Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that partners Lindsey C. Boney IV, Tripp Haston and Lela M. Hollabaugh have been named by Who’s Who Legal as among the world’s leading life sciences attorneys. They are listed in the Product Liability chapter of the 2021 edition of Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences.

Bradley’s nationally recognized Life Sciences Industry team represents clients involved in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, molecular testing services, drug delivery systems, clinical labs (CLIA), genomic labs, bioinformatics, genomic medical clinics, research institutions, contract research organizations, animal sciences, plant sciences, and healthcare. Bradley earned Tier 1 national rankings in the 2021 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, as well as Tier 1 “Best Law Firms” metropolitan rankings for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants for Birmingham; Jackson, Miss.; Montgomery, Ala; Nashville, Tenn.; and Washington, D.C.

The 2021 edition of Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences is scheduled to be published early next year by London-based Law Business Research Limited. Only lawyers who receive the highest number of recommendations from peers and clients as determined through independent research are listed in the publication. The Who’s Who Legal directory lists more than 27,000 private practice lawyers from more than 160 national jurisdictions, covering diverse areas of corporate and commercial law. The guides are intended to serve as reference sources for companies seeking to corroborate the reputations of lawyers recommended by another party.

David Karceski, partner in the Venable State and Local Government Practice, was named to Baltimore Mayor-elect Brandon Scott’s transition team as part of the Committee for Housing & Neighborhood Development: Increasing Access to Affordable Housing. In this role, Mr. Karceski will work closely with the transition committee co-chair and steering committee to generate proposals for how to rebuild city government, and ensure functioning, equitable, and efficient operations for all of Baltimore’s residents.

Karceski concentrates his practice on real estate development and zoning and land use matters. He assists local, regional, and national clients in obtaining legislative, administrative, and regulatory approvals during all phases of real estate development and permitting in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and other jurisdictions in Maryland. He has experience with transit-oriented developments, mixed-use town centers, industrial and office parks, institutional campus improvements, multifamily communities and residential subdivisions, and a variety of other projects.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce a new correspondent counsel relationship with Chiode Minicucci, a leading labor and employment law firm comprised of 18 attorneys in Brazil.

The Chiode Minicucci team will partner with all the members of Littler’s global platform, which now includes a presence in 12 markets in Latin America and more than 1,500 attorneys across 24 countries. Littler recently announced an expansion into Spain, a move that further enhanced both the firm’s European and Latin American capabilities – given the strong ties between the two regions.

Chiode Minicucci is led by partners Daniel Domingues Chiode and Marília Nascimento Minicucci and has professionals in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Brasília. The firm represents management in both individual and class action litigation before Brazil’s Regional Labor Courts, the Superior Labor Court and the Brazil Supreme Court. Chiode Minicucci also provides counsel on employment and labor law matters to companies in a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical, chemical, technology, aviation, insurance, infrastructure, energy and retail.

Chiode Minicucci and its attorneys have been recognized as leaders in labor and employment law by such organizations as Chambers & Partners, Análise 500 Advocacia, Legal 500 and Leaders League. The team will work closely with New York-based Littler shareholder Renata Neeser, a native of São Paulo who previously practiced in that city, in coordinating support of clients’ needs in Brazil.

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that Erica Gerson, a former associate director at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), has re-joined the firm as a partner. Gerson, who previously practiced at the firm for nearly a decade as of counsel and associate, will be based in the Washington office.

Most recently at FINRA, Gerson served as associate director in the National Cause and Financial Crimes Detection Programs department. In that position, Gerson supervised investigations regarding violations of FINRA rules, federal securities laws and rules, and other financial crimes. She also advised officers at FINRA regarding the appropriate disposition of matters, and oversaw referral of matters to federal and state regulators. Prior to that position, Gerson served as senior counsel in FINRA’s Enforcement Department, where she represented FINRA in disciplinary actions and led investigations regarding securities fraud, supervisory failures, disclosure violations, and a variety of sales practice violations.

During her time at Steptoe, Gerson focused her practice on commercial litigation. She represented clients in litigation before federal and state courts and arbitration panels, and also conducted internal investigations. An active member of Steptoe’s pro bono program, Gerson represented foster parents in contested adoption cases and served on the advisory board of the Children’s Law Center.

Phil West, chair of Steptoe, commented: “Erica is a talented trial lawyer who has great courtroom skills and credibility. We saw that when she was first here at Steptoe, and more recently at FINRA she gained additional substantive knowledge of financial regulations and additional experience investigating and litigating cases under those regulations. Erica will be an excellent addition to our financial services and litigation practices, and we’re delighted to welcome her back to the firm.”

