Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP announced the promotion of nine new partners in the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices, effective April 1, 2007. R. Craig Baker, Steven S. Camp, Michael P. Cooley, John A. Eliason, Brett D. Lamb, Colin Martin, Robert T. Slovak, and Jeannette Vloitos practice in the Dallas office, and John T. Woodruff works out of Houston. With offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City, Gardere is one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms. The firm specializes in the areas of corporate, banking, real estate, bankruptcy, legislative and regulatory affairs, tax, labor, environmental, and intellectual property.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Pepper Hamilton Hires Tax Partner in D.C.
Pepper Hamilton has hired Ellen McElroy, a tax lawyer with experience in the IRS Chief Counsel Office, as a partner in the Washington, DC office. Formerly of Ernst & Young, McElroy specializes in accounting methods and inventories, in particular capitalization issues. She has also worked for the IRS, where she served as a legislation counsel and as a senior attorney with the Income Tax and Accounting division. Pepper Hamilton’s tax practice helps clients with proactive tax planning and is involved in the structure and formation of partnerships. The tax attorneys also have experience in private equity funds, hedge funds, corporate spin-offs, accounting method changes and IRS controversy matters.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Muth Chosen to Head Greenbaum’s Cincinnati and Covington Offices
C. Christopher Muth has been named as member-in-charge of Greenbaum, Doll & McDonald’s Cincinnati and Covington, OH offices. This appointment comes after former member-in-charge, Bill Robinson, left for Frost Brown Todd earlier this month. Muth is a part of the firm’s corporate and commercial practice group, and he is also the co-chairman of the M&A team. Specifically, he has experience in representing clients in mergers, asset acquisitions, stock purchase transactions and corporate finance.
Source: www.cincinnati.bizjournals.com
Stuntz Joins Hogan & Hartson to Co-Chair O&I Group
Reid Stuntz, formerly chief counsel and staff director to House member John Dingell, has joined Hogan & Hartson. Stuntz worked for Dingell for 18 years; Dingell is the longest serving House member in office and the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Along with Ty Cobb, Stuntz will co-chair Hogan & Hartson’s new investigations and oversights practice group. Working for Dingell, Stuntz served as the O&I chief counsel and staff director for four years, and estimates that he ran about 80 investigations.
Source: www.legaltimes.typepad.com
Goodwin Proctor Opens Two West Coast Offices
Boston firm Goodwin Proctor has opened two new offices on the West Coast. The 700-lawyer firm opened in San Diego and Los Angeles, and is considering a Silicon Valley office opening in the next six months. With its acquisition of former Heller Ehrman partners, Stephen Ferruolo and Ryan Murr, the San Diego office will specialize in technology and life sciences. Managing Partner, Regina Pisa, expects to hire about 25 lawyers, including eight partners, for that office. The LA office will open with Dean Pappas and Dani Vogt, former partners at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, as well as Edward Hagerott Jr., previously with Munger, Tolles & Olson. With the addition of several associates, this office will eventually employ 11 attorneys.
Source: www.law.com
Hogan & Hartson Moves Reits Practice to London
Hogan & Hartson is preparing to move its market-leading US real estate investment trusts (Reits) practice to London. The 16-partner practice is based primarily in Washington DC, although it has partners based in New York, North Virginia, Warsaw and Berlin. With this strategic move, Hogan & Hartson is aiming to take advantage of the fact that listed property investment companies are now being introduced in the UK. In the US, the firm has handled some of the largest Reits cases including the $8.9 billion acquisition of Trizec by Brookfield Properties.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Foley & Lardner Opens in Downtown L.A.
Foley & Lardner has expanded its Los Angeles operation with the addition of a downtown office to its existing Century City location. The new 53,000 square-foot office is located at 555 S. Flower St. in City National Plaza. The firm now has 20 offices worldwide with seven located in California. While the Century City office continues work in intellectual property and the entertainment industry, the downtown office will focus on its growing corporate and litigation practices.
Source: www.globest.com
ADR Providers’ Asia Alliance
Two large arbitration and mediation providers, California-based JAMS and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, are joining forces to handle the increasingly international nature of disputes. JAMS is a for-profit company out of Irvine, CA and has more than 200 full-time neutrals in offices nationwide. Allied with the Hong Kong group, it will have access to more than 250 arbitrators and more than 200 accredited mediators on the Hong Kong nonprofit organization’s panels. The alliance will emphasize promoting the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Asia where it currently is not widely used.
Source: www.law.com
Canadian Firm Shuts Its Doors
Canadian firm Goodman and Carr decided to shut down operations after losing a number of partners last month. Over the past two years the firm has lost attorneys to competitors, but the failed merger talks with Baker & McKenzie that prompted several senior partners to leave seemed to be the last straw. The closing of this 90-lawyer firm is said to be Canada’s largest law firm closing, and possibly indicative of the stress on many mid-size firms. Large firms are increasing recruiting efforts of talent in mid-size firms, putting pressure on these firms to stay competitive and focused.
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
Atlanta Firm Forms Green Business Group
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP has formed a new legal group focusing on serving businesses in “green industries” including renewable energy, clean technology and green building and development. The Atlanta-based firm will focus its energies in serving businesses in capital formation, tax structuring, financing, patent and trademark, technology licensing and distribution, government contracting and sustainable development. Bruce Wobeck will serve as the Chair of the new group. Morris, Manning & Martin has offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Princeton.
Source: www.primenewswire.com
