Law Firm News

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Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Battle Joins Fulbright’s Litigation Practice
Michael A. Battle, the former director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice, joined Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.’s Washington D.C. office Monday as a partner. At Fulbright, Battle will focus on commercial and civil litigation, as well as white-collar criminal matters.

Battle brings to Fulbright 20 years of trial experience, handling criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts. For more than three years, Battle served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York. He previously worked as a family court judge, a federal public defender, an assistant New York attorney general, and an assistant U.S.attorney. He started his career as a staff attorney for The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Division.

“Mike Battle is an outstanding and accomplished attorney whose varied experiences in public service make him a key addition to our litigation practice,” said Steven B. Pfeiffer, the chair of Fulbright’s Executive Committee. “He will join a carefully assembled team that helps our clients navigate through such complex issues as governmental investigations and other high-stakes litigation.”

Battle first learned about Fulbright from one of his close friends, Fulbright Partner Michael Shelby. Shelby, who passed away last year following an extended battle with cancer, served as a U.S. attorney for nearly a decade before joining Fulbright as a partner in 2005. After attending Shelby’s funeral in Houston last summer, Battle, who described his relationship with Shelby as being close, sat next to Pfeiffer on their plane trip back to Washington, D.C.

The pair began talking about Battle’s future plans. When Battle explained he was exploring the private sector, discussions about the possibility of Battle joining Fulbright began.

Recalling the “gigantic smile,” Shelby had on his face when Battle last saw his friend, Battle said Shelby described how much he enjoyed his new role at Fulbright.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘When I get ready to leave, I hope I can land at a firm like that,’” Battle said. “Mike was the kind of guy who meant what he said. He wasn’t one to embellish, and he was right about Fulbright. It is the perfect fit and provides a great platform. Fulbright is a firm with a rich history in litigation.”

Fulbright’s litigation prowess stems from such giants of the profession as Leon Jaworski, Kraft Eidman, Jim Sales and the firm’s co-founder John Crooker, Sr. Fulbright’s litigation and dispute resolution practice has been a cornerstone of the firm since 1919.

“This is a strategic addition to our firm,” said Stephen C. Dillard, the head of Fulbright’s worldwide litigation practice. “Mike brings the credentials, perspective and invaluable experience of a former prosecutor to our white collar practice.”

As director of the executive office for U.S. attorneys, Battle provided direct oversight and support activities to the 94 United States Attorney’s offices across the country.

Since 2004, Battle has been a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. He served on the Subcommittee on Civil Rights, Sentencing Guidelines and White Collar Fraud.

In 2003, Battle received national recognition for his prosecution of the Lackawanna Six, a group of six U.S. citizens charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

More recently, Battle worked to help create a task force that successfully cut down on fraud in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Since the task force’s creation, more than 400 defendants in 30 districts across the country have been prosecuted for fraud and related abuses.

“Mike brings an unsurpassed record of public service to Fulbright,” said Joseph Small, partner-in-charge of Fulbright’s Washington D.C. office. “Our firm has long valued public service and has encouraged each of our attorneys to give back to the communities in which they live and work. Mike has not only given back, but set an example for how to be successful in leading and representing with integrity.”

Battle said Fulbright offered an opportunity that allowed his legal career to come full circle.

“I like trying cases and I like representing clients,” he said. “I just needed to find the right place to do that. And it seems my good friend, Mike Shelby, whose opinion people revered, once again served to be a guiding example.

04-09-2007

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Cozen O' Connor

Cozen O’Connor Attorney Richard Mason Appointed Vice-Chair of TIPS Committee
Cozen O’Connor member Richard C. Mason was recently appointed vice-chair of the Excess, Surplus Lines and Reinsurance Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS). Resident in the firm’s Philadelphia office, Mason heads its financial risk transfer practice. He has broad experience in litigating and arbitrating insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes concerning financial risks, environmental coverage and property losses, as well as issues of insurance and reinsurance allocation. His experience includes involvement in such high-profile disputes as the Enron bond insurance coverage dispute, the WorldCom bond default insurance dispute, multibillion-dollar property reinsurance claims in connection with 9/11 losses, and London market reinsurance spiral disputes. He also handles matters involving complex commercial fraud and other transactional disputes.

