RumbergerKirk kicks off the 2021 Summer Associate Program today with eight law students participating. The summer associates will be working in each of the firm’s office locations including Birmingham, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee and Tampa. Additionally, they will come together virtually for seminars and workshops, and they will meet in-person for RumbergerKirk’s mock trial competition at the end of the program.

The 10-week program offers law students, who are entering their final year of school, the hands-on training and development that will prepare them for a career in litigation.

They work closely with partners and their associate mentors on real client cases, including attending hearings, depositions and mediations. They will also receive hands-on training during professional development seminars and workshops. At the end of the program, the summer associates compete in a mock trial to put into practice all that they have learned.

The summer class of 2021 includes:
• Birmingham: Julie Potts (University of Alabama)

• Miami: Harris Blum (University of Miami ) and Andre Chinchilla (University of Miami)

• Orlando: Meghan Kennedy (University of Florida), Graham Marcus (Stetson University), and Joseph Tracy (Florida State University)

• Tampa: Adam Poe (Stetson University)

• Tallahassee: Elizabeth Pearce (Florida State Unversity)

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is pleased to announce that Scott Naturman has joined the firm as Corporate partner in the firm’s New York office.

Naturman represents public and private companies and private equity firms in mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, corporate and other formations, joint ventures, strategic investments, reorganizations, corporate governance matters, commercial contracts, representation and warranty insurance policies, engagement letters and confidentiality agreements. He often serves as lead lawyer and also has acted as outside general counsel for a pharmaceutical start-up and legal lead for numerous restructuring projects for a multinational corporation.

Naturman has advised clients in several industries including life sciences, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, energy, education, communications, entertainment and consumer products.

Naturman joins from Covington & Burling. He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, magna cum laude, and received his B.A. from Duke University, magna cum laude.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that the firm and four partners were nationally ranked for Product Liability & Mass Torts by Chambers and Partners in the 2021 edition of the prestigious and independent

Chambers USA legal industry referral guide. Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of only seven firms in the country as “Tier 1 – Highly Regarded” for its Product Liability & Mass Torts practice.

The following Bradley attorneys were ranked nationally for Product Liability & Mass Torts:

– Lindsey C Boney IV (Birmingham)
– William F. (Will) Goodman, III (Nashville)
– Tripp Haston (Birmingham)
– Kimberly B. Martin (Huntsville)

In addition to the Chambers USA recognition, the firm was ranked nationally as a Tier 1 firm for Product Liability and Recall in the 2021 edition of Benchmark Litigation, and five partners were recognized as National Practice Area Stars for Product Liability. Part of the Litigation Practice Group – which is the firm’s largest practice and includes almost half of the firm’s nearly 550 attorneys – Bradley’s Product Liability team represents clients in industries and jurisdictions throughout state and federal court systems in litigation over a diverse range of consumer products, including tires, construction equipment, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The team serves as national and regional counsel in all aspects of litigation, such as expert development, company witness preparation, factual and medical discovery, trial, and appeals. Whether preemptively developing strategies for litigation of specific products or product lines or taking litigation to the trial stage, the firm’s attorneys have a superb record of taking cases to verdict and handling all aspects of the appellate process.

Chambers USA 2021 ranked more than 8,000 law firms and almost 22,000 lawyers across more than 2,000 practice areas/sectors on a state and national level. Chambers and Partners determines its rankings of leading U.S. firms and attorneys through in-depth research and interviews with law firms, clients and third parties, and this year reviewed more than 10,000 submissions. Chambers assesses attorneys on attributes most valued by clients, including technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, and commitment. Most attorneys are ranked in bands of 1-6, with all band rankings considered to be a significant achievement. Some attorneys earn specialized Chambers designations including “Recognised Practitioner,” which indicates an attorney who handles notable matters and/or has received some recommendation, and “Star” individual, which is awarded to lawyers with exceptional recommendations in their fields. The Chambers USA guide is widely read by industry-leading companies and organizations nationwide. For more information, visit https://www.chambersandpartners.com.

Venable LLP is pleased to announce that Benjamin C. Hsing has joined the firm as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation – Life Sciences Group in the New York office. Hsing is an accomplished trial lawyer with significant experience litigating patents across a broad range of technologies, including pharmaceutical compounds and formulations, telecommunication cables, treatment methods, genetically engineered seeds, medical devices, memory chips, light switches, imaging devices, and pet products.