Gerson, a certified fraud examiner, earned her B.A. from the University of Maryland and her J.D., cum laude, from American University. Prior to joining Steptoe, she worked as a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Charles Day of the US District Court for the District of Maryland

CHICAGO – Venable LLP is pleased to announce that it is opening an office in Chicago with the addition of three Chicago-based partners and three associates who focus on construction law. These additions are accompanied by six construction law practitioners who have joined other Venable offices – three partners and two senior counsel in New York, and one partner in Washington, D.C.

Kenneth M. Roberts, Heidi Hennig Rowe, and Mark C. Friedlander, partners, and three associates, reside in the new Chicago office. James E. Frankel, Brian G. Lustbader, and Gary L. Rubin, partners, and Peter J. Kiernan and Sayward “Woody” Mazur, senior counsels, reside in the firm’s New York office. Amanda Schermer MacVey, a partner, resides in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Their professional achievements have consistently been recognized on the group and individual levels with such accolades as: consistent recognition as a premier practice by Chambers USA in its annual rankings, with six of the attorneys ranked as top lawyers by the publication in 2020; “Practice of the Year” from 2018-2020 by Law 360; national group recognition in 2020 by The Legal 500, and “Law Firm of the Year: Litigation – Construction” in 2020 by US News – Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms.

Roberts concentrates his practice in the field of construction law, project controls, and procurement contracts, particularly on behalf of owners in the energy industry and on government infrastructure projects. He is consulted on a daily basis by procurement and risk management departments concerning every aspect of planned or ongoing construction projects and is currently working on three mega-infrastructure projects.

Rowe, who has significant experience in contract drafting and the negotiation of design and construction contracts, handles more than a billion dollars in contracts on an annual basis for projects throughout the country.

Frankel focuses his practice on providing innovative front-end project structuring, transactional documentation, and contentious dispute resolution to the owner, architect, engineering, and construction communities.

Friedlander has consistently been at the forefront of construction and design law. He is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading pioneers in innovative project delivery structures.

Lustbader concentrates on construction contract drafting and negotiation; alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration; and general litigation. His negotiation skills allow him to provide maximum value to his clients during all phases of a construction project.

MacVey’s practice is focused on the representation of owners, design professionals, developers, and contractors throughout the construction process.

Rubin is a thoughtful strategist and forceful advocate who helps owners and contractors with a variety of construction law needs. His experience in litigation and alternative dispute resolution has cemented his reputation as a leader and innovator who understands the complex landscape.

Kiernan focuses on infrastructure development, construction, public law, public pension, public finance, and government relations. He spent more than 40 years in government service, private law practice, and real estate development and investment.

Mazur is a construction adviser, litigator, transaction lawyer, arbitrator-mediator, and appellate lawyer with more than four decades of experience providing counsel on virtually every aspect of private and public construction law.

MORRISTOWN, NJ – Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. (Porzio) is conducting a study to determine the financial, educational and demographic impact of converting all school districts within Salem County into a single, county-wide public school district. If such a plan were to move forward, it would be the first-of-its-kind in state history. The Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders selected the Morristown-based law firm to conduct this precedential study.

Porzio has been selected by the Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders to study whether switching to a single, county-wide public school district would be educationally and fiscally viable and beneficial for the communities of Salem County. The feasibility study, which is funded fully by a state grant, will determine the educational, demographic, and financial implications of reducing the County’s 14 school districts to one. The attorneys and experts will evaluate demographic and population trends, labor agreements with teachers and administrators, and programming and transportation.

In addition to Wright, the team working on the study includes firm managing principal and Education and Employment co-chair Vito A. Gagliardi, Jr. and Education Team member David C. Hespe, of counsel.

Gagliardi, who also serves as President and CEO of the firm’s subsidiaries, Porzio Life Sciences, Porzio Governmental Affairs and Porzio Compliance Services, represents school districts in numerous matters, and handles a range of employment law matters for public and private sector clients in state and federal courts and agencies, and before arbitrators. He has handled the only three regional school district dissolutions in New Jersey’s state history. Gagliardi’s work includes transforming K-6 and K-8 districts into K-12 districts, and he has been involved with the creation, expansion or severance of sending-receiving relationships including dual sending-receiving relationships, ultimately helping taxpayers in many communities save millions of dollars while developing more efficient and comprehensive school systems and negotiating financially beneficial agreements. Also, he is the Chairman of the New Jersey Law Revision Commission, which is tasked by the legislature with identifying areas of the law that require revision for clarification and simplification.

Wright brings significant experience representing and counseling school boards, charter schools, private schools and colleges. She is one of only a few professionals in the state who has worked to reconfigure school districts, including the creation and dissolution of regional school districts and the creation and termination of sending-receiving relationships. As an elected member of the Chester Board of Education in Morris County, Wright is serving in her fifth term. She served several years as the President of the Board, and currently serves as the Chair of the Board’s negotiation committee.

