Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP expanded its intellectual property practice with the addition of Olivia Luk Bedi as partner. Bedi is a trial lawyer with experience in intellectual property litigation, having represented both individuals and corporations in high-stakes cases in federal and state courts.

Bedi earned a B.S. in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000 and her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law in 2005.

“We’re thrilled to have Olivia on our team,” said Michael G. Kelber, co-chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions practice group. “She brings tremendous value to the group and will help us further expand the patent services we are able to offer our clients.”

“Olivia’s addition continues our focus to add top-flight talent,” added Managing Partner Scott J. Fisher. “Her jury-trial experience and deep connections within the community fit perfectly with our focus on seeking exceptional talent, and building an inclusive and collaborative culture.”

Bedi joins Neal Gerber Eisenberg from the boutique intellectual property firm Niro Law, where she was a shareholder. Prior to beginning her legal practice, she spent five years as a patent examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the area of semiconductor manufacturing.

She has been recognized by Law Bulletin Publishing Company as one of the “40 under Forty Top Lawyers in Illinois,” and has been included in Managing Intellectual Property magazine’s Top 250 Women IP Attorneys list.

Bedi is active in the community, serving as Executive Director of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court in Chicago, which she co-founded, as well as serving on leadership committees for the Economic Club of Chicago and Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. She co-founded LIPS (Ladies in IP Society) to promote mentoring and networking among female members of the IP bar in Chicago. She also serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Founders Council for the American Writers Museum and the Chicago Inventors Organization.

Buchalter Nemer announced that it has added Masahisa (“Masa”) Mitsunaga to the firm’s Los Angeles office, where he is a member of the Corporate, Intellectual Property and Japan practice groups. Mitsunaga joined from Liner LLP.

“Masa is a welcome addition to our Los Angeles office as we seek to bolster our corporate and IP offerings and grow our Japan Practice Group,” said Sabina Helton, shareholder and chair of the Japan Practice Group. “Masa strengthens our already highly-respected reputation in the Japanese markets.”

“Masa’s previous transaction experience is impressive – including involvement in the $660 million purchase of Miramax Films from Disney and related financing – and I look forward to seeing him continue that type of high-profile work at Buchalter,” adds Adam J. Bass, president and chief executive officer of Buchalter.

In a release, the firm said Mitsunaga has a deep understanding of the business and legal practices in the Hollywood and entertainment industries as he regularly represents broadcast, film production and distribution, talent management and toy and game companies on M&A matters, debt and equity finance transactions, and intellectual property matters. Mitsunaga also advises Japanese companies on legal considerations when entering or expanding in the U.S. market.

“The Asian entertainment industry is rapidly expanding into the U.S. and other markets, and with this expansion comes the ever-increasing need for executives to fully understand the intellectual property and media-related transaction legal landscape,” said Mitsunaga. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to continue to advise my clients on these matters at Buchalter, a firm that promotes collaboration from top to bottom.”

Mitsunaga earned his LL.M. at University of Southern California Law School and his LL.B. from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.

Lex Machina, a LexisNexis company,  announced the latest expansion of its Legal Analytics® platform into antitrust law, following its recent expansion into securities law in July.

In a release, the company said the move is part of the company’s ongoing plan to expand its Legal Analytics platform beyond intellectual property law to cover every federal practice area, including commercial, product liability, employment, commercial bankruptcy and more.

The release continues:

With the expansion, antitrust litigators will be able to use Legal Analytics to make data-driven decisions based on detailed information from more than 7,800 antitrust cases active since 2009 which have thus far resulted in more than $20 billion in damages awarded. The platform gives attorneys a competitive advantage in antitrust litigation by providing strategic insights about trends in antitrust case timing, resolutions, findings, damages and remedies, as well as actionable intelligence on opposing counsel, law firms, parties, judges, venues, and more. These capabilities also extend to Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) – complex cases that could potentially have hundreds of plaintiffs across dozens of jurisdictions.

