HOUSTON, Aug. 14, 2020 – King & Spalding has added Jonathan Newton, a corporate and securities partner, to its Corporate, Finance and Investments (CFI) Practice Group in Houston.

Newton’s practice focuses on M&A and capital markets transactions in the energy sector. He has extensive experience in a broad spectrum of transactions, with an emphasis on domestic and complex cross-border transactions. Newton’s practice includes SEC reporting and corporate governance advice; convertible and straight equity and debt offerings; c-suite / board of directors advice, internal corporate restructurings; venture capital financings; and joint ventures.

Newton joins from Baker McKenzie, where he served as the managing partner of its Houston office from 2014 and 2019. Newton received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, cum laude, and his J.D. from University of Texas School of Law. He has received a variety of accolades for his client service including as a BTI Consulting Group Client Service All-Star.

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with over 1,200 lawyers in 22 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.

Langley & Banack became one of the first law firms in the country to successfully remove a Subchapter V Debtor-in-Possession on June 10, 2020.

Subchapter V is a new addition to the Bankruptcy Code that became effective in February, 2020. It was enacted to assist small businesses achieve a streamlined reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code while avoiding some of the substantial time and costs associated with traditional Chapter 11 cases.

Langley & Banack and co-counsel from Weisbart, Springer, Hayes, LLP, represented a creditor that extended credit to Salubrio, LLC, which in turn provided MRI services for use in personal injury litigation. Prior to filing for Subchapter V bankruptcy, Salubrio took actions that violated its agreement with the creditor. On behalf of its client, Langley & Banack petitioned the bankruptcy court to remove and relieve the debtor in possession and its management from supervision and operations of the debtor due to the impermissible actions it took prior to the bankruptcy filing.

After an evidentiary hearing taking place over three days, Judge Ronald B. King ruled the debtor in possession of Salubrio, LLC should be removed, and the Subchapter V Trustee would perform the duties of the debtor-in-possession : In re Salubrio, LLC, Case No. 20-50578, United States Bankruptcy Court Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division (J. King). This ruling is significant because Subchapter V is a new addition to the Bankruptcy Code, and there is little case law guiding practitioners about the application of the rule. The decision to remove the debtor in this case shows that even though the policy behind Subchapter V is for a consensual plan of reorganization, creditors still have a viable remedy for removing management that has not acted in the best interests of creditors.

Langley & Banack regularly represents parties in bankruptcy cases and out of court restructurings. Langley & Banack, Inc. is San Antonio’s largest locally owned and operated law firms and provides the highest quality legal representation to clients. For more information, visit www.langleybanack.com.

Lowenstein Sandler LLP announced today that Meredith Beuchaw has joined the firm as a partner in The Tech Group. Beuchaw leads M&A transactions and has counseled on both the buy and sell side through hundreds of deals for over 15 years.

Beuchaw is a market leader in deal-making involving sellers with venture capital/growth equity backing. She advises growth companies and startups as well as the venture capital, growth, and private equity funds that fund them in connection with M&A, recaps, and other related transactional matters. She also frequently represents the acquirers of growth companies and startups, including Fortune 500 companies and private equity funds.

Marita A. Makinen, Chair of Lowenstein’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice and Co-chair of the Transactions & Advisory Group, adds, “We welcome Meredith and believe her experience with entrepreneurs and the private investment community will add substantially to our strong M&A bench across our practices and the Tech Group in particular.”

Beuchaw has extensive experience in the tech and life sciences sectors. She works closely with boards of directors, investors, and management teams, guiding them through every stage of the deal cycle.

Former New Jersey Attorney General Anne M. Milgram, Special Counsel in Lowenstein’s Tech Group and White Collar Criminal Defense practice, says, “From my perspective as someone who has seen the technology and corporate worlds intersect from multiple angles, it is clear to me that Meredith shares our team’s holistic, multifaceted perspective. That makes her a critical addition to our firm, as she will strengthen our ability to add value for our tech clients.”

Beuchaw was named to the inaugural list of “Leading Women Lawyers in New York City” by Crain’s and has been awarded the “M&A Advisor Emerging Leaders” award (2016) and the “LMG Rising Stars Corporate/M&A Rising Star Award” (2016).

