Ball Janik LLP, a construction defect and property damage law firm with offices in Florida and Oregon, is pleased to announce the addition of Elijah C. Waring, Jr. to the firm as an associate in its Miami office. The addition of Waring is part of the firm’s continued growth and commitment to its clients.

Waring brings several years of legal experience to the firm. Prior to joining Ball Janik, Waring provided general and complex litigation to corporations involving premises liability, product liability, negligent security, wrongful death, and multidistrict litigation.

At Ball Janik, Waring works in the firm’s Construction Defect and Litigation practice groups where he represents owners and community associations in construction defect claims.

Waring graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in political science and legal studies. He received his JD degree from the University of Miami School of Law, where he competed as a member of the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board and the Miami Law Trial Team. Waring also served as a judicial intern to the Honorable R. Fred Lewis in the Florida Supreme Court, and later as a legal fellow in the University of Miami School of Law Health Rights Clinic. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, is pleased to announce that William P. Heller has been appointed as JFI Medical LLC’s Chief Legal Advisor. JFI Medical is a group of nationally accomplished African American physicians and professionals dedicated to developing strategies for affording underserved communities access to premium medical products and services.

Heller has over 25 years of experience in financial-related litigation, compliance and regulatory enforcement, and chairs Akerman’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group and Coronavirus Task Force. Heller and Akerman will help the JFI Medical team navigate complex legal issues along the way to reaching its goals. Heller will also serve on JFI Medical’s Management Board.

JFI Medical was founded by Chief Executive Officer and international trade expert Jerry Lacy. Dr. Brian E. Coleman, a nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, is the company’s Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Coleman’s extensive patient care experience aligns with JFI Medical’s focal initiative—facilitating the equitable distribution of high-end medical goods and services to all communities. Identifying aggressive coronavirus response strategies is an immediate objective.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Clarence Webster III, counsel in the firm’s Jackson office, has been appointed to the Mississippi Bar Complaint Tribunal. Appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court, Mr. Webster will begin serving a three-year term on January 1, 2021.

The Complaint Tribunal is comprised of nine judges and 18 lawyers selected by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Members hear and decide disciplinary matters arising out of complaints against attorneys. The Complaint Tribunal sits in panels of three, with each panel comprised of two attorneys and one judge.

A member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Webster represents a broad range of legal clients in complex commercial, product liability and mass torts, real estate, labor and employment and financial services litigation in federal and state courts across the U.S. He has participated in audits and investigations by state agencies and the Department of Labor; provided guidance and recommendations regarding employment decisions; drafted employee contracts, employee handbooks and corporate bylaws; and overseen employment litigation as outside general counsel.

Webster serves as the editor of the Mississippi Lawyer and as a member of the Mississippi Bar Association’s Ethics Committee. He previously served as chair of the Mississippi Bar’s Litigation Section’s Executive Committee and as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. He is also vice president for the Capital Area Bar Association and a member of the Magnolia Bar, for which he served as membership chair.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Connie Lewis Lensing, counsel in the firm’s Nashville office, has been named the 2020 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Memphis Chapter.

As a member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Lensing has extensive experience handling litigation defense and prevention, as well as domestic employment matters. She previously served as senior vice president in the legal department at FedEx Express, where she was responsible for all U.S. and U.S. Virgin Islands litigation, including all employment, commercial, benefits, class actions, wage and hour, antitrust, government actions, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges in the U.S. She also led the Employment, Environmental, Risk Management and Compliance groups and was responsible for litigation avoidance.

Lensing currently serves as co-chair of the Board of Directors and as chair of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, which is the Chamber’s primary policy advocacy body. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Civil Rights Museum. She previously served as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and as secretary-treasurer of Lawyers for Civil Justice.

AFP is the professional association of individuals responsible for generating philanthropic support for a wide variety of nonprofit, charitable organizations. The Memphis Chapter was founded in 1985 and currently represents over 150 members.

The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has announced that Christopher D. Morris, an attorney at Butler Snow LLP in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has accepted an invitation to join the IADC, the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.

Morris defends pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in mass tort and individual cases in various state and federal venues throughout the country.

Morris received his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Mississippi School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from the University of Memphis.

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that William J. Anthony has joined the Firm’s New York office as a partner in the Labor & Employment and Class Action Defense groups. Anthony joins Blank Rome from Jackson Lewis P.C. where he served in several high-level leadership roles, including firm co-chair (2019‒2020), board member (2005‒2020), and the Hartford office managing principal (2000‒2008). In addition, Will launched and led the firm’s Class Actions and Complex Litigation group and grew it into one of the largest U.S. class action practices. Anthony also established and led Jackson Lewis’ seminal diversity committee, coordinating strategic initiatives and advancing the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly through recruiting.

