Law Firm News

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Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Top-Notch Trial Lawyer Joins Greenberg Traurig\'s Pre-Eminent Real Estate Litigation Practice
Continuing its aggressive expansion strategy, Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Los Angeles office has brought another highly respected litigator on board -- Scott Bertzyk. He joins as a shareholder and member of the firm’s burgeoning real estate litigation practice chaired, in the Western region, by Eric Rowen. Former partners at Jones Day, Rowen and Bertzyk make a powerful real estate litigation team, bringing a combined 46 years of experience in delivering successful outcomes for clients in real estate and other disputes. Bertzyk has litigated some of the largest cases in California history for a wide array of clients including Baldwin Builders, Village Properties, Los Angeles County, Ventura County, the State of California, Goodrich Corporation and Bridgestone/Firestone.
“Scott is among the best litigators in the nation. He thinks creatively and brings extensive knowledge, skill and experience to bear in representing clients,“ notes Rowen. “He will add tremendous depth and breadth to our group, and be an invaluable asset as we move Greenberg Traurig’s Western region real estate litigation practice to a new level. It will be great to work together again developing strategies designed to deliver exceptional results for our clients.”

“Eric and Scott make a formidable litigation team that provides important value to our highly regarded real estate and secured finance practices,” adds Jeff Scott, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles office. “Real estate is a critical element of the California economy and their specialized skills in litigating disputes within all sectors of the industry allow us to provide first-rate representation to clients not only within the state but also throughout the U.S. In addition, Scott brings substantial appellate experience to our national appeals group.”

Bertzyk has litigated a wide variety of major real estate-related disputes for both private and public entities including matters involving acquisitions, rights of first refusal, easements and CEQA, as well as ownership and entitlement issues. For example, he obtained a victory for the Orange County Fair against sellers of the Pacific Amphitheatre that reopened the facility and netted his client a substantial settlement. He successfully defended a hospital in Palm Springs against competitors’ CEQA challenges designed to halt the facility’s expansion plans, and won the plaintiffs’ appeal against the judgment. Thereafter, in a separate tort suit against these competitors, Bertzyk obtained the largest jury verdict in Coachella Valley history at that time. He also won the largest FDIC settlement in history for a developer in a suit claiming the FDIC failed to honor the client’s right of first refusal to acquire property surrounding the Westlake reservoir.

On the public entity side, Bertzyk successfully represented a number of counties in a series of class actions seeking increases in retiree pensions. The claims had created more than $10 billion in exposure to the counties. He also represented two local counties in litigation against the State of California, establishing their rights to certain property tax revenues that the State Controller claimed belonged to the State. As a result, Los Angeles County became entitled to a refund of more than $135 million and to receive $18- $20 million per year in annual funding on a go-forward basis, while Ventura County was assured of $30 million in refunds and funding. In another case, Bertzyk represented the State of California in securing a published appellate decision affirming reversal of an arbitration panel’s award of almost $89 million in attorneys’ fees to a consortium of plaintiffs’ lawyers.

His extensive experience and track record in the appellate court make him an invaluable advocate whether he is defending a trial court decision or arguing for a reversal.

Bertzyk graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Texas Law School and summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, with a joint degree in accounting and business administration. He has taught appellate advocacy at Loyola Law School. While in law school, Bertzyk also passed all phases of the Certified Public Accountants’ examination in the first sitting.

06-05-2006

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Goodwin Procter, LLP

Goodwin Procter Adds Three Private Equity Partners From Hogan & Hartson
Goodwin Procter LLP is pleased to announce that three highly-regarded partners from Hogan & Hartson are joining its Private Equity Practice, broadening its geographic reach with the addition of this key group to its Washington, DC office. The partners joining the firm are J. Hovey Kemp, Christopher J. Hagan and James A. Hutchinson.

“We are delighted that attorneys of this caliber have chosen to join Goodwin Procter’s private equity platform,” said Regina M. Pisa, chairman and managing partner at Goodwin Procter. “With their depth of experience in leveraged buyout transactions, recapitalizations, growth equity investments and portfolio company representation, they are the perfect complement to our nationally renowned team of private equity attorneys.”

