news about fires and car chases. It’s filled with analysis, untold stories, trend pieces, and intimidating household maintenance checklists. She follows with some examples of how lawyers and law firms can use their blogs, social media and newsletters for effective marketing.

Read the article.

A new U.S. Postal Service change to the standard terms and conditions that apply to its newly awarded Highway Contract Route (HCR) and Contract Delivery Service (CDS) contracts could be unenforceable, according to David P. Hendel, writing in the Husch Blackwell Contractor’s Perspective blog.

The changes apply to existing CDS contracts as well as newly awarded ones. In an email, the Postal Service asked contractors to sign, without any “alterations or additions,” a contract modification that incorporated the new terms. If the contractor did not so, the Postal Service’s email threatened contract termination, Hendel writes.

He cited problems with the way the changes are presented, including lack of consideration, violation of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and the legal theory of coercion and duress.

Read the article.

Trial attorney Majed Nachawati, co-founding partner of Fears Nachawati Law Firm, has been appointed to the Legal Ethics Committee of the Dallas Bar Association for 2019.

The Legal Ethics Committee is responsible for establishing and presenting the slate of ethics-related continuing legal education programs, including the DBA’s annual legal ethics seminar.

“Ethics is the foundation of the legal profession,” said Nachawati. “You must have the trust of your peers, clients and the community to be effective. Cutting corners or acting in a self-serving manner undermines our judicial system. I look forward to working with this group on this very important mission.”

In a release, the firm said Nachawati has trial experience representing individuals, businesses and public entities in high-stakes litigation, including clients in mass tort lawsuits against unscrupulous opioid manufacturers and distributors. His practice also includes representation of public entities in environmental and water contamination matters throughout the nation.

Nachawati serves as District Chairman for the State Bar of Texas District 6 Grievance Committee and as a member of the DBA’s Lawyer Referral Service Committee. In addition, he serves on the Public Justice Board of Directors and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors. He is a member of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice’s Leaders Forum.

Alaina King Benford has joined Houston civil trial law firm Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne PLLC as a partner.

In a release, the firm said Benford has represented Fortune 500 corporations and individual clients. As a litigation partner at the global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, Benford handled a variety of disputes primarily involving chemical manufacturers, pipeline companies and oil and gas companies. She also has experience in multiparty cases across industries and considerable expertise in eminent domain disputes, the firm said.

“We are extremely pleased to have Alaina join us,” said Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne co-founder Kevin Jordan. “Given her trial skills and experience, she’s a natural fit with our firm.”

Benford is a graduate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) National Trial Academy. She earned her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law where she was Law Review Editor-in-Chief and holds a BBA degree from Texas Southern University.

“I am very excited to join Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne and its team of seasoned litigators. The firm will provide more courtroom opportunities to advocate for clients.” Benford said.

Benford was recognized among Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2015 by Houston Woman Magazine and was named to the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Law in Houston by the National Diversity Council in 2017. She earned a 2016 Global Inclusion Award at Norton Rose Fulbright for her commitment to diversity at the firm.

Michael Peskowitz and Lauren Scarantino have joined Blank Rome LLP as partners in the Real Estate group in the firm’s New York office. Peskowitz and Scarantino focus their practice on commercial real estate lending, representing both lenders and borrowers in commercial transactions for all property types. The duo joins from Thompson & Knight LLP.

“We are thrilled to be continuing our Firm’s growth in 2019 with the addition of Michael and Lauren,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Managing Partner and CEO. “Together, they bring exceptional real estate knowledge that will seamlessly integrate with our respected real estate practice and contribute to cross-practice collaboration, strengthening the core of our Firm.”

With more than 30 years of experience, Peskowitz has primarily represented institutional lenders in the origination of mortgage and mezzanine loans secured by commercial mortgage-backed securities. Peskowitz’s practice also focuses on the purchase and sale of mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, participation interests, and mortgage-backed securities, in addition to restructuring these various debt instruments. He represents real estate developers in the acquisition and financing of commercial properties, including hotels, golf resorts, office buildings, shopping malls, retail stores, and multifamily apartments both domestically and abroad.

