Two recent cases confirm that incorporation of AAA Rules into an arbitration agreement evidences an intent to allow the arbitrator to determine what issues are arbitrable — including arbitration, reports The National Law Review.

“The question of whether parties to a dispute have agreed to arbitration is often termed a “gateway” issue to be decided by a court, unless the parties agree otherwise,” the story says. “Both the Commercial and Construction Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association expressly grant to the arbitrator “the power to rule on his or her jurisdiction.”

In one of the cases, Fremont Cmty. Digester, L.L.C. v. Demaria Bldg. Co., Inc., 2015 WL 3917635 (Mich. Ct. App. June 25, 2015), the court noted that the AAA Rules authorize the arbitrator to decide matters relating to jurisdiction. “The Court of Appeals affirmed, defining the central issues as whether the new claims were within the scope of the letter agreement, recognizing that contract interpretation is an issue for the arbitrator,” according to the Review story.

Read the article.

A new company, Morae Legal, has begun operating, offering law department management consulting, outsourced legal services, discovery consulting and services, and claims management services.

“Law departments no longer have the luxury of viewing themselves as firefighters immune to the use of strategy, process and technology,” said Shahzad Bashir, Morae’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Today, they face the same pressures and need similar solutions as the rest of the business.”

“Days when law departments could focus solely on legal advocacy and rely on the best legal outcome, no matter the cost, are long gone. Today, they must apply processes, data and metrics to make informed and better business and economic decisions,” he continued.

“Law departments looking to improve their business performance are looking for a full service integrated solution provider to turn to for advice, as their counterparts like the Chief Financial Officer or the Chief Information Officer have had. Today, Morae Legal is just that kind of provider for the Office of the General Counsel. And this is not theoretical. Morae Legal has been created from the ground up to be exactly that — a single integrated service provider to law departments.”

Visit Morae Legal’s website.

Lawyers with Gruber Hurst Elrod Johansen Hail Shank have recently scored big wins on the plaintiff side and the defendant side of the docket in civil litigation.

On the plaintiff’s side, the firm’s Trey Crawford was co-leader of the trial team that secured a $21.4 million civil damages award to a young woman who was sexually assaulted by the owner of a popular Addison restaurant. The bench ruling on behalf of the unidentified victim known as “Jane Doe” against the owner of Addison’s Pastazios restaurant received media coverage on multiple prints and broadcast outlets. To read the Dallas Morning News article, click here.

And on the defense side, the firm’s Orrin Harrison appeared in Law360 and in Texas Lawyer, which named him “Litigator of the Week,” commenting on the firm’s successful defense of Dillon Gage, a Dallas-based coin and gold wholesaler, against claims by the federal government that Dillon Gage fraudulently received more than $5 million from an Allen Stanford-affiliated company. Click here for the Texas Lawyer feature.

Ipro Tech, LLC, a provider of eDiscovery software, has announced the release of its new automated workflow platform, Automated Digital Discovery (ADD®), designed to unify and simplify the eDiscovery process.

ADD was showcased this week at ILTACON in Las Vegas.

In a release, Ipro Tech said the ADD platform’s patent-pending technology automates key data management and production steps; avoiding common time delays, errors, and budget overruns. “Once the workflow and settings are configured for a case, all you will need to do is ‘add’ more data,” the release said.

Read the article.

Opus 2 International, a provider of collaborative workspaces, will focus on the theme “21^st Century Transcript Management for the Modern Law Firm” at ILTACON 2015. The theme highlights dramatic changes in today’s legal marketplace as litigation becomes increasingly global and legal team members use mobile devices to collaborate across geographical and jurisdictional borders.

ILTACON will be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas from August 30 to September 3.

At ILTACON, Opus 2 will showcase new software features and licensing options designed to meet the transcript and evidence management needs of litigation teams at modern law firms, and the company will offer demos of the latest version of its award-winning cloud collaboration platform, Magnum. Released last week, Opus 2 Magnum Version 5.0 includes significant enhancements to its document, exhibit and transcript functionality as well as a streamlined interface that incorporates color-coded way-finding features. In addition, Opus 2 will be releasing “Case Team Collaboration in the 21^st Century,” a report based on the results of the 2015 Litigation Practices Survey and which highlights collaborative work product, workflow and technology in litigation.

“The legal marketplace is undergoing a dramatic transformation,” said Graham Smith-Bernal, Opus 2’s founder and CEO. “Globalization and mobility are changing the way attorneys do their jobs, but in many cases legacy tools are holding them back. We created Magnum specifically to address these new realities. Dispersed legal team members need faster, more efficient ways to share and review transcripts and manage key documents online, and many of our latest enhancements to Magnum are focused on these specific functional areas.”

Opus 2’s thematic initiative is part of a series of activities planned by the company for ILTACON 2015. Clare Foley of Opus 2 will be participating in the technology session “Tools That Change the Speed of Legal Service Delivery,” on Sept. 1 at 8:30 a.m. The session will feature Opus 2 Magnum for mobile collaboration across case teams as well as a variety of third-party tools for the modern legal practice.

