Breaking News: Reichman Jorgensen Scores $236 Million patent verdict for Densify against VMware.
“When you assemble a diverse group of the most talented lawyers in the country you can achieve great things.” – Courtland Reichman, Managing Partner
Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Denise L. Mayfield to its Intellectual Property Practice Group as a Member in the firm’s Austin office. Mayfield joins Dykema from Husch Blackwell LLP’s Austin office.
For more than 25 years, Mayfield has utilized her advance degree in genetics and background in pulmonary medicine, reproductive medicine, and genetics in her patent prosecution and litigation practice. She assists domestic and international clients in identifying, protecting, licensing and litigating bet-the-company technologies.
In her practice, Mayfield works closely with internal corporate and university technology transfer professionals in patent portfolio development and prosecution, product commercialization strategies, technology transfer and regulatory compliance resolution. She represents companies directly in negotiating technology licenses, cooperative research agreements, joint venture agreements, international distribution and marketing programs, patent litigation matters and university pooling arrangements.
Mayfield has experience handling a wide range of patent matters, including genetic testing, disease detection and screening tools, veterinary medicine, vaccines, orthopedic devices, dental devices, chemical purification, extraction techniques, plant products, and cannabis products and production materials.
Mayfield, who is also admitted to practice in Washington, D.C., and Colorado, earned a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law, an M.S. in Genetics and Physiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a B.A. in Biology from Trinity University. Denise is also a registered patent attorney.
Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, is pleased to announce that Scott Meyers has assumed his role as the firm’s chairman and CEO. Meyers begins a three-year term, succeeding Andrew Smulian.
Meyers will further advance the firm’s strategic, client-driven roadmap, and address challenges affecting the firm’s many communities. Prior to stepping into his role as chairman and CEO, Meyers served as firm managing partner, helping execute firm strategy, which included the launch of Akerman’s 24th and 25th offices in Atlanta and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and its office expansions in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Meyers joined Akerman in 2014 as founding office managing partner in Chicago, where he led the office’s rapid growth from eight to 55 lawyers in four years. His leadership helped strengthen the firm’s deep bench across all client-driven practice groups and sectors.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce a major expansion of its national healthcare practice with the addition of antitrust partners Mark J. Horoschak, Brian A. Hayles, and Michael P. Fischer, along with senior attorney Najla Long, to the firm’s Charlotte office.
All four join Bradley from Womble Bond Dickinson, bringing their extensive transactional and litigation experience to Bradley’s Healthcare Practice Group. Led by Mark Horoschak and Brian Hayles, the highly regarded team routinely represents leading health systems across the country in transactional matters, as well as in antitrust investigations and litigation. Their addition deepens the expertise of Bradley’s nationally recognized group of healthcare attorneys and advisors, and also expands the firm’s broad-based antitrust and competition practice.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mark, Brian, Michael, and Najla to Bradley and to our top-flight healthcare practice,” said Jonathan M. Skeeters, Bradley’s Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner. “Their expertise in healthcare antitrust matters is second to none and their addition marks a significant milestone in the growth and expansion of the firm.”
Travis G. Lloyd, chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group, added, “Mark, Brian, Michael, and Najla are highly respected in the healthcare antitrust arena, having been on the front lines of major transactions and high-profile litigation for many years. We know firsthand of their outstanding work, and we are so pleased to welcome them to our healthcare practice.”
The addition of this team reflects the firm’s continued investment in North Carolina which encompasses the addition of 11 lawyers since summer 2018, including a six-lawyer team led by Rob Marcus from the former Smith Moore Leatherwood firm and, most recently, Jon Ferry from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
Bradley Charlotte Office Managing Partner Christopher C. Lam said, “We are very excited that this new group of highly experienced healthcare antitrust attorneys helps us to further diversify the capabilities of our Charlotte office, while also enhancing core strengths of our firm nationally.”
Horoschak represents numerous national and regional health systems in a variety of capacities. He regularly appears before federal and state antitrust enforcement agencies in securing clearance for mergers, joint ventures and other transactions. He also has served as counsel for health systems throughout the country in antitrust litigation involving managed care contracting, medical staff privileges, economic credentialing, physician recruitment practices, nurse salary determinations, and exclusive provider arrangements.
“Joining Bradley is an honor and a great opportunity for my clients to benefit from the firm’s existing talent in diverse practice areas, and I couldn’t be happier about also getting to continue working with colleagues with whom I have collaborated for years,” Horoschak said.
