Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Expands Internal Investigations Practice
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that it has hired export controls and economic sanctions experts Lisa Prager and Josephine Aiello LeBeau as partners. Both attorneys formerly had been partners at Miller & Chevalier in Washington, D.C., and Prager had served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. They will be located in the firm's Washington, D.C., office.

"With the ever-expanding global economy, our clients increasingly need access to the best and most knowledgeable advice on compliance and enforcement issues related to U.S. export control laws and regulations," says CEO John Roos. "Lisa and Josephine have exceptional skills and experience in this area, and we look to them to build our export controls and economic sanctions practice and strengthen our existing internal investigations capabilities by adding an export controls dimension."

Prager's practice focuses on government investigations and enforcement actions, both regulatory and criminal in nature, arising from U.S. export controls, economic sanctions law, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. While at the Commerce Department, Prager managed many of the largest export control settlements and indictments in the department's history, including criminal investigations related to Chinese exports and the freight-forwarding industry. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she dealt with federal cases involving terrorism, wire and mail fraud, economic espionage, and export control violations, among many other matters. Prager received her J.D. from the Western New England College School of Law in 1982 and an undergraduate degree in political science from Yale University in 1978.

Aiello LeBeau counsels domestic and foreign companies on compliance and enforcement issues related to U.S. export control regulations and economic sanctions. She advises clients in a wide range of technology industries and assists them in obtaining necessary government approvals related to the export or transfer of their products, software, technology, and services. Aiello LeBeau also counsels companies on potential liabilities stemming from cross-border technology transfers, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions. She works closely with companies in designing and implementing internal compliance programs, conducting compliance assessments, preparing voluntary disclosures, and settling enforcement actions with U.S. government agencies. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1995 and a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in computer science from Tulane University in 1992.

04-09-2007

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Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP

Sonnenschein Opens Dallas Office to be Led by U.S. Attorney Matthew Orwig
National law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP announced today that it has opened an office in Dallas. The office will be led by Matthew D. Orwig, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, who joins the law firm on June 1 to serve as Dallas managing partner and national chair of Sonnenschein's Government Litigation and Investigations Group. Other attorneys immediately joining Sonnenschein's Dallas office as partners are former assistant U.S. attorney and cyberlaw specialist Matthew E. Yarbrough and one of the country's foremost authorities in the employee benefits and executive compensation arena, T. David Cowart.

Sonnenschein's Dallas office will provide representation to the firm's existing national clients with Texas-related matters, as well as to companies headquartered locally. The office will offer a strong focus on intellectual property litigation, government litigation and investigations, health care enforcement and compliance, and ERISA and other high-stakes matters for clients across the state, including in the litigation hotbed of East Texas.

"I am delighted to join one of the country's litigation powerhouses and to help assemble a formidable team of attorneys," stated Orwig. "Sonnenschein will be a prestigious addition to the Dallas legal community, quickly becoming a go-to firm for the most challenging intellectual property litigation, government litigation and investigations, and health care fraud and abuse representations in this region. We anticipate adding other extremely talented attorneys soon and aggressively expanding our capabilities, while also partnering with our colleagues firmwide."

Orwig joined the Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1989 and was named U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas in 2001. During his tenure, he directed some of the most high profile and successful prosecutions in the country, including cases targeting public corruption, money laundering, securities fraud, insider trading, health care fraud, capital murder and domestic terrorism. He also has served on numerous subcommittees of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, including the White-Collar Fraud Subcommittee and the Health Care Fraud Working Group.

"The Dallas/Fort Worth market is a vibrant business center, presenting significant opportunities for Sonnenschein in a number of our core practices," said Elliott I. Portnoy, Sonnenschein chairman. "We are honored that such talented attorneys have joined our team and look forward to rapidly establishing Sonnenschein as a top-tier law firm in Texas."

Yarbrough has distinguished himself as a trial lawyer both in private practice and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Texas. Most recently, he headed the cyberlaw practice at Fish & Richardson P.C., focusing on intellectual property litigation and government investigations, including defense of numerous complex white-collar criminal cases involving securities, banking, health care and business schemes. As an assistant U.S. attorney, Yarbrough created the first cybercrimes task force and pioneered the prosecution of cybercrime, earning recognition as an "Outstanding Prosecutor" by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is internationally known for his expertise on technology litigation, appearing on "Nightline," "20/20," CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and other prominent media.