Prior to joining Lowenstein, Beuchaw was a partner in the M&A group of Cooley LLP, where she represented well-known clients in technology and life sciences.

She received her J.D. from the Duke University School of Law and her B.A. from Dartmouth College. She is admitted to practice in New York.

About The Tech Group

Lowenstein’s Tech Group helps clients turn innovative ideas into successful businesses. Fueled by technological innovation and creative investors, the companies we represent create intellectual property, develop opportunities, realize profits, and use legal services in a distinctive way. The Tech Group’s mission is to recognize what makes our clients unique and to provide effective, creative solutions to the business challenges they engender. From company formations to seed, early-stage, and late-stage venture financing transactions, from complex intellectual property matters to M&A or IPO exits, we are passionate about helping entrepreneurs and investors achieve their goals–and in doing so, change the world.

We are also builders of the innovation community. Unique in the industry, our VentureCrush platform provides support and connectivity to the venture marketplace through a varied array of creative approaches, including VentureCrushNY, VentureCrushSF, VentureCrushAV, VentureCrushFG, and VentureCrushFGX. The success of VentureCrush and other Tech Group programs reflects the support and participation of hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators in the venture community.

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.

Wolfe pledges continued emphasis on innovative solutions for clients struggling with COVID-19’s fallout while reaffirming the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

Detroit – August 13, 2020 — Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that Len Wolfe will become chairman and chief executive officer for a three-year term commencing January 1, 2021. Wolfe succeeds Peter M. Kellett, who has served as chairman and chief executive officer since 2012. Although Wolfe will work from each of Dykema’s 13 offices, he will move his principal office from Lansing, Mich., to Chicago.

For more than 25 years, Wolfe has practiced government policy and regulatory law, helping clients implement significant public policy initiatives. He first joined Dykema as a summer associate before quickly ascending into leadership roles within the firm. For the last six years, Wolfe has served as a twice-elected member of Dykema’s Executive Board, acting as board Liaison to the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the past four years.

Prior to his board membership, Wolfe was Director of Dykema’s Regulated Industries Department and Leader of the firm’s Government Policy and Practice Group for nine years. His various leadership positions provided Wolfe with extensive knowledge of Dykema’s business operations and the complex process of running the daily operations of a multi-office law firm with a national footprint.

Wolfe’s practice has covered several areas of law, including education, gaming, state procurement, government restructuring and the creation and development of new local and state governmental bodies. He is known nationally for his work with charter schools and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® each year since 2007—including being named “Lawyer of the Year” in Lansing for Gaming Law in 2019.
Wolfe earned a J.D. from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and a B.A. from the James Madison College at Michigan State University. Before joining Dykema, he worked in the Michigan Legislature, United States Senate and the Michigan Governor’s office.

About Dykema

Dykema serves business entities worldwide on a wide range of complex legal issues. Dykema lawyers and other professionals in 13 U.S. offices work in close partnership with clients – from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies – to deliver outstanding results, unparalleled service and exceptional value in every engagement.

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(August 12, 2020) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce the 10-year anniversary of its award-winning Littler CaseSmart® (LCS) platform.

In 2010, Littler disrupted the legal industry when it launched LCS as clients were increasingly seeking more efficient and value-driven services. Founded by shareholder Scott Forman, 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 was developed as a direct response to market demand. And in the past 10 years, the pressure facing in-house legal departments to increase operational efficiency, as well as to use AI and data analytics to improve outcomes and demonstrate their effectiveness, has only further intensified,” said Forman. “In addition to reducing defense costs and providing the budget predictability that is essential to our clients’ bottom lines, it has been particularly gratifying to provide employers with data-driven insights that help them identify potential problems before they escalate into larger issues, better manage their workplaces and guide litigation strategy.”

