S. Patrick McKey has joined Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.’s Chicago office as an officer in the Litigation practice group.

The firm said McKey focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, international business disputes, product liability, environmental and intellectual property litigation, as well as corporate counseling and public law. He has experience with clients in the retail, fashion and apparel industries and obtained multimillion-dollar judgments for leading fashion and apparel brands against individuals and entities selling counterfeit merchandise online.

The firm said McKey has represented clients in courts throughout the United States, as well as domestic and foreign clients before entities including the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and the American Arbitration Association. He has worked as lead counsel in the defense of U.S. class actions and multidistrict litigation, as well as the defense of claims for clients in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy, Ireland, Libya, Korea, Japan, Poland, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

McKey has conducted internal investigations on behalf of clients in the United States and abroad and has counseled on the risks associated with potential litigation or regulatory action, including strategies for minimizing such risks.

McKey’s interests include working with the many businesses that have U.S.-Ireland connections, and he has been involved with Chicago’s Irish community for many years, including Irish business and social organizations. He studied comparative law at University College Cork (Ireland) Faculty of Law.

Prior to joining Greensfelder, McKey was a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. He received both his J.D. and Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin.

Attorneys Allen Griffin and John Kappel have joined boutique family law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP in the Dallas office.

Allen Griffin

Griffin joins the firm as an associate with a practice covering a range of family law litigation matters. He is a former Dallas assistant city attorney, and before that, practiced family law at his own firm as well as with several Dallas law firms. Griffin is a graduate of Baylor Law School and Baylor University.

John Kappel

Also joining the firm as an associate, Kappel focuses on divorce, child custody and property division matters, as well as probate and estate planning. A native of Dallas, he is a graduate of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, with an undergraduate degree from Baylor University. He is a member of the Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, and the Collin County Young Lawyers Association.

“Allen and John are experienced attorneys with backgrounds steeped in family law issues,” said firm partner Brad LaMorgese. “Their skill sets will certainly complement and add value to our team.”

Sidley Austin LLP announced that Eleanor Shanks will join the firm in London. She will be a member of Sidley’s global M&A and Private Equity practice. Shanks formerly worked at Proskauer Rose LLP.

In a release, the firm said Shanks’ practice includes private equity and corporate transactions, including cross-border acquisitions and disposals, real estate, infrastructure and life sciences transactions, and joint ventures. She also advises clients in shareholder arrangements and managed equity plans, co-investments, and corporate governance and general corporate matters. Her clients include private equity sponsors, investors and funds, financial institutions, corporates and management teams.

Bailey Brauer co-founders Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer are among the “agents of change” in the legal profession singled out by Texas Lawyer magazine to receive the publication’s inaugural Texas Trailblazers recognition.

Bailey and Brauer were chosen for their leadership in reshaping expectations for legal boutiques in Texas.

In a release, the firm said the pair, unsatisfied with the burdensome constraints of Big Law, walked away from their positions at an international law firm to open their own firm six years ago. From the start, their business model was unwavering.

“Our approach is very similar to that of a Big Law litigation or appellate practice, but without the inflexibility that results from overhead demands and far-reaching conflicts,” said Bailey. “We provide the same level of expertise and sophistication demanded of Big Law, but in a much nimbler fashion.”

The firm said former clients immediately took notice, bringing their work to Bailey Brauer. Since then, many more companies and individuals have engaged the six-attorney firm on new high-stakes litigation matters.

The legal community too has taken notice, with the firm receiving professional accolades that frequently take other firms more than twice as long to achieve. These individual and firm honors include recognition from Benchmark Litigation, Chambers USA, BTI Consulting Group, The Best Lawyers in America, the National Law Journal, Texas Super Lawyers and D Magazine.

“Honors are a tricky thing,” said Brauer. “Winning them is not something you spend a lot of time trying to accomplish. But when you earn recognition from your peers, that validates that your focus is in the right place. You don’t earn respect without achieving a certain amount of success on behalf of your clients.”

The 2019 Texas Trailblazers listing recognizes the efforts of 50 innovative attorneys throughout the state who have made significant contributions to the practice, policy and technological advancements of the legal profession.

Tadashi Okamoto has joined Reed Smith as a partner in the Global Corporate Group in the New York office. Formerly with Morrison & Foerster LLP, Okamoto has worked with clients on debt and equity securities offerings and other capital markets transactions, including representation of both issuers and underwriters.

