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Sidley Austin Elevates 11 to Chicago Partner
Law Firm News |
2007/07/30 21:25
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Eleven lawyers in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP are among the 36 associates and counsel elevated to partnership in the firm, which now has 659 partners in offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The new Chicago partners are Michael C. Andolina, Financial Services/Consumer Class Actions;
Jeannette K. Arazi, Structured Finance and Securitization;
John A. Chamberlin, Real Estate;
Anny C. Huang, Structured Finance and Securitization;
Kenneth P. Kansa, Bankruptcy/Corporate Reorganization;
Christopher P. Lokken, Investment Funds, Advisers and Derivatives;
Brian A. McAleenan, Communications Regulatory;
Daniel J. Neppl, Insurance/Reinsurance Disputes;
Clinton R. Uhlir, Insurance;
Robert L. Verigan, M&A and Private Equity; and
J. Randal Wexler, Securities Litigation and S.E.C. Enforcement.
"All of our new partners embody the client service values and collegial
culture of Sidley, in addition to being exceptionally talented lawyers,"
said Thomas A. Cole, chair of the firm's Executive Committee. "We are proud
to have them join Sidley's partnership."
"It is gratifying to have these accomplished lawyers join Sidley's
partnership ranks because they truly deserve and have earned this honor,"
added Charles W. Douglas, chair of the firm's Management Committee. "They
have earned the respect of their clients and colleagues. We welcome them to our partnership and appreciate their continued dedication to the firm."
Michael C. Andolina, 34, is a partner in the Financial
Services/Consumer Class Actions practice. His practice includes a diverse
range of civil litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in both
state and federal courts, with an emphasis on consumer fraud class action
defense and white collar civil litigation.
Mr. Andolina, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from The
University of Chicago Law School. He received his A.B., magna cum laude,
Phi Beta Kappa, from Georgetown University.
Jeannette K. Arazi, 37, is a partner in the Structured Finance and
Securitization practice. Ms. Arazi's experience includes the representation
of commercial paper and medium-term note conduits and financial
institutions in the acquisition or financing of various types of assets
including trade receivables, motor vehicle leases, franchise loans,
timeshare interests and other financial assets.
Ms. Arazi, who had been an associate, received her J.D., magna cum
laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Minnesota Law School. She
received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Macalester College.
John A. Chamberlin, 37, is a partner in the Real Estate practice. His
practice includes commercial real estate transactions of all types,
including acquisitions, dispositions, financing and leasing transactions.
Mr. Chamberlin, who had been an associate, received his J.D., magna cum
laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College of Law
where he was notes editor of the Law Review. He received his B.A. from
Brigham Young University.
Anny C. Huang, 33, is a partner in the Structured Finance and
Securitization practice. Her practice includes representation of major
financial institutions, public and private corporations, institutional bond
holders, hedge funds and other creditors and investors in connection with
leverage financing for private equity, real estate and hedge funds, capital
call facilities, syndicated and structured loans, mezzanine financings,
collateralized debt obligations, securitizations, work-outs and
restructurings and single-currency, multi-currency and cross-border
transactions.
Ms. Huang, who had been an associate, received her J.D. from Columbia
University School of Law where she was a Kent Scholar and served on the Law Review. She received her B.A. and B.S., with highest honors, from the
University of California - Berkeley.
Kenneth P. Kansa, 34, is a partner in the Bankruptcy/Corporate
Reorganization practice. Mr. Kansa's practice encompasses all areas of
corporate reorganization and bankruptcy matters, focusing on the
representation of various parties in complex chapter 11 cases.
Mr. Kansa, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from the
University of Virginia School of Law, his M.A. from Cleveland State
University and his B.A. from George Washington University.
Christopher P. Lokken, 36, is a partner in the Investment Funds,
Advisers and Derivatives practice. He advises and represents clients in
federal securities, derivatives, futures related regulatory and corporate
matters with respect to alternative investment funds, including offshore
and domestic hedge funds, commodity pools and alternative asset strategy
funds sold on a retail basis in Japan.
