Contract Logix has been named a “High Performer” for the third consecutive quarter in the Contract Lifecycle Management category of G2’s Fall 2021 Grid ® Report. G2 scores products and sellers based on actual customer reviews of the software, as well as data aggregated from online sources and social networks.

“Contract Logix is always proud of our G2 ratings because they are 100% based on our customer reviews,” said Jim Averill, Vice President of Customer Success, Contract Logix. “Our goal with every customer is to not only ensure they get fast time to value from our platform, but to continue delivering incremental value to their organization throughout the life of our relationship with them. Our experienced Customer Success team is key to making this happen and a major contributor to our High Performer recognition from G2. We’re honored to have the opportunity to help our customers optimize their businesses and minimize risk.”

Contract Logix continues to see triple-digit percentage growth in usage of its products as customers rapidly digitize contracts and business processes. The company’s contract management platform plays a foundational role in its customers’ digital transformation initiatives by giving them the tools and insights necessary to automate and streamline processes and finalize business faster while increasing compliance and mitigating risk. Contract Logix has over 15 years of working with its customers to ensure effective onboarding, user adoption, and ongoing CLM success. Its unique and proven customer success model is often referenced as a key differentiator in the company’s G2 reviews.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Jon H. Patterson, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, is the recipient of Bradley’s 2021 Diversity Leadership Award.

Established in 2015, the Diversity Leadership Award recognizes a Bradley partner who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to promoting and advancing the firm’s goal of being a diverse and mutually supportive community.

“Jon is a valued leader who is dedicated to promoting the firm’s core values of diversity and inclusion,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. “We are thankful for his leadership and for all of our exceptional nominees who continue to cultivate a climate of inclusion, sensitivity, open-mindedness, and respect.”

George D. Medlock, Jr., Bradley’s Director of Inclusion and Diversity, added, “Since joining the firm Jon has been personally committed to creating an inclusive environment, engaging in honest discussions, staffing his matters with diverse teams, and mentoring diverse attorneys, and we are grateful for his contributions.”

Mr. Patterson is a member of Bradley’s Banking & Financial Services Practice Group and chair of the firm’s Artificial Intelligence and Legal Project Management Task Force. He serves as lead counsel for various national banks and mortgage servicers, managing the litigation of over 2,000 cases nationwide. Mr. Patterson routinely advises clients in defense of various claims arising out of alleged violations of state and federal law including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act (RESPA), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Mr. Patterson also oversees the firm’s efforts in legal technology and process management to foster innovation.

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

Davis Wright Tremaine’s nationally ranked energy team, which last year brought on a seven-lawyer group from Alston & Bird, has expanded again, welcoming former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lawyer Fredrick Wilson as Counsel in Washington, D.C.

Wilson brings to the firm a full spectrum of energy industry experience, including a decade as an engineer at major electricity providers, 4+ years as a regulator at FERC, and 5+ years in private practice at White & Case.

“Fred has a depth of understanding that can only come from years of work in the trenches,” said Vid Prabhakaran, Davis Wright’s energy practice chair. “He brings to our team rare technical expertise and an intimate familiarity with FERC processes and deliberations. He also provides strong insight into the regulatory, operational and financial issues presented by complex industry transactions and projects. I’m thrilled to have him on board.”

“Initially, I was drawn to Davis Wright’s strong market reputation,” said Wilson. “As I got to see the firm from the inside, I was delighted to discover a dynamic culture and clear synergies with many existing team members. I believe we’re in the early stages of a new transition in energy markets and their regulatory oversight and I’m confident that Davis Wright provides the optimal platform for me to help clients successfully navigate these changes.”

During his tenure at FERC, Wilson acted as commission trial staff, leading proceedings involving electric transmission ratemaking, natural gas pipeline ratemaking, and RTO/ISO tariff compliance, among other issues. He also contributed to the development of federal policy in electric and gas markets as legal advisor to then-commissioner Colette D. Honorable.

At White & Case, where he worked most recently, Wilson’s regulatory clients included electric utilities, transmission owners, large industrial consumers of power, energy marketers, natural gas pipelines, shippers, and other service providers subject to the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, and Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act.