A native of Japan, Okamoto is fluent in Japanese and has experience in both New York and Tokyo markets. He focuses his practice on securities and financings, assisting issuers, sponsors, agents, dealers and underwriters with various domestic and international transactions, including IPOs, equity, investment-grade and high-yield debt, convertible debt, securitized products, derivative and balance sheet restructuring transactions. In addition, Okamoto represents emerging companies and venture capital funds as well as investors on various matters such as fundraising and investment activities and helps clients with restructuring needs. He also assists clients in the FinTech sector with development of asset trading platforms and token offerings.

Prior to Morrison Foerster, Okamoto was an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 2010 to 2017, including a secondment to the firm’s Tokyo office. He earned a law degree from the University of Tokyo and his LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor.

Dykema announced the appointment of Michael Carey and Mark Malven to lead the firm’s Mobility and Advanced Transportation Team. Both members of Dykema’s Automotive Industry Group, each attorney has several years of automotive practice in different disciplines; Carey as a litigator and Malven as a transactional attorney.

Carey is a trial lawyer with experience in complex commercial litigation and products liability defense. He counsels mobility industry clients on proactive risk mitigation strategies relating to Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and other advanced automotive safety technologies. In addition, Carey has taken numerous automotive industry cases to successful verdict in state and federal courts across the country. He has also defended and prosecuted appeals before the Minnesota Appellate Courts and in the Eighth and Ninth Circuits.

Carey earned a J.D., cum laude, from the William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from St. John’s University. He is frequently called upon to publish and present on legal issues and advances in mobility.

Malven, who also leads Dykema’s Technology and Outsourcing Transaction practice, has more than 25 years of experience representing both customers and technology vendors in technology transactions. He has handled more than 2,000 technology transactions involving a wide array of matters, including outsourcing, licensing, cloud services, development, consulting, distribution, sponsored university research, manufacturing, value-added reseller, acquisition, and joint venture relationships.

The firm said Malven uses his technology transactions and automotive industry experience to serve leading providers of autonomous vehicle and advanced mobility technologies in some of their most mission-critical transactions. Malven’s experience also includes serving as a primary negotiator for some of the largest outsourcing transactions of their kind ever undertaken, which have involved billions of dollars in services.

Also a licensed patent attorney, Malven earned a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. Before attending law school, he was a crash safety engineer at Chrysler Motors. He is the lead author of the best-selling treatise Technology Transactions: A Practical Guide to Drafting and Negotiating Commercial Agreements published by Practising Law Institute.

Former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chief Trial Counsel Charles “Chuck” Loughlin has joined Hogan Lovells’ Washington D.C. office as a partner in its Antitrust, Competition, and Economic Regulation (ACER) group within the Global Regulatory Practice.

Loughlin served as chief trial counsel at the Federal Trade Commission since August 2016, and previously served as deputy chief trial counsel. In a release, the firm said Loughlin has worked on significant recent matters: He led the Impax Labs trial, co-led the Staples/Office Depot trial, and supervised both the Tronox/Cristal trial and the 1-800 Contacts trial.

Before entering public service, Loughlin was a partner in the antitrust groups at law firms Baker Botts and Howrey where he focused on private antitrust litigation, particularly defending against class action cases. Additionally, he served as lead antitrust counsel for the country’s largest options exchange in a number of alleged price-fixing and market allocation cases.

Loughlin graduated, summa cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire and received his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.

Daniel J. Fortune has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Birmingham office as a partner in the Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group and as part of the firm’s Cybersecurity and Privacy team.

The firm said Fortune represents clients in matters involving cybersecurity, white collar defense, government enforcement actions and regulatory compliance. He has litigated more than 75 jury trials in federal and state courts involving complex matters and computer forensics.

Prior to joining Bradley, Fortune served as the lead cybersecurity attorney at a litigation boutique, and as a state prosecutor and federal prosecutor litigating matters involving computer forensics, white collar crime, and government investigations. As the deputy chief assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division, he supervised major cybercrime, white collar fraud, public corruption, asset forfeiture and national security matters. He also served as the computer hacking and intellectual property coordinator with top secret security clearance, working on matters involving cleared defense contractors. In addition, he supervised national and international investigations related to internet crime, child exploitation, and immigration.

