“People choose Collaborative Divorce over traditional litigation when they want the divorce to be more amicable. The hallmark of a Collaborative Divorce is honesty,” writes Ron Anfuso in Collaborative Divorce California’s blog.

“Both spouses are expected to provide full disclosure about all assets, both those known to be community property and those that they claim are separate property. In rare cases during the collaborative process, one party discovers the other is hiding assets. The consequences to the dishonest person may be great.”

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“A Chicago firm launched by a group of Big Law vets a year and a half ago has brought on a former advisor and legal counsel to Mayor Lori Lightfoot who helped negotiate an end to the city’s 14-day public schools strike in 2019,” reports David Thomas in Thomson Reuters Westlaw Today.

“Michael Frisch will lead Croke Fairchild Morgan & Beres’ government litigation and investigations practice. Like his new colleagues, Frisch has a Big Law background: He worked at Mayer Brown for seven years before joining the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 2015.”

“His tenure at Mayer Brown led to his gig for the city of Chicago – Lightfoot, a partner at the firm, was his friend and mentor. He worked on her mayoral campaign and the transition in 2019.”

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Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce the appointment of new leadership for our offices in Atlanta, Houston, New York and Washington DC. As of January 1, 2021, Partners Kristina Kopf Thomas, Marlene C. Williams, Dodie C. Kent and Susan G. Lafferty are the Partners in Charge for their respective offices. They succeed Partners Daniel J. Warren, David A. Baay, Robert E. Copps and Amish M. Shah, respectively.

Atlanta – Thomas, partner in the Real Estate Practice Group, is a commercial real estate and fund formation attorney with more than 15 years of experience working with real estate industry clients on a broad spectrum of transactions. Thomas has a strong background in the structuring and formation of private equity real estate investment funds and joint ventures for the acquisition, operation and development of real estate assets. Thomas succeeds Partner Dan Warren, who led the Atlanta office for nearly 12 years.

Houston – Williams, partner in the Litigation Practice Group, is a seasoned litigator who guides her clients through complex labor and employment matters, defending Fortune 100 companies in class action disputes and collective action litigation. With clients spanning a variety of industries, including energy, chemical, media, retail, manufacturing and healthcare services, she has served as lead counsel in bench and jury trials, in appeals in federal and state appellate courts, and in arbitrations, including cases involving multiple parties and millions of dollars in claims. Williams succeeds Partner David Baay, who held the position for the past four years.

New York – Kent, partner in the Insurance Practice Group, has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and advises clients on a wide range of regulatory and compliance topics. She counsels a wide range of insurance companies and industry participants on product design, implementation and administrative issues as they relate to variable, index-linked and fixed life insurance, and annuity products. Kent succeeds Partner Bob Copps who led the New York office for nearly two years.

Washington DC – Lafferty, partner in the Energy Practice Group, advises clients on an array of energy and environmental issues impacting the petroleum, biofuels and energy trading industries. Lafferty’s extensive practice covers regulatory, commercial and policy issues related to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), renewable identification number (RIN) trading, state low carbon fuel standards (LCFS), gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) requirements, and shipping all types of commodities by rail, vessel or truck. Lafferty succeeds Partner Amish Shah, who served in the position for five years.

“A former district attorney in Mississippi’s largest county is now representing some people he once prosecuted, court documents show,” reports Beaumont Enterprise’s News.

“Robert Shuler Smith did not seek reelection last year in Hinds County. He told WLBT-TV that he sees no conflict of interest. But the current district attorney, Jody Owens, is seeking to have Smith removed from one case.”

“Smith represents Prince Johnson, who was indicted by Hinds County grand jury in 2017 on eight counts of prescription fraud.”

“Owens recently filed a motion seeking to disqualify Smith from the Johnson case, saying state law and Mississippi Ethics Commission opinions show Smith should not represent people he once tried.”

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“Prenuptial agreements get litigated all the time in probate proceedings,” warns Juan C. Antúnez  in Stokes McMillan Antúnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A.’s Blog.

“The challenge in these cases (as in all inheritance litigation) is to not let yourself get caught up in your client’s wishful thinking. Just because a certain outcome seems really unfair doesn’t mean your probate judge will (or should) rule in your favor. This may seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how hard it can be to not fall into this trap in real life.”

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