Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Erica Garrison has joined the firm as a partner in the Economic Development Practice Group.

“Erica has spent the past 17 years of her career interacting with various agencies of the Metropolitan Government and working daily on land-use and development issues with many development teams in the city, helping them to site and permit controversial and exceptional projects alike. This experience provides her with a unique understanding of municipal and state regulatory laws and how they impact companies with a presence in Nashville,” said Bradley Nashville Office Managing Partner Lauren B. Jacques. “We are thrilled to welcome Erica to the team and know that her understanding of the interaction of law, politics, and policy will enhance our capabilities to serve our clients.”

Bradley’s Economic Development Practice Group’s depth and breadth enable the firm to handle projects throughout the United States with a creative, multidisciplinary approach. The firm’s attorneys have handled some of the largest deals in the country.

Ms. Garrison concentrates her practice on assisting clients involved in transactions with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and other local governments. She also works on land use and zoning issues and permitting projects associated with complex projects and identifies and obtains state and local incentives for businesses looking to relocate to Tennessee. Ms. Garrison also performs procurement work for clients and regularly represents clients on a variety of state regulatory matters before various boards and commissions.

Ms. Garrison’s background includes working as an associate with the Metropolitan Department of Law in Nashville, which gives her insight into how government works and how to best interact with the various entities in the Nashville business landscape. She earned her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame and her B.A. from DePauw University. Ms. Garrison is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations, as well as a past member of the Harry Phillips America Inns of Court. She also has served on the board of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, the Board of West End United Methodist Church, the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and she volunteers her time with Legal-Aid and at her children’s school, University School of Nashville.

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.

Stroock’s 2021 Expansion Continues – Financial Services & Regulatory Litigation Pro Joins DC Office

Washington, D.C. – December 13, 2021 – Adding its 14th lateral partner within the last year, Stroock welcomes Allen Denson in the Washington D.C. office. He joins the firm’s Financial Services Litigation, Regulatory and Enforcement group.

“With exceptional experience at the government level and in private practice, Allen brings deep insight into the government’s approach to consumer financial services regulation,” said Julia Strickland, head of Stroock’s Financial Services Litigation, Regulatory and Enforcement group. “A perfect fit for our already impressive team, he will bolster our ability to provide comprehensive, strategic solutions to our clients’ critical regulatory challenges.”

Allen advises financial services companies on regulatory examinations, investigations, enforcement actions, litigation and inquiries by various federal and state bodies. He joins from Venable, where he also represented clients in significant Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigations.

Earlier in his career, Allen served as senior attorney with Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at the U.S. Treasury Department and oversaw investigations, litigation and regulatory inquiries involving consumer protection issues

“Stroock provides an excellent opportunity for me to continue my work on behalf of financial services clients alongside a team with extensive knowledge of the regulatory and political framework,” Allen said. “I’m looking forward to helping clients successfully address the ever-expanding range of regulatory requirements as part of this team.”

Allen earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and his B.A. from the College of William & Mary.

Stroock has been steadily building key practices this year. In just the past month, the Corporate Practice welcomed two new partners into its Commodities, Derivatives and Energy team and a new partner into its Private Funds and Asset Management team ,while Real Estate added a new partner in the Miami office, which also welcomed three new litigators within the past few months.

“We are thrilled to welcome Allen to the firm. Our onboarding of 14 partners in the last 12 months is a tangible result of our strategic plan,” Co-managing Partner Jeff Keitelman said. “Expanding the services and skills we offer our clients is a key priority.”

The law firm of Abramoff Neuberger LLP is pleased to announce it will now be known as Rosen Neuberger Lehmann LLP. The new name reflects the substantial accomplishments of Richard S. Lehmann and Steven M. Rosen since the founding of the Firm. The Firm also wishes to acknowledge the new direction of David Abramoff, who will continue assisting the Firm’s clients, through a new boutique firm concentrating in property tax appeals.

“We are grateful to David for his significant contributions to the Firm and wish him every success in his new venture. We look forward to continue collaborating with David for the benefit of our clients,” said Steven L. Hawtof, managing partner of the Firm. “We at Rosen Neuberger Lehmann have, for more than 36 years, provided thoughtful, creative and experienced counsel to some of the region’s most prominent commercial real estate and business clients. We are focused on the future and the continued growth and success of the Firm and our clients.”

Since 1985, Rosen Neuberger Lehmann LLP’s mission is to provide superior counsel to clients of every size and scope. Today, the Firm is recognized as a leader in the areas of business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and real estate acquisitions, development, leasing, financing and dispositions. Combining an entrepreneurial spirit with strong legal know-how, the Firm offers innovative structures, techniques and strategies to best help clients realize their objectives.

RICHMOND, Va. (December 13, 2021) – The Virginia law firm, Gentry Locke, is pleased to announce the addition of Andrew (Drew) E. Hayhurst to its Richmond office, where he will assist clients with commercial transactions.

“We are excited to welcome Drew to the firm,” said Gentry Locke Managing Partner Monica T. Monday. “Drew is an excellent addition to our growing transactional practice.”

Hayhurst joins Gentry Locke from an AmLaw 100 firm where he worked on business and corporate issues. He earned his B.A. from The University of Mississippi and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. In law school, Hayhurst served as Articles Editor for the Wake Forest Journal of Law and Policy and was named Best Negotiator in Wake Forest’s Transactional Law Competition.

About Gentry Locke
With 70 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Richmond, Virginia, Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the United States. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring www.gentrylocke.com.

RICHMOND, Va. (December 13, 2021) – Gentry Locke Consulting is pleased to announce the addition of Zachary LeMaster.

LeMaster will provide strategic communications guidance to clients to help advance their legal and policy goals.

“Zach’s experience with the Virginia General Assembly will be a tremendous asset to our clients,” said President of Gentry Locke Consulting, Greg Habeeb. “Zach’s experiences have given him deep insight into the Virginia economy, and he looks forward to guiding businesses as we enter a new era in Virginia.”

Gentry Locke Consulting is now the only firm that can offer clients the capabilities of two former legislators, one Democrat and one Republican, and senior House and Senate staff members from both parties, to help clients achieve their goals.

Most recently, LeMaster served as a legislative aide to Virginia Senate Minority Leader Thomas K. Norment, Jr. Since 2012, he has worked on numerous political campaigns in the Commonwealth. He earned his B.S. from James Madison University.

Gentry Locke Consulting is a full-service public affairs, strategic communications, and marketing firm that empowers clients to advocate, communicate, and market effectively by providing high-quality, tailored, and client-centric services. Learn more at www.gentrylocke.consulting.

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Is a Merger Between Information Security and Data Governance Imminent?