During his time at the Department of Justice, Fortune was recognized by the FBI director for successes working with the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force on major crime control efforts and for contributions to complex and sensitive operations.

Fortune also serves as an adjunct professor at the Birmingham School of Law and Miles School of Law.

Fortune received his J.D. from William & Mary Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Above the Law takes a look at the law schools whose recent graduates did the worst on the 2018 exam — 21 law schools where less than 50 percent of first-time takers were able to pass the test.

“For the past few years, bar exam pass rates across the country have plummeted, but there’s hope on the horizon with the news that the average national score on the July 2019 administration of the Multistate Bar Exam climbed to a 141.1, fresh off a 34-year low set in 2018,” writes Above the Law senior editor Staci Zaretsky.

Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California, has the dubious distinction of leading the bottom-up list, with the lowest first-try pass rate: 21.84 percent.

Read the Above the Law article.

Trial lawyer Laura Benitez Geisler of Dallas-based Sommerman, McCaffity, Quesada & Geisler has been designated a Texas Trailblazer by Texas Lawyer magazine for her significant impact on the legal profession.

A personal injury lawyer and the first Hispanic president of the Dallas Bar Association, Geisler made the 2019 list of the Texas attorneys deemed “agents of change” based on her commitment to ensuring legal representation for low-income citizens, the firm said in a release.

As DBA president, Geisler initiated the Entrepreneurs in Community Lawyering Program, an intensive year-long program that gives beginning solo practitioners the tools to succeed as business owners and lawyers, serving a low-income and modest means clientele. In exchange, participants commit at least 200 hours of pro bono service to lower-income residents during the program. Geisler also raised over $1 million for the DBA’s Dallas Volunteer Program while serving as 2014-15 co-chair of the Equal Access to Justice Campaign.

Geisler has held several leadership positions in the legal community, including serving on the Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors since 2006, and as a past president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association.

For more than 21 years, Geisler has represented clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases, with a trial history that includes multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements. She has earned a place on the Texas Super Lawyers list for her personal injury work and she is recognized in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Ms. Geisler was also named to the 2019 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

The 2019 Texas Trailblazers list is featured in the October/November issue of Texas Lawyer.

Kathryn J. Carlisle-Kesling has joined Holland & Hart’s Real Estate Development group as of counsel in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In a release, the firm said Carlisle-Kesling has experience guiding clients in project development – from planning to due diligence and title to acquisition and through lease out, management, and operation. She has led transactions involving a wide range of development projects and draws on experience with dispute resolution, bringing persuasive communication and negotiation skills to help clients navigate issues that may arise in transactions.

Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Carlisle-Kesling was a partner shareholder with Buckley King in Ohio. She served as a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Real Property Section Council, from 2015-2019 and was one of the first lawyers in Ohio to become a Certified Specialist in Residential Real Property Law. Kate also Chaired the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Real Property Section, and Co-Authored the Revised Ohio Title Examination Standards.

Kate frequently writes and presents on real property matters. She received her J.D. from the University of Toledo and earned her B.A. from the University of Cincinnati. She is admitted to practice in Utah and Ohio.

Barnes & Thornburg announced that it has joined forces with sports industry veterans E.T. “Skip” Prince and Steve Pederson to launch a new University and Professional Athletics practice.

In a release, the firm said intercollegiate athletics will be a point of focus for the new group. Prince and Pederson will collaborate with the firm’s Higher Education and Entertainment, Media and Sports practice groups while assisting colleges and universities of all sizes in the monitoring, maintenance and protection of their athletic programs and educational missions.

The firm said Prince and Pederson have managed teams, leagues and major athletic programs across North America. Additionally, they have negotiated media, licensing, sponsorship, advertising and development agreements nationally and internationally across virtually all levels of sport.

Operating out of Barnes & Thornburg’s Washington, D.C., office, the duo will work with the office’s managing partner, Roscoe Howard, a former U.S. attorney and former member of the NCAA Committee on Infractions; William (Billy) Martin, sports attorney and compliance litigator; Christopher Bayh, in the firm’s Higher Education Practice Group and former Big Ten linebacker; Meena Sinfelt, complex litigation and compliance attorney; and David Frazee, litigator who handled athletics compliance while working at a Big 12 institution.

Atheria Law launched as a new firm of 35 attorneys with experience in insurance and reinsurance law, including in the areas of professional liability and technology, privacy and cyber.