Opus 2 will be exhibiting at ILTACON 2015 at booth #311. To schedule a meeting at ILTA, contact info@opus2.com. For more information, go to: opus2.com

About Opus 2

Opus 2 is a worldwide legal services company that blends sophisticated cloud technology with court reporting excellence to modernize evidence management during high-stakes matters across the globe—including litigation, arbitration hearings, depositions (US) and government inquiries, the company says in a release. They are also the creators of Opus 2 Magnum a private, cloud-based workspace from which litigators, co-counsel and experts share transcripts, key documents, exhibits, video and research and collaborate on work product for deposition and trial preparation. As experts in capturing testimony and uniting it with key litigation content, their collective team of seasoned consultants, case managers, software developers, technicians and independent court reporters are uniquely positioned to protect the integrity of both the record and the evidence and to deliver intuitive tools for their careful analysis, the release says.

DLA Piper announces that Henry duPont Ridgely, senior counsel in the firm’s Wilmington office and former Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, has been appointed an advisor to the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section.

Justice Ridgely will begin his two-year term in September at the end of the 2015 Business Law Section Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Business Law Advisors Committee works to enhance the section’s educational opportunities through shared wisdom and experience of prominent individuals with distinguished records as practitioners, teachers or government officials in areas in which the section’s Substantive Committees are active. Justice Ridgely will be appointed to two of those Substantive Committees.

Justice Ridgely joined DLA Piper in March 2015.

In a release, the firm said he has a distinguished record of more than 30 years as a jurist in Delaware and served on the state’s Supreme Court for more than a decade, where he participated in more than 700 published opinions. Earlier this year, Delaware Governor Jack Markell awarded Justice Ridgely the Order of the First State, the highest recognition the governor can give for outstanding efforts, knowledge, integrity, prudence and ability in serving the State of Delaware.

At DLA Piper, Justice Ridgely focuses his practice on advising corporations, boards, special committees and individual directors and officers on transaction structure, fiduciary duties and managing and defending litigation at the trial and appellate level. He also can act as a mediator, arbitrator or independent monitor. 

About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com)
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.

eTERA Consulting, an internationally recognized and award-winning leader in data and technology management, has announced that Eric Laurent-Ricard has joined the company’s highly successful All1ance One Partner Program.

In a release, eTERA said the All1ance One Partner Program provides many ways for business partners to expand their business, win more clients and increase revenue by offering their clients a full range of eDiscovery services throughout the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM).

“I have spent my career working with European law enforcement agencies on computer forensics and security,” said Eric Laurent-Ricard. “My vast experience on these fronts has allowed me to build strong relationships across Europe, and I look forward to the opportunity to assist eTERA in expanding their operations in Europe. Having worked closely with eTERA’s Managing Director of Europe, Greg Bufithis, I am confident in the company’s ability to solve the challenges faced by corporations related to information governance, government investigations and multinational litigation, and am excited to connect them with my network.”

“We are very excited to have Eric and his team as part of the All1ance One Partner Program,” said Mary McGinness, eTERA’s All1ance One Manager. “We are sure that Eric’s unique background, along with his European network, will be very beneficial to eTERA’s strategic growth in the European market.”

“Since launching our European operations in 2014, we have gained significant insight into the critical need for data and technology management services in Europe,” said Greg Bufithis, eTERA’s Managing Director of Europe. “We are fortunate to add an additional trusted partner, which will allow us to grow our already broad understanding of European legal regulations, business processes and cultural constructs.”

The release continues:

eTERA Consulting’s All1ance One Partner Program offers two partnership categories including Connectors and Associates. The All1ance One Partner Program helps eTERA’s partners maximize their revenue potential across the EDRM. For more information about becoming an eTERA Consulting All1ance One Partner, please contact Mary McGinness at all1anceone@eteraconsulting.com.

About eTERA Consulting 

Founded in 2004, eTERA Consulting is an international, award winning organization selected by clients to help solve the challenges of complex, big data projects in the areas of information governance, investigations, litigation, regulatory compliance, and security breach response. “Built by the clients, for the clients™,” eTERA has a successful track record providing customized data management solutions and services to Fortune 500 companies and the Am Law 100 at the intersection where legal, data analytics, security, and information technology meet.  eTERA’s experienced subject matter experts ensure client engagement success through application of best practices, leading technologies, and proven project management methodologies combined with exceptional customer service. Having passed the most stringent security audits, eTERA is trusted by the world’s largest insurance, financial services, pharmaceutical, and energy companies. eTERA was selected by the Legal Times in 2014 as Best End-to-End Litigation Consulting Firm and as the nation’s top End-to-End eDiscovery Company by the National Law Journal for four consecutive years. Headquartered in Washington DC, eTERA maintains offices in Chicago, Brussels, London, and Paris. For more information about eTERA, please visit www.eteraconsulting.com. 