Hsing has secured favorable results for major pharmaceutical and technology companies in numerous high-profile cases. He regularly calls upon his experience as a patent examiner to provide comprehensive counsel to clients on matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including post-grant and contested patent office proceedings. He also conducts intellectual property (IP) due diligence investigations in connection with acquisitions and licensing deals. Hsing is deeply involved in his clients’ matters, ensuring that he understands all aspects of their businesses and cases so that he can identify, dissect, and solve potential challenges facing his clients.

Hsing received his J.D. form the George Washington University Law School in 1991, his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 1986, his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 1984, and a B.A. from Columbia University in 1983.

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Speaker – Dave Ruel, Senior Product Manager, Hanzo

Dave is a Senior Product Manager at Hanzo, a pioneer in the contextual capture, and preservation of dynamic web and collaboration content for corporate legal and compliance departments. Dave has more than 20 years of experience in software and product development and has spent considerable time in the legal, compliance, and information governance space. He has helped develop a broad range of products and solutions for big data challenges and is passionate about emerging technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and visual analytics.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce the elevation of three executives within its Littler CaseSmart® (LCS) and Littler onDemand (LoD) platforms. Erik C. Johnson has been named Senior Program Director of LCS and LoD, Emily H. Morris has been promoted to Program Director for LCS – Single Plaintiff Litigation (SPL), and Meg Coppley is now Program Director for LCS – Class Action.

Johnson, who is a shareholder with Littler and joined the LCS team in 2014, will oversee the legal operations across all business lines of LCS, as well as LoD, with a focus on meeting and exceeding the needs of the firm’s clients. He previously served as Program Director for LCS – SPL.

Morris joined the LCS team in 2013 and most recently served as Program Manager of LCS – SPL. In her new role, she will collaborate with Littler clients and attorneys to manage single-plaintiff litigation defended in the LCS model, as well as monitor and manage key performance indicators and financial performance.

A member of the LCS team since 2016 and former Program Manager for LCS – Class Action, Coppley will coordinate with attorneys to manage class, collective, mass and representative actions defended in the LCS model. She will also assist clients in monitoring litigation metrics and manage financial performance.

Littler disrupted the legal industry when it launched the Littler CaseSmart platform in 2010. LCS reengineered the process of managing employment litigation by combining proprietary technology, alternative staffing and project management to control costs and increase fee predictability, while enhancing quality and consistency. LCS has proven to reduce legal spend by 10 to 50 percent and has collected substantial case data over the past decade that helps drive stronger business decisions and reduce risk. Initially created for administrative agency charges, LCS has expanded over the years to manage the full-range of employment litigation, including single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, class and collective actions, and mass arbitrations and related litigation. LCS has revolutionized Littler’s approach to managing employment litigation and has helped further solidify its reputation as a forward thinking and innovative law firm.

Building on the use of a unique combination of technology, staffing and project management, the firm launched Littler onDemand in 2019. LoD provides companies with quick, consistent and thorough answers to workplace legal questions, as well as data-driven insights to identify trends, manage risk and drive stronger business decisions. When COVID-19 hit, the firm was able to quickly repurpose LoD for internal use to manage the high volume of workplace-related questions resulting from the pandemic.

LCS and LoD, as well as Forman’s innovative leadership, have led to numerous awards from organizations that recognize innovation in the legal industry, including from the American Lawyer, Association of Corporate Counsel, College of Law Practice Management, FastCase 50, Financial Times, International Legal Technology Association, Law360 and National Law Journal.

Venable LLP is pleased to announce that Thomas E. Perez has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Perez previously served as the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and as secretary of labor and assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Barack Obama.

As chair of the DNC, Perez oversaw the rebuilding of the organization’s infrastructure and implementation of vital reforms, enabling the party to secure critical victories at the local, state, and national levels. As labor secretary under President Obama, Perez was a member of the president’s economic team, led a top-to-bottom transformation of the agency, and worked closely with key Department of Labor (DOL) component agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Wage & Hour Division, and Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). He forged meaningful partnerships between workers and businesses on a range of important issues and settled two major labor disputes – one involving port workers in the West Coast ports and the other involving 40,000 telecommunications workers.

