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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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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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Greenberg Traurig news
Law Firm News |
2007/07/23 17:01
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The international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP is pleased to announce that its Trademarks and Global Brand Strategies Group has been recognized as the top ranking practice among law firms in three publications:
IP Law360 gave the firm top rankings in its survey of the 250+ largest law firms most frequently hired for trademark litigation in 2006.
Intellectual Property Today ranked the firm first in its annual listing of Top Trademark Firms. The ranking is a result of having the highest number of trademark applications issued in 2006.
NameProtect Trademark Insider ranked the firm first for three consecutive years for the number of USPTO trademark applications submitted. The ranking is a result of NameProtect’s annual reports from 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006 Greenberg Traurig’s Trademark and Global Brand Strategies Group handled 148 federal trademark lawsuits; more than triple that of the firm’s closest competitor and an 18 percent increase from the previous year.
“Every member of our team is diligent at keeping current with the issues that regularly face our clients,” said Rick Harris, Shareholder and National Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. “It’s great to receive this kind of positive feedback and reinforcement for our work.”
In addition to these prestigious rankings, Greenberg Traurig’s trademark and global brand strategy attorneys have a significant international presence as they seek to position and protect clients’ valuable brands throughout the world.
Greenberg Traurig brings together a vast network of resources to obtain, monitor, enforce and leverage trademarks and trade dress worldwide. The firm offers a wide range of services in this area of intellectual property, including trademark clearance, licensing or acquisition, registration worldwide, and licensing of rights of publicity (using a name or persona for commercial purposes). Trademark attorneys also work with clients to develop trademark watch services and monitoring programs for their valuable brands, and counsel the clients on global anti-counterfeiting/anti-infringement, anti-parallel trade and other brand enforcement strategies.
Olswang, a London-based law firm with whom Greenberg Traurig has a strategic alliance, has also received similar praise for its trademark team, which is part of its leading Intellectual Property practice. Olswang was recently recognized as "the UK's most active law firm for UK trademark registry filings" by the Institute of Trademark Attorneys. In 2006 the firm increased its filings by 40 percent from the previous year.
Joel Barry, head of the trademark team and partner at Olswang, said, "Our team is going from strength to strength and making a serious impression on the UK legal market. In the last three years the team's size and turnover has more than quadrupled, and in 2006 we filed more UK registry trade mark filings than any other UK firm. Our achievements mirror the success of Greenberg Traurig. Working closely together we offer a truly unique integrated IP offering which appeals to clients and keeps us both ahead of the market."
“While it’s been exciting for us to receive this praise, the feeling has been magnified by the success of our business partners in London,” said Roxanne Elings, a New York Shareholder and Chair of the Trademark Practice in New York. “Our alliance with Olswang has further strengthened our abilities to provide our clients with the resources and counsel they need.”
“We’re delighted that both our trademark group and Olswang’s have received these well-deserved accolades,” said Richard Rosenbaum, National Operating Shareholder. “Their extensive knowledge of trademark matters is unparalleled and we wish the groups continued success.”
About Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with more than 1700 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The firm is ranked seventh on The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 listing of the largest law firms in the U.S., based on number of lawyers.
Greenberg Traurig serves clients from offices in: Albany, NY; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Atlanta, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Morristown, NJ; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Tampa Bay, FL; Tokyo, Japan; Tysons Corner, VA; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Wilmington, DE; and Zurich, Switzerland. Additionally, the firm has strategic alliances with the following independent law firms: Olswang, London, Berlin and Brussels; Studio Santa Maria, Milan and Rome; and Hayabusa Asuka Law Offices in Tokyo.
www.gtlaw.com |
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Ehrlich's law firm moving to Baltimore
Law Firm News |
2007/07/19 05:42
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Womble Carlyle Standridge & Rice, a national law firm headed in Maryland by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has signed a lease to move its state offices from Linthicum to downtown Baltimore within the next two months, commercial brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Inc. said Wednesday.
The firm has signed a lease for 17,737 square feet at 250 W. Pratt St., a 24-story, 368,194-square-foot office building owned by Behringer Harvard Funds. "We are thrilled to have such a prestigious law firm choose 250 W. Pratt Street as its Maryland office location," Tim Jackson, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, said in a news release. "We look forward to working with Womble Carlyle as they continue to growth their practice in Baltimore." Terms of the lease were not disclosed. In addition to Jackson, Cushman & Wakefield brokers T. Courtenay Jenkins and Whitney M. Nye represented Behringer Harvard in the deal. Andy Andrews, a broker with Colliers Pinkard, represented Womble Carlyle. The lease brings 250 W. Pratt St. to a 95 percent occupancy, leaving just 16,000 square feet vacant. Jenkins said the asking rent for that space ranges from $27.50 to $28.50. The deal partially offsets plans by another law firm, Semmes, Bowen & Semmes, to move its offices from 250 W. Pratt St. to 25 S. Charles St. The firm, which needs about 60,000 square feet, plans to move in April 2008.
http://www.wcsr.com
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Tech-heavy law firm closes down shop
Law Firm News |
2007/07/13 16:03
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Boutique technology law firm Daniels Daniels & Verdonik, whose members were major players during the go-go, dot-com years, is closing shop and will be absorbed into the Raleigh outpost of New Bern-based Ward and Smith.