About Eric Laurent-Ricard 

Eric Laurent-Ricard is a member of various expert witness companies and has a Ph.D. in computer science. Eric created the first French commercial Internet service provider in 1993, which he then sold to Qwest in 1997. Along with his business expertise of helping new startups, he has been working closely with nonprofit professional organizations, mainly in the fields of security, electronic signature, Trusted Third parties and standardization. He is a lecturer in Paris II University on internet protocols, ID and security, forensics, and cryptographic technologies. His LinkedIn page is https://www.linkedin.com/pub/eric-laurent-ricard/0/30/b31.

IRVINE, CA & ALPHARETTA, GA – Neudesic and Handshake Software, provider of SharePoint-based products and services to the legal market, announces that The Firm Directory, a people-based expertise location system for law firms and legal departments built on the Pulse collaboration platform, will integrate with Handshake Software’s SharePoint-based Portals, Enterprise Search and data-driven Expertise Locator products.

“We work with both Handshake and Neudesic, and they deliver great results. So we’re excited that they’re teaming up, and we look forward to what comes out of their collaboration,” said Patrick DiDomenico, director of knowledge management at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

In a release, the companies said “the partnership combines the best in class Neudesic Firm Directory, featuring people-centric profiles that enable the capture and discovery of experience, with Handshake Software’s leading portal solutions for the legal industry. Clients can now utilize The Firm Directory’s skills taxonomy to surface attorney experience, which is now integrated with Handshake Software’s data-driven attorney expertise from financial and other line-of-business systems, time entries, documents and contacts.”

The Firm Directory’s secure social collaboration features from the Neudesic Pulse platform will also add new capabilities that will enable Handshake customers to decrease dependency on email with a knowledge management community within their portal.

Glenn LaForce, Handshake Software’s vice president of global sales & marketing, said, “The Neudesic Firm Directory partnership brings two key benefits the market has been asking for: social collaboration around clients, matters and practice areas; and a 360-degree view of firm expertise from firm data and people-derived information.”

“Our partnership with Handshake Software will deliver greater value for legal industry clients by helping firms accelerate the benefits of expertise discovery and social collaboration within their SharePoint intranets.” said Ramin Vosough, vice president of products at Neudesic.

The Firm Directory will be in Booth 529 and Handshake Software in Booth 407/409 at the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, August 31 – Sept. 3, 2015.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announces that Washington, D.C. partner Brenda Maloney Shafer has been appointed Vice Chair of the Military and Veterans Health Law Task Force for the American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section.

Shafer will serve a one-year term, beginning on Sept. 1, 2015. She has past military experience, serving as a United States Army nurse corps officer.

Shafer is a member of the firm’s Health Law Practice Group. She focuses her practice primarily in health law, and in particular, health care regulatory and transactional work. She received her law degree, cum laude, from the University of New Mexico, her master of laws in health law from Saint Louis University, and her bachelor of science in nursing degree from Creighton University.

Thompson Coburn announced that 125 of the firm’s attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

The number of Thompson Coburn attorneys on the list is up from 112 last year and includes attorneys from 62 practice areas, the firm said in a release. With 101 attorneys listed, Thompson Coburn was also the top-listed firm in St. Louis and in Missouri. The firm is also top-listed in Belleville, Illinois with three lawyers listed. The Best Lawyers selection process is a rigorous and comprehensive one, involving detailed evaluations of attorneys by their peers.

The release continues:

The firm offers special congratulations to the twelve attorneys appearing on the list for the first time:

• Douglas Baron – Real Estate Law
• Christopher “Kit” Bond – Government Relations Practice
• Cathryn Conrad – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• John Farmer – Admiralty and Maritime Law
• Joyce Harris Hennessy – Health Care Law
• David Jinkins – Copyright Law
• Joan Lebow – Health Care Law
• Michael Parks – Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Teresa Polino – International Trade and Finance Law
• Steven Ritchey – Patent Law
• Todd Rowden – Commercial Litigation
• Gayle Smith – Real Estate Law

Also, congratulations to Fred Arnold and Stan Walch, who have been included on the Best Lawyers list for 30 years; and to Ed Buchholz, Tom Corbett, Steve Cupples, Pete Fanchi, Paul Griesemer, Larry Katzenstein, Mike Lause, Rick Lawton, Ray Massey, Michael O’Keefe, Mark Sableman, and David Warfield, who have made the list for 20 years or more.

Click here for the complete list of Thompson Coburn attorneys who are included in the 2016 Best Lawyers.

Seven Farrell Fritz partners have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2016. Only 4 percent of attorneys in the United States are recognized with this honor, the firm said.

The partners and the fields in which they are being recognized are: John (Jack) Barnosky (Trusts & Estates and Litigation – Trusts & Estates); Ilene Sherwyn Cooper, John R. Morken and Eric W. Penzer (Litigation – Trusts & Estates); Domenique Camacho Moran (Employment Law – Management); Jeffrey P. Rust (Health Care Law) and Robert E. Sandler (Real Estate Law).