Byline: George Tziahanas, Managing Director and Kevin Novak, Managing Director at Breakwater Solutions

Background

As with any merger, it is always difficult to predict an outcome until the final deal papers are signed, and press releases hit the wires. However, there are clear indications that a tie up between these two is essential, and we will all be the better for it. Data Governance has historically focused on the use of data in a business, legal and compliance context rather than how it should be protected, while the opposite is true for Information Security.

The idea of interweaving Data Governance and Information Security is not entirely new. Gartner discussed this in their Data Security Governance Model, EDRM integrated multiple stakeholders including Information Security, Privacy, Legal and Risk into an overarching Unified Data Governance model., and an integrated approach to Governance, Risk, and Compliance has long been an aspiration in the eGRC market. Organizations that have more mature programs are likely to have some level of integration between these functions already, but many continue to struggle with the idea and often treat them as separate, siloed programs.

As programs go, Information Security is ahead of Data Governance for its level of attention in the Boardroom; brought about primarily by news-worthy events that demonstrated what security and privacy practitioners had warning about for a long time. These critical risks to the public and private sectors inspired significant, sweeping frameworks and industry standards(PCI, NIST, ISO, ISACA, SOC2) and regulatory legislation (HIPAA, GDPR, NYDS), and gave Information Security Officers (CISOs) a platform for change.

By contrast, data governance has been more fragmented in its definition, organization, development, and funding. Many organizations accept the value of data governance, particularly as a proactive means to minimize risk, while enabling expansive use of information required in today’s business environment. However, enterprises still struggle to balance information risk and value, and establishing the right enablers and controls.

Drivers

Risks and affirmative obligations associated with information are the primary drivers for the intersection of data governance and information security. The reason that information security is so critical is that the loss ((through exfiltration or loss of access due to ransomware) of certain types of data carry legal and compliance consequences, along with impacting normal business operations. And a lack of effective legal and compliance controls often lead to increased information security and privacy risk.
Additional common drivers include:

Volume, velocity, mobility, and sensitivity of information
Volume and complexity of legal, compliance, and privacy requirements
Hybrid technology and business environments
Multinational governance models and operations
Headline and business interruption risks

Finally, an underlying driver is the need to leverage investments in technology, practices, and personnel across an organization. The interrelationships of so many information requirements simply demands a more coordinated approach.

Merging the Models

We chose Information Risk Management, to define a construct that encompasses the overarching disciplines and requirements. First, we did so because it places the focus on information. For example, the same piece of information that requires protection, may also have retention and discovery requirements. Second, risk management recognizes the need to balance the value and use of information from a business perspective, while also providing appropriate governance or protection. Risk management also serves as an important means to evaluate priorities in investment, resources, and audit functions.

Figure 1: Information Risk Management

The primary objective is to integrate processes, people, and solutions into a framework that addresses common requirements; and does so “in depth” for both. Security people, practices and technologies have long-been deployed at many levels (in-depth) to protect the organization. The same has not often been the case for governance (legal, compliance, and privacy) obligations. New practices and technologies are enablers for ntersecting programs, and support alignment amongst key constituencies, including Information Security, IT, Legal, Privacy, Risk and Compliance. Done right, this provides leverage in an organization’s human and technology investments, improves risk posture, and increases the rate and reach of new practices and solutions.

Meshing disciplines and elements of each program are not meant as a new organizational construct; rather, it should start with a firm understanding of information requirements from key stakeholders; and from there establish synergies. The list below, not meant to be exclusive, provides examples of shared enabling practices and technologies:

Conclusion

Integrating data governance, information security and privacy frameworks allows an enterprise to gain leverage from areas of common investment and provides a more comprehensive enterprise risk management strategy. By improving proactive information management, organizations increase preventative control effectiveness and decrease reliance on detection and response activities. It also develops cross functional capabilities across Privacy, Legal, Compliance, IT, and Information Security.

Security and privacy teams become more knowledgeable about business and upstream content creation, collaboration, and operational requirements, while legal and compliance teams gain better insight into the world of IT and Information Security. This provides increased scale and decreased time during incident response, broader analysis of potential enterprise risks, and improved efficacy and responsiveness during recovery activities. Overall developing a more integrated approach to information risk management provides a foundation for success in even the most tumultuous times of change.

In 1996, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C. (“SDV”) opened its doors with three lawyers in a small office in New Haven, Connecticut. Twenty-five years later, SDV is a national firm with more than 40 lawyers in four office locations. This year also marks the fifth anniversary of SDV’s West Coast Office in Temecula, California. Over the past five years, the office has grown exponentially and continues to expand its highly skilled team of legal professionals.

SDV West Coast Managing Partner, Jeremiah Welch, commemorates twenty-six years of practice this year. Since joining SDV in 2007, he has devoted his career to advocating on behalf of corporate policyholders, navigating issues involving all lines of insurance coverage. Practicing across the country, Jeremiah assists clients in all areas related to insurance coverage law, from coverage placement and drafting contracts to complex litigation, with a wealth of experience strategizing risk transfer. He has represented major stakeholders in some of the most significant construction disasters of the past decade, including the Florida University bridge collapse, the Louisiana Hard Rock Hotel collapse, and the “tilting” San Francisco Millennium Tower. Jeremiah also played a key role as coverage counsel to stakeholders in the post-9/11 World Trade Center debris removal litigation.

“To me, this practice is about helping people I care about to solve problems through the application of analytical thinking, creativity, and tenacity. I love a challenge – like starting a new office on the other side of the country. The growth of the California office is a success story that is really about passing the vision and values of our founding partners on to a new generation of lawyers. I am fortunate to be surrounded here by some of the most talented and effective future leaders in our profession,” Jeremiah states.

Offering significant value to relationships is the core of SDV’s success. Strong relationships with like-minded individuals help SDV thrive and earn the respect of its clients and colleagues. The firm has stayed true to that model to this day.

SDV is among the elite law firms in the country representing policyholders in insurance coverage disputes and one of the even fewer national firms whose practice is focused exclusively in this area. Our clients span a broad range, from individuals to international corporations, and reach across all industries. No matter who or where you are, SDV is the right choice for policyholders.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that James (Jim) Go has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property practice as a partner in its Seattle office.

Jim focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patents in the related fields of electrical and computer engineering. He provides counsel on patent reexaminations, preparation and prosecution, opinion of patent infringement and validity, strategic intellectual property planning, patent portfolio management, due diligence, litigation support and general intellectual property matters.

“The depth and breadth of Jim’s IP background will be of great benefit to our clients across the technology sector, many of whom have large and complex IP portfolios,” said David Fournier, firmwide chair of Perkins Coie’s Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Counseling practice. “Jim has a highly successful track record in helping his clients procure, manage, and enforce their IP and we’re excited to welcome him to our Intellectual Property practice.”