Previously, Horoschak served as Assistant Director of the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In that capacity, he was responsible for antitrust enforcement policy governing healthcare systems and served as trial counsel in lawsuits challenging hospital mergers. Prior to that position, he served as an attorney-advisor for the FTC chairman and as chief of staff for the agency during the transition between the Reagan and Bush presidential administrations. He received his J.D. from the College of William and Mary Law School and his Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from American University.
Hayles is a seasoned antitrust attorney who provides guidance to clients across the country on hospital and physician practice mergers, antitrust litigation and investigations, and managed care contracting practices. He has significant experience practicing before the FTC, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, and numerous state attorneys general. In addition, Hayles’ deep commitment to pro bono service includes his practice before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, through which he routinely pursues claims for disability benefits on behalf of military veterans.
“I am thrilled to join Bradley’s healthcare team of attorneys that I have come to know and appreciate as among the most accomplished in the industry,” Mr. Hayles said. “My national practice in antitrust and trade regulation blends well with the firm’s focus areas and key strengths, and I am excited for the opportunities this move will create for my clients.”
Hayles received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University.
Fischer focuses his practice on advising clients in the healthcare sector and has significant experience in provider transactions and managed care contracting. He regularly represents clients before the FTC, the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, and state competition regulators. He also counsels clients on Hart-Scott-Rodino Act issues.
Fischer received his J.D. (with honors) from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He also holds a Master of Arts (with honors) from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts (with distinction) from the University of North Carolina.
Long counsels healthcare and other clients on a wide variety of antitrust and competition issues. Her experience includes advising public and private companies in M&A issues involving the FTC and DOJ. Her practice also includes litigating competition-related disputes, as well as assisting clients with creating and maintaining effective antitrust compliance programs.
Long received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.
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 over 500 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, real estate, construction, technology, energy, insurance, and entertainment, among many others.
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that 18 lawyers have been elected to the firm’s partnership, effective February 1, 2020.
“We are proud to announce our new partners, all of whom represent our firm’s core values and our vision for the future,” said Jay Rothman, Foley Chairman & CEO. “Foley is committed to attracting top talent, and I’m especially proud to have 10 women joining the partnership this year. I congratulate all of our new partners on their well-deserved accomplishment and wish them continued success in this next phase of their careers.”
The firm’s new partners include:
Natalie C. Annis, Business Law, Tampa
Annis is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice. She represents clients in developing, implementing and managing sophisticated estate plans, including developing comprehensive strategies to achieve diverse wealth preservation and succession planning goals, estate and gift tax planning and asset protection. After the death of an individual, Natalie assists personal representatives, trustees and advisers on post-mortem planning and related tax strategies, as well as ongoing estate and trust administration matters.
Chase J. Brill, Intellectual Property, Washington
Brill is a patent attorney in the firm’s Mechanical & Electromechanical Technologies Practice and PTAB Trials Group. He counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent prosecution, licensing, defense of infringement allegations and due diligence investigations. He also has significant experience with complex U.S. Patent Office proceedings such as inter partes review trials, ex parte reexamination and supplemental examination.
Katherine P. Califa, Intellectual Property, Washington
Califa is a member of the Intellectual Property and Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Practices, as well as the Medical Devices Industry Team. She advises clients on ways to develop, protect, manage and maximize the value of their intellectual property. Califa regularly counsels clients regarding the selection, procurement and enforcement of brands and other intellectual property assets in the United States and abroad. In addition, she represents clients before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, works on online and brick-and-mortar brand infringement matters, negotiates favorable settlements for complex disputes and provides intellectual property counseling related to business acquisitions and related due diligence.
Amy A. Ciepluch, Business Law, Milwaukee
Ciepluch is a member of the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice. She works closely with private and public companies on the design, drafting and ongoing legal compliance of their retirement, health and welfare programs. Ciepluch advises companies on a range of compliance issues, including issues involving correction of plan operation errors, benefit plan claims and appeals, participant election change requests and options for plan design changes.
John T. Dunlap, Business Law, Milwaukee
Dunlap is a member of the Corporate, Finance and Government Solutions Practices, as well as the Energy Industry Team. He assists clients in numerous industries with a broad range of commercial, transactional and financial matters. Dunlap works extensively with clients in the energy industry, counseling utility companies, developers and investors in the development, sale and acquisition of both traditional and renewable energy facilities. He also advises clients involved in the financing of energy facilities, including tax equity financing.
