Carlos Burruezo, who had been managing partner in Fisher & Phillips' Orlando office, led the exodus of six lawyers to Littler Mendelson, which has made Orlando the site of its 43rd office nationwide and second in Florida after Miami.

Burruezo said he had been contacted by Littler "not many weeks ago to found an office in Orlando," and that by joining a significantly larger firm he and his colleagues could "take our practice to the next level."

Meanwhile, Theresa Gallion, the manager and sole remaining lawyer at Fisher & Phillips' Orlando office, is actively recruiting replacements, she said this week. Expressing no hard feelings, she said she expects to have three or four new lawyers working in the Orlando office by summer's end, and as many as 10 lawyers in the office within a year or two.

"We don't want people to be concerned with our commitment to Orlando," said Gallion, who also manages Fisher & Phillips' Tampa office, one of 18 nationwide.

Joining Burruezo at Littler Mendelson are Anthony Hall, Desiree Hill-Henderson, Jeffrey Jones, Juan Lopez-Campillo and Janine Toner. Burruezo said the office will move from its temporary quarters in Baldwin Park to permanent space in downtown Orlando within the next few months.

www.littler.com

Gov. Tim Kaine's office announced Tuesday that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP will assist the panel, which Kaine appointed shortly after the April 16 shootings. Two litigation partners from the firm's 300-person Washington, D.C., office will be the lead attorneys responsible for the pro bono work.

Kaine and Attorney General Bob McDonnell agreed on the need for outside counsel to assist the panel, which has confronted an array of difficult legal questions during its first month of work. Among other things, the panel has confronted privacy laws that prevent it from gaining access to gunman Seung-Hui Cho's academic and mental health records.

"The legal questions were more plentiful than any of us anticipated," said the panel's chairman, retired Virginia State Police Superintendent Gerald Massengill.

Spokesmen for Kaine and McDonnell said the reliance on outside counsel makes sense because the attorney general's office already represents Tech, the state police and state mental health agencies. Massengill said he agreed that "independent, outside counsel would be helpful."

Skadden has extensive experience representing special commissions and boards of inquiry, according to the governor's office. The international firm has about 2,000 lawyers in 22 offices around the globe.

"As citizens, and especially as parents, we are pleased that we are able to assist the panel with this very important inquiry," said Michael Rogan, head of Skadden's Washington, D.C., office, in a statement released by the governor's office.

Kaine has asked the panel to produce recommendations before state colleges begin fall semester classes. The panel will hold the third of its four scheduled public meetings Monday at George Mason University in Fairfax County.

The session will include a report on Cho's interactions with the mental health system by the state inspector general.

On the Net: vtreviewpanel.org

Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis has been recognized by American Lawyer Media (ALM) as a "Go-To Law Firm" in the area of Litigation. The firm will be recognized as a Go-To Law Firm in a national reference guide which is being released at the end of June 2007. Nominees are chosen from an ALM national survey of General Counsel from the Leading Financial Services Companies coupled with in-depth research & analysis of various public filings and resources. After a lengthy & rigorous process only the strongest firms made it to the top of the list, hence being named a Go-To Law Firm.

Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, which has more than 70 lawyers, is headquartered in Jackson and has offices in Gulfport and Olive Branch.

Additional information about Watkins Ludlam and American Lawyer Media can be found at www.watkinsludlam.com

Bruckner has an impressive track record advising domestic and multinational clients in private equity transactions, with specific expertise advising on large and mid-size management and leveraged buy-outs.

"Volkmar's work on a number of large and mid-market deals has elevated him as a 'rising star' at the German M&A and private equity bar. His experience handling complex domestic and cross-border deals strengthens our capability in Germany.  He has developed a reputation within German private equity circles for being extremely hard-working, having a strong team spirit and possessing an entrepreneurial attitude - qualities that we place high emphasis on. Volkmar joins a strong and ambitious team in Germany, and his experience and attitude will further reinforce our position in Europe," said Jörg Kirchner, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Munich.

John Watson, Vice Chair of the Global Corporate Department, commented: "On the corporate side, we are committed to building the leading private equity, M&A and acquisition finance capability in Europe. We have taken great strides in this direction, working on some of the most widely-watched deals in the market, entering new markets and attracting major players in Europe  to join our team. Volkmar's arrival is further evidence of this commitment and ambition."

"I admire Latham's private equity practice and the firm's focus and success at building a deep corporate capability in Europe.  The firm's global platform and culture of integration together with its strong German presence will provide additional opportunities for me to grow my practice and attract new clients," said Bruckner.

Bruckner joins Latham & Watkins from Dechert LLP, where he has been a partner since January 2006. He joined Dechert in 2004 from Baker & McKenzie, where he practiced as an associate since 1999. Bruckner studied law at the University of Erlangen, completing his PhD at Erlangen in 2001. He completed an LL.M. in international comparative law at George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C. in 1996.  He teaches M&A and private equity related courses at the Nuremberg University Business School.

Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP has combined its two D.C. offices in one location, bringing together more than 200 lawyers and government affairs professionals.

The law firm, resulting from the Jan. 1 merger of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham and Preston Gates & Ellis, has 1,400 lawyers who practice from offices in D.C. and numerous other cities around the globe, including Beijing, Boston, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

The firm's combined D.C. office is at 1601 K St. NW, a 190,000-square-foot space that was also the previous home of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham. The firm took an additional 10,000 square feet of space at that location to house the additional workers from Preston Gates & Ellis.

The former D.C. office of Preston Gates & Ellis was at 1735 New York Ave. NW.

In Washington, the firm is known for its work in financial services, including an investment management practice and a mortgage banking and consumer credit group. By merging their operations, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis also has one of the largest public policy and lobbying practices nationwide.

In addition, the D.C. office has a litigation group that handles a variety of general, commercial, securities, antitrust, government contracts, environmental and insurance coverage matters. The office also focuses on energy, telecom, media, food and drug, transportation and emerging companies.