Hespe has been appointed twice as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education, and is an accomplished policy leader with decades of experience throughout all levels of New Jersey and New York education matters. He handles education law matters for schools, school districts and higher education institutions, including personnel issues, student discipline, bullying, special-needs students, and litigation and other actions involving school policy. He counsels clients and education leaders on matters such as training, legislation, and strategic planning and governance.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that 134 attorneys across the firm’s offices in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee were selected as 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers or Rising Stars.

In addition, the following Bradley attorneys in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee were named to Top 50 or Top 100 Super Lawyers lists for 2020:

Top 50 Birmingham Super Lawyers

• Matthew H. Lembke (Appellate)
• Daniel F. Murphy (Health Care)

Top 50 Alabama Super Lawyers

• Matthew H. Lembke (Appellate)
• Daniel F. Murphy (Health Care)

Top 50 Mississippi Super Lawyers

• W. Wayne Drinkwater (Business Litigation)
• J. William Manuel (Business Litigation)
• Alan W. Perry (Business Litigation)
• William R. Purdy (Construction Litigation)

Top 50 Nashville Super Lawyers

• Russell B. Morgan (Business Litigation)
• William L. Norton III (Bankruptcy: Business)
• J. Thomas Trent Jr. (Real Estate)

Top 100 Tennessee Super Lawyers

• Lela M. Hollabaugh (Energy & Resources)
• Russell B. Morgan (Business Litigation)
• William L. Norton III (Bankruptcy: Business)
• J. Thomas Trent (Real Estate)

Top 50 Women Mid-South Super Lawyers

• Kimberly B. Martin (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• Leigh Anne Hodge (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)

The complete list of the firm’s attorneys recognized as 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers or Rising Stars, organized by metropolitan market and office location, is provided below.

Birmingham

Mid-South Super Lawyers for 2020:

• Wendell Allen (Business Litigation)
• Jim Archibald (Construction Litigation)
• Marc James Ayers (Appellate)
• Jay Bender (Bankruptcy: Business)
• Dylan C. Black (Professional Liability: Defense)
• Paul P. Bolus (Insurance Coverage)
• Michael Brown (Land Use/Zoning)
• Beau Byrd (Real Estate)
• Jennifer Hoover Clark (Health Care)
• Keith Covington (Employment & Labor)
• William S. “Buddy” Cox III (Environmental)
• Michael S. Denniston (Antitrust Litigation)
• Jeffrey D. Dyess (IP Litigation)
• Linda A. Friedman (IP Litigation)
• James W. Gewin (Business Litigation)
• Chris Glenos (Bankruptcy: Business)
• Glenn E. Glover (Creditor Debtor Rights)
• John E. Goodman (Civil Litigation: Defense)
• John W. Hargrove (Employment & Labor)
• Judd A. Harwood (Health Care)
• Tripp Haston (Class Action)
• Christopher L. Hawkins (Bankruptcy: Business)
• Leigh Anne Hodge (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• David G. Hymer (Business Litigation)
• Andy Johnson (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• Joel M. Kuehnert (Environmental Litigation)
• Matthew H. Lembke (Appellate)
• Jack B. Levy (Health Care)
• Robert Maddox (Banking)
• Joseph B. Mays Jr. (Business Litigation)
• Justin T. McDonald (Personal Injury General: Defense)
• Jennifer J. McGahey (Business Litigation)
• Michael D. McKibben (Business Litigation)
• Matthew Miller (Employment & Labor)
• Richard H. Monk III (Business Litigation)
• Daniel F. Murphy (Health Care)
• Brian O’Dell (Real Estate)
• David W. Owen (Construction Litigation)
• Michael R. Pennington (Class Action)
• Mabry Rogers (Construction Litigation)
• Walter J. Sears III (Construction Litigation)
• Anne Marie Seibel (Business Litigation)
• Edward S. Sledge IV (General Litigation)
• John W. Smith T (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• Ethan T. Tidmore (Business Litigation)
• Brian Alexander Wahl (General Litigation)
• R. Thomas Warburton (General Litigation)
• John D. Watson (Business Litigation)
• Anne R. Yuengert (Employment & Labor)

Mid-South Rising Stars for 2020:

• Anne Knox Averitt (Civil Litigation: Defense)
• James Blake Bailey (Bankruptcy: Business)
• Nancy W. Ball (Estate & Probate)
• Stanley E. Blackmon (Appellate)
• Jason R. Bushby (Banking)
• Hillary Campbell (Business Litigation)
• Aaron Chastain (Appellate)
• Anna Craft (Business Litigation)
• Lee Gilley (Banking)
• Parker Griffin Jr. (Creditor Debtor Rights)
• Rudy Hill (Intellectual Property Litigation)
• Matthew A. Hinshaw (Business/Corporate)
• Riley Key (Banking)
• Jonathan R. Kolodziej (Banking)
• James E. Long Jr. (Tax)
• Luke D. Martin (Construction Litigation)
• Carly Miller (Construction Litigation)
• Grant A. Premo (Business Litigation)
• Thomas Richie (Class Action)
• Brad Robertson (Criminal Defense: White Collar)
• Ryan P. Robichaux (Government Relations)
• Christopher Selman (Construction Litigation)
• Michael A. Thomason Jr. (Mergers & Acquisitions)
• Darrell C. Tucker II (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• James L. Webb (Real Estate)
• James W. Wright Jr. (Banking)

Huntsville, Ala.

