Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP is pleased to announce that it has expanded its Corporate Practice Group with the addition of debt finance partners Bryan Reese and Cristina Gonzalez. Together they bring experience in corporate financing transactions and financial restructurings. Reese joins Akerman from King & Spalding LLP, while Gonzalez joins the firm from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
Michael Best has welcomed Peter Prommer to its Intellectual Property practice as a Partner in the firm’s growing Chicago office. Prommer joins Michael Best from Nixon Peabody LLP, where he first joined as an associate and was subsequently elevated to partner in 2015.
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Prommer joins the firm with nearly 20 years of experience advising clients on their intellectual property portfolios and counseling on enforcement, licensing, patent, trademark, and other IP matters. Over his tenured career, he has advised businesses across a number of sectors, from emerging companies to global corporations, including clients across the US, Europe and Asia on both IP and non-IP issues.
“Peter’s past work and impressive background position him well to represent our clients, and our platform fits perfectly with his desire to grow his practice,” said Richard Kaiser, Chair of Intellectual Property Practice Group. “He’s a clear example of the strong talent our firm has brought in over the past few years and will be an excellent addition to the IP Practice Group.”
At Nixon Peabody, he counseled clients on global patent strategies, enforcement issues, patent opinion matters, building and protecting global trademark portfolios, and copyright matters. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Prommer was as an associate with a leading full-service intellectual property law firm, where his practice focused primarily on patent litigation matters.
Within his broad IP focus, Prommer has worked alongside clients in a variety of technologies, including wearable electronics, computer hardware, digital technologies, battery systems, medical devices, optical systems, composite materials, infrastructure systems, and robotics. His non-IP experience includes general commercial disputes, data privacy issues, and labor & employment matters. Prior to pursuing his legal career, Prommer practiced as a licensed professional engineer on high-stakes engineering projects for two international engineering consulting firms.
“Having worked in Chicago for his entire legal career, Peter has great ties to the city and a strong network behind him,” said Kerryann Haase Minton, Managing Partner of the Chicago office. “His engineering background gives him an edge, and he’ll make a wonderful addition to our office, which supports this dynamic city’s distinctive demographic profile.”
Prommer received his undergraduate engineering degree with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and furthered his engineering studies at Northwestern University where he received his Master of Science. He subsequently received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law.
In addition, Prommer is strongly established in the technology and innovation scene in Chicago, including as an officer of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. He further serves with several distinguished colleagues based in North America and Germany as a member of the Transatlantic Advisory Council of Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany.
Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that effective April 1, 2022, the firm will open its ninth U.S. office, located in Chicago, Illinois, as a result of its combination with the business litigation law firm of Figliulo & Silverman, P.C. (F+S) The combination expands SGR’s existing Litigation Practice and creates exciting opportunities to expand its services in the Chicago market.
John-Paul Motley has joined Cooley as a Los Angeles-based partner in the firm’s public companies practice group. Arriving from O’Melveny & Myers, where he was chair of the firm’s capital markets practice and formerly served as a member of its policy committee and as managing partner of its Los Angeles office, Motley advises on corporate board governance, securities law compliance, and sophisticated equity and debt transactions.
Tags: Cooley LLP | Los Angeles
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to welcome Nina Bianchi Skinner to the firm’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities group in Houston. Nina has a notable track record as a trusted corporate and M&A adviser to energy, manufacturing, industrial, and services companies of all sizes, from local businesses to multinational corporations. She is skilled in navigating progressively complex business transactions with clear solutions for clients, and her arrival marks the next step in Blank Rome’s expansion to meet the dynamic needs of the firm’s clients in Houston and nationally. Nina joins Blank Rome from Liskow & Lewis where she was a shareholder.
Tags: Blank Rome LLP | Houston
Dentons has recruited Simon Prendergast as a partner in the firm’s UK Banking and Finance Division. One of the leading asset based lending and receivables financing lawyers in the UK, ranked as a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers, Simon joins the London office from Addleshaw Goddard where he has been a partner since 2013.
Tags: Dentons | London
Squire Patton Boggs has appointed Christopher Thomson as a partner in its Global Corporate Practice in London. Mr. Thomson joins from the energy practice at Dentons.
Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod (JHKM) is pleased to announce that Ben Feuchter has rejoined the firm’s New Mexico office as a partner. Feuchter, who became a lawyer with the firm upon earning his law degree in 1999, focuses his practice on business law and real estate matters, including both transactional and litigation legal services. He is also experienced in complex and sensitive tort matters and is widely known as a leading attorney in New Mexico’s emerging cannabis industry.
Tags: Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod Waterfall LLP | Albuquerque