Foley & Lardner LLP announced that Paul Joseph has joined the firm’s Government Solutions Practice Group as of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office. Joseph joins from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he served as associate chief counsel for enforcement in the Office of the Chief Counsel.

During his time at the FDA, Joseph worked with the Office of Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government agencies to investigate and prosecute violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. He also was involved in numerous healthcare fraud matters and False Claims Act investigations involving FDA regulated drugs, medical devices, food, dietary supplements, and biologics.

Prior to joining the FDA, Joseph was a trial attorney for the DOJ for almost 20 years. He worked on civil and criminal investigations, international legal compliance issues, and held positions within several sections of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Asset Forfeiture Money Laundering Section, the Office of International Affairs and the Office of Enforcement Operations, in addition to the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Joseph received his B.A. from Boston College, and his J.D. from Boston College Law School, where he was awarded the Campbell Scholarship for Public Service. He is also a recipient of the Attorney General’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement in Litigation and an FDA Honors Award for demonstrated collaboration in connection with the successful seizure and destruction of thousands of misbranded drug products sent to consumers in the U.S.

The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP announced that Dallas attorney and State Senator Nathan M. Johnson has joined the firm as counsel in the Trial Practice Group in Dallas. Johnson is a commercial and bankruptcy litigator and currently represents District 16 in the Texas State Senate.

“Nathan is known as someone who tenaciously advocates for his business clients, large and small, and who gets effective results because of his understanding of complex commercial legal issues,” said Greg Curry, Trial Practice Leader at the Firm. “Someone of his caliber and commitment to community service is a great addition to our team.”

The firm said Johnson has represented clients from a variety of industries such as energy, mortgage servicing, finance, commercial real estate, technology, manufacturing, and agriculture. His recent litigation caseload has included officer and director liability claims, fiduciary disputes involving corporate assets and liabilities, and fraudulent transfer complaints. He has also handled a broad range of other contract and business tort claims.

Johnson was elected to the Texas Senate in the 2018 general election and is the first Democrat to represent the district in more than three decades. The district covers all or significant portions of north Dallas, the Park Cities, Irving, Carrollton, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Addison, Garland, Mesquite and Rowlett.

Johnson earned his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law in 1993. He graduated magna cum laude in physics from The University of Arizona in 1990. Before joining Thompson & Knight, he was co-founder of the boutique law firm Spector Johnson PLLC in Dallas.

Duane Morris LLP trial partner Dominica C. Anderson has been elected president and board chair of Professional BusinessWomen of California.

Anderson is managing partner of Duane Morris’ Las Vegas office and practices in both the firm’s Las Vegas and San Francisco offices. She is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and the governing Partners Board, and serves as vice chair of the Duane Morris Women’s Impact Network for Success Steering Committee.

In a release, the firm said Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in high-stakes commercial litigation, including representing insurance companies in complex insurance coverage cases, CGL and D&O throughout the United States, and works with numerous clients to resolve issues abroad. She represents businesses in complex contract disputes; unfair competition; business interference; false advertising; securities; antitrust; defamation; e-commerce and intellectual property issues; domain name disputes; and trademark, trade secrets and copyright issues. Anderson also serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Fashion, Retail and Consumer Branded Products Industry Group. She advises and represents iconic and budding fashion designers and related companies and retail entities.

Anderson is a 1986 cum laude graduate of the University of San Francisco Law School and a graduate, with high honors, of the University of California at Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Connie Lewis Lensing has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Nashville office as counsel in the Litigation Practice Group.

After almost 30 years of service, Lensing recently departed FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company, as its senior vice president responsible for all U.S. litigation as well as leading the Environmental, Risk Management and Compliance groups within the legal department.

In a release, the firm said Lensing has experience handling litigation defense and prevention, as well as domestic employment matters. At FedEx Express, she built and led a team of more than 200 professionals. She pioneered the “in-housing” of litigation and trial responsibility for corporate legal departments and is a nationally recognized corporate legal innovator. Her FedEx Express responsibilities included all U.S. and U.S. Virgin Islands litigation, including employment, commercial, benefits, class actions, wage and hour, antitrust, government actions, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges. Ms. Lensing was responsible for FedEx offices in Memphis, Tenn., and Orange County, Calif.

Lensing currently serves as vice chair of the Board of Directors and as chair of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, which is the Chamber’s primary policy advocacy body. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and as secretary treasurer of Lawyers for Civil Justice. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Civil Rights Museum. Along with numerous other Bradley attorneys, Lensing is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. For the IADC, she also previously served on the Board of Directors as corporate vice president, and as Dean of the IADC’s Corporate Counsel College.