Barnosky, a Halesite, NY resident, earned his LL.M. degree from New York University School of Law, his J.D. degree from St. John’s University School of Law and his A.B. degree from Assumption College. Cooper, a Huntington, NY resident, earned her J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law and her B.A. degree from Cornell University. Morken, a Centerport, NY resident, earned his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law and his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College. Penzer, a Melville, NY resident, earned his J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. degree from SUNY Stony Brook. Moran, a Rockville Centre, NY resident, earned her J.D. degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and her B.A. degree from SUNY Stony Brook. Mr. Rust, a Garden City, NY resident, earned his J.D. degree from The University of Akron School of Law, his M.B.A. from The University of Akron College of Business and his B.S. degree from SUNY College at Geneseo. Sandler, a Dix Hills, NY resident, earned his J.D. degree from St. John’s University School of Law, his Master’s degree from Hunter College and his B.A. degree from American University.

Best Lawyers© is the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession, the firm said in a release. A listing in Best Lawyers© is widely regarded by legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers within the same geographical area and legal practice area.

Eighty-three Jackson Walker attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become widely regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer–review survey in which more than 52,000 leading attorneys cast almost 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Jackson Walker lawyers listed Best Lawyers in America:

AUSTIN
Michael Adams (Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law)
Jim Alsup (Real Estate Law)
Chuck Campbell (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
Wade Cooper [10 Years] (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy)
JoAnn Dalrymple (Litigation – Health Care)
Raman Dewan (Patent Law)
Leonard Dougal [10 Years] (Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental; Water Law)
Matt Dow (Commercial Litigation)
Sam Hildebrand [10 Years] (Litigation – Trusts and Estates; Trusts and Estates)
Brandon Janes (Corporate Law)
Steven Martens [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Dudley McCalla * [10 Years] (Administrative/Regulatory Law; Insurance Law)
Steven Moore (Insurance Law)
Christopher Mugica (Commercial Litigation)
Mike Nasi [10 Years] (Environmental Law)
Robert Neblett [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation – Construction)
James Pledger [10 Years] (Banking and Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law)
Thomas Rogers [10 Years] (Bet–the–Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement)
Edward Small [10 Years] (Energy Law; Government Relations Practice; Litigation – Environmental)
Tim Taylor [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Jerry Webberman(Real Estate Law)

DALLAS
Bryan Birkeland [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Robert Cohan [10 Years] (Antitrust Law; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Antitrust)
Patrick Cowlishaw [10 Years] (Litigation – Environmental)
William Dahlstrom * [10 Years] (Land Use & Zoning Law; Litigation – Land Use & Zoning; Real Estate Law)
Brian Dethrow (Tax Law)
Byron Egan [20 Years] (Corporate Compliance Law; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Gary Fowler [10 Years] (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management)
James Griffin [10 Years] (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law)
Michael Haggerty [10 Years] (Banking and Finance Law; Real Estate Law)
Colter Harris (Real Estate Law)
Michael Held (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy)
John Holden [10 Years] (Energy Law; Oil and Gas Law)
William Hornberger [10 Years] (Tax Law)
John Jansonius [20 Years] (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management)
Steve Jenkins [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Mark Josephs [10 Years] (Bet–the–Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants; Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions; Litigation – Securities; Litigation – Trusts and Estates)
Michael Kaufman (Trusts and Estates)
Suzan Kedron (Real Estate Law)
Ronald Kerridge [10 Years] (Litigation & Controversy – Tax; Tax Law)
Michael Knapek (Litigation – Insurance)
Robert Latham [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation; First Amendment Law; Litigation – First Amendment; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; Sports Law)
Kathleen LaValle [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Antitrust; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement)
Frank McEachern (Energy Law)
Scott McElhaney (Commercial Litigation; Litigation – ERISA; Litigation – Labor & Employment)
Susan Mead [10 Years] (Land Use & Zoning Law; Litigation – Land Use & Zoning; Real Estate Law)
Retta Miller (Commercial Litigation)
David Moran (Aviation; Commercial Litigation)
Michael Moran (Construction Law)
Robert Ruckman * [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation; Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Transportation Law)
James Ryan (Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law)
Gordon Shapiro [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking & Finance; Litigation – Environmental; Litigation – Securities)
Jeffrey Sone (Corporate Law)
Peter Wahl (Environmental Law)
Paul Watler [20 Years] (Bet–the–Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; First Amendment Law; Litigation – First Amendment)

FORT WORTH
Albon Head [10 Years] (Bet–the–Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Construction; Railroad Law)
Gary Ingram [10 Years] (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor & Employment)
Jay Rutherford (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management)
Paul Vrana [10 Years] (Derivatives and Futures Law; Energy Law; Natural Resources Law)