Jonathan (Jon) H. Gabriel, Business Law, Boston
Gabriel is a member of the Transactions Practice, as well as the Health Care Industry Team. He advises public and private companies and private equity investors in a wide range of industries. Jon focuses on complex mergers and acquisitions and growth equity financings. He also advises growth companies, from start-up and early-stage through public offering or acquisition, on formation, financing, strategic transactions, cross-border and corporate governance.
Michelle Y. Ku, Litigation, Dallas
Ku is a member of the Litigation Practice and the Energy Industry Team. Her practice focuses on high-stakes trials and appeals of business cases involving tax controversy, intellectual property, oil and gas and commercial issues. Ku’s creative legal reasoning and strategy have helped her clients win significant verdicts or settlements, including a multi-million dollar jury verdict in a recent business fraud and theft case. In addition to taking her clients’ cases from initial investigation through trial and into successful appeals, Ku counsels clients on dispute avoidance and implementing creative, business-oriented strategies geared toward minimizing risk and liability in business operations.
John L. Litchfield, Litigation, Chicago
Litchfield is a member of the Labor & Employment, Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Government Solutions Practices and is a leader in the firm’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Compliance Team. His primary practice includes counseling clients on a wide range of employment-related matters, including disability discrimination, FMLA claims and sexual harassment. John also represents employers in federal and state employment and non-compete litigation matters. He also regularly conducts on-site training for clients and their employees covering diversity and inclusion, workplace conduct and sexual harassment prevention.
Benjamin J. Morris, Litigation, San Diego
Morris is a member of the Litigation and Construction Practices. He advises and counsels owners, developers, contractors, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers throughout all phases of complex construction projects and construction litigation. Morris also handles business and complex litigation, including defense of trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, unfair competition and consumer class action claims. His commercial clients have included biopharmaceutical companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, technology companies, consumer products companies, banks and engineering and construction firms.
Michelle E. P. Nunez, Business Law, Boston
Nunez counsels private funds, advisers and institutional investors on U.S. legal and regulatory matters. She advises clients on a variety of matters relating to private fund investments, including structuring and forming funds, regulatory and compliance of existing funds, fund governance and investment adviser compliance. She has specific expertise in the structuring and formation of direct lending funds sponsored by U.S. managers and marketed outside the United States, in the application of U.S. securities and investment laws on non-U.S. investment advisers. She also advises impact investors on the legal and regulatory issues surrounding launching private funds that focus on achieving social benefit as well as financial returns.
Rachel Kingrey O’Neil, Litigation, Dallas
O’Neil is a member of the Litigation Practice, as well as the Hospitality & Leisure and Energy Industry Teams. She represents clients in a variety of complex litigation matters, including director, officer and shareholder disputes, fiduciary duty claims, health care business disputes, business fraud claims, breach of contract, and banking and intellectual property disputes. O’Neil handles litigation matters from inception through completion, including pre-suit investigation, motion and pleading practice, discovery, mediation, settlement, trial and appeal. Rachel has recently served as lead counsel in two jury trials and obtained winning verdicts for her clients in both cases.
Lori A. Rubin, Litigation, Washington
Rubin is a member of the Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice and the Health Care Industry Team. Her practice is devoted to defending clients nationwide in government investigations and enforcement actions, conducting internal investigations particularly as related to allegations of fraud, and health care litigation. Rubin is a False Claims Act lawyer, and she has represented health care providers, hospitals, medical device companies and other health care organizations, as well as government contractors and other recipients of government funding, in investigations and litigation initiated by the federal government, whistleblowers or the company itself. She also appeals and litigates Medicare reimbursement rules and decisions in federal court on behalf of health care providers, and she counsels and defends clients from allegations of website noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Stephen B. Sandover, Litigation, New York
Sandover is a member of the Securities Enforcement & Litigation Practice. He represents multinational financial services firms in investigations and inquiries brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, state Attorney General offices, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Futures Association and the International Stock Exchange, among various other government agencies and regulators. Sandover regularly conducts internal investigations on behalf of clients facing allegations of securities fraud and other regulatory and compliance breaches.
Howard (Wes) W. Taylor, Business Law, Madison
Taylor is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice. He advises individuals and families on estate planning, business and wealth succession planning, tax-minimizing planning, disposition and management of sensitive assets, charitable planning, the creation and administration of family foundations, special-needs trust planning, trust and estate administration and beneficiary mediation. He enjoys working with families to develop effective, customized and streamlined plans that meet individualized goals, are optimized to provide maximum flexibility and provide peace of mind. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he teaches Federal Estate and Gift Tax.