“In antitrust litigation, where potentially billions of dollars and companies’ entire futures could be at stake, Legal Analytics for Antitrust helps law firms, in-house counsel and government attorneys develop winning case strategies and data-driven arguments based on the outcomes of thousands of prior cases,” said Josh Becker, CEO of Lex Machina. “The power of Legal Analytics truly becomes apparent in multidistrict litigation where untangling some of the more complex cases could encumber attorneys for months, instead of finding the desired insights in minutes.”

As part of the product development process, Lex Machina interviewed antitrust litigators from top law firms, major corporations and government agencies to better understand their particular antitrust needs. The product team incorporated their feedback directly into the new offering. Some of the new features include:
• Expanded case coverage: Attorneys can now analyze federal cases brought under the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, Robinson-Patman Act, or Federal Trade Commission Act.
• New data source and case linking: Existing Lex Machina case data is integrated with data from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to provide accurate MDL case counts. The platform also links procedurally connected cases to let attorneys analyze them in the right context.
• Antitrust findings analytics: New tags have been added for Class Actions, DOJ/FTC Enforcement cases, Robinson-Patman Act price discrimination cases, and cases where counterclaims were asserted.
• Enhanced case timing analytics: Median days have been added to Dismissal, Class Certification and Summary Judgment Orders — useful for budgeting, resource allocation and legal strategy.

Lex Machina’s Legal Analytics is a “must have” tool for litigators in many of America’s top law firms and corporations. Half of the AmLaw100 law firms use Lex Machina to craft successful litigation strategies, win cases and land new clients. Due to the depth and breadth of antitrust cases, which span every industry, Legal Analytics can help attorneys gain a competitive edge in antitrust litigation.

Prior to launch, Lex Machina mined all of the antitrust cases filed since 2009 and identified a number of important trends and insights, including:
• Judge Marianne Battani of the Eastern District of Michigan has handled the most antitrust cases (393 cases) since 2009 – more than twice as many as the next leading judge.
• The top defendants since 2009 include financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase & Co (270 cases), Goldman Sachs & Co (192 cases), UBS (188 cases), and Deutsche Bank (185 cases); electronics companies like Panasonic (265 cases) and Hitachi (253 cases); and several airlines, including Delta (231 cases), American Airlines (212 cases), Southwest (211 cases), and United Airlines (206 cases).
• Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy is the top law firm representing plaintiffs (255 cases), followed by Miller Canfield (248 cases), and Spector Roseman Kodroff & Willis (236 cases).
• Latham & Watkins (340 cases), Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (334 cases), and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (294 cases) are the top law firms representing defendants.
• The median time to the grant of a permanent injunction is just under a year and a half (507 days).
• Judgments favoring the defense side – especially findings of “no antitrust injury,” “no Sherman Act violation § 1 (restraint of trade), and “no Sherman Act violation § 2 (monopolization) – tend to be issued as a judgment on the pleadings or as a summary judgment.

For more information about Lex Machina’s newest practice area and to get an early look at findings from Lex Machina’s first Antitrust Litigation Report, click here. Register here for Lex Machina’s half-hour launch webcast entitled “Legal Analytics for Antitrust Litigation,” scheduled for November 17th at 11:00 am PST (2:00pm EST).

Dallas litigation boutique Estes Thorne & Carr PLLC has been recognized among the 100 largest women-owned businesses in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal.

One of only two law firms to be included in the 2016 Top 100, this is the first time Estes Thorne & Carr has earned recognition, debuting at No. 58. When founded in 2008, the firm was among only a handful of women-owned law firms in Dallas and has since grown to be one of the largest and most respected in Texas.

“Some clients may come to us because we are a women-owned firm, but we’ve built lasting relationships based on the quality of our work and our dedication to seeing the client succeed,” said managing partner Jessica Thorne. “We are exceptionally proud of the accomplishments of this firm and that we have built a reputation as one of the leading litigation firms in North Texas on the basis of the work we do.”

Read the release.

Goodell DeVries received rankings in 10 practice areas in the 2017 “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, including being ranked Tier 1 Nationally for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions and Tier 1 Regionally for Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law (Defendants), Mass Tort/Class Action (Defendants), Medical Malpractice Law (Defendants), Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants), and Product Liability Litigation (Defendants).