LCS provides greater value to clients through efficient workflow and project management, innovative staffing models, and data analytics and case management technology. In addition to its expansion to cover all areas of employment litigation, LCS has achieved several impressive milestones over the past decade, including:

• More than 1,600 clients from a wide-range of industries and sizes are on the platform and nearly 30,000 matters have been handled through LCS.
• The platform launched with 12 LCS Counsel and the team has grown to nearly 100. LCS Counsel focus on specific tasks within the legal process (research, discovery, brief writing, etc.), providing greater efficiency for clients along with an alternative career path for experienced attorneys looking for interesting and challenging work with more flexibility.
• The creation of an operational team that functions like a corporate business unit, tracking financial performance and continuously enhancing the platform to meet client needs. A team of more than 30 operational specialists now work within LCS, a structure that has facilitated its continued revenue growth and profitability.
• The collection of millions of data points that are the source of actionable insights for clients and attorneys. The LCS dashboard provides clients with a big-picture view of their employment matters in the aggregate, helping spot patterns of potential business risk and address issues before they evolve into expensive litigation. Clients also receive valuable benchmarking information – including how their matters compare to similar companies in settlement amount and transition-to-litigation rate – that helps guide legal strategy.

“Not only has LCS revolutionized our approach to managing employment litigation, it has served as a model within the firm for the dozens of service solutions that followed and for a legal industry grappling to evolve alongside technological advances and demands for alternative work arrangements,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler, in a joint statement. “LCS is also a key part of our broader data ecosystem, which leverages technology-based solutions and data analytics to help clients shape legal strategies, inform critical employment decisions and drive actionable business results.”

A founding member of Littler’s Innovation Advisory Council and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, Scott Forman’s career is dedicated to helping drive Littler’s innovation strategy and to developing technology solutions and processes that re-engineer the delivery of legal services and enhance operational efficiency. Having firmly established LCS as an effective means of managing litigation, Forman’s latest innovation, Littler onDemand, applies the same combination of technology, staffing and project management to provide data-driven solution for employment law advice and counsel.

LCS has received numerous awards for its innovative approach, including the Association of Corporate Counsel’s “ACC Value Champion” award, several top rankings in the Financial Times’ “North America Innovative Lawyers” Report, the College of Law Practice Management’s “InnovAction Award” and the International Legal Technology Association’s Distinguished Peer Award for “Project of the Year.” Forman is also regularly recognized as a leading innovator in the legal industry, including as a top data-driven lawyer by Law360, among the most innovative individuals by the Financial Times, a “Litigation Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal and on the “FastCase 50” list of top innovators. Harvard Law School published a case study featuring Forman and highlighting the impact of LCS on the firm and the legal industry.

View the LCS 10-year anniversary video https://vimeo.com/littlerlearninggroup/review/390776540/4c2303030b.

About Littler

With more than 1,500 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow. For more information, visit www.littler.com.

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Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Abigail B. Harris, an attorney in the firm’s Birmingham office, is the recipient of the firm’s 2020 Cameron J. Miller Award for Excellence and Community Service.

The award honors an associate who exemplifies the excellence, in and out of the law firm, of Cameron Miller, who died in June 2012 battling cancer while in his first year of practice as an attorney with Bradley. The firm established the award in conjunction with Miller’s parents, Frank and Alice Miller; his fiancée at the time of his passing, Katherine Perry; and Perry’s parents, Charlie and Sheri Perry.

The Cameron J. Miller Award for Excellence and Community Service includes a donation to a charity in Miller’s memory. This year, with the support of the Miller and Perry families, the firm will make a cash donation of $10,000 to the YWCA Central Alabama, which is the charitable/community service organization selected by Harris.

Harris has been actively involved with YWCA as a member of the organization’s Junior Board, serving five years–two years beyond the usual three-year term. YWCA’s mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities. The Junior Board of YWCA is responsible for initiatives involving homeless children and families in Birmingham.

Harris also serves as vice president and president-elect of the Birmingham chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), where she is working to create a program between NAWIC and YWCA that will allow construction companies to participate in a YWCA job training program to provide homeless adults the opportunity to explore careers in the construction industry. Separately, through NAWIC, Ms. Harris participates in an outreach program with a local elementary school designed to increase interest in construction industry careers among students, particularly minority students.