HOUSTON
Chip Babcock [25 years] (Bet–the–Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; First Amendment Law; Litigation – First Amendment; Litigation – Intellectual Property)
Barron Bogatto [10 Years] (Health Care Law)
Glen Boudreaux (Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking & Finance)
David Dunlap [10 Years] (Natural Resources Law; Oil & Gas Law)
Richard Griffin [10 Years] (Commercial Litigation)
Nancy Hamilton [10 Years] (Litigation – First Amendment)
Jeffrey Harder [10 Years] (Corporate Governance Law; Private Funds/Hedge Funds Law; Venture Capital Law)
Daniel Hayes (Health Care Law)
Michael Kuhn (Real Estate Law)
Scott McLaughlin (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor & Employment)
Alfie Meyerson [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Kurt Nondorf [10 Years] (Real Estate Law)
Michael Pearson [10 Years] (Natural Resources Law; Oil & Gas Law)
Vytas Petrulis (Real Estate Law)
James Prappas (Immigration Law)
John Ransom [10 Years] (Tax Law)
David Robins (Real Estate Law)
Bruce Ruzinsky (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy)
Lionel Schooler (Arbitration; Labor Law – Management)
Darrell Taylor (Corporate Law)

SAN ANGELO
Donald Griffis [10 Years] (Arbitration; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Labor & Employment; Mediation)

SAN ANTONIO
Edgar Morrison [10 Years] (Health Care Law)
Scott Rose * (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy)
Patrick Tobin [10 Years] (Corporate Law)

* 2016 Lawyer of the Year

Traveling Coaches has announced the launch of their newest product – Springboard, a suite of consulting and talent development services designed to help law firm training managers and trainers transform their firms’ learning programs and develop new individual professional skills.

In a release, the company says Springboard brings best-in-class standards and award-winning expertise to law firms looking to elevate their internal training departments to work more effectively while delivering increased value to firm partners and employees. “Springboard provides a multi-tiered offering for boosting law firms’ training competencies at the program, leadership, team and individual trainer levels,” said Mike Sweeney, Senior Learning Consultant with Traveling Coaches.

The Traveling Coaches release continues:

Based on 20 years of successful projects with over 1,000 law firms and corporate legal departments and delivered by an award-winning team of consultants, Springboard is the distillation of a broad spectrum of research on effective adult education and efficient training delivery.

The foundation of the program is the Traveling Coaches Legal Trainer Certification Program.  This one-of-a-kind, six-week blended learning experience is legal-specific and designed to help law firm trainers develop skills to match current best-in-class standards for adult learning in a law firm environment.

At the other end of the spectrum is a comprehensive program review and recommendations to elevate a firm’s learning program to 21^st century standards.  The Springboard learning maturity scorecard uses a measurement-based approach to identify areas for program improvement based on your firm strategy and our best-in-class standards for efficiency and effectiveness.

Depending on the size of the learning organization, there are also Springboard coaching programs for law firm training managers who are looking for guidance as they plan new learning initiatives or shore up gaps in their current programs. Springboard training team development services are available to training departments who would benefit from improved alignment, consistency and collaboration across the team.

“Springboard is the culmination of months of hard work and collaboration between our consultants and a group of very gifted and forward-thinking learning, human resources and professional development professionals from firms all over the country”, added Gina Buser, Chief Executive Officer of Traveling Coaches. “Without exception, everyone to whom we have spoken has enthusiastically endorsed Springboard.”

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP announces that 65 of the firm’s attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^©, including a Dallas partner who earned a “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. 

“The number of Gardere attorneys included on the Best Lawyers 2016 list is a prime example of the Firm’s dedication to providing the highest level of legal service to our clients,” says Gardere ChairHolland N. O’Neil. “We are extremely honored to have so many of our attorneys recognized in this year’s edition.”

For a second time, firm partner Scott D. Deatherage has earned recognition as the Best Lawyers^® Dallas Environmental Law “Lawyer of the Year.” Deatherage represents clients throughout Texas and other states before local, state and federal environmental agencies, as well as state and federal courts. For nearly 30 years, he has earned praise from clients and colleagues for handling environmental law matters affecting a variety of industry sectors.

Gardere attorneys named to the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America list include: 

Austin:

Edward D. Burbach, Administrative/Regulatory Law

Mark Vane, Government Relations Practice

Catherine J. Webking, Energy Law

Kimberly A. Yelkin, Insurance Law

Dallas:

Val J. Albright, Tax Litigation and Controversy, Tax Law

David G. Cabrales, Commercial Litigation

Steven S. Camp, Banking and Finance Law

Chris Converse, Corporate Law

Scott L. Davis, Commercial Litigation

Scott D. Deatherage, Environmental Law

Marshall J. Doke, Jr., Commercial Litigation

Michael J. Donohue, Tax Litigation and Controversy, Tax Law

Michael W. Dubner, Intellectual Property Litigation

Robert Dyer, Jr., Real Estate Law

Mark Edwards, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Craig B. Florence, Commercial Litigation