Mid-South Super Lawyers for 2020:

• Frank M. Caprio (Intellectual Property)
• Stephen H. Hall (Intellectual Property)
• Scott E. Ludwig (Business/Corporate)
• Kimberly B. Martin (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• Scott Burnett Smith (Appellate)

Mid-South Rising Star for 2020:

• Austin Hagood (Health Care)

Jackson, Miss.

Mid-South Super Lawyers for 2020:

• Michael J. Bentley (Appellate)
• Roy D. Campbell III (General Litigation)
• David W. Clark (Business Litigation)
• W. Rodney Clement (Real Estate)
• Margaret Oertling Cupples (Appellate)
• W. Wayne Drinkwater (Business Litigation)
• Ralph B. Germany Jr. (Construction Litigation)
• J. William Manuel (Business Litigation)
• Mary Clay W. Morgan (General Litigation)
• Alan W. Perry (Business Litigation)
• William R. Purdy (Construction Litigation)
• Joseph J. Stroble (Class Action)
• Stephen L. Thomas (General Litigation)
• Molly M. Walker (Personal Injury – Products: Defense)
• Clarence Webster III (Class Action)

Mid-South Rising Stars for 2020:

• Simon Bailey (Class Action)
• Erin D. Saltaformaggio (Business Litigation)
• Michael Casey Williams (Intellectual Property)

Montgomery, Ala.

Mid-South Super Lawyer for 2020:

• Charles Stewart (Business Litigation)

Mid-South Rising Star for 2020:

• Sarah Sutton Osborne (Civil Litigation: Defense)

Nashville, Tenn.

Mid-South Super Lawyers for 2020:

• Michael D. Brent (Health Care)
• Ann Peldo Cargile (Real Estate)
• George H. Cate III (Business Litigation)
• J. Greer Cummings Jr. (Real Estate)
• Joseph W. Gibbs (Tax)
• William F. Goodman III (Class Action)
• John R. Haynes (Real Estate)
• Lela Hollabaugh (Energy & Resources)
• Samuel D. Lipshie (Entertainment & Sports)
• Matthew C. Lonergan (Employment & Labor)
• Chuck Mataya (Employment & Labor)
• Russell B. Morgan (Business Litigation)
• John E. Murdock III (Mergers & Acquisition)
• Jim Murphy (Land Use/Zoning)
• Andrew J. Murray (Health Care)
• William L. Norton III (Bankruptcy: Business)
• Craig Oliver (Employment & Labor)
• Robert S. Patterson (Business Litigation)
• Todd Presnell (Business Litigation)
• Brooks R. Smith (Real Estate)
• David K. Taylor (Construction Litigation)
• J. Thomas Trent Jr. (Real Estate)
• Thor Y. Urness (Business Litigation)
• Robert E. Wood (Real Estate)

Mid-South Rising Stars for 2020:

• Jeffrey L. Allen (Entertainment & Sports)
• Caleb Barron (Employee Benefits)
• Katherine H. Blankenship (Construction Litigation)
• Brandon Bundren (Business Litigation)
• Marc Bussone (Employee Benefits)
• Lauren B. Jacques (Health Care)
• Alex McFall (Business Litigation)
• Fritz Spainhour (Business Litigation)
• D. Bryan Thomas (Construction Litigation)

Only the top 5% of lawyers in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are named Mid-South Super Lawyers. No more than 2.5% of lawyers in these states are selected as Rising Stars, who must be 40 years old or younger or have been in practice for 10 or fewer years. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers determines its rankings through independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. The Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists are published in Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine and in supplements in various regional publications, as well as distributed to attorneys and ABA-accredited law school libraries.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that the firm’s Construction Practice Group was named among Law360’s 2020 Practice Groups of the Year, one of only five firms in the nation to receive this honor.

Law360’s annual Practice Group of the Year awards honor law firm practice groups that have accomplished the most significant litigation wins or deals over the past year. This year’s honorees were selected from more than 800 submissions.

Bradley was named the “Law Firm of the Year” for Construction Law in the 2020 and 2018 editions of U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms. This is the first time Bradley’s Construction Practice Group has been recognized among Law360’s Practice Groups of the Year.

