Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP announced that Michael Drankoski has been named the firm’s new executive director, effective immediately. He will replace Judy Vetkoetter upon her retirement from Gardere later this year.

Drankoski has more than 20 years of experience working with AmLaw 100 firms, with a primary focus on information technology. He joins Gardere from Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dallas office, where he held the position of director of administration, overseeing all non-attorney functions in that office.

“Michael’s extensive background in legal management makes him the ideal fit to assume the executive director position,” says Gardere Chair Holland N. O’Neil. “He is a results-oriented leader, who I am confident will provide the best support for our attorneys, staff and clients.”

As executive director, Drankoski will oversee Gardere’s administrative functions throughout the Firm’s five offices and will play a key role in the firm’s Dallas office move this fall.

Quarles & Brady LLP has announced that Daniel G. Radler will become the firm’s managing partner, effective Dec. 1, 2016. Fredrick G. Lautz, who has served in the position since its inception in 2007, will continue to support key strategic growth initiatives, including lateral recruitment, following the transition.

Radler will be the second managing partner in the firm’s history. Lautz, the first to assume the role after the unexpected passing of Firm Chair Pat Ryan, has overseen the firm’s significant success and growth over the last nine years, including the opening of new offices in Indianapolis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. In a release, the firm said his tenure has been marked by a strong commitment to attract the nation’s most talented attorneys, particularly within the firm’s key practice areas, including franchise & distribution; financial services; business law; health & life sciences; intellectual property litigation; and data privacy.

The release continues:

The firm has also strengthened its financial and operational positions as a result of its measured growth under Lautz’s leadership. In addition to opening three new locations, the size of the Chicago office has doubled from 50 attorneys to 110 attorneys today, and the firm’s other offices have experienced significant growth as well.

“Our approach to client service has always been to source talented attorneys in increasingly demanding regional markets and industry sectors, and then build offices around those practitioners,” said Lautz. “Dan is a brilliant attorney and tremendous leader, and I’m excited about the direction in which he’ll be taking the firm over the next several years.”

“Quarles & Brady’s growth has been and continues to be rooted in the legal savvy and client service that is the hallmark of our firm,” said Kimberly Leach Johnson, firm chair of Quarles & Brady. “It’s about delivering excellence and Fred has been a tremendous champion for it, not only in his own work, but in the expectations all of us in the firm extend to each other. Dan carries that same fierce commitment to excellence. His knowledge and experience will continue to advance our focus on new and more innovative ways to deepen our expertise and serve our clients even more strongly.”

As a former engineer, Radler brings a practical solutions mindset to the managing partner role. During his 19 years at Quarles & Brady, he has served in leadership roles that include national chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group and a member of the Executive Committee.

“I’m honored to be following in Fred’s footsteps, and continuing the growth trajectory and tremendous momentum he has created for the firm,” said Radler. “Additionally, I am firmly vested in building upon the firm’s core values surrounding client service, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and civic involvement.

About Dan Radler

In addition to his J.D., Radler holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Systems Engineering, adding a substantive level of technical knowledge to his grasp of IP law. Before he became an attorney, Radler spent several years as an engineer designing and testing propulsion systems for advanced technology aircraft, and later working as a project manager responsible for the design and construction of automated materials handling systems and warehouses.

In private practice, he advises clients on all aspects of intellectual property law with a particular focus on patent procurement; patent re-examinations; infringement and validity opinions; and licensing in a variety of disciplines, including materials handling equipment, heavy machinery, manufacturing and molding processes, fluid dynamics, printing technology, hydraulics, seals, bearings, and general mechanical and electro-mechanical devices.

About Fredrick Lautz

Lautz is a corporate attorney by trade but has been fully ensconced at Quarles & Brady’s helm, supervising the partnership, guiding the firm’s strategic and operational growth, and working hand-in-hand with the firm chairperson to chart Quarles’ long-term course. He has maintained a singular focus on the firm’s business objectives, continuously conferring with partners to maintain a strong sense of developing trends and themes and how they inform the delivery of superior legal services

Lautz practices law in the areas of mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance & securities, working with clients of all types and sizes, including financial institutions, mutual funds, and manufacturing, retail, distribution, and professional services companies. He advises businesses on corporate governance matters, buy/sell agreements, executive and equity compensation programs, general operational matters, and securities offerings (including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities). His experience representing mutual funds and investment advisors includes organization and initial registration, board composition and corporate governance matters, regulatory compliance, share distribution structures and relationships, and acquisitions and reorganizations.