Dwight M. Francis, Commercial Litigation

Jeffrey M. Gaba, Environmental Law

Kenneth R. Glaser, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Law

Lawrence E. Glasgow, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Beverly B. Godbey, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law

Lawrence B. Goldstein, Corporate Law

Stephen D. Good, Tax Law

Randy D. Gordon, Antitrust Law

Douglas D. Haloftis, Employment Law Management, Labor Law Management

Douglas A. Harrison, Family Law

Jack W. Hawkins, Trusts and Estates

Michael S. Haynes, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Marcus Helt, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Carrie B. Hoffman, Employment Law Management, Labor and Employment Litigation

Kevin L. Kelley, Leisure and Hospitality Law, Real Estate Law

Stephen A. McCartin, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bankruptcy Litigation

Cynthia Nelson, Leisure and Hospitality Law, Real Estate Law

Keith V. Novick, Trusts and Estates

Holland N. O’Neil, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bankruptcy Litigation

Alan J. Perkins, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Frances E. Phillips, Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation

Clifford J. Risman, Leisure and Hospitality Law, Real Estate Law

Deirdre B. Ruckman, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bankruptcy Litigation

Robert Sarfatis, Corporate Law

Larry Schoenbrun, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law

Paul V. Storm, Intellectual Property Litigation

Andre M. Szuwalski, Intellectual Property Litigation

David H. Timmins, Insurance Law

Richard A. Tulli, Corporate Law

Peter S. Vogel, Information Technology Law, Technology Law

Richard L. Waggoner, Corporate Law

Houston:

Michael A. Abbott, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Eric A. Blumrosen, Corporate Law

Geoffrey H. Bracken, Commercial Litigation, Oil and Gas Law

Robert W. Bramlette, Real Estate Law

Daniel L. Cohen, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

James Cooper, Insurance Law

Allen B. Craig III, Corporate Law, Tax Law

Jeffrey S. Davis, Product Liability Litigation Defense

Douglas K. Eyberg, Corporate Law, Energy Law

Thomas A. Hagemann, White-Collar Criminal Defense, Antitrust Litigation, Securities Litigation

James Howard, Tax Law

John P. Melko, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bankruptcy Litigation

Chris P. Perque, Technology Law

Lawrence J. Pirtle, Trusts and Estates

Frank M. Putman, Corporate Law

L. Stevens III, Corporate Law

Hoang Quan Vu, Banking and Finance Law

Michael Wall, Commercial Litigation
Since its first publication in 1983, Best Lawyers has become known as the definitive guide to legal excellence. More than 79,000 leading attorneys globally are eligible to vote, and over 12 million votes have been received to date on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2016 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 6.7 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in the inclusion of more than 55,000 leading lawyers in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed so that inclusion in Best Lawyers continues to be considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an Am Law 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in the areas of corporate, energy, environmental, financial restructuring and reorganization, financial services, government affairs, hospitality, insurance, intellectual property, international, labor and employment, litigation, private equity, real estate and tax.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP  announced that 13 of its attorneys have been selected by their peers as “Lawyers of the Year” in The Best Lawyers in America®.

Each year, Best Lawyers compiles its list of “Lawyers of the Year.” Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is so honored. Lawyers with this designation are chosen based on peer-review assessments conducted with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this honor reflects the respect a lawyer has acquired among other leading lawyers in the same practice areas throughout the same communities.

The following Quarles & Brady attorneys were named in their respective practice areas designated by Best Lawyers:

Chicago, Ill.
• Janice E. Rodgers—Non-Profit/Charities Law

MILWAUKEE, Wis.
• David B. Bartel—Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• David R. Cross—Litigation – Patent
• James D. Friedman—Litigation – Banking and Finance
• Brian G. Lanser—Public Finance Law
• Thomas P. McElligott—Natural Resources Law
• Thomas J. Phillips—Tax Law
• Robert D. Rothacker—Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

PHOENIX, Ariz.
• Don P. Martin—Litigation – Real Estate
• Matthew Mehr—Banking and Finance Law

TAMPA, Fla.
• William F. Hamilton—Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)

TUCSON, Ariz.
• Susan G. Boswell—Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• James F. Morrow—Banking and Finance Law

About Best Lawyers
Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

About Quarles & Brady LLP
Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 law 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, 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. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that James Matthews and Katy Koski have joined the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice and Life Sciences Industry Team as partners in the Boston office.

Matthews and Koski focus their practices on litigating complex business disputes, specializing in the life sciences industry. For nearly a decade, they have represented a wide range of pharmaceutical industry clients in novel civil enforcement actions challenging a wide variety of business conduct. This work includes representing manufacturers in novel claims challenging the development, promotion and sale of prescription pain medications and testosterone replacement therapies.

For many years, Matthews has been lead national counsel for one of the world’s largest drug manufacturers, coordinating the defense of more than 50 separate lawsuits challenging industry-wide pricing practices pending in state and federal courts around the country, including a qui tam action under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and numerous civil enforcement actions brought by state attorneys general alleging violations of a variety of state statutes, including state false claims acts.