The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. Clients and peers were asked to evaluate firms based on the following criteria: responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, integrity and civility, as well as whether they would refer a matter to the firm and/or consider the firm a worthy competitor.

Firms included in the 2017 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a ranking signals a unique combination of quality and breadth of legal expertise, and reflects the high level of respect that a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same community and practice areas.

“Goodell DeVries is very proud to once again be recognized as a top tier law firm both nationally and regionally,” says Linda S. Woolf, Managing Partner at the firm. “For the past 28 years, we have made it our mission to, not only provide our clients with efficient and effective results, but also to have a deep understanding of our clients’ business. This has enabled us to serve the dual role of advocate and trusted advisor. Having our clients and peers recognize our commitment and dedication in 10 practice areas is truly an honor.”

Goodell DeVries received rankings in the following areas:

National Awards
Tier 1, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Metropolitan Awards
Tier 1, Baltimore, Commercial Litigation
Tier 1, Baltimore, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
Tier 1, Baltimore, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Tier 1, Baltimore, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Tier 1, Baltimore, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Tier 1, Baltimore, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Tier 2, Philadelphia, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Tier 2, Philadelphia, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Tier 3, Baltimore Litigation – Construction

Herbert Smith Freehills’ New York Office has added Edward J. Dougherty is relocating to New York from São Paolo, Brazil, to join the firm as a partner focusing on project finance, trade finance and syndicated lending in the infrastructure, mining, power, oil & gas and financial sectors across Latin America.

In a release, the firm said Dougherty was previously in the project finance group of Allen & Overy LLP. He worked from its São Paulo office for the last three years with that firm. He gained prior experience in the legal departments of the Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. and the US private sector development agency OPIC, and was at the Brazilian law firm Veirano Advogados. He speaks fluent Spanish as well as Portuguese. He has advised clients in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Chile and the United States.

The release continues:

Herbert Smith Freehills’ Latin America Group comprises a highly regarded team in New York, Madrid, London, the Australasian offices, and other offices across the firm’s network.

In New York, Mr. Dougherty’s finance practice is a strategic complement to the projects practice of Juan-Jose Zentner, who joined the office earlier this year. Mr. Zentner was previously based in Herbert Smith Freehills’ office in Melbourne, Australia. Led by international arbitration partner Christian Leathley, the LatAm hub in New York includes other US, English and Australian – qualified lawyers, native and fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, with specialist projects and infrastructure and international arbitration experience, many of whom began their careers in Latin America. The practice offers expertise in mining, power, oil & gas and general infrastructure and represents a large number of global firm clients.

With expanding opportunities to serve existing global clients, existing LatAm based clients, prospective clients investing in and from the region, the New York hub plans to grow through further lateral hires.

Mr. Dougherty commented: “Eager to expand my practice in the competitive marketplace for Latin American legal services, Herbert Smith Freehills’ offering was instantly compelling. The firm is deeply experienced in key industries such as oil and gas and mining, with institutional links to the Japanese trading houses, large Korean conglomerates and Canadian and Australian pension funds that are major players in the project finance space. And the New York office is fully integrated with the global offering, key for knowledge sharing and cross-selling in a diverse marketplace of multiple jurisdictions. I could not be me more excited to join Herbert Smith Freehills in New York.”

Mr. Leathley, co-head of the firm’s Latin American group, said: “We are building the New York hub of our Latin American practice to better serve clients with interests in the region and seize upon clear opportunity in energy, infrastructure and mining and other industries in which the firm is strong. With a New York-based project finance capability, our very credible and high-quality offering meets the most critical legal needs of clients doing business in Latin America with a multi-lingual team that has deep roots in the region. The development of this capability is key to the firm and we will continue to add strength to our local team. Ed Dougherty is an impressive attorney. He has a breadth of experience and practice building record together with drive, energy and a real love of challenge. We are pleased to welcome him to Herbert Smith Freehills.”

Mr. Dougherty is admitted to the Bar in the State of New York.

The New York office also includes a team of US and UK-qualified disputes lawyers that represents clients in US courts in commercial litigation, investigations, cross-border matters and class actions. Lawyers working in the New York office are also qualified to practice in Paris, Singapore, Brazil, Ecuador, New Zealand and Australia.