Perez spent over a decade at the Justice Department during multiple administrations and multiple tours of duty, starting as a career civil rights prosecutor, deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, and ultimately leading the division during the first term of the Obama administration. During his career at the Civil Rights Division, he prosecuted and supervised the prosecution of numerous high-profile civil rights cases and handled a wide range of important civil rights matters. As assistant attorney general for civil rights, he led an expansive effort to restore and transform civil rights enforcement in a wide array of areas, oversaw an active police reform practice, reached landmark settlements to change the culture of policing in numerous cities, and settled the three largest residential fair lending cases in the history of the Fair Housing Act.

Perez previously served as secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) and led the effort to enact a sweeping package of state reforms to address the foreclosure crisis in Maryland. He was the first Latino elected to serve on Montgomery County Maryland’s County Council and served as council president in 2005. He also served as special counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy, and was Senator Kennedy’s principal advisor on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues. For the final two years of the Clinton administration, he served as the director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS).

Perez received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, his master’s in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government, and his A.B. in international relations and political science from Brown University.

The partnership of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP has elected three partners as co-chairs of the firm. Lucia Coyoca, David Steinberg and Greg Hessinger will succeed current co-chairs Kevin Gaut and Nimish Patel.

Coyoca is a litigation partner based in the Los Angeles office. With extensive trial experience, her practice involves entertainment industry disputes and insurance coverage work. She also represents employers in wrongful termination, discrimination and sexual harassment cases. Coyoca has held various leadership positions in the profession’s efforts to diversify, including serving as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Woman Advocate Committee. Since joining the firm in 1988, she has served multiple terms on the firm’s governing board.

Steinberg is a partner in the entertainment & IP litigation practice based in the Los Angeles office. Steinberg is known for his work on intellectual property issues focusing on copyright, trademark, anti-circumvention/Digital Millennium Copyright Act, unfair competition and trade secrets. He also has extensive experience in entertainment and general business litigation. He joined the firm in 1987 and served two terms on its governing board.

Hessinger is a partner in the labor and employment practice based in the New York office. He represents a variety of regional and national employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Prior to returning to private practice 15 years ago, Hessinger was the executive director of each of the two largest performers’ unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which have since merged. He joined the firm in 2016.

Gaut, who has been with MSK for 37 years, served as co-chair of the firm for nearly a decade and Patel has been co-chair since joining the firm six years ago. Both will remain at the firm and return to their full-time practices.

Detroit – May 26, 2021 – Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Janet L. Conigliaro to its Products, Class Actions and Professional Liability Practice Group as a Member in the firm’s Detroit, office. Conigliaro, who previously practiced at Dykema from 2012-2019, rejoins the firm after serving as Director, Legal Regulatory Counsel at ZF Group, a global technology supplier for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology.

In her practice, Conigliaro focuses on automotive and products liability litigation. She has extensive experience managing automotive product liability and class action cases, including serving as national discovery and e-discovery counsel for cases in multiple jurisdictions covering numerous allegations and subject matters of first impression.

Conigliaro has led fact investigations, prepared discovery responses, handled motion practice, negotiated protective orders and e-discovery protocols, and developed pre-class certification discovery plans in accordance with overall case strategy. Additionally, she has worked closely with in-house counsel to develop and implement best practices and strategies in pattern product liability litigation matters.

Conigliaro has handled many class actions from inception through class certification briefing managing discovery, fact development, taking and defending depositions, expert discovery, and drafting motions and briefing. She also has experience in handling NHTSA inquiries and investigation responses and recall management for the automotive industry.

Conigliaro has made significant contributions to Dykema’s pro bono efforts, defending immigrants in unlawful removal proceedings and human trafficking. She also taught first- and second-year law classes on Civil Procedure and Advanced Advocacy and Writing.

Conigliaro earned a J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Renowned corporate energy lawyer appointed to spearhead legal strategy for industry-leading e-commerce platform

HOUSTON, May 25, 2021— GoExpedi, an innovative e-commerce, supply chain and analytics company that is reinventing procurement for industrial and energy MRO (maintenance, repair and operations), today announced that it has appointed Julie Gremillion as General Counsel.

Gremillion is a corporate attorney with more than 10 years of experience in working with energy companies. She will be responsible for leading all aspects of GoExpedi’s legal strategy, managing compliance and risk throughout the organization; working closely with senior leadership and the Board of Directors as a strategic advisor on legal and business matters affecting the company; and providing legal support for transactional matters, strategic opportunities and day-to-day operations.