Mason is editor-in-chief of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Tort & Insurance Law Journal, and a member of the ABA's financial institutions litigation, business litigation and financial institutions litigation subcommittees. He is also a member of the New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey State bar associations, and a member of AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society. He has authored numerous articles, and has been named a Pennsylvania “Rising Star” by Law & Politics.

Mason earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola College (B.A., 1987), and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1991). He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

04-09-2007

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Cozen O' Connor

Cozen O’Connor’s Scott B. Schwartz and Mary Katherine Merlino Lecture at INTA’S Trademark Administrators Workshop
Cozen O’Connor member Scott B. Schwartz and paralegal Mary Katherine Merlino recently lectured on “Anti-Counterfeiting Measures from the Trademark Administrator’s Perspective” for the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Trademark Administrators Workshop series. Schwartz and Merlino discussed important topics for trademark administrators, including choosing the most effective strategies to protect against counterfeiters, utilizing the newest tools available, expanding resources globally and locally, staying ahead of the counterfeiting game, and avoiding common pitfalls.

Schwartz practices in Cozen O'Connor’s intellectual property practice group from the firm’s Philadelphia office. He concentrates his practice in all aspects of trademark, copyright and unfair competition law. Before joining Cozen O'Connor, Schwartz was in-house counsel at Intel Corporation for more than three and a half years as a senior attorney responsible for implementing and managing global trademark enforcement and protection strategies.

Schwartz is a regular speaker on the topic of trademark law and has appeared on CN8 Your Morning, served as a guest lecturer on the subject at Santa Clara University School of Law, and presented before the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and other conferences nationwide. He has been quoted on intellectual property issues in BrandWeek, Best’s Review, and California Lawyer Magazine, and was named as a 2005 Pennsylvania “Rising Star” in the December 2005 issues of Philadelphia magazine and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition. In addition, he is a former chair of the INTA’s U.S. Legislation and Regulations Subcommittee and its New Regulations Subcommittee.

Schwartz received his bachelor of arts degree from American University and his law degree from the University of Buffalo School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild, having appeared in his youth in various commercials as well as more recently in an independent film.

Merlino has over 20 years of experience as a paralegal specializing in patent, trademark and copyright matters. Her tenure has included working in-house with several pharmaceutical companies for 12 years, as well as over 8 years in law firms.

Currently serving as second vice president of the Philadelphia Association of Paralegals (PAP), Merlino is also chair of the PAP Intellectual Property Committee and of the INTA’s trademark administrators committee. She is a graduate of the University of Florida (1986) and the Philadelphia Institute for Paralegal Training (1986).

04-09-2007

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Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Three Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Attorneys Selected as Washington D.C. Area Super Lawyers
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC is proud to announce that three of the firm's attorneys have been honored by their peers and selected as Washington D.C. Super Lawyers. More than 32,000 attorneys across the area were asked to nominate lawyers, and only the top 5 percent of Washington, D.C. area lawyers received this distinction.

Those honored from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney were George Hovanec, Jr., (Intellectual Property) and Charles Wieland, III (Intellectual Property) from the Alexandria, Virginia office; and Stuart Lewis (Employee Benefits/ERISA) from the Washington, D.C. office.

The criteria reviewed for the award include: noteworthy verdicts or settlements; creativity or innovation within the legal process; number of cases tried or transactions handled; years in practice; position within firm; professional activities; writings and lectures; community involvement and volunteer work; professional degrees or training; and academic background, including honors and clerkships.

The results of the survey will be published by the Washington, D.C. area distribution of The New York Times and Law & Politics Media, Inc. in its annual publication Washington D.C. Super Lawyers.

04-09-2007

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Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Six Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Attorneys Selected as New Jersey Super Lawyers
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC is proud to announce that six of the firm's attorneys have been honored by their peers and selected as New Jersey Super Lawyers. Of the firm's more than 550 attorneys nationwide, 78 are licensed to practice in New Jersey. More than 32,000 attorneys across the state were asked to nominate lawyers, and only the top 5 percent of New Jersey lawyers received this distinction.

Those honored from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney were Rosemary Bruno (Employment Litigation Defense), Louis DeStefano (Environmental), John Goldsmith (Business/Corporate), Allen Molnar (Business Litigation) and Robert Stickles (Business Litigation) from the Newark office; and Mary Sue Henifin (Business Litigation) from the Princeton office. Rosemary Bruno was also named as one of the "Top 100 New Jersey Lawyers" and "Top 50 New Jersey Women Lawyers."