From initial contract negotiation and bid preparation to project close-out and dispute resolution, Bradley’s Construction Practice Group has handled every aspect of large-scale construction projects across the country and around the world. The team’s broad experience comes from their hands-on approach to managing both the business and legal challenges their clients face every day. Bradley’s construction lawyers have advised clients on projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as more than 35 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and South America. They are devoted to spending time onsite at projects and engaging with clients face-to-face on matters as they develop. Many of the firm’s construction attorneys have degrees in engineering, building science or architecture and have previous practical experience working in the construction industry.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released the results of the Littler Employer Pulse Survey Report. The survey was completed by representatives of nearly 1,100 companies in mid-October – seven months after the remote-work pivot necessitated by the coronavirus and just weeks before the 2020 presidential election.

With COVID-19 cases again surging in the United States, the reality of the extended remote work environment seems to have set in for respondents, which include in-house counsel, human resources professionals and C-suite executives. At this stage of the pandemic, the results show employers placing greater focus on employee well-being and maintaining company culture, while bracing for workplace policy changes that will come with the new presidential administration.

Workplace Culture and Employee Well-Being

Among respondents who have maintained a largely remote workforce during the pandemic, the majority are continuing remote work arrangements at least through the end of the year (57 percent) or gradually bringing employees back on a voluntary basis (25 percent). Only 18 percent are reopening and requiring more employees to return.

In this prolonged remote work environment, maintaining company culture and keeping employees content emerged as key areas of concern for employers. A strong majority (81 percent) report being at least somewhat concerned about the pandemic’s impact on employee mental health and well-being – and just two percent say they are not concerned at all. Seventy-five percent expressed the same level of concern about how the shift to remote work has impacted company culture, collaboration and employee loyalty.

Employers report taking a range of actions to address employee well-being during the pandemic, including offering more flexible work schedules (73 percent) and providing mental health services and Employee Assistance Programs (68 percent).

The 2020 Election

While the survey was conducted just prior to the November 3 election, the results suggest employers were already anticipating significant changes to workplace policy under a Biden administration.

Half of the employers surveyed expect an uptick in enforcement actions by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its state counterparts regarding compliance with COVID-19 safety rules. Outside of the new presidential administration’s COVID-19 response, respondents predict employment law-related changes in such areas as: paid sick and family leave requirements (74 percent), healthcare policy (71 percent), immigration (66 percent) and measures to address income inequality (64 percent).

Additional Key Findings

Other findings discussed in the report include:

• More than half of employers surveyed (56 percent) say they are struggling to navigate the various laws that apply to time off, scheduling and accommodation requests from employees with children whose education and care are affected by COVID-19.
• Amid renewed calls for racial justice and equality, supporting employees and addressing racism in the workplace emerged as an area of concern. That concern was especially pronounced among companies with over 10,000 employees as 43 percent say they are extremely or moderately concerned about this issue (compared to 27 percent of all respondents).
• With COVID-19 accelerating technology’s already prominent role in how companies operate, many employers report using technology or digital tools to manage their workforces during the pandemic. For instance, 55 percent of all respondents (and 70 percent of those whose companies have over 10,000 employees) are now using technology-driven recruiting and hiring tools

Stroock is pleased to bring some positive news to these challenging times with the promotion of four new partners and three new special counsel, effective January 1, 2021.

The following lawyers have been promoted to partner:

Julie Nevins (Litigation, Miami): Nevins handles a broad range of complex commercial matters, including insurance coverage, bad faith, business torts, contracts, real property, outdoor advertising and intellectual property. In addition to litigating, she provides counseling on coverage and claims handling. Nevins is a sought after conference panelist and a regular author on important insurance issues that impact the market, most recently providing insight on business interruption in the era of COVID-19.

Marija Pecar (Financial Restructuring, New York): Pecar specializes in debt finance as part of the Financial Restructuring Group. Pecar represents leading investment and commercial banks, hedge funds, private equity sponsors and other alternative capital providers, as well as public and private companies, as creditors, sponsors, debtors, underwriters, arrangers, collateral agents and indenture trustees on a wide range of complex domestic and cross-border financing transactions, including leveraged acquisition and syndicated financings; distressed debt and other special situations financings and restructurings (including “debtor-in-possession” financings, bridge facilities and chapter 11 exits); ABLs; high-yield bond issuances and other debt and capital markets transactions.

Shannon Reaves (Government Affairs & Regulatory Support, Washington, D.C.): Reaves focuses his practice in the areas of Exon-Florio reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS); industrial security, including Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) mitigation matters before the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy; and export control compliance. He also advises companies regarding major defense industry acquisitions. Reaves has participated in hundreds of CFIUS reviews, has conducted industrial security due diligence for transactions and has investigated export control violations. He is a noted panelist at leading industry conferences and has contributed to numerous articles on CFIUS regulation.

Gabriel Sasson (Financial Restructuring, New York): Sasson concentrates his practice on bankruptcy proceedings and out-of-court restructuring transactions. Sasson has extensive experience representing ad hoc groups of bondholders, secured lenders and other creditors, DIP lenders, official committees of unsecured creditors, indenture trustees, equity holders and debtors in connection with in-court and out-of-court restructurings. In addition, Sasson has experience in the representation of large insurance companies, as creditors, in chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings.