Gremillion spent nearly a decade at two preeminent international law firms, Jones Day and Sidley Austin, working on a variety of public and private transactions and negotiating numerous commercial agreements for her clients. Following her law firm work, she joined the corporate development team at Anadarko where she managed the execution of a strategic divestment plan involving 12 transactions totaling more than $8 billion and served as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on related compliance and risk management matters. She also played a key role in negotiating strategic agreements for the company’s highest profile assets and helped develop creative funding solutions to solve capital budget constraints.

Gremillion graduated from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Science in Economics as well as The University of Texas School of Law with high honors.

Arent Fox LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its International Trade & Investment practice, with the addition of one of Canada’s top international trade and investment lawyers, Riyaz Dattu. Riyaz will be joining as the firm’s Canada Legal Practice Leader.

Riyaz has previously founded and led the International Trade and Investment Law practices at two of Canada’s most preeminent law firms. At Arent Fox, Riyaz will continue to represent and advise from New York City and Washington DC multinationals with a Canadian presence and some of Canada’s most prominent companies on their operations in the United States and around the world.

Over his more than 35 years of practice, Riyaz has developed considerable, sophisticated, and wide-ranging experience in international trade and investment law. This includes international investment arbitrations, international trade disputes (including before binational panels, the WTO, and domestic courts), trade remedies, international trade regulations (economic sanctions, export controls, customs), trade policy and market access, government procurement and contracting, national security, corporate investigations, corporate social responsibility, and anti-corruption.

The Government of Canada has appointed Riyaz for a 10-year term on the roster of panelists for the NAFTA Chapter 19 bi-national dispute resolution process, now Chapter 10 of the USMCA.

Arent Fox’s International Trade & Investment practice has a strong track record of successfully representing leading Canadian businesses. With the addition of Riyaz, the group will continue to provide advice and find solutions that consider the implications of both Canadian and US law in a timely and cost-efficient basis by offering innovative and forward-thinking counseling.

Riyaz joins nine Partners and two Counsel that Arent Fox that has added already this year, including top public international law partner David Tafuri in Washington, DC.

Riyaz’s Experience
• Riyaz has acted as counsel in some of the most consequential and precedent-setting international investment arbitrations, international trade disputes, trade remedies disputes, and government procurement complaints.

• Riyaz’s legal representation in investment dispute cases and arbitrations, administered by the London Court of International Arbitration and UNCITRAL ad-hoc tribunals, has been on behalf of several leading Canadian companies in the financial, energy, and mining sectors.

• His current international arbitration representations include acting for a Canadian mining company in relation to an ICSID claim against the Government of Mexico pursuant to NAFTA and another Canadian mining company in relation to a claim against a European country under a bilateral investment for discriminatory and unlawful cancellation of valuable mining concessions.

• He also advises clients on trade policy and market access, international trade regulations (economic sanctions, export controls, customs), national security, anti-corruption, and government contracting.

• Throughout his career, Riyaz has been ranked at the highest level in all leading publications, including Chambers Global, International Who’s Who of Customs and Trade Lawyers, Acritas Stars (Star Lawyer), Best Lawyers, and many other leading international publications.

• He is also listed in the Canadian Who’s Who, for his reputation and achievements in his profession.

As banks, FinTech companies, and others providing financial services navigate a complex regulatory landscape, Davis Wright Tremaine has added a former Federal Trade Commission enforcement attorney to its enforcement & investigations practice within the banking and financial services group. Thomas Kost joins DWT’s Seattle office as counsel, strengthening the firm’s growing regulatory practice area.

Prior to joining the firm, Kost served as a staff attorney with the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, where he played a leading role in handling all aspects of investigations and litigation to enforce the FTC Act’s prohibition on deceptive or unfair conduct, as well as a range of other consumer financial laws. He also helped develop the agency’s enforcement strategy relating to small business financing. Before joining the FTC, Kost practiced at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, where he represented banks, card issuers, and non-bank financial services providers in high-stakes matters involving retail deposit products, overdraft services, mortgage lending and servicing, credit cards, and prepaid cards.

Kost began his career as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He received his B.A. in politics from Whitman College and his J.D. from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.