Dallas litigation boutique Estes Thorne & Carr PLLC has added trial lawyer Luis Zambrano as partner and former in-house counsel Sarah Bradbury as senior counsel.

“We are proud to have two attorneys with such different professional backgrounds join our firm,” said managing partner Jessica Thorne. “Luis is a trial lawyer with extensive experience at every stage of the litigation process. Sarah has an innate instinct for the issues central to business success, having worked in-house for two different organizations. Our clients will benefit greatly from their unique perspectives.”

The release from the firm continues:

Zambrano is a litigator, arbitrator and mediator, representing and advising clients on matters involving complex commercial litigation, health care, private equity, securities, financial transactions and consumer class actions. He joins the firm from Miller, Egan, Molter & Nelson.

He began his career as a Texas Supreme Court briefing attorney for the late Justice James Baker. He earned his law degree, cum laude, from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree and an MBA from Texas Christian University.

“I am excited to be joining a firm where every attorney is an excellent litigator with strong trial expertise,” said Zambrano. “This is unquestionably one of the most impressive legal teams I’ve seen and I’m truly excited to be a part of it.”

Bradbury joins the firm after serving as senior legal counsel at Energy Transfer, where she focused on labor and employment matters. She also served as senior legal counsel for MoneyGram International. Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, she previously was a senior attorney at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. Bradbury earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University.

“There is an atmosphere at Estes Thorne & Carr unlike any other,” said Bradbury. “There is a true sense of collaboration, so that every client receives the benefit of everyone’s expertise. That approach also helps make each of us a better attorney.”

For the first time, family law boutique Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, has earned both national and metropolitan Best Law Firms honors in three practice areas from U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America.

In a release, the firm said the recently released 2017 Best Law Firms list includes national honors for the firm’s appellate practice. Although the firm has consistently earned top Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan honors for its work, including recognition for family law eight consecutive years, this marks the firm’s first national ranking.

“It is exceptionally rare to find an Appellate attorney who focuses on Family Law work, and we are very proud to be working with two of the very best in the country,” said firm Partner Keith Nelson. “The expertise and insights of Richard Orsinger and Brad LaMorgese have proven invaluable to countless clients.”

To be eligible for Best Law Firms rankings, a firm must have at least one lawyer listed in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Earlier this year, nine of the firm’s 15 attorneys were honored individually for their work in Family Law: Orsinger, Nelson and LaMorgese; Scott Downing, Jeff Anderson, Lon Loveless, Will Reppeto, Paula Bennett and Marilea Lewis. In addition, Orsinger and LaMorgese were honored in the area of appellate law, and Lewis was recognized for her mediation practice.

Final selection to The Best Law Firms list is based on client and attorney evaluations, along with peer review by attorneys within the same practice area and editorial review. The full 2017 Best Law Firms list can be found at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/.

Dallas-based law firm Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP, is expanding its intellectual property practice with the addition of patent attorney Stephen L. Levine. His practice is focused on patent and trademark prosecution, portfolio management, and client counseling. 

The firm said Levine works with clients ranging from individual start-up companies to a Fortune 250 North Texas-based technology corporation on patents involving:

• Electronic devices and systems
• Semiconductor circuits, devices and fabrication
• Processor and memory architectures
• Signal processing
• Telecommunications
• Software systems and methods
• Electromechanical and mechanical systems
• Consumer devices
• Biomedical devices

He joins Carrington Coleman from the Dallas-based IP law firm Anderson & Levine LLP, which he co-founded in 1995.

“Steve has a unique set of experiences and expertise that will benefit both the technically focused client as well as our growing IP practice,” says Carrington Coleman Managing Partner Bruce Collins. “When I think of how his work meshes with what we are currently doing, I am excited for the future of this practice group.”

Earlier this year the firm added patent litigators Mark C. Howland, Samuel E. Joyner and Chijioke Offor to complement its existing copyright/trademark licensing, protection, and management work. The IP attorneys in the firm’s Dallas and Longview, Texas, offices also advise clients on data privacy and cybersecurity matters.