Jim counsels clients across range of technology industry sectors, including computer software and hardware, Internet and electronic commerce technology, digital and analog circuits, photonics, semiconductor processes, networking, communications and related technologies.

“Jim’s patent prosecution and counseling experience will be an asset to our clients in Seattle and beyond and particularly as we continue to see strong demand for our IP-related legal services,” said Perkins Coie’s Seattle office managing partner James Williams. “We are continuing to make strategic investments in our Seattle office and business practices and are thrilled that an attorney of Jim’s caliber has joined us.”

Jim earned his J.D. from the Santa Clara University Law School. He also holds an M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. He joins Perkins Coie from Christenson O’Connor Johnson Kindness, where he was an intellectual property member. Previously, Jim was the managing partner of the Seattle office of Blakely Sokoloff Taylor and Zafman, where he also served on the firmwide management committee.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high value, strategic solutions, and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 attorneys in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.

Davis+Gilbert has announced the largest round of promotions in its recent history, with eight lawyers joining the partnership and three lawyers elevated to counsel, effective January 1, 2022. The class is almost equally divided between women and men, and 73% of the promoted attorneys are members of historically underrepresented groups.

“This is an extremely strong group of attorneys representing six of our practice areas where we have seen tremendous growth,” said chairman Ron Urbach. “We are proud to promote such a large, diverse class with an incredible level of experience, expertise and knowledge.”

The class breakdown by practice is: three in Corporate + Transactions; two in Litigation + Dispute Resolution; two in Labor + Employment; two in Real Estate; one in Advertising + Marketing; and one in Benefits + Compensation.

The new partners, along with their areas of practice are:
Sharon Cohen, Labor + Employment
David Fisher, Labor + Employment
Maxine Sharavsky Garrett, Advertising + Marketing
Jessica L. Ho, Corporate + Transactions
Corey Kaplan, Real Estate
Charles Mileski, Real Estate
Marc Rogers, Jr., Corporate + Transactions
Jacklyn M. Siegel, Litigation + Dispute Resolution

Lawyers elevated to counsel include:
Daniel A. Dingerson, Litigation + Dispute Resolution
Matt Hanley, Corporate + Transactions
Gabrielle White, Benefits + Compensation

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that Shannon L. Meade is joining the firm as Executive Director of the Workplace Policy Institute® (WPI™) in the Washington, D.C., office, effective December 20. Previously, Meade was Vice President of Public Policy and Legal Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association, which advocates on behalf of more than 500,000 restaurant businesses.

“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to add an executive of Shannon’s caliber,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s Managing Director and President. “Having known and worked closely with Shannon over the years, we know firsthand her depth of experience, aptitude in shaping public policy and passion for representing the interests of employers. I’m thrilled to welcome her to the firm and the WPI leadership team.”

Meade brings nearly two decades of labor and employment public policy experience to WPI, which engages all branches of government to ensure that employers have a voice in legislative and regulatory developments that impact their workplaces and business strategies. Her arrival coincides with the spate of labor and employment related activity in Washington, from President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation to various COVID-19 vaccination employer mandates.

“Shannon’s political acumen and role overseeing the public affairs policy team for the largest foodservice trade association in the world will be invaluable to our clients,” said Michael Lotito and Maury Baskin, co-chairs of WPI, in a joint statement. “At WPI, we are focused on engaging the employer community to define and shape the myriad of transformative issues impacting their businesses and the future of work. Shannon brings a wealth of experience that will benefit employers in navigating a rapidly changing environment.”

As WPI’s Executive Director, Meade will partner with and advocate on behalf of the employer community to affect workplace policies at the state and federal levels. She will also continue in her role as Executive Director of the Emma Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization co-founded by Littler and the National Restaurant Association. The Emma Coalition is dedicated to addressing the technology-induced displacement of employment (TIDE™) through education, training and engagement with policymakers.

“I am honored to join Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute, which continues to be a prominent player at the intersection of labor and employment law, policy and advocacy in Washington,” said Meade. “WPI is leading the charge on many of the critical workplace policies considered today on Capitol Hill and in statehouses across the country. I look forward to leveraging my knowledge and experience to effectively advocate for policies that best support Littler’s clients and the broader employer community.”

Meade joined the National Restaurant Association in 2016 and most recently advocated before Congress and the Executive Branch on the association’s key priorities, including labor, workforce development and immigration issues. In addition, she represented the restaurant industry and developed strategic advocacy campaigns on federal and state regulatory reform impacting the restaurant industry.

Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, Meade served as Senior Director of Government and Political Affairs for the National Association of Travel Plaza and Truck Stop Operators. In that role, she developed and implemented the association’s legislative agenda, including labor and workforce, transportation and infrastructure, energy and environment, healthcare and tax policy issues. Meade also previously served as a Director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she provided legislative analysis, advice and advocacy on energy and environmental issues facing business and industry.

Meade’s congressional experience includes serving as Chief of Staff (2015) and Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director (2011-2014) for U.S. Representative Kay Granger (R-TX), Legislative Assistant (2007-2009) for U.S. Representative Jon Porter (R-NV), and Professional Staff Member (2004-2006) for the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight under Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA).

Meade is a well-known and accomplished speaker on workforce and employment matters, and has presented to local, regional and national trade and employer associations. She received her J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University and her B.A. from Emory & Henry College.

About Littler

With more than 1,600 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse global team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow. For more information, visit www.littler.com.

The Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group is pleased to announce the addition of family law attorney Corinne A. Huston to its talented team of legal professionals. Huston brings several years of experience, specializing in family law, guardianship, adoption, and mediation.
“We are excited to bring Corinne to the team,” said Rebecca Palmer, Owner and Managing Partner of the firm. “Her area of focus and background is a strong addition to our growing firm, and we cannot wait to see how she positively impacts our firm and our clients.”
As the firm’s newest family law attorney, Huston has experience advocating depositions, researching legal precedence, and counseling clients in family law. Having worked in law firms in Orlando, Gainesville, and Tampa, she stood out as a young and determined attorney who excelled in whatever role given.
“I am honored to join such a distinguished law firm,” said Huston. “The Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group provides a fantastic opportunity for my career. I am excited to leverage my experience and grow as an attorney, to help best serve our firm’s team and clients.”
Huston started her legal career as a legal assistant at Hancock Law Firm shortly after graduating from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She then started her law degree at the University of Florida while serving as a legal intern at Virgil D. Hawkins Family Advocacy Clinic. After graduating with her J.D. from the University of Florida, she started her attorney career at Coye Law Firm before taking an attorney position at Wicker, Smith, O’Hara, McCoy & Ford.
About Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group
Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group is dedicated to clients who find themselves coping with some of the most critical and emotional changes of their lives, such as dissolution of a marriage, determination of paternity, or fighting for custody of minor children. These are episodes in which the best result – a positive change – is achieved via an extraordinary level of trust, integrity, and empathy, in addition to a well-focused set of legal skills. The firm offers that rare combination in the service of our clients. For more information, visit www.rlplawgroup.com

Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson Names Scott Downing as Managing Partner

Firm veteran takes over managing partner duties for nationally recognized Family Law firm

DALLAS – Family Law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson has named Scott Downing managing partner of the firm’s North Texas offices.

