Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP bought a boutique law firm that specializes in representing landlords, expanding the San Francisco firm's real estate practice.

Led by Jeffery Woo, the boutique focuses on institutional and regional property holders and real estate professionals. Along with Woo, associates David Blumenfeld, Harrison Nam, Scott Okamoto, Stanley Riddell and Stephen Sherman join Sedgwick.

Sedgwick's real estate offerings already include litigation and transactional services for a wide range of commercial real estate owners, developers, managers, lessees and professionals.

The move by Woo and his associates to Sedgwick is part of a growing trend among small firms that move their practice to firms with a national or international presence. Larger firms offer a network of administrative support and can provide a platform to launch services into new geographic markets.

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Ice Miller LLP is pleased to announce that State Representative Bob Kuzman has joined the Firm as a partner in its Public Affairs Group. Kuzman will focus on state, local and federal government issues and public affairs management including legislative monitoring and representation, administrative law and government procurement, campaign finance and election law compliance, grassroots programming and political strategy.

"Bob understands the concerns of Hoosiers, as well as Indiana businesses, and has served his constituents well," stated Byron Myers, Managing Partner, Ice Miller LLP. "His ability to navigate Indiana's legislative system and build consensus among his peers will be an asset to our clients," concluded Myers.

Kuzman is currently a State Representative for District 19 serving southern Lake, Porter and Newton counties. He is the Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and was a key negotiator on the State Budget bill. He is also the former Chairman of the House Public Policy Committee and a member of the Rules Committee. Kuzman has been a state representative since 1996. He is expected to resign his office later this summer.

"I believe that every citizen should have an open door to government and those with interests before the Statehouse should be heard," stated Kuzman. "I look forward to helping the Firm's clients manage their legislative issues at the local, state and federal levels."

During the last legislative session, Kuzman introduced legislation aimed at upgrading tax assessment laws and creating greater uniformity in the Indiana tax code. He also sponsored legislation that improves retirement benefits for Indiana's Public Employees and sponsored legislation that modified Indiana's adoption laws.

Ice Miller's lawyers and business professionals, through their understanding of businesses, industries, and government entities, help simplify the complexities faced by its clients. Ice Miller is committed to helping its clients achieve their legal and business goals. The Firm has offices in Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Naperville, Illinois; and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.icemiller.com.

Jenner & Block, a Chicago-based law firm that focuses on litigation, is shifting 15 to 20 of its equity partners to non-equity status, the National Law Journal reported Monday, citing anonymous sources.

Some of the partners are being asked to leave and a smaller number are opting for voluntary retirement, the legal newspaper said.

The firm's management last month began to move forward with the plan to cut some of the equity partners during the next year or two, according to anonymous sources cited in the Law Journal.

Though it eliminates the security of partnership -- once as honored as tenure at a university -- de-equitizing partners is a means to boost the average profits earned by equity partners to retain rainmakers and lure new talent. Equity-per-partner rankings have become the industry's measuring stick in the absence of any other accepted method, making demotions from partnership increasingly common.

In March Chicago-based Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP announced its decision to purge 45 partners amid revenue growth of 11 percent in 2006. The conservative firm, one of the nation's 10 largest in 2006, topped $1 billion in revenues for the first time in its 125-year history. Sidley Austin demoted more than 30 partners in an effort to be more competitive more than eight years earlier.

Corporate Board Member magazine ranked Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP as the best corporate law firm in Los Angeles and ninth nationally in its seventh annual survey of general counsels.  In a separate survey, the firm ranked seventh by directors for law firms they would most want representing their companies on national matters.

Approximately 800 directors and over 200 general counsels of publicly traded companies were surveyed to identify the top 20 firms nationally and the top five firms in 25 major U.S. cities. The rankings are included in the July/August issue of the magazine in the "America's Best Corporate Lawyers" feature and is available at http://www.boardmember.com/issues/current.


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"Joe has a great deal of experience working with hedge funds that make secured asset-based loans," said Richard P. Eckman, chairman of Pepper's Financial Services Practice Group. "He also is experienced in collateral debt offering transactions, a growing part of our practice, as well as aircraft financings, and the drafting and review of liquidity facilities. He is a terrific addition to our hedge fund and finance practices, and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm."

Mr. Voyticky joins Pepper from the New York office of Allen & Overy LLP, where he was a senior associate concentrating on structured finance, global loans and leveraged finance. His practice also includes working on unsecured credit facilities, receivables purchases and sales, synthetic leases, leveraged leases and restructuring transactions.

"Pepper has a sophisticated finance and hedge fund practice, and I am excited by the prospect of helping it grow in New York and nationally," said Mr. Voyticky. "I look forward to building my practice while being a resource to existing firm clients on finance matters."

Mr. Voyticky is a graduate of Union College (B.A. 1989) and Harvard Law School (J.D. 1992).

About Pepper Hamilton

Pepper Hamilton LLP (www.pepperlaw.com) is a multi-practice law firm with more than 450 lawyers in seven states and the District of Columbia. The firm provides corporate, litigation and regulatory legal services to leading businesses, governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the nation and the world. The firm was founded in 1890.

Pepper expanded its New York office and moved to a new address in Manhattan in October 2006. In addition to assisting clients in the financial services industry, lawyers in the New York office handle corporate matters, private equity, commercial and pharmaceutical litigation, international transactions and dispute resolution, employee benefits and executive compensation, and corporate restructuring and bankruptcy.

Pepper's Financial Services Practice Group includes more than 45 lawyers focusing on issues affecting the financial services industry.