Washington, D.C., May 24, 2021 – Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is pleased to announce that Tom Healey has joined the firm as a partner in its Aviation Finance Group. Healey, a leader in aircraft finance, will be based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office.

Healey’s practice focuses on representing financial institutions, airlines, manufacturers and lessors in the largest and most innovative transactions. He advises creditors in Chapter 11 proceedings, restructuring financings for aircraft in North America and South America, and works with lessors, finance parties, operators and governments on export credit financings.

Healey regularly works on pre-delivery payment facilities and asset and credit support agreements and advises buyers and sellers of business aircraft as well as participants in fractional programs. His work has garnered numerous awards from aviation industry publications.

Healey received his JD from the University of Michigan Law School and his BA from Cornell University.

Dallas – Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Holt Foster has joined the firm as a partner in the Dallas office. Foster will be a member of the global Energy and Infrastructure group and a practice area team co-leader of the Energy practice. He joins Sidley from Thompson Knight where he has served on the firm’s Management Committee and as head of the Dallas office.

As one of the leading energy transactional lawyers in Dallas, Foster represents private equity funds and their portfolio companies in buying and selling energy assets. He represents some of the industry’s largest funds, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, financings, and formation of private equity funds. In addition to energy transactions, Foster has expertise in a broad range of industries including high-tech and software. He works with public and private companies, both domestically and internationally, on structuring and negotiating transactions.

International law firm Brown Rudnick LLP announced the addition of Julia Bennett as Chief Marketing Officer, resident in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. She heads the Firm’s business development, marketing, public relations, and communications strategy and initiatives for Brown Rudnick’s offices worldwide.

Bennett joins the Firm from Venable LLP, where she was Senior Director of Business Development. She served as a senior leader of Venable’s Marketing Department, including the oversight of the business development, research, and competitive intelligence teams.

At Brown Rudnick, Bennett is responsible for leading all marketing and business development functions and projects with responsibility for global client development, business strategy, public relations, and marketing and communications.

Bennett holds a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School, an M.A. from The George Washington University, and an A.B. from Duke University. Prior to a career in legal marketing, Bennett practiced as a corporate lawyer at other prominent international law firms. She handled corporate matters in the commercial and mergers and acquisitions contexts for both private and public companies. Bennett is admitted in New York and Washington, D.C. She is a member also of the Board of Advisors of ActLocal360, a nonprofit organization committed to bringing about systemic change through local community action.

Additional biographical information and credentials are available at brownrudnick.com.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that Chambers and Partners has highly ranked multiple Greensfelder attorneys and practice areas in the 2021 edition of the Chambers USA legal industry guide.

Greensfelder’s Franchising practice and Officers Beata Krakus, who is based in the firm’s Chicago office, and Leonard D. Vines, who is in the firm’s St. Louis office, earned national rankings for franchising law.

In addition, for the St. Louis metropolitan area, the firm was highly ranked for the practice areas of Litigation: General Commercial and Labor & Employment, and the following Greensfelder Officers in St. Louis were ranked as among the top attorneys in their respective practice areas:

• Amy L. Blaisdell (Labor & Employment)
• Vincent J. Garozzo (Corporate/M&A)
• Jill K. Luft (Labor & Employment)
• Kevin T. McLaughlin (Labor & Employment)

Chambers noted that Greensfelder’s Franchising group is known for its “significant expertise on both domestic and international franchise-related transactional matters including M&A” as well as litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

Chambers also highlighted Greensfelder’s highly respected labor and employment work in industries including health care and financial services, as well as the firm’s litigation experience across the country in areas such as product liability, franchising and distribution, ERISA, and energy.

Chambers reported feedback from clients who described the firm’s attorneys as “very impressive, easy to understand, good communicators, and fast and efficient.”

Published annually and widely read by industry-leading companies and organizations across the nation, the Chambers USA guide ranks the leading U.S. firms and attorneys based on in-depth research and interviews with clients and peers. London-based Chambers and Partners assesses attorneys on attributes most valued by clients, including technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, and commitment. For more information, visit https://www.chambersandpartners.com.

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm, has expanded its Litigation Practice Group with Jason Heep in Dallas. Heep represents major insurance companies with significant exposure claims that pose extreme risk of loss to the company.