Anthony focuses his labor and employment practice on the strategic defense of class, collective, and multi-party actions, including a broad spectrum of federal and state law wage and hour claims. He has successfully defended against a wide range of wage and hour claims, claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and discrimination statutes. In addition, Anthony represents organizations in single-plaintiff cases alleging discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and breach of contract.

He has litigated cases in over fifteen states and has trial experience in Connecticut, New Jersey, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Montana. His trial experience includes defense of class, collective, and single plaintiff actions before juries, judges, and arbitrators. Anthony has extensive experience advising clients on the full range of employment law issues and provides training on management skills, discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour laws. He is a frequent speaker on employment law topics in front of a broad range of live and remote audiences.

Anthony earned his J.D. from Boston University, and his B.A. from Hamilton College. He served as past president of the Connecticut Lawyers Collaborate for Diversity and received the Hartford Business Journal’s 2010 Leadership in Diversity Award.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Brook V. Robertson has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group.

Robertson assists clients in various commercial matters, including the acquisition, development and disposition of property and assets and complex commercial real estate transactions. Robertson works on both syndicated and non-syndicated loans. She also has experience representing banking and financial services clients in litigation matters.

Robertson earned her J.D. (cum laude) from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Auburn University.

Hanzo, the company known for its pioneering technology in dynamic web content preservation from enterprise collaboration applications, complex websites, and social media, today announced being selected to receive a grant from the Sustainable Innovation Fund with Innovate UK to extend its flagship Hanzo Hold product to address workplace risk.

COVID-19 has accelerated existing trends to both ‘work from home’ and ‘work anywhere’. Hanzo’s project aims to reduce information security and HR risks created by inappropriate staff behaviour on collaboration platforms.

The adoption of collaboration tools such as Slack is fundamentally changing the way people interact with one another. However, even after employees return to traditional offices, the use of collaboration platforms will continue (as will the risk of abuse) including both IT and behavioural risks.

‘Working from anywhere’ usually means taking hardware, and the information on that hardware, outside of the controlled environment of an office. This increases the risk that data may leak from an organization. This can include intellectual property, such as patent applications or embargoed press releases, as well as personal information, including financial details and national insurance numbers of employees.

Moreover, without proper policies and monitoring, online communications between employees can change how they interact with each other, potentially creating space for communications that could be considered discriminatory, racist, or harassing in nature. These communications unchecked can contribute to a hostile work environment and create risk for the organisation.

Aidan Randle Conde, Lead Data Scientist at Hanzo, commented, “Collaboration platforms lack powerful built-in capabilities for advanced content analysis. Analysis of collaboration content over time can help identify atypical patterns of behaviour. These can then be quickly assessed to determine if subsequent actions are warranted to protect employees and organisations, and support safe work environments that might include workplace training, policy enforcement, or further investigation.”

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years. The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.

The Sustainable Innovation Fund is funding 1,103 projects, 1189 UK businesses, and totalling over £130 million in support across the UK.

Hanzo recognises that we live in an interconnected world, with many organisations working in multiple nations and jurisdictions. As the world becomes more connected, economies become more intertwined globally, and large organisations increase their reach into new markets. Although the innovation funding is British, its impact reaches far beyond the borders of the UK.

Hanzo is in a uniquely strong position to meet the needs of businesses that use Slack and other enterprise platforms. Hanzo has always been a remote-first company, and we want to help other companies find the benefits of working remotely while mitigating against possible risks.

Learn more about Hanzo’s project.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Shandra Wright, Bradley’s director of eDiscovery and paralegal services, and Jennifer Cooper, the firm’s eDiscovery and litigation support coordinator, have been elected to the Women in eDiscovery Board for the Birmingham chapter. Cooper was elected social media director, and Wright was chosen as director.

Bradley maintains a position at the forefront of the rapidly evolving electronic data and discovery field. Electronic data discovery and preservation of electronically stored information is more important to litigation than ever and can often unearth evidence that can change the outcome of an entire case. To this end, the firm’s eDiscovery team works tirelessly to ensure that their clients receive all the data they are entitled to during discovery.

Women in eDiscovery (WiE) is a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities regarding technology in the legal industry to its members. The organization offers networking and leadership avenues, promotes personal and professional growth of women, and donates mentoring and charitable contributions to its communities. WiE is comprised of professionals within the legal industry including attorneys, litigation support professionals, paralegals, legal IT staff, court reporters, consultants, recruiters and vendors.