“James and Katy have an impressive track record defending pharmaceutical companies from major government investigations and other litigation matters. They will help deepen our experience in handling multi-jurisdictional cases and other complex cases throughout the country,” said Foley Litigation Department chair Michael Tuteur.

Matthews has substantial experience representing life sciences and technology companies in commercial disputes pending in courts and before arbitrators throughout the country. His practice extends to antitrust actions, including Walker Process and Pay-for-Delay claims, contract disputes and civil enforcement actions.

Koski’s practice also involves complex commercial contract disputes, business torts and intellectual property matters. She has previous experience defending large law firms and individual practitioners against legal malpractice claims.

“Our Boston office has established a strong litigation presence and life sciences practice. James and Katy bring a winning combination of expertise in both areas that will benefit our clients locally and nationally,” said Susan Pravda, managing partner of Foley’s Boston office.

Prior to joining Foley, Matthews and Koski were partners at K&L Gates.

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.

Ellucian, TPG Capital and Leonard Green Partners have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which TPG and Leonard Green will acquire a majority interest in Ellucian, the leading global provider for higher education software and services. As detailed in the company-issued press release below, the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2015, subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents Leonard Green in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York partners Howard Sobel and Paul Kukish, with associate Spencer Ricks. Advice also was provided on finance matters by Washington, D.C. partner Jennifer Van Driesen; on tax matters by Chicago partner Joseph Kronsnoble; on antitrust matters by Brussels partner Héctor Armengod; and on benefits and compensation matters by New York associate Austin Ozawa.

From the release:

FAIRFAX, Va. & SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ellucian, the leading global provider for higher education software and services, today announced that TPG Capital (“TPG”) and Leonard Green Partners (“Leonard Green”) have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in Ellucian from Hellman & Friedman (“H&F”) and co-investor JMI Equity.

“We are delighted to welcome TPG and Leonard Green to the Ellucian team,” said Jeff Ray, chief executive officer of Ellucian, who will continue to lead the organization. “Their investment validates and enhances our growth strategy and underscores our commitment to our customers and the success of their students. We believe TPG and Leonard Green will be tremendous partners as we work to accelerate our cloud offering, enhance our student information systems, and broaden our product portfolio. We also would like to thank H&F for supporting our company’s growth over the past six years. We have enjoyed a strong partnership and look forward to building on our success for years to come.”

“Ellucian’s industry leadership, global reach, management depth, and deep vertical focus on enabling higher education institutions to leverage technology to improve student outcomes position the company well for continued success and growth,” said Bryan Taylor, partner at TPG. “TPG has been focused on software designed for specific end-market verticals for a number of years, and we’ve been impressed with the breadth and depth of Ellucian’s products. We are excited to leverage our experience and global resources to invest in and partner with this team to help them continue to grow their platform for their customers.”

“Ellucian has established itself as a leader in helping institutions support student success in the rapidly-evolving higher education landscape,” said John Danhakl, managing partner of Leonard Green. “We look forward to supporting this mission in the coming years.”

“Jeff and the Ellucian team have guided the company through a period of impressive growth and extensive investment in the product portfolio,” said Anupam Mishra, managing director of H&F. “We are excited about the meaningful impact Ellucian will continue to make on improving higher education globally. The company is truly unparalleled in its ability to do so.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals, and is expected to close before the end of 2015.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal counsel for Ellucian and Hellman & Friedman. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, BofA Merrill Lynch, BMO Capital Markets Corp., and Barclays served as financial advisors to TPG and Leonard Green. Credit Suisse and Goldman, Sachs & Co. served as financial advisors to Ellucian. Ropes & Gray served as legal counsel for TPG and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel for Leonard Green.

About Ellucian
Ellucian is the world’s leading provider of software and services institutions need to help students succeed. More than 2,400 institutions in 40 countries rely on Ellucian to help enable the mission of higher education. Ellucian provides student information systems (SIS), finance and HR, recruiting, retention, analytics and advancement software solutions. With more than 1,500 institutions subscribing to Ellucian’s cloud services and SaaS offerings, the company is one of the largest providers of cloud-based solutions. Ellucian also supports the higher education community with a range of professional services, such as application software implementation, training, education, and management consulting. Visit Ellucian atwww.ellucian.com.

About TPG Capital
TPG is a leading global private investment firm founded in 1992, with over $74 billion of assets under management and offices in San Francisco, Fort Worth, Austin, Dallas, Houston, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. TPG has extensive experience with global public and private investments executed through leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, growth investments, joint ventures and restructurings. The firm’s investments span a variety of industries including healthcare, energy, industrials, consumer/ retail, technology, media & communications, software, financial services, travel, entertainment and real estate. For more information visit www.tpg.com.