“Scott is ready to resume the daily duties of the firm as our partner Brad LaMorgese’s law practice proudly grows,” said firm partner Keith Nelson. “We are glad to make a smooth transition back to Scott.”

Mr. Downing, the firm’s original managing partner, is taking over the role from partner Brad LaMorgese.

An ONDA partner since 1995, Mr. Downing is a skilled trial attorney with a reputation for being a fierce courtroom advocate. Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he is known for his expertise in complex high-dollar property and custody cases.

“I’m proud for the opportunity to be in this position once again,” said Mr. Downing. “We are a firm that works to put our clients first, and I appreciate the position of managing our team to find solutions for our clients.”

Mr. Downing is often recognized by peers for his work in Family Law, including Best Lawyers in America and the Texas Super Lawyers list of the Top 100 lawyers in Texas. He is also a recipient of The National Law Journal’s Divorce, Trusts & Estates Trailblazers honor.

An award-winning writer, Mr. Downing often writes about Family Law issues involving marital property, drawing on his considerable experience to explore the nuanced intersection of the law and forensic accounting, as well as complex business valuations and questions about individual and community property.

Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson has served families for almost 30 years. With offices in Dallas, Frisco, Fort Worth and San Antonio, ONDA is one of Texas’ largest Family Law firms. Each partner is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, as well as a member of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists.

Ironclad Delivers Complete Visibility to Business Contracts
The Digital Contracting company unveils cutting-edge product features to help customers see, act and analyze in-flight contracts

SAN FRANCISCO (December 9, 2021) — At today’s State of Digital Contracting event, Ironclad unveiled powerful new capabilities to provide visibility into in-flight contracts and engagement data, including digital turn tracking for contract negotiation, a more powerful contract dashboard, and Insights, a new way to understand digital contract data.

In a digital first world with ever increasing contract volumes, speed and accuracy for contracts become crucial for conducting business. Bottlenecks in the contract process can lead to delayed or even lost revenue with half of business leaders reporting lost business due to contract inefficiencies according to a recent survey.

“At Globe Life Field, we have about 2,100 seats and 120 suites that can be sold or rented with contracts tied to them. We knew there was an incredible amount of contract data available to us, but we hadn’t yet dived into the full potential,” said Katie Morgan, VP of Business Analytics for the Texas Rangers. “With Ironclad’s support from the beginning to end of the contract process, we are now able to provide accurate, financial forecasting to key stakeholders, while also using contracts to inform our marketing, sales and pricing strategies with the most accurate information available.”

To overcome the challenges from contract bottlenecks, decision makers need visibility and insights into the entire contract lifecycle: they need to see how contracts are moving through the approval process to preemptively address blockers that are holding up priority deals. This type of visibility is only possible with a deep understanding of contracts that starts with contract creation, combined with the right tools to make that deep understanding actionable. To make this a reality, Ironclad has introduced these new features:

Turn Tracking. With this first-of-its-kind feature, Ironclad enables Legal teams to prioritize their time by showing them which contracts need their attention and which are waiting for the counterparty. When multiple contracts are being redlined at the same time and business timelines are tight, having this visibility enables parties to act quickly and decisively. Turn Tracking can also monitor behavior to anticipate a turn change as it happens, removing manual back-and-forth and speeding deal cycle times. Finally, because Turn Tracking is integrated with the Ironclad Dashboard, everyone can see the team’s workload and processes, and identify and repair bottlenecks when they arise.
Insights. With Ironclad Insights, decision makers will now have access to data right in their CLM and be able to visualize it with charts and reports. With improved visibility, teams can analyze the contracting process, efficiency and throughput and ask the important questions like “How long is it taking to execute my agreements?” and “Is work being distributed evenly across my team right now?”
Ironclad Dashboard. The Ironclad Dashboard has been updated with a new look and powerful new functionality. The new Ironclad Dashboard houses all a company’s agreements in one place. Now, users will be able to create custom views for the in-flight agreements that matter most.

In addition to these new features, Ironclad announced updates to its Salesforce integration to combine deal data from Salesforce with contract data from Ironclad, providing clarity and visibility to teams that eliminates the “black box” that obfuscates deal status at the end of the quarter with a data-backed solution, instead of a gut feeling.

“At the end of the quarter, I look to Ironclad for forecasting more so than even Salesforce, because it gives me visibility into which deals are in redlines, which are with Legal review, and which are likely to close,” said Dean Cormier, Chief Sales Officer at Ironclad. “By combining the contract data with the sales data, I have the visibility needed to accurately forecast. Now our customers will be able to unlock more accurate forecasts as well.”

The new product features were showcased at Ironclad’s latest State of Digital Contracting event where attendees learned a new approach to contract management. Additionally, attendees heard from Texas Rangers General Counsel, Katie Pothier on how they handle contract data.

To learn more about these new features or the State of Digital Contracting summit, visit ironcladapp.com.

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About Ironclad
Ironclad is the leading digital contracting platform. L’Oréal, Staples, Mastercard, and other leading innovators use Ironclad to collaborate and negotiate on contracts, accelerate contracting while maintaining compliance, and turn contracts into critical carriers of operational business intelligence. It’s the only platform flexible enough to handle every type of contract workflow, whether a sales agreement, an HR agreement or a complex NDA. The company was named one of the 20 Rising Stars on the Forbes Cloud 100 list, and is backed by leading investors like Accel, Y Combinator, Sequoia, and BOND.

To learn more, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Relations
Patrick Murphy
BLASTmedia on behalf of Ironclad
press@ironcladhq.com

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce the names of its 42 newly elected partners and 20 lawyers newly promoted to counsel, listed below by office and area of practice. These individuals will become partners and counsel in the firm effective January 1, 2022.
“This class of partners and counsel embody our talent, teamwork, results ethos,” said Mike Schmidtberger, chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “They are world-class lawyers from offices across the globe devoted to their clients and their colleagues. We are proud to have them join the partnership or advance to counsel in the new year.”
“We had a significant increase in the number of lawyers that became partner and counsel this year,” said Larry Barden, chair of Sidley’s Management Committee. “These are the future leaders of the firm and they have earned the respect of all of our clients and partners and we look forward to their continued contributions to our success.”
The new Sidley partners are as follows:
Boston
Elizabeth A. Marino, Regulatory and Enforcement, assists broker-dealers, investment advisers, financial institutions and exchanges with regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.