Michael Best is pleased to announce that Desmond Hunte has joined Michael Best Strategies as Senior Director of Operations.

Prior to joining Michael Best Strategies, Hunte spent four years as a strategy, performance and knowledge management strategist at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to joining the Global Fund, he was at Wells Fargo Bank from 2002 to 2014. Prior to leaving the organization, he served as Vice President of Strategy with responsibility for strategic planning, product development, market analytics & sales support in Columbia, MD.

While at the Global Fund, Hunte managed the operational delivery of the audit and investigations group, which provided oversight of more than $14 billion worth in grants in 120+ countries. He served as a liaison between executives, staff and external clients to manage and implement the strategic programming, provide oversight of internal operational performance, and optimize the group’s cultural environment. Additionally, he advised the Inspector General and senior management on key administrative operational and financial activities.

Hunte received his B.A. and M.S. from Wake Forest University.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today that William (Bill) Ball, former Deputy Staff Director of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, has joined the firm as a Public Affairs Director in its Government Solutions Practice Group. Ball will work from Foley’s Washington, D.C. office.

Ball comes to Foley with a decade of experience on Capitol Hill, where he worked with House and Senate committees on energy, natural resources, water and infrastructure issues. In his most recent role as Deputy Staff Director of the Natural Resources Committee, Ball was responsible for supporting the committee’s policy agenda, and building and implementing that agenda across its five subcommittees. He handled the committee’s day-to-day operations, worked to build coalitions of Congress members and stakeholders on a host of natural resource issues, and served as the committee’s lead staff negotiator on important legislation. Among them were the Water Resources Development Act (P.L. 115-270), the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (P.L. 114-322), the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act (P.L. 116-9), and numerous appropriations packages.

Prior to his time with the House of Representatives, Ball served on the legislative team for Sen. Susan M. Collins from Maine. In that position, he advised the senator and her senior staff on legislative issues pertaining to commercial fisheries, trade, aquaculture, tourism, oceans and coastal management. He also advanced the senator’s priorities on the Senate Commerce Committee and the Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee.

The fourth-quarter edition of the prestigious Defense Counsel Journal (DCJ) published by the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) offers a new batch of scholarly articles that inform and educate about the practice of law. Topics explored include the American Law Institute’s ongoing efforts to “restate” the common law of torts, data protection regulation in U.S. litigation, and new rules concerning written discovery in federal court.

IADC member Christopher B. Parkerson, who took over as editor of the DCJ with the current issue, said he looks forward to continuing the rich tradition of the DCJ: “Playing a role in such an important piece of the IADC’s history is an amazing honor,” said Mr. Parkerson, a Member at Campbell Conroy & O’Neil, P.C., in Boston, “from its initial publication as the Insurance Counsel Journal in 1934 … to the critical role it played during World War II keeping IADC members in the military advised of new legal developments, through to the present day where compelling legal issues are reviewed in a digital format.”

Frequently and favorably cited by courts and other legal scholarship, the DCJ is a quarterly forum for topical and scholarly writings on the law, including its development and reform, as well as on the practice of law in general. DCJ articles are written by members of the IADC, which is a 2,500-member, invitation-only, worldwide organization that serves its members and their clients, as well as the civil justice system and the legal profession.

The IADC’s fourth-quarter 2020 DCJ is available for free and without a subscription via the IADC’s website at https://www.iadclaw.org/documents/?CategoryId=4.

Following are brief summaries of the articles included in the fourth-quarter 2020 issue of the DCJ:

Chamberlain Hrdlicka welcomes Atlanta-based associates Jessica Ledingham, Dustin Pitts and Hunter Shelman to the firm’s Tax Controversy and Litigation Practice, where they will advise and represent clients before federal, state and local taxing authorities in all federal and state courts in which tax disputes are litigated. These attorneys are the latest additions to Chamberlain’s Atlanta office, which has been experiencing rapid growth in 2020, adding 11 lawyers to its headcount since January.

Jessica Ledingham
Ledingham previously worked at Miller & Chevalier Chartered representing taxpayers in controversies before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She was also previously an associate at PwC, where she developed, implemented and defended significant U.S. federal tax reduction strategies.

Ledingham earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Denver, her law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law and her Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dustin Pitts
Prior to joining Chamberlain, Pitts served as an honors attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS in Nashville, Tenn., where he represented the agency in U.S. Tax Court litigation as the lead counsel and trial team co-chair. In this role, he litigated issues such as syndicated conservation easements, recourse versus nonrecourse debt, family limited partnerships, constructive dividends, loss limitations and more. Additionally, Pitts advised the IRS on individual, corporate and partnership tax, civil tax procedure and collection matters. He also has additional experience in private practice in Charleston, S.C., and New York.