In a release, the firm said Atheria Law was formed by attorneys and staff from global law firm Clyde & Co. The new firm is led by eight partners, half of whom are women, among its staff of professionals, which includes attorneys practicing in San Francisco, where the firm is headquartered, Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York. The founding partners are Bill Casey, Joan D’Ambrosio, Eric Moon, Christina Terplan, Julie Hawkinson, David Jordan, Christina Marshall and Jamison Narbaitz. Terplan will serve as Atheria Law’s president.

Following are Atheria Law’s founding partners:

Bill Casey – Casey concentrates on professional liability insurance coverage and litigation. He received his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University.

Joan D’Ambrosio – D’Ambrosio represents insurers with respect to technology, media, intellectual property and privacy claims, including involving data security and privacy breaches. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from the University of California San Diego.

Julie Choi Hawkinson – Hawkinson represents insurers in respect of technology, media, intellectual property, privacy and D&O claims. Hawkinson received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her Bachelor of Science (cum laude) from the University of Southern California.

David Jordan – Jordan concentrates on counseling professional liability insurers and their insureds in matters involving up to billions of U.S. dollars in claimed damages.He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science (summa cum laude) from the University of Alabama.

Christina (Tina) Marshall – Marshall advises insurers with respect to complex claims reported under policies issued to design professionals doing business globally.She received her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Santa Clara University.

Eric Moon – Moon represents insurers in connection with errors and omissions policies issued to professionals, including attorneys, architects, engineers, accountants, real estate agents, insurance brokers, business managers, and mortgage professionals.He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Georgetown University.

Jamison Narbaitz – Narbaitz represents London and U.S. insurers in claims involving cyber and privacy, technology errors and omissions, media liability, data breach, consumer class actions and IPHe received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Christina Terplan – Terplan focuses her practice on technology, IP and privacy law. She represents insurers on a broad range of issues and in claims brought against technology and media companies. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis.

Sara Chelette has joined Dallas-based civil litigation firm Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst as a partner.

Chelette has more than 14 years with a focus on cybersecurity and data privacy.

In a release, the firm said Chelette handles business disputes and commercial litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants in fiduciary duty, trade secret, breach of contract, construction defect, and zoning lawsuits. In addition, she has experience representing shareholders in derivative litigation and advises clients on cybersecurity and data privacy issues, including compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. She has assisted clients with nationwide data breaches.

Chelette has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Texas Rising Star” from 2013-2018 and as a “Texas Super Lawyer” in 2019. She is involved in the Dallas Bar Association’s inaugural class of WE LEAD, which is a program empowering female leaders in the legal profession. She also spends time as a volunteer attorney for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) and the Human Rights Initiative of Texas.

Thomas E. Tether has joined Morrison & Foerster in New York in its Global Real Estate Group.

He previously was with Lendlease Group, an international property development, construction, and infrastructure company. Tether served in various leadership roles during his more than 16 years with Lendlease, most recently as general counsel for Lendlease Americas.

At Morrison & Foerster, Tether will work on real property acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and partnerships, and the financing and development of all real estate asset classes.

During his last nine years as GC for the Americas region at Lendlease, Tether was a member of the regional executive leadership team and oversaw all legal services throughout the Americas, including in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. He led a team of 18 in-house lawyers that provided legal services relating to the company’s real estate operations, including oversight of region-wide compliance and litigation. He negotiated and closed corporate real estate transactions, and secured project financing through various governmental and private-sector debt and equity sources. Tether also served on the company’s regional investment and risk and compliance committees.

Deans & Lyons LLP co-founder Michael Lyons has been selected among the Top 100 Dallas-Fort Worth attorneys in the 2019 edition of the Texas Super Lawyers legal guide.

The Top 100 list recognizes the DFW region’s leading attorneys regardless of practice focus. He earned additional recognition among the state’s leading trial lawyers for his work handling catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases, and complex business disputes.

Super Lawyers is the most recent accolade for Lyons, who earlier this year was selected to The Best Lawyers in America and D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas lists. A member of both the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums, he also is a Lifetime Achievement member of America’s Top 100 Attorneys for Texas.

Also earning 2019 Texas Super Lawyers honors were firm co-founder Greg Deans for his business litigation work and partner Katie Stepp for her general litigation practice.