At Bradley, Harris is an associate in the Construction Practice Group and represents EPC contractors, general contractors, and subcontractors on a variety of projects — from condominium towers and retail centers to water treatment plants and utility-scale solar farms — locally, nationally, and abroad. Throughout her practice, she has assisted in claim preparation and defense of government contracts, tailored contracts to meet the needs of specialty contractors, and defended a wide range of matters, including breach of contract, breach of warranty, and complex fraud claims.

Bradley was named the nation’s “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.” The award is particularly significant since only one law firm in the United States per legal practice area receives this recognition each year. Attorneys in the firm’s Construction Practice Group counsel 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. 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.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others.

DALLAS — Signify Health, a leading provider of technology-enabled healthcare solutions designed to keep people healthy and happy at home, has appointed Taj Clayton, Partner and Chair of the Domestic Alternative Dispute Resolution practice at Winston & Strawn LLP, to its Board of Directors.

A founding partner of the Dallas office of Winston & Strawn,  Clayton chairs the firm’s Domestic Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice and co-chairs the Global Black Lawyers’ Network. He also is an Executive Advisor to New Mountain Capital.

Prior to joining Winston & Strawn, Clayton was a principal in the Dallas office of another international firm and was a law clerk to Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (2005–2006). Clayton is active in the nonprofit sector including serving on the President’s Advisory Board for UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Also appointed to the board was Vivian Riefberg, former Leader of McKinsey & Company’s America’s public sector practice and past co-leader of the U.S. healthcare practice.

After spending more than 30 years at McKinsey & Company, most recently as Senior Partner, Vivian Riefberg joined the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business faculty to hold a David C. Walentas Jefferson Scholars Foundation Professorship chair. Riefberg has worked with many major health care enterprises and nonprofits and served on the boards for the National Institutes of Health and the Partnership for a Healthier America, a nonpartisan program grown out of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. In addition to serving on Signify Health’s board, Riefberg has also recently joined the Johns Hopkins Medicine board of trustees.

About Signify Health

Signify Health is a leading provider of technology-enabled healthcare solutions designed to keep people healthy and happy at home. We are accelerating the movement to value-based care by working with payers and providers to address both the financing and delivery of care, and sharing accountability for driving better outcomes for the individuals and families we serve. Our innovative episodes of care payment models and personalized health assessment and care coordination services enable us to close clinical and social care gaps, manage risk and drive a better experience for millions of people each year. Applying powerful analytics and clinical expertise, we support individuals’ health journeys from the acute care facility to the ideal next site of care and all the way to a place of residence, helping people get home sooner and stay there longer. We support care needs anywhere in the U.S. through our high-performance provider and community networks – including the nation’s largest field-based network of doctors and nurse practitioners trained and ready for in-home visits. For more information on how we are taking health homeward, visit us at signifyhealth.com.

Courtney E. Murphy has joined the U.S. law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as a partner in the global Insurance Services Practice Group in the New York office. Murphy’s primary focus is on evaluating, litigating, and arbitrating all aspects of complex first party property and liability insurance coverage disputes.

Murphy has a national practice with significant experience in handling insurance claims involving catastrophic loss and damage, as well as associated business income loss related to hurricanes, tornados, hail, flooding, fire and other natural disasters. She also serves as a trusted advisor in matters pertaining to boiler/machinery and builders’ risk claims. In addition, Murphy has handled several large losses involving complex geotechnical issues which can often be relevant in claims arising from faulty design, materials or construction practices. She has also served as an arbitrator in large loss arbitrations.

Hinshaw has a strategic alliance with the London-based law firm of Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP (RPC), creating a cross-border platform to deliver legal services to insurers. RPC has more than 300 lawyers situated in London, Hong Kong, Bristol and Singapore.

Murphy formerly was a shareholder at Clausen Miller and began her legal career working at Skadden Arps. She received a B.A. from Fordham University and a J.D. from The New York Law School. While earning her law degree, she worked for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and the United State Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in the Major Crime Bureau.

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Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a U.S. based law firm with offices in 13 states and London. The firm’s national reputation spans the insurance industry, the professional services sector—including representation of law firms and lawyers—and other highly regulated industries, such as banking and finance and the debt collection sector. Hinshaw also provides a series of closely coordinated litigation, business advisory and transactional services to clients of all sizes as well as governmental and public sector entities.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that O. Koplan Nwabuoku has joined the firm’s Chicago office as an associate in the Litigation practice group.