Wilson received his undergraduate degree from Howard University, his MBA from Georgia State University, and his law degree from University of Houston Law Center.

Davis Wright’s 40-member energy group, located in California, Washington, D.C., New York, and the Pacific Northwest, was recently ranked among the top nationwide practices by Chambers USA in Electricity – Regulatory & Litigation. The team also placed in Band 1 for Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation in California.

Last year, the group added seven lawyers from Alston & Bird in Washington, D.C., including partners Sean Atkins and Michael Kunselman and counsel Andrea Wolfman, a former senior FERC executive who spent 24 years at the commission and led its enforcement office.

About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an Am Law 100 firm with more than 600 lawyers representing clients throughout the United States and the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.

The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has announced that Amy M. Stewart, a partner at Stewart Law Group PLLC in Dallas, has accepted an invitation to join the IADC, the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.

“From my experience as a collegiate athlete and coach, I understand that the people you surround yourself with matter the most,” Ms. Stewart said. “What I know about IADC is that exemplary attorneys — who happen to be even better people — are involved in this organization. As a result, I am honored to be drafted to the IADC team.”

Ms. Stewart focuses her practice on commercial litigation, labor and employment, arbitrations (as an arbitrator and an advocate), and internal investigations. In addition, she has handled personal injury, wrongful death, and product liability cases.

Ms. Stewart is certified by the Association of Title IX Administrators as a Title IX investigator. She also is a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, presiding over commercial, construction, and employment matters. In addition, Ms. Stewart is certified as a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitrator and was inducted into the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Panel of Distinguished Neutrals.

Ms. Stewart received her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University, where she was the captain of the Women’s Basketball Team, an Academic All-ACC honoree, and served as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach before turning her sights to representing corporate clients in the court of law.

About the International Association of Defense Counsel
The IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. Founded in 1920, the IADC has members who hail from six continents, 51 countries and territories, and all 50 U.S. states. The core purposes of the IADC are to enhance the development of skills, promote professionalism, and facilitate camaraderie among its members and their clients, as well as the broader civil justice community. For more information, visit www.iadclaw.org.

By Rebecca L. Palmer

Mediation Week is here. Though it’s not on a national holiday calendar, this official week, October 17 – 23, proclaimed by Chief Justice Charles T. Canady of the Supreme Court of Florida, focuses on the importance of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or mediation as an effective substitute to litigation.

Florida has been a leader in recognizing and promoting mediation, and state courts have utilized it for over 30 years. Mediation cases often involve divorce, child custody issues, disputes between family members, neighbors, business partners, landlords and tenants, and labor unions and management.

As legal professionals, our goal is to pursue the most favorable outcome for our clients. At times in our law practice, we have advised mediation as an option rather than taking the case to trial. Mediation is a method of dispute resolution in situations where the parties in a disagreement want to, or will be forced to, keep working together or maintain an ongoing relationship such as shared child custody, shared assets, or business partnerships. In mediation, the only people making decisions are those involved in the dispute. This is unlike arbitration or litigation, where a judge or an arbitrator makes the final decision.

Each case is unique, but we have seen the benefits of mediation which include the process being less expensive than a trial and that there is no public record of what goes on in your sessions. It gives both parties the power to reach a resolution based on the outlined outcomes and prevent having a resolution handed down through legal channels. In many situations, mediation is far better than a court hearing.

Building on the Chief Justice’s best wishes for those observing Mediation Week, we hope you take some time this week to revisit your legal options and discover the proper resolution process for you. Mediation can provide many benefits when it comes to resolving legal disputes.
Rebecca L. Palmer, Esq. is a Family & Marital Law attorney practicing in Orlando, FL. She is the Managing Partner of the Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group, and she can be reached at rebecca@rlpvlawgroup.com

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that J. Andrew Robison, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, has been named to the North American Regional Council of the World Services Group (WSG).