About 107 law firms have issued raises to their associates after the initial big salary hike announced by Cravath, Swaine & Moore almost a month ago, reports Above the Law editor Joe Patrice in a transcribed interview with Casey Sullivan on Bloomberg Law.

“Not all of these firms have matched Cravath entirely,” Patrice explains. “Some only matched in some markets, others have matched for younger classes but offered more modest raises to senior attorneys. A couple have issued holding statements that they will increase salaries but won’t release details until later.”

He says general counsel’s concern over higher billing rates is overblown. Even if firms passed 100 percent of the cost of the raises on to clients, the hike would amount to about a $10 per hour increase in billing rates for associates, he says.

Read the interview.

Hogan Lovells announced that Michael Turrill has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner in the Litigation, Arbitration and Employment (LAE) Practice Group.

Turrill focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including the defense of consumer-related class actions under federal and state consumer protection laws, business torts and unfair competition litigation, intellectual property matters, employment litigation and contractual and partnership disputes. He represents clients in multiple industries including real estate, consumer goods, food and beverage, financial services, energy, and entertainment and media sectors.

“Mike’s extensive commercial litigation expertise complements our capabilities to address a number of rising issues across a variety of industries,” said Dennis Tracey, Head of Litigation in the Americas at Hogan Lovells. “His diverse background in the litigation space and team-focused qualities exemplify the firm’s approach to collaboration across several practices to better serve our clients.”

Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Turrill was a partner in the L.A. office of an AmLaw 200 law firm. Turrill’s experiences include litigating in both state and federal courts as well as before arbitration panels around the country and internationally.

“Mike’s work in the real estate, consumer class action and media and entertainment space, including digital media, fit squarely within the core practice areas of the Los Angeles office and the firm,” said Barry Dastin, Office Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells’ Los Angeles office. “He is a well-known and widely respected lawyer in the community, and his arrival builds upon significant recent additions to our office, including Stephanie Yonekura, former Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, and Paul Salvaty, both of whom have strengthened our litigation team led by Michael Maddigan.”

Turrill earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and his B.A. in History from Brown University. He was previously named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the University of Southern California’s Public Interest Law Foundation. Mike served for three years as adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law.

Veteran trial lawyer James Edward “Jim” Maloney has opened a solo practice in Houston, at The Esperson Buildings, 815 Walker St., Suite 1150.

Educated at Yale and a graduate of the Harvard Law School, he began his career at Baker Botts where he spent the next 35 years representing leading business executives and major corporations, with a client list that has included:

• Shell Oil Company
• Pennzoil-Quaker State
• Reliant Energy and its predecessors
• Match.com
• Novartis
• Lyondell Chemical Company
• Southern Pacific Railroad Company
• Ford Motor Company
• Bridgestone-Firestone
• T. Boone Pickens

When he left Baker Botts in 2012, Maloney had headed the firm’s securities litigation section and had also served as the longtime chair of the firm’s employment committee.

More recently, he was a partner at Andrews Kurth. There, his clients included a major international oil and gas exploration company and a number of special and conflicts committees of boards of directors at public companies and master limited partnerships. He has been involved in securities litigation work, corporate takeover disputes, corporate investigations, class actions and complex commercial disputes in both state and federal courts.

Over more than 40 years of practice, Maloney has tried more than 100 cases to jury and bench verdicts and managed thousands of others to successful resolution, he said in a release.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that James Nicholas and Donald Schroeder have joined the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice as partners in the Boston office.

In a release, the firm said Nicholas represents and counsels employers on a wide range of federal and state employment issues, including wage and hour, employment classification, wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, leaves of absence and the enforcement of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements. He has represented clients in numerous actions before federal and state courts in cases involving claims for wage and hour violations, defamation and shareholder disputes, among others. A significant portion of his litigation experience involves defending employers against wage and hour class actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.