Nwabuoku has managed cases from inception to resolution in federal and state courts. His experience includes complex commercial litigation disputes, defending officers and directors in dissociative litigation, employment torts, probate litigation, and disputes over restrictive covenants, among other areas.

Prior to joining Greensfelder, Nwabuoku was an associate at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.

Nwabuoku received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology and his Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., founded in 1895, is a full-service law firm with offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Southern Illinois. Greensfelder offers comprehensive legal solutions for clients locally, nationally and internationally. Areas of practice include business services; communications and media; construction; educational, religious and tax-exempt organizations; employee benefits; employment and labor; energy; franchising and distribution; health care; intellectual property; litigation; real estate; securities and financial services; and trusts and estates. Find out more at www.greensfelder.com.

Venable LLP is pleased to announce that D. Reed Freeman Jr. has joined the firm as a partner in the eCommerce, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Practice in the Washington, DC office. Freeman’s practice is focused on privacy, cybersecurity, and the privacy aspects of advertising online, on mobile devices, in social media, and on connected devices.

Freeman has extensive experience defending clients in FTC and state consumer protection investigations and data breach responses. He also counsels clients on compliance with FTC and state trade regulations and state privacy and data security laws, including counseling on compliance with California’s Privacy Protection Act (CCPA), privacy and data security compliance around the globe, and advertising and privacy self-regulatory codes. In addition to developing globally compliant privacy policies and programs, Freeman assists clients in M&A privacy work; in contract negotiations, including between publishers and advertisers; and in connection with applications for membership in industry trade groups. He also represents clients in false advertising disputes before the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB) and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB). Prior to joining Venable, Freeman served as the co-chair of the cybersecurity and privacy and big data practices at an international law firm. He previously worked in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection as a staff attorney, and as chief privacy officer and vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs for an online advertising software company.

Freeman received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1993, and his B.A. in History from the University of Richmond in 1990.

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 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.

ATLANTA – Chamberlain Hrdlicka is pleased to announce the addition of Atlanta-based associates Nicolas Bohorquez and Nicholas Monterosso. Bohorquez joins the Real Estate Practice Group, working closely with commercial real estate developers to move a project from concept to reality, while also collaborating with the Construction Law Practice Group to assist owners in all aspects of a project. Monterosso joins the Trust & Estates Practice Group, counseling private wealth clients to establish estate and business succession plans that reflect both personal and business goals.

Bohorquez advises, negotiates and drafts real estate agreements for property development and operations, including easement agreements, lease agreements, estoppel certificates and construction contracts. He also guides clients in the approval process for land use matters. Bohorquez has collaborated with government officials to achieve strategic land use and zoning objectives. He served as lead counsel in a highly publicized Atlanta Beltline real estate matter, involving multi-party real estate litigation of federal and state law claims concerning ownership interests in railroad-line assets.

Bohorquez earned his undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University and his law degree from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law.

Monterosso brings more than five years of estate planning experience. He has counseled clients, as well as their accountants, financial planners and family business office managers. Monterosso resolves complex estate planning issues involving blended families, disinherited children and special needs trusts. He is actively involved in the Wills for Veterans program, which provides estate planning services to veterans.

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

About Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Chamberlain Hrdlicka is a diversified business law firm with offices in Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia and San Antonio. The firm represents both public and private companies, as well as individuals and family-owned businesses across the nation. The firm offers counsel in tax planning and tax controversy, corporate, securities and finance, employment law and employee benefits, energy law, estate planning and administration, intellectual property, international and immigration law, commercial and business litigation, real estate and construction law.

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Business and entertainment litigation firm adds partners in Texas, Tennessee

DALLAS – Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP has added four attorneys in its Texas and Tennessee offices, bolstering its entertainment and construction litigation and transactional practices.