Cowart, who joins Sonnenschein from Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C., is a national leader in the employee benefits community and frequent speaker to bar and industry groups across the country. He has served as chair of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, the American Bar Association's (ABA) Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, the ABA Tax Section's Employee Benefits Committee, and the Health Care Task Force. He also is a former chair of the employee benefits and executive compensation section of the Dallas Bar Association. Cowart counsels clients on traditional retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and related merger and acquisition work. He also handles administrative controversy work, advises private equity firms on employee benefits and ERISA matters, and provides the ERISA expertise in major ERISA litigation cases.

Sonnenschein's office is currently located in the Crescent complex in uptown Dallas. The firm expects to seek expanded office space within a year as it quickly grows to accommodate the demands of the Texas market.

04-09-2007

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Gardner, Carton & Douglas, L.L.P.

Lawrence J. Fox Receives American Bar Association’s Top Honor For Professional Responsibility
The American Bar Association’s Center for Professional Responsibility has named Lawrence J. Fox, a Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP partner, as the 2007 recipient of its Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award.

In announcing that Fox would receive the award, Donald. B. Hilliker, chair of the center’s coordinating committee, said it honors “individuals whose career commitments in areas such as legal ethics, disciplinary enforcement and lawyer professionalism demonstrate the best accomplishments of lawyers.” The award will be presented May 31 at the ABA’s annual National Conference on Professional Responsibility to be held in Chicago.

"Larry Fox epitomizes the very best of our profession. He has made contributions to legal ethics as a prolific author, speaker, practitioner and professor at the very highest levels. I can think of no one more deserving of the Michael Franck Award," said Hilliker.

“I believe this award is a reflection of the special place legal ethics plays at Drinker Biddle & Reath. I am humbled to join such a distinguished group of dedicated lawyers,” said Fox.

Fox joins Lewis H. Van Dusen, Jr., the 1997 Franck Award recipient, as the second Drinker Biddle honoree. In fact, Fox and Van Dusen are two of only three Franck Award recipients from private practice and they exemplify the firm’s commitment to upholding and enhancing the organized bar’s ethical standards. The award was first presented in 1995 to the Rev. Robert F. Drinan.

“We are extremely proud of Larry’s leadership and accomplishments in the area of professional responsibility and legal ethics,” said Alfred W. Putnam, Jr., Chairman of Drinker Biddle. “Larry’s entire career serves as an example of how to succeed while upholding the highest ethical standards of our honorable profession.”

In recognizing Fox’s selection, the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, observed that Fox’s “passion for professionalism has uplifted the aspirations and conduct of the legal community. With insight, humor, enormous energy and unclouded vision, he is the constant conscience of the practicing bar.”

Among his many professional accomplishments, Fox was instrumental in the creation of the ABA Commission on the Evaluation of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics 2000), on which he also served. The group’s work has served to advance the role of professional responsibility law in the administration of justice, noted Jeanne P. Gray, director of the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility.

Fox has also served as chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and the planning committee for the annual ABA National Conference on Professional Responsibility. In other ABA roles, he served as chair of the ABA Section of Litigation, Section Officers Conference and Post-Conviction Death Penalty Representation Project. He was a 2005 recipient of the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award. At the ABA’s 2006 annual meeting in Hawaii, Fox addressed the House of Delegates on the importance of maintaining judicial independence.

His appearances across the country include participating in numerous continuing legal education programs and lectures or classes at more than 35 law schools. He currently teaches the course on legal ethics at Harvard Law School, where he serves as a visiting lecturer. He has appeared on television programs, including ABC News’ Nightline, CNN’s Crossfire, Talk Back Live and Burden of Proof, NBC’s The Today Show and MSNBC’s The Most, discussing a wide range of professional responsibility issues. Internationally, he has visited Argentina, Italy and mainland China as a specialist and speaker on the role and rights of lawyers.

Fox is the author of Legal Tender: A Lawyers’ Guide to Professional Dilemmas and co-author of Traversing the Ethical Minefield: Problems, Law, and Professional

Responsibility; Red Flags: A Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Ethics; and Your Lawyer: A User’s Guide with Professor Susan R. Martyn. In addition, he has written countless articles that have appeared in national law reviews, professional publications, and state and local bar journals. In a joint letter of recommendation for the Franck Award, Professor Martyn and Los Angeles lawyer Diane Karpman said, “We find it difficult to imagine another person who has generated so much interest in professional responsibility or who has influenced so many.”