Heep has litigated and resolved commercial disputes, complex insurance coverage issues, and environmental remediation matters across the country for almost 20 years. He uses his environmental engineering background to assist with environmental regulatory compliance and preventive measures to avoid disputes and mitigate future risks. He has extensive experience with a wide variety of insurance claims, including environmental liabilities, asbestos, mass tort claims, property damage, and business interruption. Heep has experience litigating CERCLA contribution and enforcement actions. He also is at the forefront of novel insurance issues like COVID-19 claims and emerging contaminants, including PFAS. In addition, Heep focuses on mitigating potential loss exposures, such as the use of subrogation strategies, reinsurance recoveries, policy buybacks, asset sales, regulatory relief, and real estate workouts. He also handles other forms of risk-transfer devices, such as reinsurance treaties, contractual indemnities, and surety bonds.

Heep is the most recent lateral to join Akerman’s national Litigation Practice Group. The team also deepened its experience in bet-the-company litigation and commercial disputes with five litigators in New York led by Craig Weiner and Lisa Coyle. In Houston, Akerman welcomed veteran trial lawyer Joel Mohrman and Andy Cao, growing Akerman’s experience in intellectual property litigation, class actions, and complex commercial litigation, particularly in the healthcare and maritime sectors. The Houston office also added litigation partner William Sentell, with experience in franchise dispute resolution and related corporate, regulatory, and compliance matters. In addition, first chair trial lawyer Adam Massaro joined the national team in Denver, with experience in complex commercial litigation.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that Lauren E. Surdyke has joined the firm as an associate in the Trusts & Estates practice group, based in Greensfelder’s St. Louis office.

Surdyke focuses her practice on estate planning, with an emphasis on high-net-worth families, charitable planning, complex family dynamics, and business succession. In addition, she counsels clients on trust administration, assists with preparation of estate and gift tax returns, and works with nonprofit organizations on applications for recognition of tax exemption, board management, and contract matters. Her work also has involved entity formation, contract negotiation, and other business matters.

Previously, Surdyke was an attorney at Paule, Camazine and Blumenthal, P.C. Her background also includes work at a large financial services firm involving high-net-worth estate plans.

Surdyke received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science from Missouri Baptist University.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Chambers and Partners has highly ranked 108 of the firm’s attorneys and 34 Bradley practice areas in the 2021 edition of the prestigious and independent Chambers USA legal industry referral guide. The firm also was ranked nationally in six practice areas and eight Bradley attorneys were ranked nationally in their various practice areas.

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in the nation for the following six practice areas:

• Construction
• Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Compliance)
• Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Enforcement & Investigations)
• Government Contracts
• Healthcare
• Product Liability & Mass Torts

In addition, eight Bradley attorneys were ranked nationally:

• Aron C. Beezley (Government Contracts) in Washington, D.C.
• Lindsey C Boney IV (Product Liability & Mass Torts) in Birmingham
• William F. (Will) Goodman, III (Product Liability & Mass Torts) in Nashville
• Tripp Haston (Product Liability & Mass Torts) in Birmingham
• Amy S. Leopard (Privacy & Data Security: Healthcare) in Nashville
• Robert Maddox (Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance [Enforcement & Investigations]) in Birmingham
• Kimberly B. Martin (Product Liability & Mass Torts) in Huntsville
• Haydn J. Richards, Jr. (Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance [Compliance]) in Washington, D.C.

“We congratulate our attorneys who are recognized by Chambers USA as among the top legal practitioners and professionals across diverse practice areas and multiple cities and regions where we support our clients’ business,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. “We are also extremely proud of our attorneys and staff whose teamwork and collaboration contributed to the success of our practice areas that have been highly ranked this year.”

Chambers USA 2021 ranked more than 8,000 law firms and almost 22,000 lawyers across more than 2,000 practice areas/sectors on a state and national level. Chambers and Partners determines its rankings of leading U.S. firms and attorneys through in-depth research and interviews with law firms, clients and third parties, and this year reviewed more than 10,000 submissions. Chambers assesses attorneys on attributes most valued by clients, including technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, and commitment. Most attorneys are ranked in bands of 1-6, with all band rankings considered to be a significant achievement. Some attorneys earn specialized Chambers designations including “Recognised Practitioner,” which indicates an attorney who handles notable matters and/or has received some recommendation, and “Star” individual, which is awarded to lawyers with exceptional recommendations in their fields. The Chambers USA guide is widely read by industry-leading companies and organizations nationwide. For more information, visit https://www.chambersandpartners.com.