Joining the firm’s Nashville office is entertainment transactional partner Christian Barker. Commercial/construction litigation partner Matt Motes and associate Bryan Kelly join the Fort Worth office, and transactional associate Jackie Wilhite joins in Houston. The additions are just the latest for Shackelford. In July, the firm added a total of eight intellectual property, M&A, commercial litigation, and transactional attorneys in Dallas and Houston.

Barker represents artists, songwriters, producers, independent record labels, independent music publishing companies, and boutique artist management companies nationwide. He also has experience in family law matters involving disputed intellectual property assets. He is the immediate past president of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. He joins Shackelford from Lewis Thomason.

Motes represents general contractors, builders, subcontractors, developers, suppliers, and owners in real estate and construction litigation. He is a former chair of the Tarrant County Bar Association Construction Law Section and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, Texas Association of Builders, and the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association. He joins the firm from Decker Jones.

Kelly’s construction practice touches all areas of construction law from commercial entities to single-family and large, multifamily residential project clients. He joins Shackelford from Decker Jones.

Wilhite joins the firm from Baker Donelson. Her practice involves contract negotiation in the commercial and non-profit sector involving compliance/ethics, bankruptcy, foreclosures, and employment law.

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP is a general business, aviation and entertainment law firm with attorneys and offices in Dallas, Houston, Frisco, Fort Worth, and Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Learn more about the firm at shackelford.law.

This year’s third-quarter edition of the Defense Counsel Journal (DCJ) published by the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) offers scholarly articles about a diverse range of topics such as defending producers under the Defense Production Act, recent EPA actions attempting to ban asbestos, and the law related to wrongful birth actions.

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 third-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 third-quarter 2020 issue of the DCJ:

“Defending the Producers: Examining Product Liability Protection for Compelled Manufacturing Under the Defense Production Act” by Lauren R. Greenspoon, senior counsel, and Ryan D. Class, an associate, both at Carlton Fields, P.A. – The article discusses defending producers under the recently enacted, COVID-19-induced, Defense Production Act, taking a deep dive into the act’s history and the evolution of the Government Contractor Defense and related immunity.

“The EPA’s March to Ban Asbestos: 2020 Draft Risk Evaluation” by senior partner Claire C. Weglarz, partner Eric T. Hawkins and senior partner Evelyn Fletcher Davis, all at Hawkins Parnell & Young, LLP. – The article examines the unusual recent actions of the Environmental Protection Agency in attempting to ban asbestos in almost exclusive reliance upon the work of plaintiffs’ experts and attorneys.

“What’s Unconstitutional About Wrongful Life Claims? Ask Jane Roe…” by partner Bruce R. Parker and counsel Thomasina Poirot, both at Venable LLP, along with former Venable attorney Scott C. Armstrong. – The piece reviews the law relating to wrongful birth actions, forcefully arguing that such actions, which exist in only three states, are unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade.

About the International Association of Defense Counsel
The IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. Founded in 1920, the IADC has members who hail from six continents, 54 countries and territories, and all 50 U.S. states. The core purposes of the IADC are to enhance the development of skills, promote professionalism, and facilitate camaraderie among its members and their clients, as well as the broader civil justice community. For more information, visit www.iadclaw.org.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Zachary P. Martin has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as an associate in the Litigation Practice Group.

Martin focuses his practice on a wide range of matters, including complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense and state government investigations. Prior to joining Bradley, he served as an intern at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama, where he researched and prepared briefs on a variety of legal issues involving criminal and civil cases.

Martin received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from Iona College.

The Litigation Practice Group is Bradley’s largest practice and includes almost half of the firm’s nearly 550 attorneys who represent clients in litigation and arbitration in every U.S. state and federal district court across the country, as well as internationally. Attorneys handle matters in nearly every substantive area of business law and in a wide range of industries, including high-stakes and complex cases.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that seven of the firm’s partners have been selected to the 2020 Benchmark 40 & Under Hot List, which recognizes top young talent in litigation communities in the United States and Canada.