The release continues:

Schroeder has extensive national trial experience in state and federal courts representing Fortune 500 clients on a wide range of employment matters, including restrictive covenant litigation, wage and hour class actions and single plaintiff discrimination cases. His trial experience includes state and federal court jury trials, bench trials and employment arbitrations throughout the United States. Schroeder’s client base spans a number of industries including staffing, healthcare, sports, higher education and technology.

Schroeder also regularly handles traditional labor matters related to union avoidance training, unfair labor practice proceedings, union elections, mass picketing, labor arbitrations and collective bargaining negotiations. In his traditional labor work, Schroeder routinely appears before the National Labor Relations Board.

“We look forward to having Jim and Don on our team. Their strong track record litigating complex cases and vast experience will help ensure our clients remain compliant and protected across a myriad of employment issues,” said Kevin Hyde, chair of Foley’s Labor & Employment Practice.

In addition, both Nicholas and Schroeder have experience drafting C-Suite level employment agreements and advising clients on the terms and use of offer letters, employee handbooks and personnel policies.

“Our clients will benefit from Jim and Don’s decades of combined experience related to employment issues and proceedings. We are excited to add them to our robust litigation bench in Boston,” said Susan Pravda, managing partner of Foley’s Boston office.

In addition, they will be joined by their former colleagues, Jill Collins (Washington, D.C. office) and Erin Horton (Boston office), who are mid-level associates.

Hogan Lovells announced that Gejaa T. Gobena will join the firm’s Investigations, White Collar and Fraud (IWCF) practice as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office.

Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Gobena served as Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ). As Deputy Chief, Gobena led the Criminal Division’s fifty-attorney health care fraud unit, supervising prosecutions brought by Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams across the country and spearheading the Unit’s recent shift to investigating and prosecuting broader corporate health care fraud schemes. In that position, he oversaw the prosecution of over a thousand individuals for health care fraud, including last week’s historic national health care fraud takedown which involved charging more than 300 individuals accused of committing fraud costing the government US$900 million.

In a release, the firm said:

Gobena will supplement Hogan Lovell’s substantial national IWCF practice by counseling clients as they navigate internal and government investigations, particularly health care fraud investigations. He will further assist Hogan Lovells’ clients looking to mitigate risk following the new USDOJ directive to pursue executives of target corporations more aggressively.

“Government agencies are evolving their enforcement strategies through innovations in technology, data and new legal theories,” said Crispin Rapinet, global head of the firm’s ICWF practice. “The range of Gejaa’s DOJ experience handling both False Claims Act cases as a younger lawyer and then in fraud prosecutions for the Criminal Division gives him tremendous skill as well as insight into the personalities and priorities driving DOJ decision-making, all of which will be of great value to our clients.”

During his tenure as DOJ Deputy Chief, Gobena supervised teams that prosecuted large corporate entities in cities throughout the country. He also worked and advised on non-health care fraud prosecutions and policy matters, including matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Earlier, Gobena was part of the HEAT (Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team) initiative in Detroit, where he worked with teams of investigators from Office of Inspector General-Health & Human Services, Federal Bureau of Investigation and numerous other law enforcement agencies to prosecute health care fraud cases to verdict before earning his promotion to supervisor.

And for several years before that, Gobena handled civil False Claims Act and qui tam matters for DOJ’s Civil Division.

“Our firm continues to identify and hire talented lawyers with government agency credentials and experience to provide our clients with a complete understanding of how enforcement agencies are pursuing investigations,” said Dennis Tracey, head of Litigation for the Americas. “Gejaa is a confident, personable and engaging litigator with a demonstrated thoughtful and thorough approach to handling legal challenges.”

In 2015, Gobena received the Award for Excellence from the Health and Human Services Department of the Office of the Inspector General. He also received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2013, and the Attorney General’s Award for Fraud Prevention in 2011.

He earned his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and his B.A. from The University of Virginia.

Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that it has achieved Gold Standard Re-Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for the six consecutive year. This year’s list includes 31 firms.