Scarantino has experience in assisting with the representation of special services in connection with securitization, including the process of reviewing offering circulars, as well as preliminary and final employment agreements. Loan syndication, acquisition and disposition of mortgage and mezzanine loans, A/B notes, participation interests and mortgage-backed securities, acquisition and disposition of commercial properties, formation of real estate joint ventures and partnerships, debt restructurings, loan modifications, and work-outs are also central to her practice.

“Having Michael and Lauren join our team will have a tremendous impact on our practice,” said Samuel M. Walker, Co-Chair of Blank Rome’s Real Estate group. “Their comprehensive experience in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions substantiates our efforts to deepen the capabilities of our group and continue to offer our clients a full-service practice, and greatly adds to our New York office’s recent expansion efforts with the addition of new lateral hires.”

“Our decision to move to Blank Rome was largely in part a result of the success of the firm’s real estate practice. As a nationally recognized group, they are a full-service operation that receives tremendous support from other departments,” said Peskowitz . “We wanted to join a broad-based national real estate group that represents all aspects of real estate while maintaining a strong presence in the New York market.”

Peskowitz earned his B.A. from Colgate University, his M.A. from The New School for Social Research, and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Scarantino received her B.A., with honors, from Georgetown University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University where she was a member of the Hofstra Law Review.

Since January 1, Blank Rome has welcomed a number of lateral partners across its U.S. offices.
• Blank Rome Adds Prominent Family Law Team in Los Angeles, Led by Kristina Royce and Ashley Silberfeld
• Blank Rome Bolsters Corporate Practice with Addition of Terrence Everett in Los Angeles Office
• Blank Rome Welcomes Accomplished Corporate Partner Jeffrey Cohen in New York

FisherBroyles, LLP, has opened an office in Miami. This marks the firm’s second Florida location among its 22 offices nationwide.

The Miami office is anchored by new partners Robert T. Wright Jr., Irene Oria, Janet Moreira, and Casey H. Cusick, who join existing FisherBroyles partners Wayne Alder, Robert B. Graziano and Susan V. Warner, who previously worked from the firm’s other Florida office in Naples.

“We are very excited to continue our strategic growth nationwide with the opening of our second Florida office and our first presence in the vibrant city of Miami,” said FisherBroyles Co-Founder and Managing Partner Kevin E. Broyles. “As a firm, we are always working to make sure we are positioned wherever our clients need us, and that we are hiring top legal talent. Our move into Miami and the additions of Robert, Irene, Janet and Casey help us to achieve both goals.

“Our Miami attorneys possess deep knowledge and experience in areas of litigation, intellectual property, and corporate law that are critical to our clients’ interests,” Mr. Broyles continued. “Through our firm’s unique broad-based partnership and cost-effective solutions, we are looking forward to helping our clients achieve their business goals in the growing Miami and South Florida business communities.”

The new FisherBroyles Miami office is located at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900.

In a release, the firm said the Miami-based partners practice in diverse areas of the law, including complex business litigation covering a broad array of corporate matters, as well as employment, healthcare, real estate and intellectual property (IP).

The release continues:

New Miami Partners

Since 1974, Wright has been engaged in high-stakes business litigation in Florida and in federal trial and appellate courts. He has defended numerous business entities, including Fortune 500 companies, in putative class actions and multi-district litigation alleging employment discrimination, securities fraud, and consumer protection law violations. He also has experience with administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies, including Florida’s Attorney General and Office of Insurance Regulation.

Wright previously practiced at the law firms Mershon, Sawyer, Johnston, Dunwody & Cole; Shutts & Bowen LLP; Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand; and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Oria has more than 18 years of experience in complex commercial business litigation in federal and state courts and arbitration tribunals. Her focus areas in recent years have included financial services, insurance and securities litigation, including nationwide class and multi-district litigation. As Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Oria defended the interests of the United States in civil suits filed in U.S. District Courts, alleging statutory torts, constitutional torts, violations of civil rights and employment discrimination/harassment/retaliation laws, medical malpractice, and a myriad of other claims.

Previously, Oria practiced at the law firms Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP; Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP (formerly Hunton & Williams LLP); Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College of Columbia University.

