Bingham McCutchen’s San Francisco office has named Geoffrey Howard to be its new managing partner; firm Vice Chairman Donn Pickett had been serving de facto in the position until now. Howard aims to rebuild the office that has seen six partners and several associates leave since the beginning of the year, most recently losing antitrust practice leader Alfred Pfeiffer Jr. Few attorneys left after Bingham’s merger with McCutchen, but departures have increased this year. The majority of those who have left were litigators, a significant loss to a firm that was before a litigation powerhouse.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Venable Adds Five Saul Ewing Laterals
Five lateral attorneys have joined D.C.’s Venable from Saul Ewing. Herbert D. Frerichs and George F. Ritchie are joining Venable as partners. Frerichs is a business lawyer, and Ritchie is a litigator who specializes in product, pharmaceutical and medical device defense work. Bernard Rhee will be of counsel, and Guido J. Galvez and Aida M. Lebbos join as associates. Rhee and Galvez are known for their expertise in life sciences.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Tech Boutique Closes to Combine with NC Firm
Technology boutique Daniels, Daniels & Verdonik has closed its doors and will be absorbed into Ward & Smith’s Raleigh office. DD&V specialized in corporate and tax law, structuring venture financing deals and patent and copyright work. Though always a small firm, when its numbers got down to only four attorneys, the firm leaders decided to combine with Ward & Smith in order to provide their clients with additional resources.
Source: www.triangle.bizjournals.com
Dallas Litigation Partner Joins Jones Day
Jones Day recruited Weston Loegering for its litigation practice in Dallas. Loegering joins the firm from Hughes & Luce as a partner. He has done work in civil and criminal litigation, as well as white collar crime defense, securities litigation, and class actions. Jones Day employs more than 2,200 lawyers in 30 offices around the world.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Duane Morris Opens Two Vietnam Offices
Philadelphia’s Duane Morris has recently opened two new offices in Vietnam. The offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will specialize in energy, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance. They are intended to supplement the firm’s office in Singapore, which has become an up-and-coming hub of pharmaceutical development and international finance. The Singapore office opened in January with eight attorneys focusing primarily on finance and energy. Duane Morris has been growing over the past decade, opening offices in nine cities between 1997 and 2005, and more than doubling its size. The firm now has about 650 lawyers.
Source: www.philly.com
Bingham McCutchen Adds Two Film Finance Partners
Bingham McCutchen has recently acquired two film finance partners for its Los Angeles office. Rose PeBenito Shiner and Ronald K. Sittler joined the firm’s financial institutions practice from Buchalter Nemer. Shiner represents financial institutions involved in motion picture lending, as well as clients in co-production arrangements, tax credits, and incentives for domestic production. Sittler focuses on litigation and represents financial institutions in motion picture finance and independent film finance.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Ogletree Deakins Acquires Labor & Employment Firm, Adds Two Offices
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart acquired labor and employment firm Lewis, Fisher, Henderson & Claxton on July 1. Ogletree gained two offices from the deal, one in Memphis and the other in Jackson, MS, as well as 19 attorneys. Ten lawyers work in the Memphis office, seven in Jackson, and two will join the firm’s L.A. office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Pillsbury Hires Tax Partner to Build Tax Controversy & Policy Team
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has gained a tax partner in its D.C. office. Former assistant attorney general for the tax division of the DoJ, Eileen O’Connor, will head Pillsbury’s new federal tax controversy and tax policy team. As head of the DoJ’s tax division, she oversaw the litigation of approximately 350 attorneys. At Pillsbury, O’Connor aims to round out the firm’s tax practice by building the new team.
Source: www.washington.bizjournals.com
Sheppard Mullin Welcomes Business Litigation Partner from Lord Bissell
Christopher Reeder and a team of three other attorneys have joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton as a part of the firm’s Business Trial practice group. The team joins the firm’s L.A. office, which has over 150 attorneys. Reeder, along with special counsel Beverly Lu and associates Gabriel Green and Gene Wu most recently practiced with Lord, Bissell & Brook in Los Angeles. Reeder’s work focuses on commercial law, real estate, franchise, business practices, intellectual property, employment and labor, construction, aviation, entertainment, hospitality and class action litigation.
Source: www.earthtimes.org
Boston Firm Loses Nine Partners
Nine partners and one of counsel from Boston’s Donovan Hatem have left to launch LeClair Ryan’s Boston office. The group of ten are all joining the Richmond, VA-based firm as partners. The attorneys will primarily deal with construction litigation, professional defense, products liability and financial services matters. Kevin Kenneally, who was the former chair of Donovan’s health care litigation group and insurance & tort litigation practice groups, will head the new office. The other lawyers making the move include Neil Hartzell, Paul G. Boylan, Michael P. Giunta, Jay S. Gregory, Warren D. Hutchison, Michael B. Weinberg, Jeffrey L. Alitz, Janet Barringer Pezzulich, and Christopher J. Supple.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