“We are proud to have made this list for the sixth year in a row,” said Darlene Austin, director of diversity & employee relations & corporate social responsibility. “Our repeated certification is proof positive that Quarles & Brady is committed to inclusive leadership among all attorneys in our firm; this is part of our culture. We are honored to have been recognized as one of the six firms to have met all of WILEF’s criteria.”

In a release, the firm said Gold Standard Certification emphasizes the leadership roles achieved by women partners, rather than the policies or practices of the firm or the overall number or percentage of women in the partnership. Law firms with 300 or more practicing lawyers in the United States were eligible if they successfully demonstrated that women represented a meaningful percentage of their equity partners, of their highest leadership positions, of their governance and compensation committees, and of their most highly compensated partners. To be certified, firms had to meet at least four of the six criteria:

• Women account for at least 20 percent of U.S. equity partners or, alternatively, one-third of non-lateral attorneys that became U.S. equity partners within the previous 12 months.
• Women represent at least 15 percent of firm and U.S. branch office heads combined.
• Women make up at least 20 percent of the firm’s primary governance committee.
• Women represent 20 percent or more of the firm’s compensation committee.
• Women make up at least 25 percent of practice group leaders or department heads.
• Women represent at least 15 percent of the top half of U.S. equity partners in terms of compensation.

About WILEF

Founded in 1997 by Elizabeth Anne “Betiayn” Tursi, with the support of R.R. Donnelley and several successful senior women attorneys, and subsequently of law firm and corporate sponsors, WILEF is dedicated to assisting women in law to assume leadership roles within the NLJ 250 and Fortune 1000 legal departments and within their respective communities. WILEF presents cutting edge programming that provides an educational and networking forum for women in law.

Texas trial law firm Deans & Lyons, LLP announces that civil litigation attorney Lana P. Beverly has joined the firm’s Dallas office as an associate.

“Our firm is built on talented and aggressive attorneys who are fearless in the courtroom,” says firm co-founder Michael Lyons. “Lana brings some impressive credentials and we are very excited to add her to our team here in Dallas.”

Beverly joins the firm from the Dallas office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP.

In a release, the firm said her experience includes representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation in state and federal courts. She focuses her practice on business disputes, including cases involving breach of contract, construction, breach of fiduciary duty and employment issues, as well as professional liability matters. She also represents clients in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death claims.

While serving as a judicial clerk for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Beverly authored four appellate opinions involving criminal issues of first impression. She also worked as a judicial extern for the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Beverly earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2010 where she was the Notes Editor and Staff Member of the North Carolina Journal Of Law & Technology. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a National Merit Achievement Scholar.

Deans & Lyons, LLP has offices in Dallas and Houston.

Litigation associate Erin Nowell from the Dallas office of Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, PC, has earned a spot on the 2016 National Bar Association “40 Under 40 Best Advocates” list, which recognizes the country’s leading young attorneys  for their legal accomplishments.

With approximately 65,000 members, the National Bar Association is the oldest and largest network of African-American attorneys and judges in the U.S., the firm said in an announcement. Award recipients are vetted by a panel of former association presidents and key individuals, in addition to a separate evaluation covering nominees’ advocacy, innovation, leadership and community involvement.

“Erin is very deserving of this recognition based on her immense passion for achieving justice for those who have been injured through no fault of their own,” says Jeffrey Simon, a founding shareholder of Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett. “We are not surprised she rose to the top of the hundreds of nominees for this award.”

A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Nowell devotes her practice to representing victim of serious injuries and wrongful death caused by toxic substances such as asbestos, benzene and silica, as well as dangerous pharmaceuticals and other defective products. She will be honored at the 40 Under 40 Awards Gala on July 18 during the group’s annual convention in St. Louis.

“I am honored to be in the company of such accomplished lawyers from across the nation,” says Nowell. “Hard work truly pays off, and I am fortunate to be at a firm where I am able to help my clients fight for justice each day.”

Quarles & Brady LLP lawyer J. Michael Hearon has been included in the National LGBT Bar Association’s 2016 class of the 40 under 40 Best LGBT Lawyers.

“I am very pleased to receive such an honorable distinction on behalf of the countless LGBT members that make up a significant part of the legal profession,” said Hearon. “This recognition truly reflects the global legal industry’s commitment to diversity and inclusion across all spectrums.”