The criteria reviewed for the award include: noteworthy verdicts or settlements; creativity or innovation within the legal process; number of cases tried or transactions handled; years in practice; position within firm; professional activities; writings and lectures; community involvement and volunteer work; professional degrees or training; and academic background, including honors and clerkships.

The results of the survey will be published by New Jersey Monthly and Law & Politics Media, Inc. in its annual publication New Jersey Super Lawyers.

04-09-2007

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Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Attorney Named A Franchise Times Legal Eagle 2007
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney shareholder Leslie Smith-Porter was named as one of Franchise Times' "Legal Eagles" of 2007, an honor awarded to 125 franchise attorneys nationwide, who were nominated by industry peers and clients through surveys conducted by the publication's editorial department. Representing the "best of the best" in the area of franchise law, Legal Eagles are known as the rainmakers, the go-to lawyers and the ethical problem-solvers who are respected by their peers, adversaries and clients alike.

Smith-Porter is chair of the Buchanan's Franchise and Distribution Group. She litigates a range of commercial matters at both the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts. She has represented franchisors in commercial disputes involving trademarks, trade secrets, covenants not to compete and vicarious liability claims. She has also been involved in NASD arbitrations.

04-09-2007

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Baker & McKenzie, L.L.P.

Baker & McKenzie Grabs Five Projects Deal of the Year Awards for 2006
2006 was a very successful year for Baker & McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Energy, Mining, Chemicals and Infrastructure industry team with five of the group’s deals winning ‘Deal of the Year’ awards from the Region’s leading industry and legal publications. These include:

• Gulf Cogeneration project bond transaction: Refinancing of three small power providers in Thailand – named Asia Pacific Power Deal of the Year 2006 by Project Finance Magazine. Lead partner was Komkrit Kietduriyakul in Bangkok.

• Ratchaburi Power transaction: Project development and financing of a 1,400 MW gas fired power plant in Thailand – named Asian Power Deal of the Year 2006 by Project Finance International. Lead partners were Paul Elliott in Singapore and Sawanee Sethsathira in Bangkok.

• Fujairah Independent Water and Project Producer transaction: Project financing of a 535 MW gas-fired power plant and desalination plant producing 100 million gallons of water per day in the UAE – named one of the Deals of the Year 2006 by Asian Counsel. Lead partner was Chew Chin in Singapore.

• Cepu Block Joint Operating Agreement transaction: Joint development of the Cepu Block by PT Pertamina (Persero) and ExxonMobil – named one of the Deals of the Year 2006 by Asian Counsel. Lead partner was Luke Devine in Jakarta.

• CLP-Singapore Power sale of power assets transaction: Sale of Australian merchant energy business of SPI Australia Group to CLP Power Australia Energy Holdings Limited – named Energy and Resources Deal of the Year 2006 at the Australasian Law Awards. Lead partner was Michael Kunstler in Sydney.

The Lead Partner of this team, Paul Davis, credited the Firm’s success to the breadth of the projects experience in the firm’s network of offices in the Asia Pacific. “These awards confirm the strength of our sponsor representation on projects and project finance transactions in Asia. We have probably the largest network of lawyers in Asia, with substantial presences in the main jurisdictions, and this, together with our regional project finance team in Singapore, enables us to provide seamless cross-border and local law advice throughout the region.”

Going forward, Baker & McKenzie sees the Middle East as one of the key markets for infrastructure project development, particularly with destinations such as Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia supporting a rising tourism industry. The firm also predicts the resurgence of Indonesia as a destination for foreign investment, particularly intra-Asian investment. Outflow project investment from Japan has been steadily increasing while China and India continue to be hotspots for both inflow and outflow investment. In terms of industry trends, gas is a rapidly growing area for the firm and clean energy and climate change issues are expected to remain key concerns for infrastructure project players. “Baker & McKenzie is a market leader and market maker in the global carbon and climate change sector. Our depth of knowledge on climate change is unrivalled – which is why leaders in the carbon market such as the World Bank, Japan Carbon Finance, European Carbon Fund and the Asian Development Bank retain us,” continued Paul Davis.

04-09-2007

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