A Fellow of the both the Memphis and Tennessee bar foundations and a former board member of the Memphis Bar Foundation, Lensing is a past member of the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission and a past president of the Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court. She is a past board member for the Campbell Clinic Foundation, which is devoted to community healthcare, research, and education. Additionally, she has served on the FedEx Officers’ Diversity Board and as a vice president and board member of the International Association of Women in Aviation.

Ms. Lensing is a recipient of the University of Memphis Alumni Association’s 2019 Pillars of Excellence Award. Her other past awards include the University of Arkansas 2016 Citation of Distinguished Alumni, the Women’s Law Student Association’s 2016 Gayle Pettus Pontz Award for Outstanding Woman in Law, and the Minority Counsel Association’s Employer of Choice Award. In addition, she is a five-time recipient of FedEx’s most prestigious award, the Five Star, including the CEO award, and was named to the Memphis Business Journal’s 2013 Memphis Super Women in Business.

Lensing received her J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas.

Matthew Tuchband has joined Arent Fox LLP in the firm’s International Trade practice.

Tuchband, who has spent more than 20 years at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of the Chief Counsel (Foreign Assets Control) in the Office of the General Counsel, joins the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and will advise clients on all aspects of international trade with a focus on sanctions.

In his most recent role as deputy chief counsel for Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department — which he held from 2005 to 2019 (including over one year as acting chief counsel from April 2012 to August 2013) — Tuchband was responsible for overseeing a team of attorneys providing legal counsel and review of all economic sanctions actions of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). During his tenure at Treasury, Tuchband was involved in many important sanctions developments, including the formation and evolution of the “50 percent” rule and the increasing use of “secondary sanctions,” the firm said in a release.

Tuchband has experience in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), having been involved in the drafting of more than 65 Executive orders, including recent Executive orders on Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea.

During his time at Treasury, Tuchband conducted reviews of all OFAC-issued regulations, including all those published from 2005 to the present. He provided review and final legal sign-off on OFAC compliance, enforcement, licensing, designation, and delisting actions and worked closely with the Department of Justice on various cases brought against OFAC. Tuchband received the Secretary’s Honor Award, the Legal Division’s Excellence in Management Award, and several Meritorious Service Awards, among others.

Before joining federal government, Tuchband was an associate at Crowell & Morning LLP where he focused on export and transaction controls, customs, antidumping, and general litigation, including litigation strategy, pleadings, and depositions. He earned his JD, cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center and his BA, cum laude, from Brandeis University.

Dominique L. Casimir has joined Blank Rome LLP as a partner in the Government Contracts group in the Washington, D.C., office.

The firm said Casimir’s practice focuses on government contracts law with an emphasis on litigation, regulatory counseling, and responding to government enforcement actions. She joins Blank Rome from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP where she was a partner in the firm’s government contracts practice.

Casimir practice focuses on suspension and debarment matters, successfully representing clients—including large and small government contractors and subcontractors—before suspension and debarment officials of numerous federal agencies. She serves as co-chair of the Debarment and Suspension Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contracts Law, and she is often invited to speak at high-profile events—most recently at the ABA’s Annual Meeting alongside the Army’s Suspension Debarment Official and at a symposium in London alongside the Environmental Protection Agency’s Suspension Debarment Official.

The firm said she also provides litigation support and regulatory advice to her government contractor clients whose businesses span a variety of industries, such as defense, healthcare, information technology, and professional services. She often conducts internal investigations on behalf of her clients (including those undertaken in response to actual or potential False Claims Act matters), makes mandatory disclosures, and counsels contractors with respect to compliance with government audits.

A native Spanish speaker and daughter of immigrants, Casimir will continue her pro bono work at Blank Rome with a focus on aiding immigrants and those seeking asylum in the United States. The firm said she is also dedicated to networking and bringing greater racial diversity to the practice of government contracts law. She recently launched a group of diverse government contracts attorneys (from the government, in-house, and law firms) that convene quarterly to help with business development, building goodwill among government attorneys, and raising awareness of potential diverse recruits.

She earned her B.A. in Government from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Barnes & Thornburg has added Zachary Johnson in the Atlanta office as director of state government affairs-Georgia. As a member of the firm’s Government Services and Finance Department, he will work closely with the growing Atlanta-based government affairs team, including Stephen Weizenecker and W. Murphy Talmadge.