Doreen M. Rachal, Litigation, focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and criminal and civil government investigations, including grand jury matters. She also has experience with complex civil litigation, asset forfeiture, healthcare fraud litigation, securities litigation and enforcement, and compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act and related anti-money laundering requirements.

Century City
Mark K. Castiglia, M&A and Private Equity, works on global corporate and private equity transaction matters with a focus on privately held companies, private equity funds, and strategic investors in connection with mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity offerings, corporate restructurings, and general corporate matters.

Gabrielle Cuskelly, Real Estate, focuses heavily toward the hospitality industry where she advises private equity funds, management companies, investment banks, institutional lenders, life insurance companies, and other real estate investors on both cross-border and domestic transactions.

Keith Hayden Del Prete, Real Estate, focuses on advising owners, investors, lenders and operators in connection with acquisitions, dispositions, and financings of traditional real estate and hospitality properties.

Emily Zipperstein, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on mergers and acquisitions, as well as digital media and commercial transactions.

Chicago
Kelechi E. Adibe, Global Finance, represents and advises commercial banks, direct lending funds, investment banks, private equity and financial sponsors, hedge funds, insurance companies, and public and private companies. His work spans a wide range of financial markets and deal sizes, from middle market financings to investment grade and large corporate borrower financings.

Karim Basaria, Litigation, represents individual and corporate clients in white collar and securities enforcement matters, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation.

Christopher Y. Lee, Litigation, practices in the areas of securities and shareholder claims, general commercial litigation, particularly relating to software development and implementation disputes, and commodities and futures disputes and investigations.

Joseph P. Michaels, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and corporate finance transactions. Joe also advises public and private companies regarding corporate governance, SEC disclosure, fiduciary duties, and general corporate matters.

Joseph E. Schwartz, Investment Funds, focuses his practice on the formation and operation of private funds and M&A transactions in the investment management space. His private fund formation practice spans across the liquidity spectrum, including hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, credit funds, special situation funds, and other alternative investment funds.

David K. Solow, Global Finance, focuses on representation of banks, alternative asset funds, asset-backed commercial paper conduits, corporate borrowers and other financial intermediaries in structured finance, asset securitization and secured lending transactions.

Matthew D. Stoker, M&A and Private Equity, concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital investments and emerging company representation, corporate governance and SEC disclosure matters.

Dallas
Karen Goldstein, Global Finance, focuses her practice on finance transactions, including acquisition financing, asset-based and leveraged lending, investment-grade lending, mezzanine financing and subordinated debt financing. Karen primarily represents private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers, and financial institutions.

Lauren G. Grau, M&A and Private Equity, advises emerging and public companies, private equity firms and individuals on a wide range of intellectual property-related issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, collaborations, strategic investments, financing transactions, licensing and services agreements. Her practice focuses on representing clients in the life sciences, telecommunications, information technology, software, media and consumer products sectors.

Hong Kong
David Kalani Lee, Investment Funds, focuses on M&A, venture capital and private equity investments, investment fund formation, joint ventures and general corporate and transactional matters. He has worked on a variety of complex cross-border M&A transactions in China, Japan and the U.S., including both inbound and outbound investments.

Claudia Yu, China Corporate and Finance, focuses on general commercial and corporate finance matters including initial public offerings, secondary offerings, mergers and acquisitions and Hong Kong Listing Rules compliance matters.

Houston
Atman Shukla, Energy and Infrastructure, focuses on mergers and acquisitions and investment transactions (including joint ventures) for clients in the energy and infrastructure space, including upstream, oilfield services, midstream and downstream (including power, refining and trading). Atman’s practice also includes aviation matters, particularly in the regional airline space and more recently in sustainable aviation.

London
Gordon Davidson, Restructuring, has extensive experience in complex domestic and cross-border financial restructurings, contentious and non-contentious insolvencies and workouts.

William Gwyn, Global Finance, has experience acting for private equity sponsors in leveraged finance transactions, high yield offerings, syndicated lending, refinancings and general banking.

Peter McCorkell, Labor, Employment and Immigration, advises on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment and employee benefits matters, with a focus on multinational corporate and financial services clients.

James Phythian-Adams, Insurance, focuses on corporate, commercial and regulatory work for insurance companies, insurance intermediaries, Lloyd’s managing agencies, and Lloyd’s syndicates.

New York
Azad Assadipour, Investment Funds, primarily advises buy-side clients in connection with all aspects of their trading, structuring, and documenting of derivatives and securities transactions. Azad works with a variety of clients including hedge funds, registered investment companies, private equity funds and their portfolio companies, pension funds, insurance companies, energy companies, sovereign entities, and other large corporate end users of derivatives.

Francesca E. Brody, Litigation, has experience representing clients in securities litigation and arbitrations. She has represented broker-dealers in more than a dozen FINRA securities arbitration proceedings.

William E. Curtin, Restructuring, focuses his practice on corporate reorganization, bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation, and other insolvency-related matters.

Simon Navarro, Litigation, focuses on international arbitration and litigation, with an emphasis on Latin America and Spain.

Charlotte Newell, Litigation, focuses her practice on stockholder class and derivative actions, M&A litigation, securities class actions, and investment fund matters.

Alan E. Rothman, Litigation, has extensive experience with the various facets of multidistrict litigation, class action and individual mass tort products liability litigation.

Jessica Wood, M&A and Private Equity, focuses her practice on corporate and securities matters, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, corporate governance, capital markets, and shareholder activism.

San Francisco
Rachelle Soderstrom, M&A and Private Equity, counsels clients on a range of technology and IP matters, primarily in the context of mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing, licensing, development, marketing, distribution, and manufacturing transactions.

Sue Wang, IP Litigation, focuses on patent litigation in the life sciences, with particular emphasis on biologics and biotechnology. She has represented clients in all stages of litigation, from pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal in federal court, and has argued claim construction and dispositive motions.

Singapore
Alexius Chong, Capital Markets, has extensive experience in a wide range of capital markets transactions in Asia and other markets, including representing issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings, private placements, high-yield and investment-grade debt offerings, and offerings of convertible and exchangeable debt, with a focus on Southeast Asia.

Shu Min Ho, Litigation, focuses on internal investigations and compliance counselling, and she has handled a wide spectrum of complex litigation and regulatory investigations. She has particular experience in cross-border investigations in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, with a focus on bribery, corruption, and money laundering issues.

Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Hardcastle, Healthcare and FDA, provides strategic regulatory counseling to a wide range of pre-commercial and established healthcare companies. She focuses her practice on healthcare regulatory and compliance matters and has extensive experience in federal healthcare program coverage, coding, and reimbursement issues; government price reporting; healthcare compliance programs; market access and healthcare contracting; and healthcare fraud and abuse.