Dorothy (Dottie) E. Watson, Business Law, Houston/Orlando
Watson is a member of the Environmental Regulation Practice, as well as the Energy and Manufacturing Industry Teams. She works with clients on a wide range of environmental matters, including compliance counseling, rulemaking, permitting, site remediation, brownfield redevelopment, corporate transactions and litigation matters. She has advised municipalities and public utilities in addition to both privately held and publicly traded companies. Watson also works in the areas of land development, real estate and municipal law, including review of land titles, surveys, development plans, drafting and negotiation of purchase agreements and crafting of municipal ordinances.
Kathleen (Kate) E. Wegrzyn, Business Law, Milwaukee
Wegrzyn is a member of the Commercial Transactions & Business Counseling and Distribution & Franchise Practices and the Food & Beverage and the Manufacturing Industry Teams. Her areas of focus include counseling businesses on general corporate and commercial matters, including commercial contracts, dealer arrangements, licensing issues, supply chain contracts, marketing and promotion agreements and logistics and transportation contracts.
Joanna A. White, Business Law, Jacksonville
White is a member of the Real Estate Practice. Her practice is focused on the acquisition, disposition, leasing and finance of various asset classes, including multifamily, office (including medical office), retail shopping centers and vacant land (including timber). She represents and provides counsel to investment firms, institutional lenders, family offices and private equity funds, among others, in high-profile acquisitions and dispositions.
Jonathan (Jon) P. Witt, Business Law, Detroit
Witt is a member of the Corporate Practice, as well as the Automotive and Manufacturing Industry Teams. He represents both public and private acquirers and targets in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Witt represents businesses on a wide range of matters, including company formation, capital raising, equity holder agreements, employee and consulting agreements, commercial arrangements, joint ventures and strategic planning. He works with businesses transitioning ownership to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), issuers in public and private equity and debt securities offerings, and public companies on federal securities law compliance, disclosure and reporting obligations and corporate governance.
Barnes & Thornburg has added Michelle N. Bradford as partner in the Litigation Department in Washington, D.C. As an experienced litigator and former federal prosecutor, Bradford handles issues in connection with white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation.
Bradford spent over a decade serving as an assistant United States attorney for the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In this capacity, she prosecuted cases related to healthcare fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, as well as public corruption matters. She tried nearly 30 felony jury trials more than 20 felony and misdemeanor bench trials.
Bradford also served in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she handled a variety of civil cases and defended federal agencies in issues regarding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the American with Disabilities Act; the District of Columbia Human Rights Act; the Federal Tort Claims Act; the Administrative Procedure Act; as well as the Freedom of Information Act.
Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Bradford was a shareholder at a financial services law firm, where she represented clients, individuals and companies, in government investigations and proceedings involving securities fraud; healthcare fraud, complex financial fraud; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; the False Claims Act; and the Anti-Kickback Statute, among others. Further, Bradford has experience serving as counsel for companies conducting internal investigations.
Outside of the office, Bradford is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching trail advocacy, and has served as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA). She also serves as board vice president of the Center of Abused Persons, a nonprofit that provides support to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Buchalter is pleased to announce and welcome its newest Shareholder, Rajnish Puri to its Los Angeles office. Puri’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings, joint ventures, private placements of equity and debt securities, and other business transactions, with an emphasis in private, middle market, and emerging growth companies. His clients include corporations, partnerships, entrepreneurs, and family-owned businesses in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, bio-agriculture, digital media, entertainment, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, and wealth management industries.
Puri, with over two decades of experience, also serves as outside general counsel to his clients, advising them on corporate governance, executive employment arrangements, shareholder and partnership matters, and business succession planning.
Puri received his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, and his M.B.A. and B.S. degrees from universities in India.
Foley & Lardner announced today that Kate Sullivan Morgan has joined the firm’s San Francisco office as a special counsel in its Business Law Department and Insurance Practice Group. Drawing on nearly a decade of experience both in-house and at top tier international law firms, Morgan specializes in complex multi-state insurance and health care regulatory issues.
Morgan has advised health insurance and managed care clients on a broad range of regulatory matters, including the Affordable Care Act, state and federal mandated benefits, state and national health care reform, HIPAA, agent and broker issues, company formation and licensing, individual and group health laws, and issues related to the nuances of managed care and self-funded plans. Morgan also provides regulatory advice regarding non-traditional healthcare models to third party administrators, consulting companies and financial institutions, including negotiating with state insurance regulators to obtain insurance license exemptions for such models.
