Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. recently gained a new Member to its Real Estate practice. Scott Biel joins the firm’s San Diego office from Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP. His work deals with the representation of owners, developers, tenants and lenders in a variety of real estate transactions; he specializes in the financing, development and leasing of offices, research and manufacturing facilities for corporate users in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and telecommunication industries. Mintz Levin is a 480-attorney AmLaw 100 firm with offices in the U.S. and U.K. The firm is especially known for its expertise in industry.
Source: www.lawfuel.com

Intellectual property firm, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, has been slowly making changes over the last decade. The Washington-based firm is considered a first-generation firm, with most of its business tied to the top partners. It is one of few such firms today, having named its first nonequity partner only in 1998. Realizing that in order to expand, changes must be made, the firm reported 25 nonequity partners in 2006. The shift is not easy, however, for a firm who is used to seeing all partners as equal.
Source: www.law.com

Four partners from Dechert have joined Reed Smith’s Philadelphia office. Led by Lee Zoeller, the group (which includes Kyle Sollie, David Kraus and Frank Gallo) expands the firm’s tax controversy practice, and specializes in state tax controversy issues. In 2005, Reed Smith acquired a similar group from Preston Gates & Ellis for its West Coast office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP expanded its Washington D.C. office by 33,000 square feet, now occupying 93,171 square feet of space in the Southern Railway Building. The firm has a 10 year lease at the building which was constructed in 1928 and renovated in 1988.
Source: www.costar.com

Ohio firm, Ulmer & Berne LLP, recently added Eric M. Robbins to its Cincinnati office as a Senior Counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Group. Robbins comes to the firm from Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, and deals with the securement, ownership, licensing, and enforcement of patents, trademarks and copyrights. Ulmer & Berne was established in 1908, and is one of Ohio’s largest firms. With four offices across the Midwest, it is also one of the region’s fastest growing firms.
Source: www.home.businesswire.com

National law firm, Arent Fox, has hired Dennis H. Blumer as a partner in its higher education practice. Blumer joins the firm’s Washington D.C. office after 12 years of service as vice president and general counsel at The George Washington University. Prior to his work at GW, Blumer was the executive assistant to the president of the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been a part of the higher education legal community for 40 years. Besides its D.C. branch, Arent Fox also has offices in NY and LA; the firm has over 300 attorneys.
Source: www.prnewswire.com