The annual 40 & Under Hot List, produced by Benchmark Litigation, includes attorneys aged 40 or younger as selected through review of their recent case work, peer review, and consideration of client feedback on their performances. The Hot List honorees all have been involved in some of their firms’ most noteworthy recent cases and have earned praise from clients and peers regarding the quality of their work. Benchmark Litigation covers the litigation and disputes market in North America, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Following are Bradley’s partners, listed by office, named to the 40 & Under Hot List:

Birmingham

Tiffany J. deGruy – A member of the Litigation Practice Group, she has considerable experience trying high-stakes business and commercial litigation for clients in a variety of industries, such as healthcare, e-commerce, and insurance.

Ann Phelps Hill – A member of the Litigation Practice group, she represents private and publicly held corporations in all phases of high-stakes and complex litigation.

Rudy Hill- As a member of the Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups, he handles matters in all phases of litigation, including pre-suit investigation, fact discovery, expert discovery, summary judgment, and trial.

Ellen Presley Proctor – A member of the Litigation Practice Group, she focuses her practice on representing healthcare industry clients in medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, and medical device litigation in state and federal courts and in national MDLs.

Thomas Richie – A member of the Litigation Practice Group, he represents clients in procedurally complex civil litigation, both in trial and appellate courts throughout Alabama and across the country.

Whitt Steineker – A member of the Litigation Practice Group, co-chair of the Cannabis Industry team, and leader of the Food, Beverage and Hospitality team, he provides clients of all types with litigation counsel, transactional advice, and practical strategies for growth.

Washington, D.C.

Aron C. Beezley – A member of the Litigation, Construction and Government Contracts practice groups, he represents government contractors in a variety of industries and in all aspects of the government-contracting process, including negotiation, award, performance and termination.

The Litigation Practice Group is Bradley’s largest practice and includes almost half of the firm’s nearly 550 attorneys who represent clients in litigation and arbitration in every U.S. state and federal district court across the country, as well as internationally. Attorneys handle matters in nearly every substantive area of business law and in a wide range of industries, including high-stakes and complex cases.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others.

Michael Best Strategies is pleased to announce that Donald Conrad has joined the firm as a Principal in the Waukesha office as part of Michael Best Strategies’ Business and Community Solutions team. This move underscores the growth of the group in recent weeks coming on the heels of three recent additions to the group earlier this month – Tamara Quiram, Kimberly Allen and Chase Braden.

Conrad will focus on helping industry innovators to prepare and position their products and solutions for success, as well as identifying technologies to solve clients’ most pressing challenges. As an experienced strategist, Conrad will concentrate on delivering complex solutions to clients, while assisting new solutions to become viable competitors in a crowded marketplace.

Conrad spent the past six years at Advocate Aurora Health Care, first as an Innovation Manager at the system’s research institute and later as an Investment Manager in the strategy and innovation group, where he evaluated new strategic opportunities and helped manage the system’s multi-million dollar corporate ventures program.

Conrad is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, completing three combat tours from 2005 to 2008. He also held positions in the healthcare and private equity investment banking groups at Deutsche Bank before making the move to Advocate Aurora Health.

Conrad earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University, and he received his Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.

Leaders from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s global privacy and cybersecurity practice and the Centre for Information Policy Leadership recently discussed the implications of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s landmark Schrems II decision, which invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield for cross-border transfers of personal data.

In a webinar, Hunton Andrews Kurth partners Lisa Sotto, Aaron Simpson, David Dumont, and Bridget Treacy joined CIPL President Bojana Bellamy to provide an overview of the Schrems I and II cases. They also discussed the CJEU’s ruling on Standard Contractual Clauses and their role going forward, along with a number of key policy considerations.

A full recording of the webinar can be accessed here.

The Schrems II decision on July 16 invalidated the Privacy Shield, which more than 5,000 companies and organizations used as a principal legal framework for the transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States. The decision did not invalidate SCCs but creates significant additional obligations for companies to continue to use SCCs to transfer EU personal data to the US or to other jurisdictions around the world.

Hunton Andrews Kurth’s privacy and cybersecurity practice is ranked as a leader in its field. The firm has been ranked by Computerworld magazine, Chambers and Partners, and The Legal 500 as a top law firm globally for privacy and data security. The firm’s Centre for Information Policy Leadership works with industry leaders, regulatory authorities, and policy makers to develop global solutions and best practices for privacy and responsible data use to enable the modern information age.

