Several firms in Los Angeles have recently launched or expanded practice groups focusing on the fashion, apparel, and textile industries. Loeb & Loeb unveiled their new fashion and luxury brands industry group this month, and in April, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton recruited fashion designer lawyer Ted Max from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. Though fashion law is not a brand new area, mid-size firms are just recently getting into the game whereas before it was dominated by boutique firms. Part of the boom in business came from an increase in copyright infringement suits over textile designs and corporate deals in the industry. Loeb & Loeb’s fashion and luxury brands industry group includes ten attorneys from four different practice areas.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Michael Garfinkely, formerly of Rintala, Smoot, Jeanicke & Rees, has joined Venable’s Los Angeles office. Garfinkely, a litigator who specializes in entertainment and property law, represents entertainment companies such as William Morris Agency Inc. and International Creative Management Inc.. Previously, Garfinkely has worked for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman with Douglas Emhoff, partner-in-charge of Venable’s Los Angeles office. In 2005, Garfinkely represent the author of the book upon which the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was based in a suit against Walt Disney Co. concerning gross receipts.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips opened a new office in San Fransisco on Monday. The new office houses 12 attorney and six professionals who previously worked for Manatt Health Solutions in Palo Alto and Los Angeles. This new office will specialize in health care, energy, land use and corporate litigation. Manatt Phelps plans to expand it’s new Bay Area office by recruiting from other local firms.
Source: bizjournals.com

Lowell C. Brown and Jonathon E. Cohn will join the Los Angeles office of Arent Fox this August. Both attorneys are from law firm Foley & Lardner LLP and are two of the most prominent health care attorneys in the state of California. Arent Fox’s LA office has doubled in size since January to 20 lawyers, and the firm expects to see continued growth within this office.
Source: www.lawfuel.com

Dennis E. Kinnaird has joined Foley & Larnder LLP’s Los Angeles office as a member of the Litigation Department and the General Commercial Litigation Practice. Kinnaird spent the vast majority of his career as a trial lawyer for Munger Tolles & Olson LLP. Prior to that, he worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in California’s Central District. Foley’s representatives stated that they are looking forward to their clients’ having access to Kinnaird’s extensive experience.
Source: lawfuel.com

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

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

Kirkland & Ellis’s L.A. office has faced a number of departures over the past six months, bringing the 115-lawyer office down to about 90. About half of those attorneys who left were partners, some of whom are moving on to a new stage in their career. Now the number of partners and associates are about equal, creating a slight sense of imbalance. The L.A. office is strong in civil litigation, IP, bankruptcy, and corporate law, and firm sources report confidence in the office’s future growth.
Source: www.law.com

Several firms that entered the L.A. market last year are celebrating a successful first year. Despite the competitive lateral market, these firms have managed to significantly increase their headcounts. Goodwin Procter, had a particularly good year in California, opening two offices in L.A. and others in San Diego, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco. Steptoe & Johnson has grown their Century City office to 22 lawyers, finding success in recruiting in West L.A. Whereas Steptoe has grown using a lateral-by-lateral approach, Venable has built its L.A. office by combining two local 10-lawyer boutiques.
Source: www.law.com

D.C. based Dickstein Shapiro has added four attorneys from Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner’s L.A. office, which has seen more than a dozen departures since its fall merger. Partners James Turken and Amy Rubinfeld, along with two associates from Thelen’s commercial litigation group have joined the 20-lawyer office in L.A. Thelen’s office now has about 50 attorneys, down from 65 at the time of its merger with Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner.
Source: www.nylawyer.com