The following lawyers have been promoted to special counsel:

Kerry Cooperman (Government Affairs & Regulatory Support, New York): Cooperman focuses on complex commercial litigation, with particular concentrations in commercial real estate disputes, financial regulatory enforcement matters, and political law compliance. Cooperman also supports Stroock’s Public Service Project, helping oversee our pro bono program with particular attention to representing children with special education needs in securing appropriate educational services and school placements. His concentration also encompasses advocacy for not-for-profit organizations.

Thomas Shiah (Financial Restructuring, New York): Shiah focuses his practice on the corporate and transactional aspects of in-court and out-of-court restructurings, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, debtor-in-possession financings, and restructurings and workouts. He has experience representing clients in all aspects of the structuring, negotiation, financing and implementation of these transactions. Shiah also regularly represents hedge funds, private equity funds, banks and large institutional investors regarding the development and implementation of distressed investment strategies.

Daniel Yost (Litigation, New York): Yost focuses on complex commercial litigation, as well as regulatory compliance counseling and defense for clients in federal and multi-state investigations, enforcement actions and examinations. He has experience in matters involving state and federal consumer protection statutes, fair lending and fair housing laws, credit reporting and debt collection. Yost pro bono practice focuses on asylum claims for refugees and housing rights for New York City tenants.

Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP will present a free webinar, “Legal Ethics for IP Practitioners: A Cautionary Tale of Professional Irresponsibility,” featuring Fitch Even attorney Steven G. Parmelee.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at 9:00 am PST / 10:00 am MST / 11:00 am CST / 12 noon EST.

Registered patent practitioners must follow the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct, which conform to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Although largely similar to state bar rules, the USPTO rules can be applied in some fact scenarios that are unique to the intellectual property world.

During this webinar, the presenter will take a deep dive into how one patent attorney repeatedly ran afoul with the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct in the context of a business venture that purported to serve the unique needs of the inventor community. This troublesome tale showcases some interesting ways in which the USPTO Office of Enrollment and Discipline interprets and applies these USPTO rules. The presenter will examine these and other behaviors to which the USPTO objected:

• Following instructions from an intermediary on when to file a patent application for a client
• Disclosing a fee arrangement with a client
• Supervising an employee working for a client via an intermediary
• Doing business under an assumed name

CLE credit has been approved for California, Illinois, and Nebraska. Other states may also award CLE credit upon attendee request.

Following the live event, a recording of the webinar will be available to view for one year at www.fitcheven.com.

Register for the webinar.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Ryan S. Alexander to its Corporate Finance Practice Group as a Member in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Alexander joins Dykema from Lewis Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, LLP.

Alexander concentrates his practice on corporate, commercial and technology transactional matters. He represents publicly-traded companies, privately-held companies, private equity funds, partnerships and professional service firms for clients in the automotive, consumer products, utility, government vendor, financial services and media and advertising sectors. Alexander has completed numerous M&A transactions ranging in size between $25M-$800M in market sectors including automotive, consumer products, defense, energy, gaming and health care.

Alexander has vast commercial experience and has completed transactions relating to the design, development, manufacture, distribution and sale of products and the sourcing of materials, products, and technology. He has created sales and warranty policies for several high-end consumer products manufacturers, prepared various distribution, dealer and franchise agreements, and has counseled clients regarding development, manufacture and sale of automotive components and restricted technologies.

Alexander earned a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School and a B.S. from Midwestern State University.

Washington, DC (November 24, 2020) – The Venable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Venable LLP, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as a platinum-level participant in D.C. Access to Justice’s 2019 Raising the Bar Campaign. The platinum level is the campaign’s top tier and honors firms that have administered financial support amounting to .11% of D.C. office revenue to local legal services providers. In 2019, the Venable Foundation awarded $341,000 in grants to legal aid organizations in D.C., and more than $600,000 across the country.

To meet the urgent need for increased funding for legal services, the D.C. Access to Justice Commission formally launched the Raising the Bar in D.C. Campaign in December 2010. The campaign’s goal is to substantially increase financial support to the District’s legal services community by establishing benchmarks for law firm giving and annually recognizing those firms that have donated at benchmark levels. Because the benchmarks are based on revenue, the recognition levels are accessible to firms of all sizes.

The D.C. Access to Justice Commission was created by the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2005 to improve low- and moderate-income residents’ ability to access the civil justice system and raise awareness of the need for equal access to justice. The Commission has twenty-four commissioners, including D.C. Court of Appeals and Superior Court judges, past presidents of the D.C. Bar, executive directors of leading legal services providers, corporate counsel, and other community leaders.