Levine is a 1988 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and earned his undergraduate degree, with honors, from The University of Texas in 1985. As a former electrical engineering student, he was assigned to two shuttle missions as a NASA space program intern before entering law school.

For the fifth consecutive year, the commercial litigation and intellectual property firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is being recognized among the nation’s Best Law Firms by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America.

Houston’s AZA is listed in the 2017 top tier of area metropolitan law firms for commercial litigation. The selection of Best Law Firms is based on a rigorous process that includes client and lawyer evaluations and peer review from other attorneys in the same practice areas, the firm said in a release.

Earlier this year nine AZA lawyers were selected for the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for their work in commercial and intellectual property litigation. The firm and its lawyers also received recognition in the Chambers USA 2016 guide, 2017 edition of Benchmark Litigation, and the  the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers list.

Read the article.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Chicago partner W. David Braun will receive the Niels Friedrichs Legacy Award from the German-American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (GACC Midwest).

Braun will receive the award at the GACC Awards Gala, a nationwide celebration of excellence in German-American business, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago on October 28. Under his guidance, GACC Midwest saw continuous growth of the organization through the introduction of many progressive initiatives, such as expanding the Chamber’s consulting services for medium-sized German businesses, and bringing German-style dual apprenticeship programs to the United States. His guidance has also led to the continued growth of the beloved Christkindlmarket in Chicago, including the newest location opening this winter in Naperville.

He joined GACC Midwest’s Board of Directors in 2000, becoming Chairman in 2003. In 2013, he was elected as the inaugural Chairman of the Board of the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACCs), comprising seven offices in the US. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the GACCs. He will step down as GACC Midwest’s Chairman in 2017.

The award is named after the Chamber’s first Managing Director of over thirty years, Niels Friedrichs. David Braun is the second recipient after former President & CEO of GACC Midwest, Simone Pohl, who received the award in 2015. “I’m very honored to receive this award,” said Braun. “I have enjoyed my time serving GACC and will continue to support them in the future.”

Braun is a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group, where he focuses on U.S. and foreign corporate, licensing, and antitrust law. He represents principally U.S. client interests in Europe and European clients in the U.S., including the establishment of new businesses and joint ventures; licensing of intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, including distributorships and sales representative agreements, antitrust counseling, and litigation with respect to such matters.

He received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and his bachelor’s degree, with distinction, from the University of Illinois. He also studied law at the University of Munich and was a research assistant at the Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law in Munich.

Dallas-based trial and appellate law firm Godwin Bowman & Martinez PC  announced the promotion of senior attorneys Elisaveta “Leiza” Dolghih and Laci Bowman to shareholders and Stefanie Major McGregor to senior counsel, effective Nov. 1.

Additionally, the firm announced that shareholder Shawn McCaskill has been named to its Executive Committee as senior vice president and secretary.

“Leiza, Laci and Stefanie are all exceptional attorneys. We are pleased they have accepted these new positions,” says Godwin Bowman & Martinez Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Donald E. Godwin. “Similarly, Shawn is not only among the very best attorneys in the state, but a true leader as well. We look forward to the energy he will bring to the Executive Committee.”

In a release, the firm said:

Dolghih is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Section, representing large companies, small business owners and individual employees in federal and state courts. Her practice includes a broad range of business and employment litigation. In addition, she counsels clients regarding compliance with employment-related statutes such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and employment agreements. She earned her law degree from Baylor Law School in 2006.

As a member of the Firm’s Family Law Section, Ms. Bowman represents clients in matters involving divorce, premarital agreements, common law marriage disputes, and suits affecting the parent-child relationship. Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, she is also active in the collaborative law community in North Texas and is a founder and past President of the Collaborative Law Professionals of North Texas.  Ms. Bowman has earned selection to the Texas Rising Stars listing of the top young attorneys in the state four times (2013-16.) She earned her law degree from Baylor Law School in 2008.

McGregor is a member of the Firm’s Civil Appellate and Commercial Litigation sections. She represents clients in both the prosecution and defense of a wide range of cases before state and federal courts on matters including complex litigation, environmental and oil and gas litigation, Family Law, property, and trust and estates disputes. She is a former clerk and Senior Research Attorney for the Louisiana Supreme Court. She has been selected five times (2009, 2010, 2014-16) to the Texas Rising Stars list. She earned her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2002.