In addition, Morgan has significant experience with provider contracting issues, including accountable care organizations and other complex risk and pay-for-performance financial reimbursement models. She has negotiated and drafted contracts between insurers/HMOs and provider organizations, including large hospital-physician systems, physician organizations and independent practice associations, and she has advised on a variety of payment structures. Morgan has also counseled on joint ventures, provider-owned payors, recoveries, provider data requests, risk mitigation, performance measurement, and variety of multi-party agreements.
Morgan’s arrival comes directly on the heels of Foley’s addition of Lewis Zirogiannis, who joined the firm’s San Francisco office last month as a partner in its Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice Group.
Morgan comes to Foley from Dentons, where she was a member of the Insurance Practice Group. Before that, she was assistant general counsel at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Wright Close & Barger LLP is pleased to announce that three experienced attorneys have joined the firm.
Trial lawyer and appellate specialist James Marrow has joined the firm as partner. With more than 20 years in practice, Marrow has handled trials and arbitrations on both sides of the docket. He has worked on appeals in state and federal court and is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He joined the firm effective February 1.
Before joining the firm, Marrow practiced at the appellate specialty firm Hogan & Hogan. He also previously served as a staff attorney with the Texas 14th Court of Appeals where he handled a wide range of appellate proceedings and assisted the court’s justices in drafting nearly 100 opinions.
A graduate of South Texas College of Law in Houston, Marrow is admitted to practice before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rice University.
Also recently joining the firm are associates Elizabeth Turco and Michael Hurta. Turco is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, and previously practiced at Dobrowski, Larkin & Johnson. She has handled both commercial litigation and appeals in state and federal courts. Turco is a 2013 graduate of Baylor Law School and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Hurta is an experienced litigator, and previously practiced at Berg & Androphy, where he represented government contractors, whistleblowers of government fraud, and criminal defendants. He has been part of several victorious trial teams in federal court.
Hurta clerked for the Hon. Eva Guzman at the Texas Supreme Court, and for the Hon. George P. Kazen of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2015, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Wright Close & Barger LLP is a Houston-based civil trial and appellate firm handling complex trial and appeals work for clients across Texas. Our lawyers have a track record for achieving favorable resolutions in cases involving catastrophic personal injury, insurance coverage, intellectual property, oil and gas, product defects, commercial disputes, arbitration and mediation, trade secrets, and trust and estate litigation, among others. We also assist with pretrial motions, special evidence problems, challenges to expert witnesses, and the critical work on the court’s charge to the jury. To learn more, visit http://www.wrightclosebarger.com/.
Farrell Fritz is pleased to announce that Nicholas T. Terzulli has been appointed to the Long Island Business Development Council’s Advisory Board. The Long Island Business Development Council (LIBDC) was established over four decades ago with a focus on growing the economy on Long Island and revitalizing the East End. Today, the LIBDC continues to help businesses expand and create new jobs.
Nick, an East Meadow, NY, resident, is an associate in the firm’s real estate practice group. He earned his J.D. at New York Law School and his B.A. from American University.
Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Lawrence D. Levien in its Washington, D.C., office. Levien joins from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he was a partner in the labor and employment practice.
Levien focuses his practice on the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements and of complex multiparty transactions. He advises clients on corporate acquisitions, bankruptcies and divestitures, with an emphasis on companies facing economic difficulties or industrywide dislocations. He also has a deep understanding of issues related to underfunded multiemployer-defined benefit plans, and potential withdrawal liability facing companies in those circumstances
Levien previously served in the Appellate Court and Litigation Section of the National Labor Relations Board. He also has written professionally as a reporter and correspondent before and during his legal career.
Levien received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A., cum laude, from Williams College.
Barnes & Thornburg has added partner Sean Honeywill and associates Devin Schoonmaker, Brian Saling, and Abraham Llama to the Corporate Department in Atlanta. This group focuses on federal and state tax credit financing and monetization in areas such as affordable housing, historic rehabilitation and renewable energy.
Honeywill has deep experience in a variety of federal and state tax credits and the regulations that govern the transferability and monetization of associated tax benefits, including historic rehabilitation, renewable energy, affordable housing and opportunity zones. On the corporate side, he concentrates on tax considerations for transactions including restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, and spinoffs. His clients include developers, investors, lenders and syndicators.