Pitts earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, his law degree from Charleston School of Law and his Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Hunter Shelman
Shelman most recently served as the International Specialty Tax Services senior associate for BDO USA with Voluntary Disclosure packets, larger multinational corporations, private equity funds, annual partnership compliance requirements and more. He also worked for Crowe LLP, a public accounting, consulting, and technology firm with offices around the world.

Shelman earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in accounting and his law degree from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.

November 10, 2020 – Buchalter is pleased to welcome Kirsten Day newest Shareholder and member of its real estate practice group in Portland. Day brings over 20 years of experience to her national practice in leasing, acquisition/disposition, development and financing of regional shopping centers and other retail properties, Class A office buildings and industrial properties.

Day has ample experience as both a private attorney and as the former Vice President and General Counsel of PacTrust (Pacific Realty Associates, L.P.), which has given her both a strategic focus and first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day legal issues her clients face. She continues to represent a variety of clients on commercial real estate matters of all types, including real estate company management responsibilities, dispute assessment, negotiating and managing regulatory environmental compliance agreements, and other legal/business questions and issues faced by real estate companies.

Further, Day has held leadership positions in numerous Real Estate Professionals associations, including CREW Network. She has been ranked by Chambers USA, as one of “America’s Leading Real Estate Lawyers” from 2016 – 2017, and by “Best Lawyers” in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Day earned her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law, where she was the Associate Note Editor and Director of Writing Competition for the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal. She earned her B.S. on the Dean’s List in Economics from Tufts University. She is licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, and California.

The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has announced that Paul Rosenblatt, an attorney at Butler Snow LLP in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has accepted an invitation to join the IADC, the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.

Rosenblatt represents pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in mass tort and individual cases pending in various state and federal venues throughout the country. He has developed considerable experience in all stages of litigation from discovery through trial, focusing primarily on preparing, defending, and cross-examining expert witnesses.

Rosenblatt received his J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College and a Bachelor of Science from Longwood University.

Venable LLP is pleased to announce that Erik Jones, former chief investigative counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; and former Illinois Assistant Attorney General, has rejoined the firm as a partner in the eCommerce, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Practice in Washington, D.C. Jones worked at Venable from 2015 to 2017, when he led the firm’s Congressional Investigations Practice.

Jones focuses his practice on issues at the intersection of law, technology, and government investigations. He counsels clients on data privacy, cybersecurity, consumer protection, advertising, e-commerce, and the regulatory implications of disruptive technologies. He has represented clients in investigations before congressional committees, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), state attorneys general, and the Department of Justice. Jones recently served as senior public interest counsel under Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. In that role – his second stint at the attorney general’s office – he led the office’s investigation into clergy sexual abuse in Illinois. He previously served as director of the policy bureau and assistant attorney general. In addition to acting as Attorney General Madigan’s lead adviser on data security and privacy, he developed investigations and legislation on a range of privacy and technology issues, including patent trolls, payroll cards, and the effort to update Illinois law on data security for the first time in nearly a decade.

Jones’s experience in government began in Congress, where he served as deputy general counsel and chief investigative counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He helped create the Committee’s Office of Oversight and Investigations and later served as its lead counsel on cybersecurity matters. Prior to his work in the Senate, he was counsel to the House of Representatives Committees on Energy & Commerce and Oversight & Government Reform.

# # #

Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 850 professionals across the country, including in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary, advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit https://www.venable.com/.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that six of the firm’s partners have been included in the 2020 edition of the LMG Life Sciences referral guide to leading North American law firms and lawyers that focus in the life sciences industry. In addition, Bradley was named a “Highly Recommended” firm in the Product Liability & Recall category.

Bradley partners Lindsey C Boney IV, Tripp Haston, Lela M. Hollabaugh, David G. Hymer, Dana C. Lumsden and Kimberly B. Martin were selected as “Life Sciences Stars,” who are designated as among the preeminent life sciences practitioners in the United States.

LMG Life Sciences attorney rankings are based on peer, client and firm feedback, combined with independent review of all research data, including publicly available information. The rankings are posted online at www.lmglifesciences.com and will be distributed to selected in-house counsel within pharmaceutical and biotech corporations.

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. Among the team’s other recent top accolades are 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 Bradley’s offices in Birmingham; Jackson, Miss.; Montgomery, Ala.; Nashville; and Washington, D.C.