The LGBT Bar established this award to recognize outstanding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender legal professionals under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality, the firm said in a release.

Hearon is a member of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group where he focuses his practice on advising and defending financial institutions regarding lender liability and consumer protection issues.

Hearon received his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law, his MBA from Georgetown University, and his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Transylvania University.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that Zaldwaynaka (Z) Scott has joined the firm’s Government Enforcement, Compliance & White Collar Practice as a partner in the Chicago office. The firm says she has decades of experience managing high-stakes white collar matters in both private and public sector roles, including the United States Department of Justice and the State of Illinois.

In a release, the firm said Scott, a former executive inspector general for the Office of the Governor of Illinois, is a seasoned trial lawyer with experience in complex commercial litigation, corporate internal investigations, corporate compliance matters and white collar defense. Her federal and criminal litigation experience includes representing Fortune 1000 corporations, private companies and individuals in accounting and commercial fraud, public corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, civil tax appeals and criminal tax prosecutions, money-laundering, and investment and financial institution fraud. She has also led and represented companies in complex and extensive government regulatory and criminal grand jury investigations.

The release continues:

“We look forward to adding Z’s trial experience and internal investigation knowledge to our team. Her successful track record across complex litigation and strong proactive compliance counseling will enhance our white collar footprint,” said Lisa Noller, chair of Foley’s Government Enforcement, Compliance & White Collar Practice.

While serving as executive inspector general for the Office of the Governor of Illinois, Scott established and managed an internal compliance and investigative agency for the Illinois government and the state’s public universities. She oversaw more than 200 internal investigations of state vendors and state employees, as well as counseling members of the governor’s cabinet and state senior managers, including agency directors on issues related to personnel policies, internal controls, ethics and systemic personnel problems. In addition, Scott served as a federal criminal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office, where she held various management positions, including chief of the General Crimes Section.

“Our clients will be well served by Z’s extensive experience working with various agencies across the government of Illinois on pressing issues and investigations, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our team,” said Myles Berman, managing partner of Foley’s Chicago office.

Prior to joining Foley, Scott was a partner at Kaye Scholer.

Brian P. Corrigan recently joined Farrell Fritz’s estate litigation department as a partner.

Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, Corrigan was a partner at Holland & Knight in New York, NY.

Corrigan is the vice chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Section’s Committee on Legislation; a member of the Nassau County Bar Association’s Surrogate’s Court Trust & Estate Committee; and a member of the New York City Bar Association.

Corrigan , a Garden City, NY resident, earned his Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was a Research Editor for the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Providence College.

He is admitted to practice in New York State. He is also admitted in all State Courts in New York; the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York; the U.S. Tax Court; and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Corrigan has been selected to the 2011-2015 New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars lists.

National law firm Wilson Elser announced that a national insurance coverage team of 11 attorneys has joined Wilson Elser in three offices – Chicago, Los Angeles and New Jersey.

“Like Wilson Elser, this team’s insurance coverage practice is truly national in scope and reputation,” said Daniel J. McMahon, Wilson Elser chairman. “Their addition to the practice further deepens our already strong bench of attorneys in one of the firm’s core practice areas and will provide our clients with a wealth of experience in all facets of insurance coverage and bad faith matters.”

The team – led by partners Michael Duffy, Chicago; Paul White and David Simantob, Los Angeles; and Mark Vespole, New Jersey – primarily represents insurers in coverage matters, extra-contractual liability, bad faith and reinsurance matters. They previously were with Chicago-based law firm Tressler LLP.

They work on insurance coverage issues, draft insurance policy language, and litigate coverage and bad faith cases for general and specialty lines insurance and reinsurance companies.

The 11 are:

Chicago
Michael Duffy, Partner
Ashley Conaghan, Associate
Abigail Rocap, Associate

Los Angeles
Paul White, Partner
David Simantob, Partner
Linda Tai Hoshide, Partner

New Jersey
Mark Vespole, Partner
Joanna Crosby, Partner
Kathleen Williams, Partner
Katherine Tammaro, Partner
Matthew Major, Associate

Partner Michelle Schulz has been named co-chair of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP’s international practice, effective immediately. She will lead the group alongside co-chair and partner Charles E. Meacham in Houston.