Schoonmaker, Saling, and Llama likewise regularly work on matters surrounding the federal and state tax aspects of transactions related to these various tax incentive programs. The four join from Kowan Cordon.
Honeywill earned his J.D., high honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, his LL.M in Taxation from New York University School of Law and his B.S., summa cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh.
Schoonmaker earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Saling earned his J.D. from the Emory University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Iowa.
Llama earned his J.D. from the Emory University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Florida.
William C. Guthrie has been appointed Managing Partner of Foley & Lardner LLP’s Orlando office effective February 1, 2020. Guthrie is a partner and business lawyer, member of the Business Law Department and Real Estate and Consumer Financial Services practice groups, and chair of the Hospitality & Leisure Industry Team. He represents clients in the condominium, resort and hospitality industries, including globally recognized developers, lenders, managers and exchange groups.
Brown Rudnick LLP today announced the addition of Michael Bowe and Lauren Tabaksblat as partners in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Both attorneys join from Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP and will be based in Brown Rudnick’s New York office, the firm’s largest office. At Brown Rudnick, Bowe and Tabaksblat are joining a robust team of New York’s top litigators. Leveraging the firm’s leading white collar, restructuring, and intellectual property practices, as well as its entrepreneurial use of alternative fee and litigation funding, they will drive additional growth in the New York and national markets and solidify Brown Rudnick’s position among the elite, go-to New York firms for complex litigation.
Bowe and Tabaksblat are trial lawyers and prepare every case from inception for trial. Representing plaintiffs and defendants, they have a proven track record of innovating aggressive, asymmetrical litigation strategies to secure solutions other firms had advised clients were not possible. Tabaksblat has litigated complex civil RICO, securities, partnership, commercial real estate, professional malpractice, insurance and other high-stakes disputes, in state and federal jurisdictions across the country.
For almost 30 years, Bowe has successfully litigated virtually every type of high-stakes business and personal case, on the plaintiff and defense side, at both the trial and appellate level, for major companies and high-profile individuals. His unprecedented use of civil RICO and defamation law to stop short-selling “bears raids” on insurer Fairfax Financial was credited with restoring billions in market capitalization to the company and its investors and led to the largest insider-trading investigation and conviction in history, and he recently secured millions of dollars for Fairfax from jury verdicts awarding compensatory and punitive damages and trial settlements. Similarly, Bowe secured hundreds of millions of dollars in value for investors by using civil RICO laws to secure the iconic Savoy hotel in Miami Beach from its lender. His more recent trial successes also include a successful verdict in Delaware Chancery Court on behalf of investors in an Oakland, California real estate partnership, and his successful trial defense of Marine Major Jason Brezler before a military tribunal after employing an unprecedented federal court challenge to vacate the Marine Corps’ prior decision to separate Major Brezler from service.
With more than 100 litigators in the United States and Europe, Brown Rudnick has a consistent track record of success against seemingly insurmountable obstacles in some of the most significant international and domestic litigations of our era. Clients bring the firm their most difficult “bet the company” disputes, for which it routinely crafts and implements novel theories and strategies opposite entrenched interests represented by other major law firms. Brown Rudnick routinely and successfully tries cases to conclusion and, as a result, has extensive courtroom experience in jury, bench and arbitral trials throughout the world.
Additional biographical information and credentials are available on Bowe and Tabaksblat’s bio pages at brownrudnick.com.
The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has announced that Kristen E. Dennison, a partner at Littleton Park Joyce Ughetta & Kelly LLP in Philadelphia, has accepted an invitation to join the IADC, the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.
“I have had profound respect for the International Association of Defense Counsel since being introduced to the organization as a young lawyer while participating in its annual Trial Academy,” Ms. Dennison said. “I am honored to be given the opportunity to work alongside other defense lawyers in this prestigious organization and utilize the valuable, high-level education and professional development opportunities it provides to its members.”
Ms. Dennison is an experienced litigator, focusing her practice in product liability and commercial litigation on behalf of product manufacturers, utilities, and other companies in personal injury, death, contract and property damage cases. She has defended manufacturers of automobiles, industrial equipment, utilities, aviation components, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. She also has defended companies against claims of professional malpractice and commercial disputes.
Previously, Ms. Dennison served as in-house counsel at CNH Industrial America LLC. She also is the Past Chair Liaison to the Corporate Counsel Committee of DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar.
Ms. Dennison received her J.D. (cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Center and her Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University.
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, 51 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.