In a release, the firm said Johnson, a Georgia Certified Purchasing Associate, will work with clients on government relations and public affairs issues, with an emphasis on procurement and sourcing. He will focus on helping higher education institutions and state, county and municipal governments create and implement sourcing strategies. He will also work with the firm’s local government services team to provide political action committee (PAC) management strategies and legislative consulting.

Previously, Johnson served as director of government relations for the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, where he led outreach efforts to local higher education systems, local governments, enterprise agencies and the Georgia General Assembly. He was most recently vice president of government relations at McGuireWoods Consulting.

Johnson earned his B.S. in political science and government from Georgia College and State University.

Christopher Skey has rejoined Quarles & Brady LLP’s Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group as a partner in its Chicago office.

The firm said that Skey, who worked at Quarles & Brady from 2012 to 2016, has more than 20 years of experience in energy regulatory matters, as well as project development, compliance, and a range of commercial and administrative litigation, transactional, and government relations matters. Skey’s energy practice involves the representation of public utilities and energy cooperatives; energy suppliers (electric and natural gas); renewable energy developers and asset owners; municipalities; and large commercial, industrial, and governmental energy users, among others. He was recently recognized by Chambers USA as a leading practitioner in energy regulatory law in Illinois.

Skey served as a judicial law clerk to U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division), from 2000 to 2003.

Skey is affiliated with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, where he currently chairs the Advisory Board. His civic involvement includes service on the Board of Directors for Books & Breakfast in Evanston, IL. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

A Pennsylvania data backup site that has been revealed to store copies of emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to lack some standard security measures that could protect potentially sensitive communications from Clinton’s time in the U.S. State Department, according to a report in the Daily Mail Online.

The site said the facility is owned by Datto Inc. and was part of the network that stored classified messages from the private email server the Democratic presidential candidate used.

The report described doors without visible security, a lack of security patrols, open dumpsters, and no security fence.

Read the report.

Legal technology company Legal Hero has announced the launch of a new general counsel service to provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with access to regular guidance and legal advice.

Through its online portal, Legal Hero GC connects companies with an experienced, vetted attorney to act as an on-demand adviser and partner, giving businesses all the benefits of having an in-house lawyer without the excessive fees commonly associated with hiring an internal or external general counsel, the company said in a release.

“Most small business and entrepreneurs today don’t have the benefit of having in-house lawyers or external law firms on retainer like their larger competitors, but still need expert legal advice they can afford and trust,” the release said. “Legal Hero GC addresses this gap in the marketplace by matching companies with a vetted lawyer and guaranteed pricing to help guide their growing businesses through anything from employment law issues, corporate legal questions, contract and other document review, and whatever other legal support a company may need.”

“As an entrepreneur, I have a lot on my plate. With my Legal Hero GC, legal matters are no longer stressful and a lot of my time is freed up to focus on what matters most – growing my business,” said Daniel Heller, CEO of The Welcoming Committee. “Whether it’s providing advice on employment issues or helping me decipher a contract, I can always rely on my lawyer’s advice and their ability to make the project as seamless and efficient as possible.”

“As we worked with clients to connect them with the right lawyer for their legal projects, we realized there was a real need in the small business community for a general counsel platform that could help in a more on-demand capacity,” said Annie Webber, co-founder & CEO, Legal Hero. “Adding the Legal Hero GC service was a perfect fit for us as we’re constantly looking to find new ways to help small businesses and entrepreneurs get the legal support they need without the excessive costs and contracts associated with traditional law firms.”

The release continues:

Legal Hero GC is offered in three packages from early-stage entrepreneurs who need advice to keep their growth on track, to growing companies in need of regular guidance. By leveraging the online matching technology and the power of the Legal Hero attorney network, Legal Hero GC helps companies find the right attorney for their business needs.

Launched in November 2014, Legal Hero is a legal technology company that matches experienced lawyers to small businesses at significant price savings over traditional law firms.  Unlike other attorney matching services or providers of blank legal forms, Legal Hero brings quality and pricing certainty found through its vetted network of lawyers and transparent pricing of projects.

About Legal Hero

Legal Hero covers businesses’ most common legal needs. Specific projects offered include those involving business formation, employment law, intellectual property, real estate, and immigration. Legal Hero is available nationwide for intellectual property and immigration projects, and is currently available in New York, Massachusetts and Florida for all other projects, with plans to expand into additional states.