McCaskill is the Chair of the Firm’s Appellate Section. In addition to his appointment to the Executive Committee, he will continue as Chair of the Firm’s Opinion and Audit Committee. He is also a member of the Conflicts & Ethics Committee, the Judicial Campaign Committee and the Library Committee.

Active in his community, McCaskill is a member of the Southlake City Council, where he serves as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. He has been selected three times (2014-16) to the Texas Super Lawyers listing of the leading lawyers in Texas. He earned his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1998.

Business law and trial attorney Marcos G. Ronquillo has joined Fishman Jackson, PLLC, as a name partner in the newly renamed Fishman Jackson Ronquillo, PLLC, in Dallas.

Attorneys Jose L. Gonzalez and Teresa Guerra Snelson have also joined Ronquillo at the new firm along with paralegals Rachel Rangel and Dora Clark.

“Jose and I take pride in the accomplishments of our trial teams over a span of three decades,” says Ronquillo. “Along with Teresa, we look forward to complementing the real estate and transactional practices at the firm. I also look forward to continuing my diverse law practice, community engagement and having my name on the door again.”

Ronquillo has more than 30 years of experience representing governmental agencies and businesses, including the Dallas Independent School District, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Fortune 500 companies in high-profile controversies focusing on public policy and social issues. He is a former name partner with Dallas legal icons Adelfa B. Callejo and Donald E. Godwin.

Ronquillo is the recipient of numerous professional honors. Latino Leaders magazine recently named him one of the “25 Most Influential Hispanic Lawyers” in the country. He also has been awarded a Presidential Citation by the State Bar of Texas and received the Outstanding Lawyer of the Year Award from the Texas Mexican Bar Association.

Ronquillo is  former president of the Mexican American Bar Association of Dallas, now known as the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, and former chairman of the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“We are excited to have Marcos and his team join our firm to complement and expand our legal services to our clients in litigation, real estate and public-private partnerships,” says Fishman Jackson Ronquillo founding partner Edward Fishman.

For the fifth consecutive year, Farrell Fritz has received a Tier 1 Ranking by Best Lawyers. The listing will be in the 2017 Edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms.”

Farrell Fritz has been ranked as a Tier 1 firm on Long Island in Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Trusts & Estates and Trusts & Estates Law. The firm been ranked as a Tier 2 firm on Long Island in Health Care Law and Real Estate Law.

Rankings were derived from a combination of our clients’ feedback, peer review ratings and the information we provided in response to the Best Lawyers Law Firm Survey.

Matthew T. Connelly and Martin Syvertsen have joined Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago as associates in the Litigation Practice Group.

“We welcome Matthew and Martin to our firm,” said Anthony J. Carballo, a Freeborn partner and co-leader of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Team. “Both Matthew and Martin have valuable trial experience that will enhance our services to clients in all areas of complex disputes and litigation.”

Connelly previously served as a law clerk for Judge William J. Bauer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. As a law student, he served as an extern for Judge Jean C. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He also was a clerk at a law firm in St. Louis during law school.

Connelly received his law degree from Washington University School of Law, summa cum laude, and holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago.

Syvertsen served for seven years as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, Ill., most recently in the Complex Litigation Unit. He also previously practiced in the Federal Civil Rights and Torts Unit, as well as in the Felony Trial and Criminal Appeals Divisions, of the State’s Attorney’s Office. During his tenure with the State’s Attorney’s office, Syvertsen achieved numerous successful results in federal jury trials and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Syvertsen also currently serves as an adjunct professor in the trial advocacy program at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, from which he earned his law degree. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

D’Arcy Conrique, a 27-year-veteran of the international film industry, has joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP in its entertainment practice. Conrique, who comes to the firm from Akin Gump, will serve as senior advisor for entertainment contracts.

Conrique has a background in film production and distribution and has been involved in the review and drafting of agreements for single-picture production loan financing and credit facility transactions.