The Venable Foundation was established in 1983 to support a wide variety of charitable, civic, and cultural endeavors, and serve public interest law needs in our communities. In the past 10 years, the Venable Foundation has granted more than $25 million to worthy organizations that provide critical support to those in need. These include children’s services and funding for disadvantaged families and individuals; homeless shelters and food programs; community organizations, hospitals, hospices, and local chapters of national health organizations; and educational, artistic, and cultural events and organizations. In 2019 alone, the Foundation awarded $3.2 million in grant dollars to 363 nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC, Baltimore, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The Foundation is funded by the partners of Venable LLP.

This event is FREE for all In-House Counsel.*
*If you are a non-member of the New York City Bar Association, please call Customer Relations at (212) 382-6663.

Chaired by Michael S. Solender, Global Vice Chair & General Counsel, EY, this year’s program will feature keynote speaker Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security, and will talk about the role of lawyers in upholding the rule of law. Four panels will cover the subjects we expect are foremost on your mind with respect to the new administration –

• Justice and Law Enforcement
• Environmental Policy and Regulation
• Healthcare Policy and Regulation
• Business Policy and Regulation (including trade, tax, technology and China)

For each panel, we have recruited top experts in their fields who will offer diverse perspectives from a range of different vantage points, including:

• Top academics including Abbe Gluck of Yale, Michael Gerrard of Columbia, and Mary McCord of Georgetown
• Leaders from the private bar including Barry Berke of Kramer Levin, Antoinia Apps of Milbank, William Bernstein of Manatt Phelps, and Claire Reade and Jonathan Martel of Arnold & Porter
• Current and former public officials New York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Basil Seggos, former Federal Judge John Gleeson, Congressman Eric Swalwell, California’s 15th District and others to be announced
• New York Times Journalists Sarah Kliff and Ana Swanson
• Senior in house lawyers Roger Martella from General Electric, Helena Sullivan of Bunge and Michael S. Solender from EY
• Public interest lawyer and leader Abigail Dillen
• Tax leader and practitioner Kate Barton of EY

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Sidley is proud to announce that Human Rights Initiative of North Texas (HRI) honored the firm with its “Law Firm Angel of Freedom” award. The award celebrates the law firms, institutions, and individuals that help people fleeing violence find safety in the Dallas community. Sidley earned the award for contributing more than 650 pro bono hours to HRI in the past year, more than any of the other firms HRI partnered with in 2020.

For more than 20 years, HRI has provided legal and critical social services for immigrant survivors of human rights abuses from all over the world. Sidley shares in HRI’s commitment and provides pro bono legal services to asylum-seeking immigrants and refugees fleeing persecution abroad.

Earlier this year, lawyers from Sidley’s office in Dallas, working on a pro bono basis with HRI and AT&T, secured permanent asylum for a Burundian journalist and Red Cross employee who had been tortured and marked for death after being linked to the country’s political opposition. The action ended a nearly five-year ordeal for the woman and her three children that spanned four countries and three separate attacks.

The Sidley team included David Sillers and Daniel Driscoll along with Sarita Prabhu from AT&T, and William Holston and Pilar Ferguson with HRI.

Sidley also recently partnered with JPMorgan Chase to secure asylum in the United States for a Tutsi mother from Burundi and her three children. After years of abuse by high-ranking members of the Hutu-run military, which culminated in abduction and torture, our client fled to the U.S. and applied for asylum with the help of Sidley and JPMorgan Chase. The initial application was denied and Sidley appealed to the immigration court. Sidley argued for, and obtained, a merits hearing to be set within two months of our client’s first appearance in immigration court — timing that is unprecedented. After more than two hours on the stand, the judge rendered a decision on the spot — granting both our client and her three children asylum.

The Sidley team included Christopher Gleason, Margaret Allen, Tiffanie Limbrick, Barret Armbruster, and Michael Roberts, who worked closely with JPMorgan Chase’s Kimberly McVey to achieve this successful result for the client and her children.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Neal A. Fisher Jr. has joined the firm’s expanding Labor & Employment practice as a partner in the Los Angeles office. Fisher is the ninth addition to the national practice since July 2019, the most recent being Chris Wilkinson and Sarah Flotte in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, respectively.

Fisher focuses on a wide variety of employment litigation matters on behalf of employers in class action and single plaintiff cases. He represents employers in cases involving wage-and-hour issues, wrongful terminations, discrimination, and harassment. In addition to litigation, Fisher guides clients through alternative dispute resolutions and provides counsel on employment policy matters including hiring, disciplinary issues, firings, leaves of absence, and workforce restructurings.

Fisher received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University. Fisher joins Perkins Coie from Davis Wright Tremaine.

The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has announced that Melissa Fried Spence, a member at Nexsen Pruet in Charleston, South Carolina, has accepted an invitation to join the IADC, the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.

Spence focuses her practice in labor and employment law. She has represented employers in state and federal court against lawsuits arising under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and the FLSA. She also represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.