The WSG is a global network of elite global practice firms comprised of more than 23,000 members in more than 150 jurisdictions throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Robison was named to a two-year term on the council at the WSG’s 2021 Annual Meeting held Oct. 6-7.

“Andy is an exceptional corporate attorney with innate leadership skills that will serve the WSG’s Regional Council well, and we congratulate him on this role,” said Bradley Birmingham Office Managing Partner Dawn Helms Sharff.

Mr. Robison is a member of Bradley’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group where he advises privately held companies and private equity funds and their operating companies in formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate finance transactions. He also works with publicly traded clients in securities offerings, divestitures, proxy contests, and general corporate and securities law issues.

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

“Biglaw firms across the country are implementing all manner of initiatives to bring attention to the importance of diversity and inclusion among their ranks. We’ve previously acknowledged as firms where approved diversity and inclusion-related work will be billable for attorneys and will count toward,” reports Staci Zaretsky in Above The Law.

“K&L Gates a firm that brought in $1,019,674,000 gross revenue in 2020 recently announced that all attorneys across its global offices would be able to receive up to 50 hours of billable credit for their qualifying internal and external diversity and inclusion work. Here’s an excerpt from the firm’s press release on its new policy.”

Read the article.

“Securian Financial has hired Renee Montz as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, reporting to chairman, president and CEO Chris Hilger. Montz is succeeding Gary Christensen, who is retiring after a distinguished 37-year career with the company. I am excited to welcome,” reports Business Wire in their blog.

“Renee Montz to Securian Financial, said Hilger. Renee’s values and impressive experience make her the perfect addition to our executive leadership team. Our company and industry continue to navigate rapid change and the evolving legal and regulatory environment that comes along with it. Montz has 25 years of legal experience.”

Read the article.

“A $25 million settlement has been reached between the Broward County School Board and 52 victims of the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, according to an attorney for some of the victims. Attorney David Brill said the settlement of the lawsuit,” reports Leyla Santiago in CBS 58.

“Asked about Broward County Public Schools comment the matter is still pending litigation, Brill said the parties are finalizing documentation of the settlement of the lawsuit, which accused the board of negligence. School system officials said they do not comment on pending litigation. The agreement will not include any admission.”

Read the article.

“Facebook has agreed to pay penalties totaling more than $14 million under a settlement with the Justice Department over findings that the company’s hiring practices intentionally discriminated against U.S. workers in favor of foreign workers, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The social,” reports David Nakamura in The Washington Post.

“Media behemoth has also agreed in a settlement with the Labor Department to do more to recruit U.S. workers for technology jobs and be subject to federal scrutiny for up to three years, the officials said. The agreements came after the Justice Department sued Facebook in December for allegedly failing to properly advertise at least 2,600 jobs.”

Read the article.

MCCA Diversity Scorecard ranks Akerman Among Top 20 Large Law Firms in group 5 (more than 501 lawyers) for 2021
Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP has been ranked among the most diverse large law firms in the country by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the premier national group of in-house counsel from diverse backgrounds.

The MCCA released its Diversity Scorecard, which it calls “a ranking and scoring system designed to empower law firms with the data and analysis they need to develop a more effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy.” Akerman was one of twenty firms of more than 500 attorneys named to the list of top achievers in DEI.

MCCA said the survey, reviewed and edited by outside experts, assesses law firms by demographics, recruitment, retention/attrition, and promotion for women and diverse groups, particularly those from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.

“Akerman has long regarded diversity and inclusion, throughout our ranks, as core to our mission in building a national firm that reflects the communities in which we live and work,” said Scott Meyers, Akerman Chairman and CEO. “We are thrilled that our efforts have been recognized by MCCA, and will continue our work in fostering an inclusive environment that empowers all our people,” he added.

“We are grateful for the MCCA’s recognition of our DEI efforts, and we are firmly committed to continuing this journey,” said Pedro Freyre, chair of the firm’s International Practice and of the firm’s Equality and Inclusion Committee.

“Akerman strives to be a welcoming home and great place to practice for all its attorneys and professionals,” said LaKeisha Marsh, chair of Akerman’s Government Affairs and Public Policy Practice and Higher Education and Collegiate Athletics Practice, as well as co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative Network. “We are all extremely pleased to have our efforts and our persistence recognized by MCCA.”