Shawn M. Higgins, Litigation, has experience in a variety of trade remedy matters, including major anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations and reviews before the U.S. Department of Commerce and investigations before the International Trade Commission. Shawn also counsels companies, trade associations, and governments on issues related to international trade compliance and the use of World Trade Organization rules to open markets and resolve disputes.

Christopher Hutchison, Energy and Infrastructure, focuses on project finance, project and portfolio mergers and acquisitions, development financing, equity investments and joint ventures and related transactions in the renewable and conventional power markets as well as for infrastructure and industrial assets.

J. Simone Jones, Regulatory and Enforcement, focuses in complex environmental litigation and internal investigations, particularly in the automotive, chemical, and refining sectors.

Lauren Cranford Katzeff, IP Litigation, focuses her practice on litigation and regulatory issues facing life sciences and technology clients, primarily in the areas of biologics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and consumer electronics.

Christopher R. Mills, Regulatory and Enforcement, represents clients in examinations, investigations and enforcement actions involving the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, the Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other regulators.

Julia G. Mirabella, Litigation, advises clients on a broad range of issues in connection with government and internal investigations, special committee and board-led investigations, whistleblower complaints, and building, enhancing and testing compliance programs.

Benjamin M. Mundel, Litigation, represents leading pharmaceutical, telecommunications and financial services firms at trial and arbitration.

Jon S. Zucker, Healthcare and FDA, works with clients and investors to structure and negotiate sophisticated transactions and address complex regulatory challenges. He frequently serves as healthcare regulatory counsel for major acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, strategic affiliations, and other arrangements. He is also regularly engaged on behalf of private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies operating in the healthcare industry.

The following lawyers will be counsel effective January 1, 2022.

Beijing
Leonard Lou, Capital Markets, focuses on corporate finance transactions, including Hong Kong and U.S. registered initial public offerings, debt offerings pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S, private equity investment, and mergers and acquisitions transactions.

Boston
Louisa Kiu, Investment Funds, focuses on representing mutual funds, private funds and their investment advisers. She advises investment advisers on the structuring, documentation and offering of U.S. and non-U.S. private funds, including hedge funds, closed-end credit funds, and real estate funds.

Chicago
Christopher M. Assise, Litigation, is dedicated to the representation of insurance and financial services companies in litigation and regulatory disputes. Christopher’s practice has focused on defending property, casualty, accident and health insurers against consumer class actions across the country.

Alexander M. Hirshfeld, Global Finance, primarily focuses on private placements of debt, equity and hybrid securities, including Rule 144A, Regulation D, Regulation S offerings, 4(a)(2) private placements, initial public offerings, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

J.P. Hong, Insurance, focuses on a variety of corporate, securities and regulatory matters relating to the insurance and financial services industry, including the representation of investment banks, the representation of sponsors, issuers, underwriters and investors, the representation of corporates in connection with their captive insurance and reinsurance programs, and the representation of commercial banks.

Rina Mady, Healthcare and FDA, focuses her practice primarily on healthcare regulatory, compliance, and legislative matters. This includes HIPAA and HITECH implementation and compliance, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and coverage, government price reporting for pharmaceutical products, healthcare compliance programs, and compliance with Stark and Anti-Kickback laws.

Dallas
Sean Damm, Global Finance, focuses on financing transactions, including private equity-backed financings, acquisition financings, syndicated financings, cash flow-based lending, asset-based lending, investment grade lending and direct lending transactions. Sean represents both borrowers and financial institutions and has been involved in a variety of financing transactions both domestically and internationally.

Marian Fielding, Tax, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, assists clients on the employee benefits aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions and advising clients regarding executive compensation disclosure under the federal securities laws.

David Silva, Litigation, defends companies and their directors, officers, and employees in complex criminal and civil investigations, environmental government enforcement actions, and white collar matters. He frequently represents clients in issues arising out of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as the False Claims Act, financial reporting misstatements, regulatory fraud, environmental violations, and employee misconduct.

Shannon Thompson, Investment Funds, focuses on private alternative investment funds, their structuring, management and related regulatory matters. She advises and represents clients in the organization and operation of hedge funds, funds of funds, commodity pools, and private equity-style funds.

Hong Kong
Nathaniel Lai, Litigation, has handled and acted for clients in international arbitration cases conducted under various institutional and ad hoc rules (including the ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, LCIA, ICDR-AAA, UNCITRAL, CIETAC and CAA Taiwan) and in a wide variety of areas including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, fraud, construction, sale of goods, and technology disputes.

Houston
Conrad J. Coutinho, Litigation, focuses on litigation and dispute resolution for energy and financial industry participants. He also represents companies and their officers and directors in internal and independent investigations of corporate conduct, compliance, and reporting, including representing audit committees and special litigation committees in such matters.

Michael Fishel, Restructuring, focuses on advising both debtor and creditor clients through complex chapter 11 restructurings, out-of-court reorganizations and refinancings, and contested business litigation proceedings.

Matthew B. Walker, Energy and Infrastructure, principally focuses on transactions in the energy industry, including representation of financial institutions and energy companies in energy financings and commodity and hedging transactions.

London
Benedetta Pacifico, Capital Markets, has extensive experience of acting for issuers and arrangers on a wide range of transactions including regulatory and hybrid capital instruments, debt restructurings, exchange offers, other liability management transactions, and the establishment and update of EMTN and GMTN programs and related issues. She also has a strong interest and focus on ESG in finance and capital markets.

New York
Elizabeth Gates, Litigation, represents clients in litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Her commercial litigation and disputes practice is focused on commercial disputes including breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and other business torts, securities disputes, derivatives and securities trading, and bankruptcy disputes.

Singapore
Ji Ung Kim, M&A and Private Equity, has extensive experience advising on complex cross-border private equity matters, with a particular focus on the real estate sector, across the Asia Pacific region and Europe, including buyouts, minority and strategic investments, disposals, joint ventures, platform formations, and limited partner investments as well as asset, development, and hotel management arrangements.

Washington, D.C.
Marc A. Korman, Regulatory and Enforcement, practices before the Federal Communications Commission and Federal and state courts in the media, common carrier, international and wireless fields. He represents broadcast television and radio stations, wireless operators and other telecommunications companies, equipment manufacturers and lending institutions regarding FCC regulations and related communications law issues.

Ray Mangum, Litigation, represents clients in a variety of government investigation and civil litigation matters, including healthcare and government contracts matters arising pursuant to the False Claims Act. He maintains an active eDiscovery counseling practice, where he advises some of the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced companies.

Sarah A. Tucker, Energy and Infrastructure, represents financial institutions, energy and commodity companies, and trade associations in a variety of transactional, regulatory, and risk management matters.