For more information, visit www.huntonprivacyblog.com.

Buchalter is pleased to announce that Mary-Christine “M.C.” Sungaila has joined the Firm as Chair of its Appellate practice. She will work out of the Orange County office. Sungaila was previously a Partner at Haynes & Boone.

As a widely regarded appellate attorney who has briefed and argued appeals raising cutting-edge and fundamental business issues nationally and internationally, Sungaila has helped shape undeveloped areas of the law including, employment, franchisor liability, product liability, class actions and probate to immigration, Holocaust art recovery, and human rights.

Among her numerous accolades, Chambers USA has repeatedly named her a “Notable Appellate Practitioner” (2013-2020). She has also continually been recognized by the Daily Journal as one of California’s 100 Leading Women Lawyers (2005, 2010-2019), and in 2015 as one of the state’s Top Labor & Employment Lawyers. She is a recipient of two back-to-back California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) awards, including one in 2015 from California Lawyer magazine, Daily Journal Corporation, for the precedent-setting franchisor vicarious liability case she argued before the California Supreme Court, Patterson v. Domino’s Pizza.

Sungaila is also frequently recognized for her sustained commitment to community service and pro bono work. In 2017, she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, whose recipients include seven U.S. Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, leaders of industry, artists and others whose work has made a lasting impact on humanity, for her combined professional achievements and humanitarian and pro bono work. She has also been recognized by the California Women Lawyers, Alpha Phi International Fraternity, Orange County Women Lawyers, the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and Coastline Community College Foundation.

Sungaila earned her J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, in 1991, and earned her B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University in 1988, with distinction, Honors in Humanities.

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP is pleased to announce that Michael Chen has joined Parker Poe’s Charlotte office as counsel. Michael is a leader in the Charlotte region on Asian American issues, including through his service as president of the Charlotte Taiwanese American Association.

Chen concentrates his practice on immigration and international business. He represents U.S. and foreign-owned companies, including clients in the biomedical, manufacturing and distribution, commercial sales, information technology, hospitality, and sports and entertainment industries.

Chen has developed corporate immigration policy guidelines for his clients, as well as onboarding and termination procedures. He has counseled companies on compliance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, federal and state labor departments, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other government agencies.

International clients have also turned to Chen for help expanding in the United States. He has assisted companies in integrating top management and other teams into new facilities in multiple states. The projects he has advised on include corporate headquarters and research and development centers. He is also a frequent speaker and presenter on Asian business issues.

In addition to Chen’s leadership of the Charlotte Taiwanese American Association, he serves on the board of directors or the North Carolina Chapter of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America. He is also on the board of the Charlotte Chinese School, where he serves as vice principal. He is fluent in conversational Chinese (Mandarin and Taiwanese).

Chen is an adjunct instructor in Central Piedmont Community College’s certified paralegal program.

Prior to joining Parker Poe, Chen led the immigration team at Winstead, a large national law firm. He is also a former assistant district attorney for Mecklenburg County, serving as the county’s first Asian American prosecutor.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Stephen C. Ferruolo, a leading life sciences lawyer, has joined the firm’s Emerging Companies & Venture Capital (ECVC) practice as a partner in the San Diego office.

Ferruolo will focus his practice on the life sciences sector, representing private and publicly held biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device and digital health companies, as well as technology companies, investors, and venture capitalists.

His focus will also include guiding clients through private and public financings as well as mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance issues, licensing, collaboration and commercial agreements, and compliance matters. Ferruolo has worked on hundreds of private financings during his legal career, with a broad range of venture capitalists and other investors and handled IPOs ranging from $6 million to $1.1 billion.

Ferruolo most recently served as the dean of the University of San Diego School of Law, where he was also a professor of law in business and corporate law, contracts, and securities regulation. Prior to that, he held a variety of senior law firm positions in Southern California, including with Goodwin Proctor LLP and Heller Ehrman LLP, and he currently serves on the board of directors of BIOCOM, the largest regional life sciences association in the world.

Ferruolo earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Wesleyan University and his J.D. from Stanford University Law School. He also earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Princeton University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he earned an M.Phil. in Medieval European History.