“This firm’s focus is all about winning results for clients, and our attorneys demonstrate that through innovative and aggressive representation,” said Mr. Lyons. “Honors such as Super Lawyers demonstrate a respect for that approach from our peers in the legal world.”

In 2019, all six of the firm’s eligible attorneys earned recognition from either Texas Super Lawyers or the companion Rising Stars listing of the state’s top young attorneys.

Partners Courtney Bowline and Chris Simmons were named to the Risings Stars list earlier this year for their work on personal injury and wrongful death cases and Stephen Higdon was selected for his general business litigation practice. Mr. Simmons earned additional recognition among Rising Stars’ Up-and-Coming 100.

Kevin F. O’Malley, of counsel in Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.’s St. Louis office, has been appointed ambassador in residence and professor of practice affiliated with the Center for International and Comparative Law at Saint Louis University School of Law (SLU LAW).

A graduate of SLU LAW, O’Malley previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2014 to 2017 under the administration of President Barack Obama.

In his new role, O’Malley will counsel students and serve as a resource for the Center for International and Comparative Law, which builds networks and alliances locally and internationally and provides high-quality legal talent that is conversant and comfortable with other cultures and legal environments.

O’Malley also practiced at Greensfelder prior to his ambassadorship, previously leading the firm’s medical negligence and white-collar crime practice areas. A former federal prosecutor, O’Malley has tried numerous cases to conclusion in federal and state courts. As U.S. ambassador to Ireland, he partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and other entities to promote the work of the 700 American businesses based in Ireland and flourishing there and throughout the European Union.

Jessica N. Adkins and Ron I. Erlichman have joined Sidley Austin LLP as partners to its global Energy and Infrastructure practice.

Adkins will be based in Sidley’s Houston office and Erlichman will be based in the New York office. They join from Bracewell LLP, where Adkins was chair of the Power Projects practice and Erlichman served as co-chair of the Project Finance practice.

In a release, the firm said Adkins represents power, renewable and other energy industry stakeholders to develop, finance and invest in energy projects and businesses. In addition to her project finance and M&A practice, she advises financial institutions, private equity funds, sponsors, and trading and marketing companies on hedges and other complex commodity transactions.

The firm said Erlichman advises and represents clients in developing and financing energy and infrastructure projects, including renewable energy, thermal power generation facilities, chemical and petrochemical facilities, midstream assets, transmission facilities and terminals. He devotes a portion of his practice to non-energy infrastructure projects, such as hospitality, transportation, and sports and entertainment venues. Erlichman also provides counsel on tax equity investment matters in renewable energy projects. His clients include lenders, sponsors, developers, private investment funds, utilities, contractors and governmental authorities.

Adkins’ and Erlichman’s arrival follows that of partners Tara Higgins and Noreen Phelan, who joined the renewable energy practice in New York and Washington, D.C. in March.

Jeffrey N. Ostrager has joined Venable LLP as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in New York.

In a release, the firm said Ostrager focuses on corporate, securities, and transactional matters.

Ostrager represents public and private companies in a range of transactions, including equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, and debt restructurings. He has experience providing counsel to public companies on corporate governance, securities law disclosure and compliance, and executive compensation matters. In addition, he represents private equity and investment funds in growth equity and venture capital investments.

Ostrager received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. in History from Stony Brook University.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced that Judea S. Davis and Kya M. Henley have joined the firm as associates.

Davis is a member of the Litigation Practice Group in the firm’s Nashville, Tenn., office. Based in Bradley’s Washington, D.C., office, Henley is a member of the Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group.

Prior to joining Bradley, Davis clerked for Judge Michelle Childs of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and Judge Garrison Hill of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. In addition, she served as a law fellow and law clerk for the Equal Justice Initiative, researching constitutional and criminal law issues and representing clients before the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Davis received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Arts from Duke University Graduate School and a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Clemson University.

Henley represents companies and individuals in a range of government and internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, white collar criminal defense matters, compliance issues, civil litigation, and enforcement actions.

Prior to joining Bradley, Henley was an associate at McGuireWoods in Baltimore. Previously, she also served as a public defender representing indigent clients in Maryland state courts.

Henley received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland. During law school, she served as vice chair of the Black Law Students Association, as a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice and Human Trafficking Clinics, and as a graduate student instructor in the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts. She also was a summer law clerk in the trial division at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.