Mr. Lokken, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude,
Order of the Coif, from Northwestern University School of Law where he was
coordinating articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. He
received his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and his B.A., with
distinction, from Indiana University.
Brian A. McAleenan, 34, is a partner in the Communications Regulatory
practice. His practice involves commercial and regulatory litigation and
related matters.
Mr. McAleenan, who had been an associate, received his J.D., magna cum
laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College of Law
where he was on the Law Review. He received his B.S., cum laude, from the
University of Illinois.
Daniel J. Neppl, 38, is a partner in the Insurance/Reinsurance Disputes
practice. He regularly arbitrates and litigates reinsurance disputes,
representing both ceding companies and reinsurers in the property and
casualty areas in matters involving both traditional and non-traditional
reinsurance. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Neppl clerked for the Honorable
C. Thomas White, Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Mr. Neppl, who had been counsel, received his J.D., cum laude, from
Creighton University School of Law, where he was executive editor of the
Creighton Law Review. He received his B.S., with honors, from the
University of Iowa.
Clinton R. Uhlir, 35, is a partner in the Insurance practice. He
focuses his practice on the representation of issuers, underwriters and
purchasers of financial products and the structuring, creation and
operation of structured investment vehicles (SIVs), asset-backed commercial
paper (ABCP) conduit programs, derivative product companies (DPCs),
including credit derivative product companies (CDPCs), and other types of
structured finance operating companies (SFOCs).
Mr. Uhlir, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from The
University of Chicago Law School and his A.B., cum laude, from Princeton
University.
Robert L. Verigan, 32, is a partner in the M&A and Private Equity
practice. His principal areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions,
corporate finance and venture capital/private equity investments. He has
also worked with issuers and underwriters in a variety of initial and
follow-on public offerings, including over a dozen S-1 offerings and
private placements of securities.
Mr. Verigan, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude,
from The University of Chicago Law School. He received his B.A., cum laude,
from Duke University.
J. Randal Wexler, 34, is a partner in the Securities Litigation and
S.E.C. Enforcement practice. His practice focuses on complex internal
corporate investigations, corporate accounting fraud and the defense, both
individual and corporate, of complex securities fraud class actions and
related violations of ERISA.
Mr. Wexler, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude,
from The University of Michigan Law School. He received his B.A. from Yale
University.
Sidley also named the following to partnership in its other offices:
Brussels -- Arnoud R. Willems; Frankfurt -- Jerome S. Friedrich; Hong Kong
-- Charles Allen; London -- Jonathan Edge, Theresa D. Kradjian and Paul
Matthews; Los Angeles -- Aimee M. Contreras-Camua, Sandra S. Fujiyama,
Kelly L.C. Kriebs, Jennifer A. Ratner and Robert M. Stone; New York --
Laura M. Barzilai, Madeleine J. Dowling, Lynn A. Dummett, Isaac S. Greaney,
Joseph Kelly, Dennis M. Manfredi and Aryeh H. Zarchan; San Francisco --
Teague I. Donahey; Tokyo -- Akira Nakazawa; Washington, D.C. -- Kevin J.
Campion, Mark B. Langdon, Eric A. Shumsky, Eric M. Solovy and John K. Van
De Weert, Jr.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world's largest full-service law firms,
with more than 1,700 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities
including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London,
Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. In 2006, Sidley was named to Legal
Business' Global Elite, their designation for "the 15 finest law firms in
the world." Sidley was again named the number one law firm for overall
client service by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, in
2007. BTI has also named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one
of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for six years in
a row.
For purposes of the New York State Bar rules, this press release may be
considered Attorney Advertising and the headquarters of the firm are Sidley
Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and Sidley
Austin LLP One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior
results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome. |
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Dentist's Practical Joke Leads Him to Court
Lawyer Blog News |
2007/07/30 17:18
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For the purposes of a practical joke, an oral surgeon exploited the vulnerability of a patient under general anesthesia and had to pay her $250,000 as settlement. Then, he sued the insurance company that refused to defend his egregious behavior. As a result of the high court's ruling Thursday, he now gets back the $250,000, plus another $750,000 for damages and attorney fees. The jokester wins.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Robert Woo, who had sued Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. The company refused to defend Woo under his policy because it said the not-very-funny practical joke Woo played on his patient did not qualify as "dental services."