With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter @SidleyLaw.

Blank Rome Welcomes New Insurance Recovery Associate in Washington, D.C.

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Hollye R. Mann has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as an associate in the nationally recognized Insurance Recovery practice group.

Hollye joins Blank Rome from a start-up technology consulting company where she served as general counsel and chief executive officer. Prior to that, she worked for 15 years with many of the firm’s attorneys at Dickstein Shapiro before they joined Blank Rome in 2016. Hollye concentrates her practice on policyholder-only insurance recovery litigation with an emphasis on complex coverage disputes under various lines of insurance. Her experience spans several major lines of insurance and types of coverage matters, including errors and omissions and professional liability; comprehensive general liability; environmental, asbestos, and products liability; and pharmaceutical and medical devices.

“Hollye is a great addition to our nationally recognized team,” said James R. Murray, Partner and Chair of Blank Rome’s Insurance Recovery practice group. “Her familiarity with our practice group and attorneys, coupled with her more recent tech consultancy C-suite experience, make Hollye an immediate asset to our team and our clients.”

Hollye’s addition further bolsters the firm’s growing Insurance Recovery practice group, which has welcomed partners Robert P. Jacobs and Helen K. Michael as well as of counsel Linda A. Powell and Dennis L. James in Washington, D.C.; partner Seth D. Lamden in Chicago; partner Natasha Romagnoli and associate Kelly A. Jauregui Wueste in New York; and partner Mary Craig Calkins, of counsel Daniel H. Rylaarsdam, and associate Anna K. Milunas in Los Angeles.

Notably, the firm’s highly regarded Insurance Recovery practice group has been recognized in The Legal 500 United States as a “Top-Tier Firm” in Insurance: Advice to Policyholders; highly ranked in Chambers USA, both nationwide and regionally in Washington, D.C., New York, and California, as well as shortlisted as one of five firms for the 2021 Chambers USA “Law Firm of the Year in Insurance: Policyholder” honor; awarded by Benchmark Litigation as a 2020 “Insurance Firm of the Year” and ranked as “Tier 1” in 2021 for Insurance nationwide; and honored by the National Law Journal as the 2020 “D.C. Litigation Department of the Year in Insurance Law & Litigation.”

Hollye is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. from Dartmouth College.

About Blank Rome

Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 13 offices and more than 600 attorneys and principals who provide comprehensive legal and advocacy services to clients operating in the United States and around the world. Our professionals have built a reputation for their leading knowledge and experience across a spectrum of industries and are recognized for their commitment to pro bono work in their communities. Since our inception in 1946, Blank Rome’s culture has been dedicated to providing top-level service to all of our clients and has been rooted in the strength of our diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, please visit blankrome.com.

Barnes & Thornburg has announced it will relocate its New York office to 390 Madison Ave in February 2022 to accommodate the firm’s continuing growth in New York. The firm signed a 14-year lease for the midtown Manhattan office space, which is triple the size of its current office.

The relocation comes only two years after Barnes & Thornburg’s initial expansion into New York in February 2020 with the hiring of six lateral partners from many of the city’s top firms. Since then, the New York team has grown considerably, to more than 25 attorneys and staff, with additional lateral announcements to come shortly.

“We are excited to expand our footprint in New York at 390 Madison, a beautiful, award-winning building in the heart of midtown,” said Robert J. Boller, partner in charge of the New York office. “Moving to new space allows us to be creative and to design a workspace that is welcoming and flexible enough to attract people back to the office, while retaining the functionality we need to continue meeting the evolving needs of our clients. We are really excited and can’t wait to get to work there in February.”

In developing the new lease agreement, the firm worked with Jones Lang LaSalle brokers Daniel Posy, Guthrie Garvin and Joe Messina. The build-out is being handled by Gensler architects Timothy Bromiley, Eric Brill and Michelle Robinson and Americon HITT contractors Craig Levine, Bernadette Barnett, Redding Midura and Todd Spiro.

The firm will remain in its current location at 445 Park Avenue until the renovation at the new site is complete.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Mazie Bryant has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as an associate. She is a member of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group.

“We are pleased to welcome Mazie to the firm and know she will be a valuable addition to our team in delivering exceptional service to our clients,” said Bradley Birmingham Office Managing Partner Dawn Helms Sharff.

Ms. Bryant represents healthcare providers, practices, associations, and other entities in various business and legal matters, including state and federal regulatory compliance issues. She regularly assists clients navigate intricate healthcare-related regulatory requirements, such as state certificate of need laws, state and federal licensure laws, and HIPAA regulations. Ms. Bryant also advises clients on state legislation and legislative reform with a healthcare focus.

A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, Ms. Bryant is a member of the American Health Law Association as well as the Alabama State and Birmingham Bar Associations. She is also a member of the Birmingham Medical Group Management Association.

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 6, 2021 – Brown Rudnick LLP today announced the addition of Neil DiSpirito as a Partner in the Global Life Sciences Practice Group. DiSpirito will focus his practice on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues in the pharmaceutical, biologics, and medical device industries, particularly those involving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, DiSpirito was a Partner at Epstein Becker Green and at Ballard Spahr, where he was a member of the Life Sciences and Technology and Health Care Groups, and established Ballard’s FDA practice. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade in-house as a managing director at Pharmacia (later acquired by Pfizer).

“In the course of Neil’s storied career – both as a pharmaceutical executive and outside counsel representing all types of life sciences companies – he has become a go-to FDA law practitioner,” said Adam Schoen, a Practice Group Leader of the Firm’s Global Life Sciences Practice Group. “We’re thrilled to have him on the team.”

For over two decades, DiSpirito has advised his clients on a broad range of U.S. and international regulatory compliance challenges and issues that arise in products liability litigation and other disputes. He has successfully litigated and negotiated against the FDA, defending clients on alleged cGMP violations, marketing, and approval issues. In addition, he has substantial experience negotiating on matters of policy and product approvals with the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel and with the Regulatory, Compliance, and Review departments within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

“Neil has spent his entire career guiding clients through regulatory issues and decisions that are critical to a company’s future,” said Vince Guglielmotti, Managing Director of the Firm’s Corporate & Capital Markets Department. “We look forward to him continuing on this path at Brown Rudnick.”

Thomas Meyers, Chair of the Global Life Science Practice Group, added: “Neil’s experience with a wide range of FDA policy, regulation, product approval, and compliance issues will be invaluable to our clients and to the continued growth of our practice group.”

In addition to his legal practice, DiSpirito teaches pharmaceutical, biologic, and medical device law at the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) and to the FDA’s newly hired attorneys, reviewers, and compliance officers. He also serves on FDLI’s Audit Committee and was co-chair of its 2018 Annual Conference Planning Committee.