The National Association for Business Resources has named Everlaw one of the Bay Area’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. The award recognizes companies that excel at employee relations, use innovation to motivate employees, implement creative compensation programs, and more. The ediscovery company was recognized for its employee engagement and company culture.

The “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” is a national program with annual award galas in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Houston, Milwaukee, San Diego and San Francisco. The legal technology company won the honor after an independent research firm’s evaluation of its compensation, Read more.

Unified Patents, Inc. has announced the launch of two new programs tailored to startups: Secured by Unified and Protect: Membership with Insurance. Together, these products are intended to reduce emerging technology companies’ risk of being targeted by costly patent litigation, such as from Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) or “patent trolls.”

The first-of-its-kind Secured by Unified logo program lets any Unified member include a logo on its homepage indicating it is a Unified Patents member, and is thereby protected by Unified’s patent assertion deterrence services. And with Protect: Membership with Insurance, Unified now offers a new membership tier for companies earning annual revenues less than $20 million that provides many of the benefits of Unified’s full membership at a fraction of the cost — and, most importantly, includes the world’s least expensive patent litigation insurance, the company said in a release.

“Secured by Unified provides a smart solution for startups that have been lacking an efficient, effective and affordable way to deter against frivolous litigation from patent trolls,” said Application Developers Alliance Acting President Jake Ward. “We hope this new program sends a loud and clear warning to NPEs that asserting dubious patents in Unified’s protected zones comes with enormous potential downside, and that they should think twice before bringing a lawsuit.”

Read the release.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Chicago partner Jodi Patt Pellettiere has been honored among the “40 Illinois Attorneys under 40 to Watch” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company, Chicago Lawyer, and The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

Law Bulletin Publishing Company conducts an annual survey to determine who Illinois attorneys believe are the “up and comers” of law in the state of Illinois. Attorneys cannot recommend themselves or attorneys from their own law firm or organization. “This is a great honor, and it is especially meaningful for the recognition to have come from my clients,” said Pellettiere.

Pellettiere is a partner in the firm’s Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice Group, where she dedicates her practice to advising both non-profits and for-profits on the corporate and tax issues impacting tax-exempt organizations. She advises public charities (including, for example, universities and hospitals) and private foundations, among others, on complex matters such as grantmaking (foreign and domestic), investments (including program-related investments), and private benefit, private inurement, and self-dealing issues, and she regularly represents clients applying for or maintaining tax-exempt status.

She received her law degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.

About Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Law Bulletin Publishing Company, founded in 1854, serves the Midwest’s legal, real estate, and financial communities. The company’s products and services keep users up-to-date with the latest news and developments, enhance efficiency, and help to increase business.

About Quarles & Brady LLP
Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, labor and employment, real estate, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C.

Global Jet Capital, a provider of financing solutions for large-cabin, long-range private jets, has agreed to purchase the aircraft lease and loan portfolio of GE Capital Corporate Aircraft in the Americas representing approximately $2.5 billion of net assets.

Latham & Watkins LLP advised Global Jet Capital on the transaction with a corporate team led by Washington, D.C. partners Daniel Lennon and Nicholas Luongo with associates J. Cory Tull, Rohith Parasuraman, Mariclaire Petty and Mitchell London.  Advice was also provided by New York partner David Raab with associate Matthew Dewitz on tax; New York partner Steve Betensky with associate Tiana Hertel on transition services; Washington, D.C. partner David Della Rocca with associate Matthew Conway on employee benefits; Washington, D.C. partner Jeffrey Chenard and New York partners Graeme Smyth,  Kevin Fingeret and  Larry Safran on finance; Washington, D.C. partner Marc Williamson and Brussels partner Hector Armengod with Washington, D.C. counsel Sydney Smith on antitrust; and New York partner Alan Avery with associate Pia Naib on banking.

Shawn Vick, Executive Director of Global Jet Capital, said, “We are investing heavily in growing the business both organically and through strategic acquisitions such as this one with GE. This is a prime example of our industry expertise and investment capital coming together to evaluate and identify an opportunity to expand the business in a disciplined, carefully measured way.”

He added, “This is a remarkable portfolio of corporate aviation assets, and this investment underlines our confidence in the long-term growth prospects of the large cabin, long range private jet market. The price point of these aircraft range between $25 and $75 million on average, and corporate users and high net worth individuals will seek competitive financing solutions rather than allocate their own cash resources which are better invested in their own businesses.”

The release from Global Jet Capital continues:

In building the Corporate Aircraft portfolio, GE Capital has adhered to the most comprehensive underwriting and asset evaluation practices as well as industry-leading documentation and collateral securing processes.