Since joining Gardere in December 2013, Schulz has served as co-chair of the Firm’s international trade group and has been instrumental in its success. She will continue in that role in addition to serving as co-chair of the international practice. In her new role, Schulz will work with Mr. Meacham to further integrate Gardere’s diverse international practice areas and design end-to-end solutions for international business expansion. In addition, Schulz will facilitate collaboration among the Firm’s international groups in the U.S. and Mexico on matters, including energy, infrastructure, international dispute resolution, corporate, tax, transportation and trade. She also will cultivate the Firm’s broad international network of trusted attorneys and advisors across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

“Having served as co-chair of Gardere’s international trade group, Michelle is well-known throughout the Firm and in the industry for both her leadership and legal expertise,” says Meacham. “Her depth of experience will be a great benefit to the international team and to its clients, and I look forward to partnering with her.”

“Charlie has been highly influential in the international practice’s ongoing success, and it is an honor to join him as a leader of this prestigious group,” says Schulz. “Gardere’s international attorneys are among the most respected in their field, and I am privileged to collaborate with this group on opportunities to further enhance our presence in the global marketplace.”

With more than 15 years of experience representing clients in international trade, including over 10 years as a founding partner of a trade boutique, Schulz provides an entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas for international growth. She represents Fortune 500 companies, large defense and aerospace contractors, manufacturers, and oil and gas companies in international trade compliance and enforcement matters, including U.S. government investigations, internal audits, disclosures, licensing, and counseling on international trade regulations governing exports and imports.

In a new Bloomberg article, Stephen Poor, chair emeritus of Seyfarth Shaw, offers some perspective on what lies ahead for law firms in light of the recent escalation of pay for associates. He concludes that firms “still using a more traditional structure will experience this compensation increase as the first domino in a cascade throughout all fee earners, putting immense pressure on future performance and the health and stability of the firm.”

Traditionally, he writes, firms passed the burden of salary hikes to their clients via higher rates, reducing expenses elsewhere in the organization, raising (often silently) expectations on associates or being quicker to cut expenses (and people) in the face of declining demand.

“This time is different,” he writes. “Not because Big Law has moved into some form of corporate socialism, but because circumstances have changed. As power has shifted to buyers of legal services and the options for legal service delivery have expanded, the idea that firms will be able to shift some or all of the cost of associate compensation to rate increases seems almost inconceivable. Over a period of years? Perhaps. From the start? Not likely.”

Read the article.

Irene A. Zoupaniotis has joined Farrell Fritz‘s Uniondale office as a labor & employment associate.

From February 2013 to August 2015, Zoupaniotis was a litigation associate at an insurance defense law firm in NYC. She also held the following positions: Judicial Fellow, The Honorable Leonard B. Austin, Appellate Division 2nd Department (September 2012 to February 2013); Intern, NYS Division of Human Rights, Office of Sexual Harassment Issues (Spring 2012); Intern, NYC Office of Labor Relations (Summer 2011); and Judicial Intern, The Honorable Nicholas G. Garaufis, U.S. District Court E.D.N.Y. (Summer 2010).

Zoupaniotis, an Astoria, NY resident, earned her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Hofstra University School of Law. She was an Articles Editor for the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal. Irene received her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the William E. Macaulay Honors College at Queens College. She earned her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

She is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Zoupaniotis is fluent in Greek.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that Natalie Annis and Jamil Daoud have joined the firm’s Estates & Trusts Practice in the Tampa office.

The firm, in a release, said Annis represents professionals, executives, business owners, retired individuals and families in developing, implementing and managing sophisticated estate plans.

The release continues:

She works with financial advisors, accountants, insurance professionals and other advisors to assist clients in developing comprehensive strategies to achieve diverse wealth preservation and succession planning goals, including estate and gift tax planning and asset protection.

Daoud has experience creating asset protection structures using various domestic planning techniques. He has designed and implemented basic and complex trust plans and designed limited liability company operating agreements and corporate buy-sell agreements to accomplish a variety of investment, tax and business objectives. He also has experience with the negotiation and implementation of premarital agreements.