“We are very excited about the depth of knowledge and relationships that D’Arcy brings to our entertainment team and what he can offer to clients,” said Jason Karlov, chair of the Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group at Barnes & Thornburg. “It is yet another example of our strategic growth and the progress being made to make sure we have experienced professionals covering all the critical disciplines on behalf of our clients in the entertainment, music and sports industries.”

Prior to entering private practice, Conrique was president of production and distribution of Arcadia Film Group, a production and distribution company that handled worldwide distribution and production of motion picture film properties. His industry experience includes serving as a senior sales executive at J&M Entertainment, a London-based film production and distribution company, and senior vice president of The Kushner-Locke Company, a publicly traded mini-major film studio.

“Bringing D’Arcy on board deepens our commitment to our film finance practice and our clients,” said Carolyn Hunt, who heads up Barnes & Thornburg’s film finance practice. “He is a well-respected and recognized industry professional and we are excited to have him on board to assist in our ability to deliver cost-effective transactions for our film and television clients.”

Active in the industry, Conrique is a member of the Producers Guild of America – Diversity Committee, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and an active participant in the Independent Film and Television Alliance. He earned his B.A. in 1987 from California State University-Los Angeles.

Dallas lawyer Deborah Hankinson has earned recognition in Benchmark Litigation as a Local Litigation Star among Texas appellate attorneys. It is the second time the former Texas Supreme Court justice has been selected for this prestigious honor.

Produced by London-based Legal Media Group, Benchmark Litigation is the only publication to focus exclusively on U.S. litigators and litigation-focused law firms. Attorneys undergo rigorous screening by the publication’s editorial team. The team also conducts extensive face-to-face interviews with judges, leading appellate lawyers and general counsel of Fortune 500 companies to make its final selections.

In a release, the firm said:

Benchmark Litigation is just the latest honor earned in 2016 by Ms. Hankinson. In recognition of her mediation, arbitration and appellate work, earlier this year she also was named to:

• The Texas Super Lawyers list of the state’s top legal practitioners for a 14^th consecutive year.
• The Best Lawyers in America for 2017. Best Lawyers is among the oldest and most respected legal guides based in the United States.
• Texas Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her tenure on the Texas Supreme Court and for her role in the establishment of the Texas Access to Justice Commission.
• The National Law Journal’s inaugural ADR Champions listing, recognizing the top 48 alternative dispute resolution trailblazers from across the nation.
• D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas for an 11^th time.

Global law firm Hogan Lovells and Fujian Fidelity Law Firm have entered into a formal association in the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone.

This move reflects the firm’s growth strategy in Asia and the importance of the region to many of the firm’s global clients, the firm said in a release.

The release continues:

Fidelity was established in 1989 and is one of the largest law firms in the Fujian province. The firm has around 170 lawyers and covers a wide range of legal services, but has a particularly strong track record in corporate and M&A, insolvency and liquidation, financial securities, real estate and construction, and arbitration and litigation work. They currently have seven offices, including the one within the Shanghai FTZ. Hogan Lovells partners Andrew McGinty and Zhen (Katie) Feng will be leading the relationship with Fidelity and the promotion of the joint services from the two firms to clients.

Hogan Lovells has been actively following recent developments in the Shanghai FTZ and is only the third international law firm to enter into an association in the Shanghai FTZ.

Patrick Sherrington, Asia Pacific and Middle East Regional Managing Partner, said: “This is an exciting time in Asia. The establishment of the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone by the Chinese government and the implementation of the new rules allowing foreign law firms in China to team up with a Chinese firm have dramatically changed the landscape. We see the association as a value driver for many of our clients whose needs are increasingly complex in this market. Multinationals have been quick to demonstrate their interest in the industry-specific liberalization policies within the Shanghai FTZ, while other investors have been drawn in by the simplified approval procedures. We look forward to serving these and other international and local clients, particularly those seeking to invest overseas. Fidelity is a high quality, innovative and well-respected firm.”

Steve Immelt, CEO of Hogan Lovells added: “Asia is critical to our global strategy and the Shanghai FTZ offers an exciting opportunity to expand our service offering in the region. The landscape is moving quickly there – so we need to be on the ground to cater for the increasingly complex needs of our clients in this market. We are excited about the prospects of our collaboration with Fidelity.”