Moreira focuses her practice on the protection, licensing and enforcement of IP. In particular, her practice involves international trademark portfolio counseling and management, trademark clearance, trademark and copyright prosecution, and maintenance and enforcement of IP. She has experience assisting clients with the creation of trademark and branding strategies and developing action plans to maximize value and protection of IP, domestically and internationally. She negotiates and prepares IP licenses, releases, contractor agreements, marketing agreements, vendor agreements, assignments, and other agreements relating to IP issues. In addition, her practice includes significant work litigating trademark, copyright, unfair competition, and domain name disputes in federal court, before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and through Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy proceedings.

Previously, Moreira practiced with the firm Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson. She received her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center and her Bachelor of Science from the University of New Hampshire.

Cusick represents businesses and individuals in a diverse array of complex commercial disputes. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in high stakes, bet-the-company litigation involving ownership and control of closely-held businesses, shareholder disputes, and allegations of wrongdoing by corporate officers, partners and fiduciaries. He has experience litigating complex real estate-related disputes, particularly commercial and residential landlord-tenant disputes throughout Florida. Mr. Cusick also has represented institutional clients and individuals in a variety of financial fraud related matters, including investors who suffered significant losses in Ponzi schemes. He also maintains an active general commercial litigation practice.

Cusick most recently was a partner in charge of the commercial litigation practice at a Miami-area boutique firm. He also practiced for several years at the mid-size litigation boutique now known as Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L. Cusick received his J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Miami School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from the University of Miami.

FisherBroyles Partners Relocating to the Miami Office

Alder concentrates his practice on litigation matters and represents companies, individuals and municipalities. He has experience in the litigation of claims related to professionals’ business and international transactions. He also handles the defense of directors and officers against trustees in bankruptcy, as well as matters related to marine and shipyard liability, product liability, environmental claims, personal injury, construction defects and claims, cyber risks and claims, architects and engineers, and insurance coverage disputes. In addition, Alder has experience in condominium law, including the Florida Condominium Act, homeowners’ association issues, general liability, and property claims and defense.

Graziano focuses his practice on healthcare and business litigation. He has tried more than 50 cases to verdict in federal and state courts. He has represented public corporations, private entities, and individuals from a broad range of industries, including healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, and finance. He has litigated disputes involving the False Claims Act, products liability, antitrust, shareholder disputes, corporate dissolutions, and non-competition agreements. Additionally, he has knowledge of clinical medicine and is experienced in the defense of healthcare providers.

Warner represents corporations, small businesses and individuals before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate level in a broad range of employment and business disputes. She has successfully represented employers and management on a wide variety of employment litigation claims, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. Warner also has experience representing businesses against ADA Title III claims, including particular expertise in the area of ADA website compliance, defending against the first ADA website compliance lawsuit to go to trial in the country.‎ Ms. Warner also has defended against claims of defamation, negligent retention, breach of non-compete and employment agreements, and theft of trade secrets.

Sidley Austin LLP announced that the firm has expanded its restructuring capabilities in Dallas with the addition of Charles M. Persons.

Persons joins as counsel and will be a member of Sidley’s global Restructuring practice. While Persons will be resident in the Dallas office, he will work on national and cross-border matters as part of Sidley’s market-leading global Restructuring practice.

In a release, the firm said Persons has experience in the representation of major domestic and international debtors and creditors’ groups. Persons has built a practice around public and private out-of-court reorganizations and in-court Chapter 11 cases, advising on a variety of multifaceted matters including high-profile multinational restructurings. These include distressed acquisitions and a variety of bankruptcy litigation matters across multiple industries, from oil and gas to manufacturing and retail.

“Charles is a valuable addition to our global Restructuring group and will be an integrated member of our practice everywhere,” said James F. Conlan, chairman and global practice leader of Sidley’s firmwide Restructuring practice, and a member of Sidley’s Executive Committee.

“The addition of Charles supports clients’ needs for strong restructuring capabilities here in Dallas,” said Yvette Ostolaza, managing partner of Sidley’s Dallas office and a member of the firm’s Management and Executive Committees.