“We are pleased to sell our Corporate Aircraft financing portfolio to Global Jet Capital, a buyer that is fully committed to investing and growing the business,” said Keith Sherin, GE Capital Chairman and CEO. “We know our customers will benefit from the combined strength and expertise of the Global Jet Capital team and will continue to receive the high level of service they have come to expect from us,” he added.

Global Jet Capital, which was launched last year, is capitalized by three global investment firms – GSO Capital Partners, a Blackstone company in partnership with Franklin Square Capital Partners; The Carlyle Group; and AE Industrial Partners.

The company’s current management team and executive committee is composed of leaders from business jet manufacturers, maintenance and service providers and leading financial institutions who have served the private aircraft industry for a combined 200-plus years and have completed over 3,500 aircraft transactions. As part of this transaction, the GE Capital Corporate Aircraft team will join the Global Jet Capital organization.

Global Jet Capital was advised by Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., BofA Merrill Lynch and Citi together with Latham & Watkins LLP, Clifford Chance US LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal advisors. Closing is contingent upon the completion of customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in stages over the next several months.

Johnson & Johnson scored a defense win in a lawsuit over its Prosima pelvic mesh implant Oct. 5, after a Texas state jury ruled that the device was not defectively designed and that J&J subsidiary Ethicon’s risk warnings were adequate, reports Courtroom View Network.

“The jury reached a 10-2 verdict after beginning deliberations on Friday following a two-week trial during which attorneys for plaintiff Carol Cavness argued that J&J’s Ethicon unit knew the Prosima mesh was too stiff and could cause vaginal tissue to degrade, but failed to adequately warn patients and doctors of the risks,” the site reports. “Cavness, who is 60, had the Prosima mesh implanted in 2012 to treat a condition called pelvic organ prolapse, and claimed since then she’s suffered pain, infections and undergone multiple surgeries in an effort to remove the mesh.”

Read the story.

New Hampshire’s Supreme Court upheld a record $236 million judgment Oct. 2 against Exxon Mobil for its use of a gasoline additive that contaminated groundwater in the state, the Associated Press reports.

The original verdict came after a four-month trial in April 2013 when a jury found Exxon Mobil liable for contamination by the chemical MTBE.

A company spokesman said an appeal is under consideration.

“MTBE contamination has been found in New Hampshire because someone spilled gasoline in New Hampshire, not because it was added to gasoline in a refinery in another state,” spokesman Todd Spitler said. “The state should have sued the parties responsible for spilling gasoline, not the refiners who were compelled by law to add oxygenates to gasoline.”

Read the story.

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel prescription products for the medical aesthetics market. Allergan acquired Kythera in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.1 billion.

The acquisition of Kythera adds KYBELLA^® (deoxycholic acid) injection, the first FDA approved non-surgical injection for improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe submental fullness, commonly referred to as double-chin, in adults. In a release, the company said KYBELLA is administered by a trained physician who injects the product under a patient’s chin to destroy fat cells, improving the appearance of the patient’s chin area. Up to six treatments may be administered per patient no less than one month apart, and each in-office treatment session lasts approximately 20 minutes.

“The completion of the Kythera acquisition is an important moment for Allergan and our world-class aesthetics business, adding highly differentiated products and development programs that enhance our product offering to global customers and their patients,” said Brent Saunders, CEO and President of Allergan.  “KYBELLA is a game-changing product in facial aesthetics, and builds on our leadership in the facial aesthetics market. We now can provide a broader range of market-leading aesthetics products to our customers, with KYBELLA joining BOTOX^® Cosmetic, JUVEDERM^® XC, JUVEDERM VOLUMA® XC and LATISSE^®. KYBELLA, a product I have been treated with myself, is also a key entry point for expanding the use of our aesthetics products in men, a growing market opportunity in both the U.S. and around the world.”

Latham & Watkins LLP represented Kythera in the transaction with a corporate deal team led from the firm’s Silicon Valley office by partners Alan Mendelson, Mark Roeder and Josh Dubofsky, with associates John Harrison, Deeptha Mathavan, Benjamin Liss, Owais Mahesri and Albert Yeh. Advice was also provided on public company representation by Silicon Valley partner Brian Cuneo, with associates Saied Pinto and Alexander White; on antitrust matters by San Francisco partner Karen Silverman and Washington, D.C. counsel Sydney Smith; on benefits and compensation matters by Silicon Valley partner James Metz and associate Ashley Wagner; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partners John Manthei and Jennifer Archie, with San Francisco counsel Betty Pang and Washington, D.C. associates Elizabeth Richards, Susan Ebersole and Michael Dreyfuss; on intellectual property matters by Silicon Valley partner Judith Hasko and counsel Geoffrey Kuziemko; on tax matters by San Francisco partner Kirt Switzer and Washington, D.C. partner Nicholas DeNovio, with Washington, D.C. associate Sean FitzGerald and Silicon Valley associate Jessica Chen; and on litigation matters by Silicon Valley partner Patrick Gibbs, with associate Allison Davidson.