Kasey Folk Dunlap, a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and co-chair of the Women’s Initiative Network, called the honor “a proud day for the firm’s women and lawyers of diverse backgrounds. I’m honored to be part of this important campaign for a more diverse and inclusive legal environment.”

MCCA said the Scorecard comes in response to years of requests from general counsel for a transparent industry benchmark to assess DEI metrics, develop actionable policies, and ultimately, drive competitive advantage. It relies on 14 years of data from the MCCA’s annual Law Firm Diversity Survey and was developed in active consultation with many leading general counsels and law firms.

About Akerman

Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth.

Hanzo, a technology pioneer in preserving, collecting, reviewing, and exporting dynamic, complex collaboration and web-based data, today announced support for preserve-in-place Slack ediscovery for organizations with Enterprise Grid.

Hanzo’s support for Slack’s legal hold allows customers to apply a hold directly from Hanzo Hold for one or more Slack users, suspending routine retention policies, and adopting a best practice for meeting preservation obligations. Once the preservation obligation no longer applies, managers can easily release the hold on the data.

The solution gives corporate legal teams options in how they manage their data and empowers them to reduce ediscovery costs by preserving data in the native application and only collecting it when needed.

“Preserving data in Slack gives enterprise legal teams the flexibility they need to balance risk and cost by limiting the copies of data,” said Brad Harris, VP of Product at Hanzo. “We take an approach that always seeks to empower the customer to control the amount of data they collect and reuse it across matters once collected which limits exposure from overcollection and redundant data.”

Slack data is mission-critical for companies as more and more organizations’ conversations are migrating away from email. Slack has added Legal hold to the Discovery API and relies upon partners like Hanzo to provide enterprise-grade data solutions to manage this data for discovery, information governance, and compliance.

This latest feature builds upon Hanzo’s commitment to simplify ediscovery management of complex data sources with innovative solutions that bring visual analytics to speed insights, and approaches that enable your team to limit the data to reduce cost and risk.

Hanzo is presenting an educational webinar, Three Things You Need To Know about Slack’s New Legal Hold on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT. Experts from IBM, Uber, and Slack will discuss how and when it’s advantageous to preserve Slack data in place and explore best practices to manage retention and respond effectively to discovery obligations.

Speakers
Jessica Abud, Manager Corporate Litigation, IBM
Will Anderson, eDiscovery Analyst, Uber
Max Baez, Product Manager, Slack
Brad Harris, VP of Product, Hanzo (Moderator)

Registration link:
https://www.hanzo.co/resources/hanzo-webinar-three-things-you-need-to-know-about-slacks-new-legal-hold

About Hanzo
Hanzo brings context and a greater understanding of enterprise data to corporate legal and compliance teams by providing in-house control over dynamic and collaborative data sources. This control allows organizations to reduce billions of dollars in risk, litigation, and compliance costs and elevate their corporate legal and regulatory compliance responses. Hanzo’s software empowers defensible preservation, targeted collection, and efficient review of dynamic content from enterprise collaboration applications and complex websites. Hanzo is SOC 2® Type 2 certified, demonstrating its commitment to data security and serves large corporations worldwide. Learn more at hanzo.co and follow updates on Twitter: @gethanzo or on LinkedIn.

Ball Janik LLP is pleased to welcome Dwight A. (Chaz) Marriott to its Miami office as a paralegal. Marriott brings extensive experience in construction defect litigation, having worked with large national firms in Miami, Washington D.C., and Atlanta.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Chaz to the Ball Janik family,” said Gabe Coelho, Special Counsel of the firm’s Construction Practice. “His 20 years of experience spanning major metropolitan areas of the United States in construction defects will be instrumental to our existing clients, in addition to assisting our firm’s growth in the years to come.”