Following are Bradley’s 2021 Chambers USA rankings, organized by state.

Alabama

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Alabama for the following 10 practice areas:

• Banking & Finance
• Bankruptcy/Restructuring
• Construction
• Corporate/Commercial
• Environment
• Healthcare
• Labor & Employment
• Litigation: Appellate
• Litigation: General Commercial
• Real Estate

Chambers USA ranked the following 38 attorneys in the firm’s Birmingham office as among the leading lawyers for business in Alabama:

• Jim Archibald (Construction)
• Jay R. Bender (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• Julia Gruenewald Bernstein (Banking & Finance)
• Lee Birchall (Banking & Finance: Public Finance)
• Stanley E. Blackmon (Litigation: Appellate)
• Kane Burnette (Banking & Finance: Public Finance)
• Beau Byrd (Real Estate)
• Jennifer Hoover Clark (Healthcare)
• William S. (Buddy) Cox, III (Environment)
• R. Alan Deer (Banking & Finance, Banking & Finance: Mainly Regulatory)
• N. Chris Glenos (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• T. Parker Griffin, Jr. (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• John W. Hargrove (Labor & Employment)
• Judd A. Harwood (Healthcare)
• Tripp Haston (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Christopher L. (Chris) Hawkins (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• David G. Hymer (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Rod Kanter (Banking & Finance: Public Finance)
• Joel M. Kuehnert (Environment)
• Harold B. Kushner (Corporate/Commercial)
• Matthew H. (Matt) Lembke (Litigation: Appellate)
• Jack B. Levy (Healthcare)
• Stuart M. Maxey (Corporate/Commercial)
• T. Matthew (Matt) Miller (Labor & Employment)
• Stephen R. (Steve) Monk (Real Estate)
• Cathleen C. Moore (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• Charles Moore (Banking & Finance)
• Daniel F. (Dan) Murphy (Healthcare)
• Michael R. (Mike) Pennington (Litigation: General Commercial)
• T. Atkins Roberts Jr. (Banking & Finance)
• J. Andrew Robison (Corporate/Commercial)
• E. Mabry Rogers (Construction)
• David Roth (Environment)
• Dawn Helms Sharff (Real Estate)
• Michael A. Thomason Jr. (Corporate/Commercial)
• James L. Webb (Banking & Finance, Real Estate)
• Anne R. Yuengert (Labor & Employment)
• Alan K. Zeigler (Banking & Finance: Public Finance)

Chambers USA ranked the following attorney in the firm’s Huntsville office as among the leading lawyers for business in Alabama:

• Scott Burnette Smith (Litigation: Appellate)

District of Columbia

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Washington, D.C., for the following practice area:

• Construction

Chambers USA ranked the following two attorneys in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as among the leading lawyers for business in the District of Columbia:

• Douglas L. (Doug) Patin (Construction)
• Robert J. (Bob) Symon (Construction)

Florida

Chambers USA ranked the following three attorneys in the firm’s Tampa office as among the leading lawyers for business in Florida:

• Troy M. Carnrite (Corporate/M&A & Private Equity [North & Central Florida])
• Mark A. Hanley (Labor & Employment: Mediators)
• Edwin G. (Ed) Rice (Bankruptcy/Restructuring [North & Central Florida])

Mississippi

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Mississippi for the following three practice areas:

• Construction
• Corporate/Commercial
• Litigation: General Commercial

Chambers USA ranked the following 12 attorneys in the firm’s Jackson office as among the leading lawyers for business in Mississippi:

• Michael J. Bentley (Litigation: Appellate)
• Roy D. Campbell, III (Litigation: General Commercial)
• W. Rodney (Rod) Clement (Real Estate)
• Margaret Oertling Cupples (Litigation: Appellate)
• W. Wayne Drinkwater (Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: General Commercial)
• Ralph B. Germany, Jr. (Construction)
• J. William (Will) Manuel (Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial)
• Alan W. Perry (Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: General Commercial)
• William R. (Bill) Purdy (Construction)
• Alex Purvis (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Stephen L. (Steve) Thomas (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Stephen M. (Steve) Wilson (Corporate/Commercial)

North Carolina

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in North Carolina for the following three practice areas:

• Antitrust
• Construction
• Litigation: General Commercial

Chambers USA ranked the following nine attorneys in the firm’s Charlotte office as among the leading lawyers for business in North Carolina:

• Corby Cochran Anderson (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Ryan L. Beaver (Construction)
• Michael P. Fischer (Antitrust)
• J. Douglas Grimes (Intellectual Property)
• Brian A. Hayles (Antitrust)
• Mark J. Horoschak (Antitrust, Healthcare)
• Christopher C. (Chris) Lam (Litigation: General Commercial)
• Najla Long (Antitrust)
• Robert R. Marcus (Litigation: General Commercial)

Tennessee

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Tennessee for the following nine practice areas:

• Banking & Finance
• Corporate/M&A
• Environment
• Healthcare
• Intellectual Property
• Labor & Employment
• Litigation: General Commercial
• Media & Entertainment
• Real Estate

Chambers USA ranked the following 33 attorneys in the firm’s Nashville office as among the leading lawyers for business in Tennessee:

• Jeffrey L. Allen (Media & Entertainment)
• Emily Hatch Bowman (Banking & Finance, Real Estate)
• Stephen T. (Steve) Braun (Healthcare)
• Kevin B. Campbell (Healthcare, Healthcare: Regulatory)
• Timothy L. Capria (Intellectual Property)
• Ann Peldo Cargile (Real Estate)
• Bob Hannon (Banking & Finance)
• Jay Hardcastle (Healthcare, Healthcare: Regulatory)
• John R. Haynes (Real Estate)
• Ty E. Howard (Healthcare: Government Investigations & Fraud)
• Bart J. Kempf (Environment)
• Amy S. Leopard (Healthcare: Regulatory)
• Samuel D. (Sam) Lipshie (Media & Entertainment)
• Travis G. Lloyd (Healthcare: Regulatory)
• Matthew C. (Matt) Lonergan (Labor & Employment)
• Chuck Mataya (Labor & Employment)
• Russell B. (Russ) Morgan (Litigation: General Commercial)
• John E. Murdock, III (Banking & Finance)
• Jim Murphy (Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use)
• Andrew J. (Andy) Murray (Healthcare)
• John W. Myers, II (Banking & Finance)
• William L. (Bill) Norton, III (Bankruptcy/Restructuring)
• Craig Oliver (Labor & Employment)
• Todd Presnell (Litigation: General Commercial)
• John P. Rodgers (Labor & Employment)
• David A. Rutter (Real Estate)
• Brooks R. Smith (Real Estate)
• John W. Titus (Corporate/M&A)
• J. Thomas (Tom) Trent, Jr. (Real Estate)
• Thor Y. Urness (Intellectual Property, Litigation: General Commercial)
• Phillip E. (Phil) Walker (Intellectual Property)
• Richard F. Warren (Real Estate)
• Robert E. (Bob) Wood (Real Estate)

Texas

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Texas for the following practice area:

• Construction

Chambers USA ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds for the following practice area:

• Litigation: General Commercial

Chambers USA ranked the following two attorneys in the firm’s Dallas office as among the leading lawyers for business in Texas:

• Gene R. Besen (Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations)
• Richard A. (Dick) Sayles (Litigation: Trial Lawyers, Litigation: General Commercial [Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds])

Chambers USA ranked the following two attorneys in the firm’s Houston office as among the leading lawyers for business in Texas:

• Ian P. Faria (Construction)
• Jon Paul Hoelscher (Construction)

Buchalter is pleased to announce the arrival of new Shareholder Artin Betpera, who joins the firm’s Orange County office. Betpera is the newest member of the Litigation and Class Action practice groups.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) is a specific focus of Betpera’s practice. He has successfully defended several high-stakes TCPA class actions in jurisdictions throughout the country. Drawing from this experience, Betpera has helped enterprises across multiple industry sectors effectively mitigate TCPA risk arising out of complex outbound calling and texting operations.

Betpera also has a deep understanding of consumer financial services litigation, having started his career at ground-zero of the 2007 financial crisis. His experience in the broad array of litigation resulting from the crisis led him to manage a significant volume of litigation for some of the country’s largest financial institutions.

Betpera is also committed to being a leader in diversity and inclusion. While at his prior firm, Betpera was instrumental in founding HBCU Succeed, an initiative designed to provide students of historically black colleges and universities with high quality professional development programming and meaningful networking opportunities.