Founded in 1982, DD&V was well known among the local entrepreneurial intelligentsia, with clients including Etrials Worldwide Inc., EMC Corp. and StrikeIron Inc. The shop's offerings included corporate and tax law, structuring venture financing deals and patent and copyright work. DD&V always has been a small firm, with its attorney roster maxing out at eight a few years ago. But after losing a couple of attorneys to Hutchison Law Group in the spring, DD&V's roster dwindled to just four lawyers, including name partners Walter Daniels, Linda Markus Daniels and Jim Verdonik. "Daniels Daniels & Verdonik is a specialized firm with exceptionally knowledgeable attorneys who will strengthen our firm's full service capabilities," says Ward and Smith co-managing director Kenneth R. Wooten. Partners at DD&V believe size will benefit the lawyers as well as the clients. "We chose to combine with Ward and Smith to utilize their talented group of attorneys to provide additional resources to our clients," says Verdonik. "We are excited about this combination, and we look forward to continuing to serve the technology community with a wider range of services and a much deeper team." Keith Kapp, who leads Williams Mullen Maupin Taylor's Raleigh office, sees benefits of the merger for DD&V. "It would make good business sense and would better serve clients to be able to offer multiple specialties," says Kapp, who helped shepherd Raleigh-based Maupin Taylor through its recent merger with Virginia firmWilliams Mullen earlier this year. Walter Daniels, a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and wife Linda operated the firm as Daniels & Daniels for years. That changed in 2003, when tech and securities maven Verdonik jumped ship from Kilpatrick Stockton to join them. In addition to the Danielses and Verdonik, intellectual property lawyer Jose Cortina works at DD&V. The four lawyers are in the process of moving to Ward and Smith, which opened a Raleigh office in 1990. Excluding the DD&V crew, Ward and Smith's downtown Raleigh office has about 20 employees, including attorneys and support staff. While specialization can have its advantages, DD&V was hamstrung by its size and practice limitations - especially after Caroline Horton Rockafellow and Amalie Tuffin departed the firm in March to join competitor Hutchison Law Group. A major chunk of DD&V's clientele is aspiring technology companies. They have the potential to soar to the moon, but many flame out on the launch pad. Law firms can get burned along the way, notching plenty of billable hours working for a client that ends up not being able to pay because it encounters financial difficulty. Having to kiss a lot of frogs in order to find a prince is a better proposition at a bigger firm, which can weather tough times because it has other revenue-generating practice areas to fall back on. A small firm such as DD&V also can be at a disadvantage because larger competitors can offer clients a wider diversity of services. For instance, DD&V competitors such as Smith Anderson and Wyrick Robbins Yates and Ponton both have dozens of lawyers and more practice areas, allowing clients to have much of their legal work taken care of under one roof. Hutchison Law Group has a niche similar to DD&V but is much bigger, having grown to 24 attorneys since its founding in 1996. After the DD&V lawyers move over, Ward and Smith will have more than 70 attorneys and north of 200 support staff combined in Greenville, New Bern, Wilmington and Raleigh. "With established offices in Wilmington and Greenville, two growing technology centers in eastern North Carolina, Ward and Smith will also expand the geographic reach of our technology practice," says Verdonik.
http://www.d2vlaw.com
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Phila. law firm opens Vietnam offices
Law Firm News |
2007/07/12 19:13
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Duane Morris said Thursday it has officially opened law offices in Vietnam's two principal cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The expansion plans were originally revealed as the Philadelphia-based law firm announced the opening of a Singapore office in late December. As with Singapore, the Vietnam effort will be led by Duane Morris partner and former Mexican Ambassador to Singapore Eduardo Ramos-Gómez. The Vietnam offices will be staffed with three lawyers and focus on the areas of corporate finance, project finance, energy, cross-border transactions, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and telecommunications. The firm's Asia-based lawyers service clients in, or with interests in, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The office and staff are fluent in the major languages of those countries. Sheldon Bonovitz, chairman of Duane Morris, said Vietnam has thriving manufacturing, information technology and high-tech industries and a heavy investment concentration from Singapore and other countries in Asia, as well as from the United States. In addition, Bonovitz said Vietnam's accession to membership in the World Trade Organization in January promises further economic development in the future.
http://www.duanemorris.com |
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