Marriott has handled cases in major states across the country. He’s practiced in Florida, California, Colorado, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia. His expertise aided in the successful litigation of 25 trial cases and ten arbitrations spanning business litigation, bankruptcy family law litigation, construction defect litigation, and labor & employment litigation. He’s established himself in every major firm he’s worked in for the past 15 years, highlighted by his appointment as the senior paralegal of Kaplan Zeena LLP in Miami. Additionally, he’s been the appellate paralegal in most of his positions and has extensive experience in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the 3rd DCA.

“Joining Ball Janik is an exciting opportunity for me,” said Marriott. “The firm’s deep bench is the envy of the industry. The wealth of expertise the firm holds is a drawing force in my joining the firm. I cannot wait to add to that knowledge base.”

Marriott holds an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University with a degree in political science.

Lewis Roca announced Adrienne Brantley-Lomeli has been selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Business Bankruptcy Committee 20/20 Partners Rising Young Leader Award. This American Bar Association Business Law Section Business Bankruptcy Committee award recognizes the nation’s top young bankruptcy lawyers who have demonstrated the commitment to business bankruptcy, community involvement, leadership, and professionalism. Brantley-Lomeli is one of 19 recipients to receive this award.

As a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, Brantley-Lomeli focuses her practice on commercial litigation which includes commercial finance litigation and bankruptcy disputes. Her bankruptcy practice includes experience with creditors’ rights, secured party representation, as well as representing bankruptcy trustees and state court receivers. Prior to joining Lewis Roca, Brantley-Lomeli earned a Masters degree in diplomacy and military studies with an emphasis in national security and strategic studies. She also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge Israel of the 8th Judicial District Court.

Brantley-Lomeli received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, her M.A., with honors distinction, from Hawaii Pacific University and her B.A. from the University of Arizona.

About Lewis Roca

Lewis Roca is an Am Law 200 law firm serving clients globally in complex litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations, labor and employment, and regulatory counseling. Its offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley, and Tucson. To learn more about the firm, please visit us at our new website at www.lewisroca.com.

###

“The number of law firm associates that are leaving Biglaw altogether right now is quite high. Associates find opportunities in or out of legal practice which they think will provide better hours with acceptable pay.  The misconception is that if they go to another Biglaw firm that everything,” reports Jason McCann in Above The Law.

“However, there are meaningful differences among associate Biglaw experiences.  If you are at a Biglaw firm yourself, just think about your own firm: If you talk to other associates in different practices areas or different working groups, chances are you will hear about some completely different work cultures. The fact is that there.”

Read the article.

“The New York Racing Association announced Oct. 13 the appointment of Joi L. Garner as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. Garner succeeds Joe Lambert, who is retiring, and will assume her responsibilities on Oct. 15. Garner previously served as executive vice president,” reports Blood Horse in their blog.

“The marketing and licensing subsidiary of the National Basketball Players Association responsible for group product licensing, developing brand collaborations, and commercializing the likeness rights of the collective group of current NBA players. At THINK450, Garner was the lead negotiator in several of the NBPA’s most significant.”

Read the article.

“Tens of millions of dollars are coming to the Finger Lakes to combat the opioid epidemic. The money comes from a settlement with various manufacturers of opioids stemming from a lawsuit in March 2019. It’s part of New York Attorney General Letitia James statewide ‘HealNY’ tour. Up to $1.5 billion,” reports Finger Lakes 1 in their blog.

“For more than two decades, the Finger Lakes Region has been ravaged by the opioid crisis, but, today, we are finally starting to heal New York by announcing that we will be delivering up to $53 million to the area to invest in the prevention, treatment, and recovery programs,” said Attorney General James. “No amount of money will ever.”

Read the article.

“The city of Sacramento quietly paid an $11 million settlement to a family last year one of the largest payouts in city history after an elderly woman and her grandson were hit by a car in a crosswalk. In January 2018, QuiChang Zhu, 72, and her grandson Jian Hao Kuang, 6, were using a crosswalk,” reports Theresa Clift in The Sacramento Bee.

“Freeport Boulevard at Oregon Drive, according to a lawsuit filed in Sacramento County Superior Court. The intersection located between South Land Park and Hollywood Park has no traffic lights. A sedan driver traveling north on Freeport Boulevard struck the pair, killing Zhu and causing severe injuries to Kuang, including.”