Freeborn & Peters LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated attorney Kirk Watkins to Income Partner, effective Jan. 1.
“We are very pleased to introduce Kirk as Freeborn’s newest Income Partner,” said Freeborn Co-Managing Partner William E. Russell. “He has demonstrated a high degree of knowledge and success for our litigation clients and a strong commitment to pro bono matters, and we look forward to his continued contributions as a leader at our firm.”
A member of Freeborn’s Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Watkins has a broad range of experience in all phases of complex commercial litigation, from pre-suit investigation and discovery management to dispositive motion and trial practice all the way up to appeals. In recent years, he has represented clients at multi-week bench and jury trials in both state and federal court in disputes ranging from commercial sales and online taxation to director and officer liability.
Mr. Watkins also maintains an active pro bono practice, and in 2017 received an Award for Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association in connection with his representation of a Stateville inmate in a federal civil rights case.
Mr. Watkins received his J.D. (cum laude) from Northwestern University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.
ABOUT FREEBORN & PETERS
Freeborn & Peters LLP is a full-service law firm, headquartered in Chicago, with international capabilities and offices in New York City; Richmond, Va.; Springfield, Ill.; and Tampa, Fla. Freeborn is always looking ahead and seeking to find better ways to serve its clients. It takes a proactive approach to ensure its clients are more informed, prepared and able to achieve greater success – not just now, but also in the future. While the firm serves clients across a very broad range of sectors, it has also pioneered an interdisciplinary approach that serves the specific needs of targeted industries.
Freeborn’s major achievements in litigation are reflective of the firm’s significant growth over the last few years and its established reputation as a Litigation Powerhouse®. Freeborn has one of the largest litigation departments among Chicago-based law firms – currently with more than 90 litigators, which represents about two-thirds of the firm’s lawyers.
Freeborn is a firm that genuinely lives up to its core values of integrity, effectiveness, teamwork, caring and commitment, and embodies them through high standards of client service and responsive action. Its lawyers build close and lasting relationships with clients and are driven to help them achieve their legal and business objectives. For more information, please visit www.freeborn.com.
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., is pleased to announce that the firm’s attorneys Courtney A. Adair, Cassie L. Barr, Jody B. Forsee, and Heather M. Mehta have been elevated to Officer, effective Feb. 1.
Adair works from the firm’s Chicago office. Barr, Forsee, and Mehta are based in Greensfelder’s St. Louis office.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Courtney, Cassie, Jody, and Heather as new Officers,” Greensfelder President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin T. McLaughlin said. “Each of our new Officers has distinguished herself as an integral member of Greensfelder and has made key contributions to the business success of our clients. We are delighted that all four of our newly elevated Officers are women. This embodies Greensfelder’s ongoing commitment to the promotion and placement of women and minority lawyers into leadership roles at the firm.”
A member of the firm’s Litigation practice group, Ms. Adair represents clients in commercial and employment litigation disputes. She has handled matters in various state and federal courts, with involvement in all phases of litigation. Her work has included non-compete agreements and other contractual disputes, as well as consumer fraud and deceptive practice claims, insurance coverage disputes, and trade secret misappropriation claims. Ms. Adair received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Tufts University.
A member of the firm’s Business Services practice group, Barr counsels clients on corporate and tax law matters. In the area of corporate law, she focuses on mergers and acquisitions. Her experience includes counseling middle market companies in a broad range of industries, including health care, technology, construction, manufacturing, and distribution. In the area of tax law, she counsels clients on corporate and business tax planning. With a background as an international tax associate for a big four professional services firm, she also has experience in tax controversy matters. Barr received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science (cum laude) both from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
A member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates practice group, Forsee focuses her practice on all aspects of estate planning and trust administration. Her work includes advanced estate planning documents used by clients for wealth management. She also addresses income, estate and gift tax issues relevant to her clients’ estate planning and probate needs. A considerable portion of her practice focuses on working with family offices that handle assets and planning for multi-generational families. In addition, she helps family-owned businesses coordinate corporate matters such as business succession planning and creating and administering business entities such as limited liability companies and partnerships. Forsee received her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her Bachelor of Science from Missouri Western State University.
A member of the firm’s Employee Benefits practice group, Mehta works on issues employers face when administering benefit plans. Her clients include large and small businesses, as well as tax-exempt organizations such as religiously affiliated hospitals. She also helps employers with ERISA and Internal Revenue Code compliance and frequently assists religious employers with benefits questions. Her benefits litigation experience includes individual benefit claims and ERISA class actions. She has defended plan sponsors in lawsuits involving “church plans,” forum selection clauses, and ERISA preemption. Mehta received her J.D. (magna cum laude) from Washington University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Science (with distinction) from Mercy College and a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from Wake Forest University.