Woo's surgical assistant had asked him to replace two of her teeth with implants. Woo, who often teased the assistant about her pot-bellied pig, had the implants made — as well as two extras in the shape of boar tusks. While the assistant was sedated, Woo removed her oxygen mask, put the tusks in her mouth and took pictures, some with her eyes pried open.
The employee was so unnerved when she saw the photos, she did not return to work and sued.
The most stunning aspect of the decision was the majority's opinion: "We conclude that Fireman's had a duty to defend under Woo's professional liability provision because the insertion of boar tusk flippers in [the patient's] mouth conceivably fell within the policy's broad definition of the practice of dentistry."
The general practice of dentistry includes humiliating vulnerable patients?
Thank Justices Mary Fairhurst, Richard Sanders, Bobbe Bridge, Tom Chambers and Susan Owens for that wisdom. They overturned a state Appeals Court ruling that sided with Fireman's. |
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Man Extradited from India Due in Court Today
Legal World News |
2007/07/30 16:51
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A delivery driver extradited from India is due in court charged with the kidnap, rape and murder of Southampton teenager Hannah Foster.
Hannah, 17, was killed as she walked home from a night out in the city with friends in March 2003. Her strangled body was found at the side of a road outside the city.
Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, 39, who has always protested his innocence, left Britain two days after her death and was arrested in India in July 2004.
It followed a trip to the country by Hannah's parents, Trevor and Hilary Foster, to appeal for information.
Following over 100 court appearances, Kohli lost his battle against extradition. Also charged with false imprisonment, manslaughter and perverting public justice, he arrived at Heathrow airport from Delhi on Saturday.
He was taken to Alton police station in Hampshire and is due to appear before Southampton magistrates for a remand hearing on Monday. |
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Arnold & Porter Expands Latin American Practice
Law Firm News |
2007/07/28 21:26
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The Law Firm Newswire - Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that international corporate lawyer Juan Manuel Trujillo has joined the firm as a partner in New York. Mr. Trujillo’s practice focuses on corporate transactionalwork, including project, structured, and cross-border finance, as well as restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, commercial arbitration, joint ventures and investment projects throughout Latin America and other emerging markets. Mr. Trujillo’s arrival further deepens Arnold & Porter’s historic strength in the region. He joins a recently expanded team of lawyers practicing in Latin America.
“Juan is a welcome addition to our international corporate practice, which has a thriving base in Latin America,” said firm Chair Thomas Milch. “We believe his expertise will be an ideal fit in New York, a vital center for international transactions.”
Mr. Trujillo served as the seller’s lead counsel in the sale of the largest mining company in Bolivia and Argentina. The multi-jurisdictional transaction was listed as one of the “20 Top Deals in Latin America” by LatinFinance in 2005. He also oversaw the debt restructuring of one of the largest commercial groups in Chile and the debt restructuring and joint venture negotiation of Mexico’s largest motor coach manufacturer. Mr. Trujillo advised the lenders in the acquisition financing for a controlling interest in thirteen airports located in Mexico.
He has represented clients in multiple financings of various power plants in Latin America, including the financing of a thermoelectric power plant in Brazil, selected as project finance deal of the year in 2002 by Project Finance magazine, and other project finance transactions in Mexico, Chile and Guatemala. Mr. Trujillo also advised a financial services client in connection with its $5.2 billion investment program, including credit facilities with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank), the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and multiple commercial lenders. He has represented clients in joint ventures including a U.S. asset management company in a $420 million joint-venture with Brazil’s largest commercial bank and advised on another joint venture between the largest mining company in Bolivia and the Commonwealth Development Corporation in the UK.
Commenting on his arrival at Arnold & Porter, Mr. Trujillo said, “I am looking forward to joining a team that has exceptional breadth and depth of experience in Latin America, in both complex transactional matters and corporate dispute resolution.”