Read the article.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Tom Trent, a partner in the firm’s Nashville office, has been recognized for the second consecutive year with a 2021 Client Choice Award presented by Lexology. Mr. Trent has also been elected to a second term on the Board of Regents of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA).

“We are proud of Tom and this accomplishment of being recognized for his exceptional client service and for his leadership and service to the ACMA,” said Bradley Nashville Office Managing Partner Lauren B. Jacques. “Tom is a recognized leader in our firm and in the economic development and real estate industries, and he is well deserving of these honors.”

Mr. Trent is a member of the firm’s Economic Development Practice Group and the Real Estate team and represents clients regionally and nationally, including major manufacturing companies, corporate users of commercial real estate, institutional investors, developers and lenders. He has extensive experience handling complex economic development incentive and commercial real estate transactions across the country. Mr. Trent is a frequent speaker and panelist at commercial real estate, finance, and economic development seminars and programs for several local and national organizations.

Established in 2005, Lexology’s Client Choice awards recognize law firms and partners around the world that stand apart for the care and service they provide their clients. Nominations can only be made by corporate counsel. This year’s 593 winners across 73 jurisdictions worldwide were selected from more than 2,000 individual client assessments. Honorees are evaluated on client service criteria and must have demonstrated their ability to add value to a clients’ business. To view the full list of the 2021 Client Choice Award winners, click here.

The ACMA’s Board of Regents is the governing body of the ACMA, which is comprised of more than 500 real estate finance mortgage law attorneys with members across North America. The ACMA was formed in 1974 to give back to the profession, improve and reform law and procedures impacting real estate secured transactions, and to increase the level of professionalism for lawyers in the industry.

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

Katten announced today that Eli Burriss has joined the Dallas office as a partner in the Commercial Litigation practice, deepening the bench of attorneys with a particular focus on health care-related litigation.

“Eli’s business-minded, entrepreneurial spirit matches the energy in our Dallas office and we are delighted to welcome him,” said Mark S. Solomon, managing partner of the Dallas office.

Throughout his legal career, Burriss has concentrated his practice on high-stakes litigation in a variety of matters with a scope that includes derivative actions, mergers and acquisitions disputes, software license and data breach litigation, antitrust litigation, and trade secret litigation. He has represented some of the world’s largest health plan administrators and insurers, advising on a variety of litigation matters, including anti-fraud litigation, provider disputes and regulatory issues.

Burriss also has extensive experience litigating matters that arise under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans, and has helped numerous parties navigate qui tam litigation.

“As a highly regarded, skilled litigator, Eli brings a rare mix of substantive experience from health care and ERISA litigation to commercial and antitrust litigation in state and federal courts,” said David A. Crichlow, national chair of the Commercial Litigation group. “Eli joining adds to Katten’s reputation as a preeminent firm for pursuing litigation strategies, defending against high-value claims and finding resolutions that best align with client business objectives.”

Burriss has served as lead counsel before numerous trial courts as well as state and federal courts of appeals and represented clients in state regulatory and licensing inquiries, arbitrations, Federal Trade Commission and US Department of Justice antitrust investigations, and Department of Labor investigations and enforcement proceedings.

“Eli’s extensive experience and success in representing several of the country’s largest health plan administrators and insurers in litigation involving the treatment and billing practices of health care providers will be an excellent complement to Katten’s nationwide anti-fraud insurance litigation team,” said Ross O. Silverman, chair of the Insurance and Health Care Fraud Litigation practice.

Burriss, who has counseled Fortune 100 companies, will work closely with Katten’s insurance and health care fraud litigators, who work with major health, workers’ compensation, and property and casualty insurers nationwide in developing investigations, claims handling and litigation strategies to detect, prevent and deter systemic claims fraud, as well as to recover money from the perpetrators of the fraud.

He has a strong commitment to pro bono service, frequently assisting members of the military, veterans and their families in his community.

Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 650 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com.