“The timing couldn’t be better to welcome Neil to Brown Rudnick,” said James Bedar, Practice Group Leader of the U.S. Corporate Practice Group. “Neil’s unique skillset will be a real asset in strengthening our service offerings to the booming pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.”

Brown Rudnick’s Global Life Sciences Group consists of an international team of lawyers dedicated to the life sciences industry. Members of the team have been involved with leading life sciences companies for over 30 years, serving as in-house executives for national pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Boston Scientific, Helicos BioSciences, Watson Pharmaceuticals, and Chiron Vision.

Additional biographical information and credentials are available on Neil DiSpirito’s bio page at brownrudnick.com.

About Brown Rudnick LLP

Brown Rudnick combines ingenuity with experience to achieve great outcomes for our clients. We deliver partner-driven services, with a focus on collaboration in the client’s best interest. Brown Rudnick is an international law firm, serving clients around the globe. With more than 250 lawyers and government relations professionals, the Firm has offices in key financial centers across the United States and Europe. We are recognized for our market-leading practices covering several targeted industries, including bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, life sciences, technology, litigation and arbitration, white-collar defense and government investigations, civil fraud, special situations, corporate finance, strategic capital, distressed debt, intellectual property, real estate, M&A, and cross-border deals and disputes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 6, 2021 – Brown Rudnick LLP today announced the addition of Neil DiSpirito as a Partner in the Global Life Sciences Practice Group. DiSpirito will focus his practice on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues in the pharmaceutical, biologics, and medical device industries, particularly those involving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, DiSpirito was a Partner at Epstein Becker Green and at Ballard Spahr, where he was a member of the Life Sciences and Technology and Health Care Groups, and established Ballard’s FDA practice. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade in-house as a managing director at Pharmacia (later acquired by Pfizer).

“In the course of Neil’s storied career – both as a pharmaceutical executive and outside counsel representing all types of life sciences companies – he has become a go-to FDA law practitioner,” said Adam Schoen, a Practice Group Leader of the Firm’s Global Life Sciences Practice Group. “We’re thrilled to have him on the team.”

For over two decades, DiSpirito has advised his clients on a broad range of U.S. and international regulatory compliance challenges and issues that arise in products liability litigation and other disputes. He has successfully litigated and negotiated against the FDA, defending clients on alleged cGMP violations, marketing, and approval issues. In addition, he has substantial experience negotiating on matters of policy and product approvals with the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel and with the Regulatory, Compliance, and Review departments within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

“Neil has spent his entire career guiding clients through regulatory issues and decisions that are critical to a company’s future,” said Vince Guglielmotti, Managing Director of the Firm’s Corporate & Capital Markets Department. “We look forward to him continuing on this path at Brown Rudnick.”

Thomas Meyers, Chair of the Global Life Science Practice Group, added: “Neil’s experience with a wide range of FDA policy, regulation, product approval, and compliance issues will be invaluable to our clients and to the continued growth of our practice group.”

In addition to his legal practice, DiSpirito teaches pharmaceutical, biologic, and medical device law at the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) and to the FDA’s newly hired attorneys, reviewers, and compliance officers. He also serves on FDLI’s Audit Committee and was co-chair of its 2018 Annual Conference Planning Committee.

“The timing couldn’t be better to welcome Neil to Brown Rudnick,” said James Bedar, Practice Group Leader of the U.S. Corporate Practice Group. “Neil’s unique skillset will be a real asset in strengthening our service offerings to the booming pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.”

Brown Rudnick’s Global Life Sciences Group consists of an international team of lawyers dedicated to the life sciences industry. Members of the team have been involved with leading life sciences companies for over 30 years, serving as in-house executives for national pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Boston Scientific, Helicos BioSciences, Watson Pharmaceuticals, and Chiron Vision.

Additional biographical information and credentials are available on Neil DiSpirito’s bio page at brownrudnick.com.

About Brown Rudnick LLP

Brown Rudnick combines ingenuity with experience to achieve great outcomes for our clients. We deliver partner-driven services, with a focus on collaboration in the client’s best interest. Brown Rudnick is an international law firm, serving clients around the globe. With more than 250 lawyers and government relations professionals, the Firm has offices in key financial centers across the United States and Europe. We are recognized for our market-leading practices covering several targeted industries, including bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, life sciences, technology, litigation and arbitration, white-collar defense and government investigations, civil fraud, special situations, corporate finance, strategic capital, distressed debt, intellectual property, real estate, M&A, and cross-border deals and disputes

The banking and financial services group at Davis Wright Tremaine, known for its market-leading expertise across the spectrum of regulatory issues, today significantly expanded its capabilities.

Alexandra Steinberg Barrage, a former associate director for policy at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, has joined as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She brings to the firm more than seven years of high-level regulatory and policymaking experience, as well as 13 years of experience in private practice at Morrison & Foerster and Milbank.

“Alex is a tremendous get for our clients,” said Bradford Hardin, chair of Davis Wright’s banking and financial services team. “From FinTech offerings to strategic transactions to bankruptcy work, her extraordinary insight into the regulatory landscape and her skill at distilling complex issues into practical, actionable advice will provide a key lever for our clients’ success.”

During her time as an associate director with the FDIC, Barrage served as lead regulatory policy expert at the Division of Complex Institution Supervision and Resolution. She worked closely with Federal Reserve staff on resolution plan rules, provided technical assistance to Congressional staff on resolution planning, and supported interagency work on operational resilience.

“Alex adds significant strength to our team in areas where we’re seeing growing client demand,” said Hardin. “These include developments in prudential regulation, operational resiliency, digital assets, and climate risk. Culturally, she’s a perfect fit too: A builder, a collaborator, and an accomplished leader—exactly the qualities we find in lawyers who excel on our platform. We look forward to having her elevate our game and help mentor the next generation of DWT lawyers.”

The full-service banking and financial services group at Davis Wright has steadily diversified its breadth of expertise in recent years, adding highly experienced partners in bank regulatory work, mortgage and home lending, and financial services transactions.

Barrage adds to the team’s roster of agency alumni. These include recent hires from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Fed, Treasury, the FTC’s Financial Practices division, and the Massachusetts AG’s office. They enhance the firm’s working relationships with staff at numerous federal and state banking agencies and with financial regulators.

“I’ve known Bradford, Chris Ford, and other members of the Davis Wright team for some time and have admired their sophistication and agility,” said Barrage. “For an ambitious lawyer looking to take on new challenges, this firm clearly stands out for its dedication to excellence, top-flight client service, and support of growing practices. I was also drawn by Davis Wright’s demonstrated commitment to DEI and national reputation for advancing women to leadership roles.”

Barrage is a Colombian American who received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Williams College, where she was a National Hispanic Scholar.

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