“Natalie and Jamil have immense experience across an array of complex estates and trusts issues. Their comprehensive knowledge will greatly benefit our growing client base,” said Daniel Hess, chair of Foley’s Estates & Trusts Practice.

In addition, both Annis and Daoud have experience advising clients on advanced planning and gifting strategies using irrevocable trusts, including dynasty trusts, grantor trusts, life insurance trusts, gifting trusts and trusts for minors.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Natalie and Jamil. They are highly regarded attorneys and bring a great deal of experience to our office and their practice areas,” said Randy Wolfe, managing partner of Foley’s Tampa office.

About Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP is a corporate law firm that provides legal and related services for complex issues facing companies today. With approximately 900 attorneys in 20 offices, Foley combines international reach with a local focus across a full range of legal services in various industries, including technology, health care, sports and manufacturing. Foley has been recognized by clients and the legal industry for its strong commitment to client service excellence and innovation. Learn more at Foley.com.

Lauren Kilgore  of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP has been named to the 2016 Best of the Bar list published by the Nashville Business Journal.

Kilgore is one of just five attorneys practicing media and entertainment law to be selected to the 1^4th annual listing of the leading attorneys in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. She also was nominated based on her work in litigation and dispute resolution.

“Having worked in the entertainment business before entering the law profession, Lauren offers a unique perspective on the industry that her clients have come to depend upon,” says firm managing partner John Shackelford. “This is a well-deserved honor.”

An associate at Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, Kilgore focuses her practice on entertainment, intellectual property, and commercial and business litigation. She represents recording artists, publishing companies, Internet companies and record labels in both transactional and litigation matters.

Kilgore has served as a Board Member of the Young Lawyers’ Division of the Nashville Bar since 2013, and she was selected last year to the inaugural class of the Nashville Bar Foundation’s Leadership Forum Program for up-and-coming local lawyers. She also was selected to the 2015 listing of Tennessee Rising Stars, which recognizes the top young attorneys in the state.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Kilgore served as Senior Technology Editor of the Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law and as the Moot Court Board’s Executive Justice for the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition. She earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Birmingham-Southern College. She resides in Cherokee Park with her husband, Sgt. Matthew Dixon, a 19-year veteran of the Metro Police Department, and their two daughters, Josephine and Arabella.

To determine its Best of the Bar selections, the Nashville Business Journal accepted public nominations for a two-month period, with finalists selected by peer vote. The final list featured 79 attorneys in 17 separate practice categories. The honorees were recognized at a June 2 reception at the City Winery. The complete list of winners can be found on online at http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville.

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP is an aviation, general business and entertainment law firm representing aircraft owners, operators and servicers, financial institutions, recording artists, real estate owners and developers, automobile dealerships, record labels, and other businesses in legal matters across the country.

DLA Piper announced that Joe Kernen has been named managing partner of the firm’s Philadelphia’s office and Nancy Rappaport chair of the office Litigation practice. Kernen succeeds Carl Buchholz, and Rappaport succeeds Kernen in the litigation role.

Buchholz, who passed away on May 23, 2016, served as office managing partner since 2014. He led the office through significant expansion and substantially raised its profile locally and regionally, while championing its deep commitment to pro bono service focused particularly on veterans, seniors and education. The Philadelphia office is currently comprised of more than 100 employees, including approximately 55 lawyers.

In a release, the firm said:

Kernen, who joined DLA Piper legacy firm Piper and Marbury as an associate months after it opened its Philadelphia office in 1992, maintains a diverse litigation practice with an emphasis on commercial disputes and class action matters for international, national and local clients. He also regularly counsels and defends companies in employment matters. In his previous role as office litigation practice group leader and hiring partner, he was integrally involved in the office’s recent expansion.

Rappaport focuses her practice on product liability and mass tort litigation, including the defense of multinational manufacturers in catastrophic injury cases arising from the use of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment, agricultural and construction equipment, and exposure to asbestos and chemicals. She also acts as national counsel for various manufacturers, litigates cases in state and federal courts nationwide, and counsels clients in preparing manuals and warranties for new products.