Spence serves as the general counsel on the board for the Palmetto Society for Human Resource and Management and as the newsletter coordinator for the employment and labor law section of the South Carolina Bar. She is a member of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and Federal Bar Association, and recently received the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award.

Spence received her J.D. (cum laude) from Charleston School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Wofford College.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Jason Walters, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, was elected as the 2021 secretary-treasurer of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel (ALIC), serving in the position for the fifth consecutive year.

Founded in 1913, ALIC is the premier association for life insurance counsel. It exists to enhance the legal representation of the life insurance industry by fostering community and scholarship among its members. ALIC members serve life insurance companies and their stockholders, policyholders and broader constituencies.

A member of Bradley’s Litigation and Insurance practice groups, Walters is a life, health and disability insurance litigator, serving as lead counsel for multiple Fortune 500 insurance and financial services companies in class actions, individual litigation, and arbitration. He has defended cases involving all types of life insurance, annuities, long-term disability, cancer, critical illness, long-term care, and major medical insurance policies, including actions involving group policies governed by ERISA. He regularly defends cases with claims of bad faith, fraud, agent theft, violation of consumer protection statutes, annuity suitability, breach of fiduciary duty, ERISA violations, rescission, and, of course, breach of contract.

Walters is actively involved in a variety of insurance industry organizations. In addition to his role with ALIC, he also belongs to the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and the DRI Life, Health and Disability Committee. Walters is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events.

Industry insiders believe the spotlight afforded by COVID-19-related shutdowns and restrictions will generate increased investment and deal activity for esports in the near term. Yet, as the third annual Esports Survey Report shows, even esports isn’t immune to the pandemic’s effects.

Conducted by law firm Foley & Lardner LLP and The Esports Observer – and based on responses from hundreds of executives involved in esports – the report identifies the opportunities and challenges ahead for this young industry. While concerns remain about match-fixing and cheating, along with myriad legal risks, strong revenue and viewership numbers in 2020 appear to have given executives confidence that esports is on solid footing and that the industry is well-equipped to navigate these issues.

Key takeaways from the report include:

Growth and Investment

The majority of survey respondents (73%) believe the pandemic will lead to more investment and deal activity in esports over the next six months (Q4 2020 and Q1 2021). More than half cite the drivers of this trend as: continued social distancing boosting engagement with video games and esports (61%), the growth of online streaming platforms (61%), and the increased movement of big brands into esports sponsorships (52%).

At the same time, those who expect a decrease in investment over the same time period cite the top challenge facing esports as the inability to hold large in-person events (77%), followed by declines in advertising and sponsorships (65%). The results also suggest some reluctance from investors hit hard by the downturn to inject further capital into esports. For instance, the percentage of respondents who expect increased investment from private equity and venture capital firms dropped from 47% in the 2019 survey to 40% in 2020.

Gambling and Match-Fixing

With traditional professional sports largely on pause, the early months of the pandemic saw a rapid escalation in the approval of gambling on esports matches by major betting regulators – thereby opening another potential revenue stream for the industry.

However, there remains some skepticism from regulators and bookmakers about the risks involved in taking bets on esports. When respondents were asked what poses the greatest threat to the esports betting market, the top choice was a lack of adequate detection systems and monitoring tools for fraud and cheating (46%). In addition, 75% believe that match-fixing and cheating pose a significant threat to the legitimacy and growth of esports.

Legal Risks

As was the case in 2019, respondents view intellectual property (IP) and licensing (48%) and cybersecurity (41%) as the legal issues posing the most risk to the esports industry; however, they both dropped by about 10 percentage points from last year’s survey. In addition, most respondents (60%) feel that the control a small number of game developers have over esports – and the potential for these parties to exert their IP rights – is a barrier to the industry’s growth and development.

Meanwhile, there is increasing sentiment that labor and employment issues pose a significant risk to the industry (38% cite this as a concern in 2020, up from 31% in 2019). The specific employment law issues that respondents identified as important include: Management of players under the age of 18 (68%), providing proper employee benefits (53%), and contract disputes/renegotiation as players increasingly assert their rights (47%). Respondents also identified a range of actions they feel the esports industry should take to increase the representation and equitable treatment of women in esports.

Esports and Traditional Professional Sports

In an increasingly virtual world, traditional professional sports executives and organizations are looking to esports for new ways of leveraging technology and engaging with fans.

When asked how traditional professional sports may focus on digital technologies amid the rise of esports and the ongoing pandemic, the top responses included: Using digital technologies to provide fans with more direct interaction and engagement (64%), incorporating new technologies into broadcasts (54%), and hosting tournaments in which traditional professional sports players compete in simulated games (54%).

The 2020 Esports Survey was completed by 255 professionals primarily based in the United States and Europe. Respondents included esports and traditional professional sports teams and leagues, technology developers, media companies and agencies. To read the complete report and methodology, please click here.

Read the survey report.