About Leonard Green
Leonard Green is one of the nation’s preeminent private equity firms with over $15 billion of private equity capital raised since inception. Founded in 1989, the firm has invested in 76 companies in the form of traditional buyouts, going-private transactions, recapitalizations, growth capital investments, corporate carve-outs and selective public equity and debt positions. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Leonard Green invests in established companies that are leaders in their markets. For more information, please visit www.leonardgreen.com.

About Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a leading private equity investment firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, and London. Since its founding in 1984, H&F has raised over $35 billion of committed capital. The firm focuses on investing in superior business franchises and serving as a value-added partner to management in select industries including software, internet & media, financial services, business & information services, healthcare, energy & industrials and retail & consumer. For more information on Hellman & Friedman, please visit www.hf.com.

About JMI Equity
JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software and services companies. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in over 120 businesses in its target markets and has raised more than $3 billion of committed capital. Combining domain expertise and active partnership, JMI works with management teams to build market-leading businesses and create long-term shareholder value. Realized investments from JMI funds include Axeda, BigMachines, Compusearch, Eloqua, Gemcom, PowerPlan and ServiceNow. For more information on JMI, visit www.jmi.com.

Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 14 Beck Redden LLP attorneys in its 2016 ranking of the nation’s top legal talent.

Best Lawyers in America® is an annual referral guide that lists outstanding attorneys throughout the United States.  Lawyers are selected based on detailed peer-review evaluations of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.

The following Beck Redden attorneys were named 2016 Best Lawyers in America®:

Austin

• Eric J.R. Nichols:  Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense:  White Collar

Houston

• Fields Alexander:  Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• David J. Beck:  Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Natural Resources Law
• Alistair B. Dawson:  Commercial Litigation
• Kathleen A. Gallagher:  Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Thomas E. Ganucheau:  Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Jeffrey Golub:  Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• David M. Gunn:  Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation
• David W. Jones:  Insurance Law
• Connie Pfeiffer:  Appellate Practice
• Russell S. Post:  Appellate Practice
• Joe W. Redden, Jr.:  Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• J. Todd Shields: Commercial Litigation
• W. Curt Webb: Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs

Houston-based Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing, also known as AZA, has received recognition from three organizations, including being cited as one of the nation’s “most feared law firms.”

Legal research group BTI Consulting, which conducts a comprehensive survey of corporate counsel at major U.S. companies, included AZA on its “most feared” list on the basis of extensive interviews with 300 general counsel and in-house litigation counsel at top-spending companies and organizations.

And AZA was listed as one of only 10 boutique firms nationally recognized by the legal news publication Law360 for successfully challenging the nation’s biggest law firms. Law360 says the 2015 list includes firms that are on par with the biggest firms but less expensive and more accessible to clients.

The firm also earned selection as a Litigation Department of the Year for 2015 by the publishers of Texas Lawyer newspaper.

Read details on the honors.

National law firm Wilson Elser announces that Joseph J. Ceccarelli has joined the firm’s New York City office as a partner. Ceccarelli was a founding and managing partner of Ceccarelli Weprin PLLC, specializing in business and commercial real estate litigation and transactional work. He also served as treasurer for now State Assemblyman David I. Weprin during four consecutive successful election campaigns for Finance Committee Chair of the New York City Council from 2002 through 2009.

“Joe is a welcome addition to our New York City office and our national commercial services team,” said Partner Thomas Manisero, chair of the firm’s Commercial Services practice. “His experience handling complex commercial transactional and litigation matters will benefit our clients across all industries. His particular specialty in commercial real estate enables us to bolster our capabilities in one of the city’s thriving business sectors.”

In a release, the firm said:

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Ceccarelli has developed a practice focused on commercial and real estate litigation in federal and state courts. His strengths and roots lie in New York City, representing high-stakes business interests on Wall Street and owners, developers and managers in the city’s real estate market.

Among the many services Ceccarelli provides his clients are leasing in office and retail space asset classes; drafting and negotiating service and construction contracts and other building-related agreements; and strategic counsel related to government and regulatory investigations, national and cross-border portfolio acquisitions, and distressed real estate and related asset management.

He has also gained a reputation as a trusted and valued advisor in supporting the cross-practice corporate and litigation needs of growing enterprise software, music and film production, recording artist and digital advertising businesses.

Among Ceccarelli’s civic contributions is his successful pro bono prosecution of the New York test case regarding grandparents’ rights to raise grandchildren in the event of abandonment by or death of the parents. He also served as president and board member of New York City’s Future Condominium from 1995 through 2003, a prominent example of late modernist architecture for international high-rise buildings.

Ceccarelli earned his J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University with his B.A. degree in economics.

About Wilson Elser

Wilson Elser, a full-service and leading defense litigation law firm (www.wilsonelser.com), serves its clients with nearly 800 attorneys in 27 offices in the United States and one in London and through a network of affiliates in key regions globally. Founded in 1978, it ranks among the top 200 law firms identified by The American Lawyer and is included in the top 50 of The National Law Journal’s survey of the nation’s largest law firms.