Former Maryland Lt. Governor, Michael Steele, will join law firm LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae as a partner. Steele will work in the DC office, and will focus on corporate securities, government relations and international affairs, with an emphasis on Africa. Steele was the first African-American to be elected to statewide office in Maryland when he became Lt. Gov. in 2003. He previously served on the board of visitors of the US Naval Academy and worked for Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. LeBoeuf, Lamb, Green & MacRae employs over 700 attorneys in 18 offices worldwide.
Source: www.bizjournals.com

Three partners from Miller & Chevalier’s international practice have jumped ship. William McGlone, vice chairman of the export control group, left for Latham & Watkins, and Lisa Prager and Josephine Aiello LeBeau have joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Miller has recently lost several other partners to larger firms; however, with the hiring of two new partners from The Loeffler Group for the international practice, the DC firm is working to stay competitive.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Greenberg Traurig has taken well-known Tampa firm, Zinober & McCrea, in-house. The two-lawyer firm will become shareholders in Greenberg’s labor and employment legal practice. Besides labor & employment, the Greenberg Tampa office also handles civil and criminal litigation; trial and appellate practice; alternative dispute resolution; environmental and land use law; construction, architecture and engineering law; lending, taxation, and other financial matters; as well as business planning and transactions. The firm has 1,600 attorneys practicing in 29 offices worldwide.
Source: www.tampabay.bizjournals.com

There has not been a formal application for a new nuclear plant in over 25 years; however, rising energy costs and efforts to slow global warming have lead to renewed interest in nuclear energy. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects about 30 applications for new reactors in the next few years. Firms with nuclear energy practices like Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; and Winston & Strawn, have been very busy and are adding new lawyers to keep up with the demand. Pillsbury, for example, has been assisting energy companies with their NRC applications. The firm has added six new lawyers in the past few months, and wants to add another six by the end of 2008.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Michel Frieh, of Linklaters Paris, has announced that he is leaving the firm to set up his own practice. Formerly with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the private equity lawyer joined Linklaters in 2004. The firm recently named a record 38 associates as partner, raising the firmwide number to 540. There are now about 30 partners in Paris; David Swinburne, Frieh’s replacement in the private equity practice, was one of the recently promoted attorneys.
Source: www.legalweek.com

A group of Reed Smith intellectual property lawyers, led by longtime head of Reed Smith’s IP practice, Louis M. Heidelberger, left the firm this week. The group, which also included partner Thomas J. McWilliams and associates Edward F. Behm Jr., Justin C. Allen and Todd A. Norton, will be joining Gibbons’ Philadelphia office. Heidelberger is looking forward to being a part of firm management, serving as co-administrative director of the Philly office and being a part of the firm’s executive committee. Gibbons is well known for its IP work, and has 35 attorneys working in that area. The Philadelphia office opened in May of 2005, and expanded quickly thanks to a merger with litigation boutique Hecker Brown Sherry & Johnson.
Source: www.law.com

Fox Rothschild, a Philadelphia-based firm, has settled a deal with MillerMitchell PC of Princeton, NJ. Currently, 150 of Fox Rothschild’s 400 attorneys are based in New Jersey. With the merger, MillerMitchell brings its corporate, intellectual property and business trial practice to Fox Rothschild. Just last year the firm also merged with Grotta, Glassman & Hoffman, P.C., of Roseland, adding 53 lawyers to its ranks.
Source: www.njbiz.com

Under the KORUS FTA, Korea has agreed to phased-opening of the domestic legal services market to international firms. In preparation for the opening, local firms are working to stay competitive and build their practices. The law market opening will occur in three phases, over a span of at about five years. In the first phase after FTA implementation, U.S. lawyers can establish offices and work as “consultants” on issues related to U.S. and international law. In the second phase, two years after implementation, U.S. firms can affiliate with Korean firms and split revenue on cases. In the final phase, five years after implementation, U.S. firms can establish joint ventures with Korean firms and U.S. firms can hire Korean lawyers. In this new market, leading U.S. firms will have an edge in M&A work, capital markets and cross-border business deals.
Source: www.times.hankooki.com