Goodwin Procter, a leading Am Law 50 and Global 50 law firm, announced today that James Barrett has joined the firm as partner and Edward Amer has joined as counsel. Both will be part of the firm’s Private Equity Group and will be based in its Boston office. Barrett and Amer come to Goodwin from Locke Lord LLP.

Barrett represents private equity and venture capital firms, life sciences and technology companies, boards of directors and management teams on a variety of transactional and corporate governance matters. His practice is focused on investment transactions, mergers, acquisitions, securities matters and general corporate representation. Prior to joining Goodwin, Barrett was co-chair of Locke Lord’s private equity and venture capital practice. More >>

Gordon & Rees LLP has expanded its Boston office, which opened in May 2015, with the addition of a three partner group from LeClairRyan. Jay S. Gregory, James L. Messenger, and Margaret R. Stolfa joined the firm on July 1, 2015.

“These are exciting times,” John J. Robinson, managing partner of the firm’s Boston office noted. “We not only have an outstanding group of lawyers joining us, but also an outstanding group of people. Building on our recent opening of the Boston office, this group strengthens and broadens the foundation from which we can meet the desired needs of our many great clients.” More >>

Goodwin Procter attorneys advised Reliant Hospital Partners in its announced $730 million sale to HealthSouth Corporation. The cash transaction is expected to close in 2015. Reliant Hospital Partners, which operates 11 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and three satellite locations, is a portfolio company of Nautic Partners.

Reliant Hospital Partners is based in Richardson, Texas and operates facilities in Texas, Ohio and Massachusetts with a combined 902 beds. More >>

Goodwin Procter attorneys advised Virtustream in its announced $1.2 billion sale to EMC Corporation. Virtustream is a cloud software and services company trusted by enterprises worldwide to migrate, run and manage mission-critical applications in the cloud. More >>

In a move that will expand international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s expertise in the areas of Securities Litigation and Financial Regulatory and Compliance, a team of lawyers from the respected boutique law firm Michaels, Ward & Rabinovitz, LLP have joined the firm’s Boston office. Pete S. Michaels, Daniel M. Rabinovitz, and David Ward have joined the firm as shareholders; John Wells as of counsel; and Cliff Anderson as an associate. More >>

Former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will join Foley Hoag LLP in the firm’s Boston office on May 26, bringing decades of experience at the highest levels of civil and criminal law. Coakley will work in several of Foley Hoag’s key practice areas, including healthcare, education, finance, energy, data privacy and security, and government and internal investigations.

Coakley’s legal career spans more than 30 years. It includes private practice and a succession of high-profile public sector positions, most notably her eight years as Massachusetts Attorney General, from 2007-2015. Prior to her election as Attorney General, she was elected as the District Attorney for Middlesex County (Massachusetts), serving in that role from 1999 through 2006. She was a prosecutor in the Middlesex DA’s office from 1989 until she was elected District Attorney, and also served as special attorney with the United States Department of Justice Boston Organized Crime Task Force. Before entering public service, Coakley was a civil litigator with two law firms based in Boston. More >>

Morgan Lewis is further expanding its personal law and estate planning capabilities with the addition of highly accomplished estate planning, estate administration, tax planning, and business succession planning lawyer Sara A. Wells, who joins the firm in Boston as partner. More >>

Gordon & Rees is continuing its national expansion with the opening of its 35th office in Boston, Massachusetts on May 1, 2015. The Boston office will complement the firm’s existing presence in the Northeast and allow it to better serve its many clients with needs in the area.

John Robinson has been named managing partner of the office, and will be joined by partner William Murray and associates Delaney Busch, Glenn Coffin, Kelly Kirby, and Greil Roberts. The Boston office attorneys primarily serve clients in complex products liability, toxic tort, medical device, construction, commercial, and insurance coverage litigation, as well as in other legal sectors. More >>

Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Terence T. Healey has joined the firm’s growing Energy practice as a partner in its Boston office. His arrival follows closely that of energy partners Karen A. Dewis, Kenneth W. Irvin and Daryl L. Rice in Washington, D.C., and Robert Stephens in Houston More >>