Earlier this year, Arnold & Porter expanded its platform in transactions and international arbitration in Latin America. In March, São Paulo-based international finance lawyer Gregory Harrington joined the firm to advise clients in the areas of capital markets, sovereign debt, and project finance; he moved to the Washington, D.C. office in early July. Last month, a significant international arbitration team led by partners Paolo Di Rosa and Gaela Gehring Flores joined the firm, along with international corporate lawyer Raul Herrera, who has extensive experience throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They join an existing team of lawyers representing public and private sector clients throughout the region, including the central banks or ministries of finance of a number of Latin American countries.
Arnold & Porter LLP, an international law firm of approximately 600 attorneys, has offices in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, London, and Brussels. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters and regulatory issues. |
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Court awards oral surgeon $750,000 in boar-tusk case
Court Feed News |
2007/07/27 17:12
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| A local oral surgeon should have been backed by his insurance provider when an employee sued him for putting fake boar tusks in her mouth and taking photographs while he performed a dental procedure on her, the state Supreme Court decided today. The court ruled that Auburn dentist Robert Woo should have received legal defense from Fireman's Fund Insurance, restoring an original jury verdict to award the dentist $750,000 after it was overturned by an appeals court. In a dissenting opinion, one justice wrote that today's decision "rewards Dr. Woo's obnoxious behavior and allows him to profit handsomely," while also calling the original incident involving his assistant "intentional offensive and likely tortuous conduct." Woo will get $750,000 in damages, attorney fees, and is also reimbursed the $250,000 that he paid to settle the original lawsuit with his employee. The eight-year legal jumble can all be traced back to a pot-bellied pig named Walter, owned by Woo's surgical assistant. The assistant, who worked for Woo for five years, talked frequently about Walter in the office, and about the abandoned pot-bellied pigs that she cared for, according to court documents. Woo made several remarks, including how he would like to barbecue Walter, documents said. He went on a boar-hunting trip and brought back pictures of a dead boar to show the assistant. Woo claimed that his comments were just part of a "friendly working environment," documents said. But then he pulled out the fake boar tusks. The assistant needed to have two teeth replaced with implants, and Woo told her he could do it, documents said. Woo prepared a pair of fake boar tusks and, while his assistant was sedated for the procedure, Woo removed the oxygen mask, inserted the tusks in her mouth and took photos without her consent. He later developed the pictures and showed them to employees, and later one of his other employees gave them to the assistant as a birthday present. The assistant was stunned. So stunned that she filed a lawsuit with several complaints against the dentist, including invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress and medical negligence. Woo sought defense with his insurer, Fireman's, who would not defend him because his actions did not fall under "dental services," documents said. Woo settled with his assistant for $250,000 and then took his insurer to court. In June 2003, the King County Superior Court jury awarded the dentist $750,000, but that was overturned two years later by the state Court of Appeals, although it left the $250,000 settlement intact. |
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Embattled Gonzales talks crime-fighting in Indy
Lawyer Blog News |
2007/07/27 17:11
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| Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is in Indianapolis Friday addressing law enforcement assigned to sex crimes. Gonzales' appearance comes one day after Senate Democrats called for a special prosecutor to investigate whether he committed perjury. Gonzales faces new questions about his credibility because of apparent contradictions between his sworn Senate testimony and an intelligence official's statements. As a result, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has threatened to request a perjury investigation of Gonzales. Gonzales didn't mention this latest controversy, instead, sticking to his speech to law enforcement. "My promise to this group and to the parents of America is that I'm committed. I will not rest, even after I'm no longer attorney general, until this nation is better able to shield our children from crimes," he said. Gonzales has resisted calls from members of Congress to step down as attorney general. The White House defended Gonzales on Thursday against accusations he gave misleading testimony to Congress. A key Republican senator critical of Gonzales said there was no sign that President Bush's support for the attorney general was weakening.
Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accompanied Bush on an Air Force One on a trip to Philadelphia. At a hearing on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Republican had told Gonzales, "I do not find your testimony credible, candidly." The senator Thursday that Bush was sticking by Gonzales out of personal loyalty, despite the attorney general's deteriorating support on Capitol Hill. "The hearing two days ago was devastating (for Gonzales). But so was the hearing before that and so was the hearing before that," Specter said.
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