Veritext, the world’s largest court reporting company, announced the release of LawStudio – an all-in-one workspace that allows litigation attorneys and support staff to build their case. Documents, exhibits, depositions, videos, images and more are all in one place and are simple to access by all members working on a case.

A Veritext release said that LawStudio is priced at $299 per month for a single license, includes unlimited file storage, allows access from anywhere at any time and requires no IT support to purchase and use.

“We designed LawStudio to be a complete and robust litigation support platform while remaining easily accessible to any legal professional, regardless of their technical abilities or financial situation,” says Nancy Josephs, CEO of Veritext. “By keeping the cost low and the technology simple, we believe we’ve created a truly unique, innovative and useful tool.”

The company’s release continues:

LawStudio’s simple searching, annotation and reporting capabilities, integration with existing software and services and video streaming help legal teams collaborate easily on a case. Robust features include:

• File and Case Management – Secure data hosting means information is in one place and accessible anywhere, anytime. Files can be added using the “drag and drop” feature, and searching is simple and fast.
• Software and Service Integration – Transcripts and exhibits are automatically loaded.
• Annotation Engine – Capture, categorize and catalog every piece of information, including text and images.
• Robust Reports – Summarize any annotations, have the citations you need to construct a motion or trial document and use the image capture to include the actual image from the document – not just text.
• Collaboration Platform – Advanced security and sharing controls allow users to set the team. Extensive audit trails show who did what and when.
• Secure Share – Securely share large files while adding encryptions and link expiration times.
• Video Streaming – Veritext deposition videos are instantly streamed to users’ accounts, and other videos can be uploaded at any time.
• Client Connect – Built-in HD web conferencing allows users to virtually meet with and show documents to clients.
• Swift Redact – Data is protected and permanently removed before sharing.
• MS Office Integration – Share secure links within an email and upload and send large files right from a message. MS Office documents, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, can be saved in their LawStudio case folder with one click.

LawStudio offers a free 45-day trial and can be accessed from the company’s website at www.lawstudio.com. Pricing for a single license starts at $299 per month and drops as low as $208 per user per month for firms with more than 21 users with an annual subscription.

The law firm of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC represented SmartStop Self Storage, a public non-traded self storage real estate investment trust (REIT), in its merger with Extra Space, a NYSE listed self storage REIT.

The $1.4 billion transaction includes a sale of approximately $100 million of assets to an affiliated entity.

The Baker Donelson team representing SmartStop included shareholders Richard F. Mattern, Sam Chafetz and Kristine L. Roberts, and associates Marc J. Adesso, Robert C. McCauley Williams and Andrew T. Yonchak, all from the firm’s Memphis office; shareholder Lori B. Metrock and associate Taylor K. Wirth of the firm’s Nashville office; shareholder Thomas J. Mahoney Jr. and of counsel Andrea Bailey Powers of the irm’s Birmingham office; and shareholder Clint Crosby of the firm’s Atlanta office.

DLA Piper announces that Courtney Saleski, a litigation partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office, was named to The Legal Intelligencer’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track.”

The publication selected 40 Pennsylvania lawyers under the age of 40 who have impacted the legal profession across the state. The honorees were recognized for their contributions to legal innovation, leadership and advocacy, and pro bono and civic work.

Saleski focuses her practice on appellate and complex motions litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations and complex civil litigation. She co-leads DLA Piper’s appellate practice of 30-plus lawyers, is a member of the firm’s North American Pro Bono Committee, and is the pro bono coordinator for the Philadelphia office. Through her pro bono work locally and nationally, Saleski lends her services to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s Criminal Justice Act Panel and Supervision to Aid Reentry, which assists formerly incarcerated individuals in their transition back into the community. Before joining DLA Piper, Saleski served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia. Earlier in her career, Saleski served as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Rehnquist.

About DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a global law firm located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, positioning it to help companies with their legal needs around the world. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.