Wang Ping, Managing Partner at Fidelity’s new Shanghai FTZ office, added: “We’ve been looking forward to this moment for quite some time. As Fidelity has been entrenched in Fujian for many years, the establishment of a branch in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone—the most important commercial center in the country—is our first foray outside of the Fujian Province. This is a critical step toward Fidelity becoming a large and significant national firm. We are very honored to be launching an association with Hogan Lovells, as we’ll be able to draw on each other’s strengths to fully realize our potential and to offer our clients a high-quality, professional, and seamless service. Furthermore, the association will give Fidelity even more opportunities to learn from a large, global law firm like Hogan Lovells and allow us to grow. We firmly believe that the association between Fidelity and Hogan Lovells will be a success, and will serve as an exemplary collaboration between a Chinese and foreign law firm.”

Matthew Graves has joined DLA Piper’s litigation practice as a partner in the Washington, DC office.

Graves, who will also be part of DLA Piper’s White Collar practice, previously served as the acting chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

In a release, the firm said he has extensive experience with white collar resolutions, foreign data privacy laws, and multi-agency investigations with US governing bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of the Treasury. He is also among the few lawyers who have prosecuted financial institutions for violating US sanctions laws.

The release continues:

“Matt is a highly respected trial lawyer whose background in white collar litigation and experience working at the US Attorney’s Office will complement our global platform, and help our clients navigate the complex regulatory and enforcement environment,” said Loren Brown, global and US co-chair of DLA Piper’s Litigation practice.

Graves will assist clients on complex civil litigation matters across industries including securities, healthcare, tax, election and export control laws. His practice includes counseling clients facing public integrity and anti-corruption challenges, including violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, contractual disputes and various forms of financial fraud.

“Washington, DC is the epicenter of federal government regulatory enforcement, and Matt’s government experience strengthens our presence in the market,” said Mary Gately, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Washington, DC office. “We expect Matt to quickly become a significant contributor to the firm’s sector-based practices in areas including financial services.”

Graves is the recipient of an FBI Service Award and six US Attorney’s Office Special Achievement Awards. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, and his B.A. from Washington and Lee University.

Paul Matecki has joined Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. in St. Louis as of counsel and a member of the firm’s Securities & Financial Services industry group.

Matecki has more than three decades of experience counseling financial services firms, according to a release from the firm. He most recently served as general counsel for Raymond James Financial Inc., leading all legal and corporate governance functions for the public bank holding company.

The firm’s release continues:

“We are thrilled to welcome Paul to Greensfelder to add to our already deep bench of experienced attorneys with diverse knowledge and background in business, accounting and the securities industry,” said Christopher A. Pickett, an Officer and leader of the firm’s Securities & Financial Services industry group. “Paul brings unique business and legal insights, with a particular focus on compliance and regulatory issues, that will be great assets to our growing group of clients including financial institutions and wealth management groups, broker-dealers and investment advisors.”

Mr. Matecki said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to join Greensfelder and its team of experienced securities and financial services attorneys. I also look forward to helping the firm continue to grow and enhance its already robust service offerings for its financial industry clients in the region and throughout the nation.”

Mr. Matecki has worked extensively on securities litigation and regulatory matters, as well as issues of corporate governance. In his 27 years with Raymond James Financial Inc., Mr. Matecki was heavily involved in resolving regulatory actions by the SEC, FINRA and all 50 states to significant advantage for the firm, as well as trying and managing litigation matters to successful resolution. He also worked to establish a culture of compliance and risk reduction while strengthening the firm’s legal and business infrastructure and closed multiple M&A transactions, helping the firm expand to become one of the industry’s largest.

A former member of the General Counsel Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Mr. Matecki has been a frequent presenter at conferences hosted by SIFMA. He also has been an active member and speaker for the Association of Corporate Counsel and previously served on the FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, NYSE Supervisors’ Continuing Education Training Committee, and SIFMA Arbitration and State Regulation and Legislation Committees.

Mr. Matecki earned his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law and also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College.