At Greensfelder, nearly 30 percent of the firm’s Officers are women, and female attorneys currently make up 60 percent of the firm’s associates. Although these numbers surpass national averages for law firms, Greensfelder is committed to further increase the number of women attorneys at the firm. Greensfelder offers numerous programs that support the progress of women and help create a sense of community at the firm. These programs range from job-focused training to networking opportunities and social events. In addition, the firm offers alternative work arrangements, assistance for working parents, and multiple other programs and initiatives that support a diverse workforce. These initiatives reflect Greensfelder’s decision to embrace equity as a core value and strategic growth priority, with a focus on groups that have been historically underrepresented in law firms, including women.
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., founded in 1895, is a full-service law firm with offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Belleville, Ill. 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.
The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) is pleased to announce that IADC President Amy Sherry Fischer, a shareholder at Foliart Huff Ottaway & Bottom in Oklahoma City, Okla., has been selected as one of this year’s recipients of the DRI Mary Massaron Award for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession.
Presented annually by DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Mary Massaron Award recognizes DRI members who have demonstrated a high regard for diversity and a commitment to advocating the inclusion and promotion of women as well as fostering women’s initiatives and actively promoting positive mentoring relationships with other women in the legal profession.
Ms. Fischer has actively supported and promoted women in the legal profession throughout her career, including serving as a mentor and mentee to other female attorneys. As a former IADC board member and past Membership Committee Chair, she kept diversity at the forefront and constantly looked for opportunities to provide female members leadership roles. Her work also includes many years of involvement with the American Bar Association’s Women in Products Liability Litigation Subcommittee, formerly serving as chair of both the group and its conference, as well as moderating and speaking on numerous panels.
Ms. Fischer focuses her law practice in the areas of products liability, particularly drug and medical products, personal injury, and medical liability. She is actively involved in mass tort litigation, including class actions and toxic torts. She serves as local counsel to a number of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. In addition, Ms. Fischer represents businesses in commercial disputes and employment-related matters. She also handles cases for insurance companies, including extra-contractual liability.
DRI advocates for nearly 19,000 defense attorneys, commercial litigation attorneys, corporations and corporate counsel, who defend the integrity of the civil justice system. DRI provides world-class legal education, deep expertise for policymakers, legal resources, and networking opportunities to facilitate career and law firm growth. For more information, visit https://www.dri.org.
The IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. Founded in 1920, the IADC’s 2,500 members hail from six continents, more than 50 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, their clients, and the broader civil justice community. The IADC also takes a leadership role in many areas of legal reform. For more information, visit www.iadclaw.org.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Michael F. Walker, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, has been selected as chair-elect of the Federal Practice Section of the Birmingham Bar Association (BBA). He serves as chair-elect for 2020 and will become chair in 2021.
“We congratulate Michael on his new leadership role with the Birmingham Bar Association’s Federal Practice Section,” said Bradley Birmingham Office Managing Partner Dawn Helms Sharff.
A member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Walker handles a wide variety of complex civil litigation matters across a number of industries. Much of his practice involves the defense of product liability and toxic tort claims against businesses that design and manufacture products or operate industrial facilities. He also has represented businesses in commercial litigation, primarily in disputes involving intellectual property, real estate, and class actions. He has tried cases to verdict in court and arbitrated matters to successful conclusions before panels of the American Arbitration Association and JAMS. Mr. Walker also devotes significant time to pro bono matters.
Through his involvement with the BBA’s Federal Practice Section and Civil Courts Committee, Mr. Walker worked with several local federal judges to help re-draft the Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
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 over 500 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, real estate, construction, technology, energy, insurance, and entertainment, among many others.
Farrell Fritz is pleased to welcome Maura A. McLoughlin to its Uniondale office as managing attorney for the firm’s commercial and estate litigation departments.
McLoughlin is responsible for the management and tracking of the firm’s commercial and estate litigation cases. She serves as a resource on planned and implemented rule changes and creates, maintains, and updates forms files with respect to pleadings, discovery, and recurring brief issues.
Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, Maura was managing attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP for almost 18 years.
McLoughlin is a Brooklyn, NY, resident. She earned her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and her B.A. from American University. McLoughlin is admitted to the New York bar.