Fox became a partner at Drinker Biddle in 1976, and focuses his practice on corporate and securities litigation, as well as advising corporations and private law partnerships on ethics issues and disputes. He has twice served on the firm’s board of managing partners and has chaired the firm’s Professional Responsibility Committee. He received his B.A. (1965) and J.D. (1968) from the University of Pennsylvania, joining Pennsylvania’s bar in 1968 and New York’s in 1970.

04-09-2007

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Fitzgerald, Abbott & Beardsley, LLP

Susan von Herrmann Joins Estates & Trusts Practice Group at Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP
Susan M. von Herrmann has joined the Oakland law firm of Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP as a partner and a member of the Estates and Trusts Group. Prior to that Ms. von Herrmann was a founding partner of BvHLawGroup LLP, a boutique estate planning firm in San Francisco. Ms. von Herrmann focuses her practice on sophisticated estate planning, including charitable planned giving and minimizing estate and gift tax liabilities. She advises both non-traditional and traditional families.

Ms. von Herrmann graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Political Science. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Point Foundation, the leading LGBT scholarship fund in America, and has been instrumental in developing that organization’s planned giving program. She is a member of the Planned Giving Advisory Committee of the Red Cross, Bay Area Chapter, and is admitted to practice law in California, Massachusetts and Illinois.

Based in Oakland, California, Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP is a multi-practice law firm providing practical and effective legal and business solutions for companies and individual clients in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. With eight practice and industry groups, FAB provides a broad array of legal services to business clients ranging from sole proprietorships, partnerships and emerging companies to large regional and national enterprises. The firm also represents individuals, small businesses and partnerships with their specialized needs including small business counseling, estate planning, tax and elder law matters.

04-09-2007

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Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association

Briggs Welcomes New Shareholder.
Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association, welcomes shareholder Dennis L. Knoer to the firm.

Dennis Knoer is a shareholder and member of Briggs’ business law section. He practices principally in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities, corporate governance and business law. Knoer possesses extensive experience from serving as outside counsel to numerous privately held companies, where he negotiated transactions on behalf of clients, such as mergers and acquisitions, stock and asset acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures, and public and private financing.

Knoer received a B.A. in political science from Creighton University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a staff member of the American Criminal Law Review. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota and Missouri.

He currently serves as legislative coordinator for the Business Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Knoer is a member of the board of directors for Connect U.S.-Russia, a nonprofit organization that promotes relationship building between American entities and Russian counterparts. Minnesota Law & Politics has named him a “Rising Star.

04-09-2007

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Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association

Briggs’ Michael Miller Authors Article in Employee Benefits Planner “A Primer on Firing” Featured in First Quarter 2007 Issue
Attorney Michael T. Miller, a shareholder in the firm of Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association, has authored an article in the current issue of Employee Benefits Planner.

“A Primer on Firing,” beginning on page 28, offers tips on employer discharge best practices. Michael Miller is the head of the firm’s labor and employment section. He also leads the employment law counseling group and practices in the areas of employment law compliance, counseling and litigation. Miller conducts employer training that covers such topics as management of performance and misconduct issues. He is also often involved in the drafting and editing of various company policies and handbooks. His legal analyses have contributed to several groundbreaking cases establishing employer rights.

Miller received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. He joined Briggs and Morgan in 1987.

04-09-2007

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Wiley, Rein & Fielding, L.L.P.

Wiley Rein Publishes Updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Handbook
Wiley Rein’s International Trade and Election Law & Government Ethics Practices have published an updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Handbook. Since 1977, U.S. companies conducting business with foreign government entities and government officials have had to comply with the FCPA, which prohibits U.S. companies from bribing any foreign official to obtain or retain business. Companies and individuals found in violation of the FCPA may be subject to substantial fines, imprisonment, and/or forfeiture of property.

Several important developments have occurred in this area since the last edition of this publication (Fall 2004). A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit provided a significant clarification of the scope of the conduct covered by the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and implementing regulations have imposed significant new internal control and reporting requirements on publicly traded companies, with important implications for FCPA compliance and enforcement. Finally, the United Nations has adopted a new Convention Against Corruption, which has been signed by 111 countries, including the United States.

The handbook briefly reviews the principal provisions of the FCPA, outlines issues and factors likely to signal FCPA-sensitive situations, and summarizes recent developments that have returned international bribery and corruption to the political spotlight. U.S. companies should rigorously review their FCPA compliance programs and ensure that their overseas branches, subsidiaries, managers and agents are aware of corporate procedures for handling contracts with foreign government entities or involving government officials. A well-conceived compliance program is an essential element for avoiding trouble and, should problems arise, a critical mitigating factor under the corporate sentencing guidelines.

04-09-2007

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