Goodwin Procter is recognized as one of the top law firms in the nation for private equity and fund formation by highly-respected industry sources such as Chambers and Partners. A national leader in the sector for more than 40 years, Goodwin Procter was the sixth most active private equity and venture capital law firm based on deals closed in 2005 (Private Equity Analyst); the firm closed 300 private equity and venture capital deals last year.

Goodwin Procter’s Private Equity Practice works collaboratively to address clients’ needs, offering specialists in debt, tax, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, ERISA, employment and real estate law, and enabling clients to assess opportunities and structure complex, innovative transactions. The practice works closely with entrepreneurs, investors and growth companies in coordination with the firm’s Technology Companies Practice, which added close to 100 attorneys from Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault and McDermott, Will & Emery in 2005.

The addition of these three leading attorneys to the firm’s Washington, DC office, coupled with the growth of the firm’s New York office and the recent opening of offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, presents Goodwin Procter with significant opportunities for continued growth by serving existing and new clients in these important markets.

“Adding these three prominent partners will not only enhance our client service capabilities and broaden our existing client base in the private equity area, but will also continue our expansion strategy in the DC market,” said Pisa. “Over the past several years, we have grown our Washington, DC presence significantly, merging with the venerable DC-based Shea & Gardner in 2004.”

06-05-2006

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Fowler, White, Boggs & Banker, Attorneys At Law

CHAMBERS USA NAMES FOWLER WHITE BOGGS BANKER AMONG TOP LAW FIRMS IN FLORIDA IN SIX PRACTICE AREAS
Fowler White Boggs Banker has been named among the state’s leading law firms in six practice areas earning top rankings in the firm’s Immigration and Insurance Practice Groups. Other leading practice areas recognized by Chambers USA include Employment, Health Care, Real Estate and Tax.

Chambers USA reflects market opinion through surveys of clients and lawyers across the U.S. It is one of a series of Chambers and Partners independent, objective and research-based guides to the legal profession. The qualities on which rankings are assessed include technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by legal clients.

In addition, 17 Fowler White attorneys have been recognized among the state’s leading practitioners in the 2006 edition Chambers USA – America’s Leading Business Lawyers. “We are proud to know that clients and peers value the experience and service that our lawyers provide and also recognize the depth of our practice areas,” commented Rhea F. Law, CEO and president of Fowler White Boggs Banker.

The following Fowler White Boggs Banker attorneys were recognized this year:

Steven K. Barber – Tax: Employee Benefits

Cathy J. Beveridge – Employment

E. Jackson Boggs – Tax

W. Donald Cox – Insurance

John D. Emmanuel – Bankruptcy/Restructuring

William J. Flynn III – Immigration

Francis B. Geary, Jr. – Health Care

Mitchell I. Horowitz – Tax

Rhea F. Law – Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use

Ron H. Noble – Environment

Thomas G. Pelham – Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use

John W. Robinson, IV – Employment

Hala A. Sandridge – Litigation: Appellate

William D. Townsend – Tax

Charles A. Wachter – Insurance

Edward M. Waller, Jr. – Health Care

Rex D. Ware - Tax



Fowler White Boggs Banker is one of Florida’s oldest and largest law firms with more than 230 attorneys in ten offices throughout Florida in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers, Tallahassee, Orlando, Naples, West Palm Beach, Bonita Springs, Jacksonville and Boca Raton. For more information, visit www.fowlerwhite.com.

06-05-2006

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Ropes & Gray, LLP

Jesse Witten joins Ropes & Gray\'s office in Washington, D.C.
Ropes & Gray is pleased to announce that Jesse A. Witten is joining the firm as a partner in the litigation department and health care group. Witten, who begins work on June 5, will base his practice in Ropes & Gray’s growing office in Washington, D.C.

Witten comes to Ropes & Gray from Jones Day, where he was a partner. At Jones Day, Witten represented health care providers and pharmaceutical and device manufacturers in civil and criminal investigations and litigation, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud and reimbursement disputes. He also advised health care clients on regulatory compliance matters including anti-kickback and Stark laws, Medicare billing requirements and corporate compliance programs. Recognizing his expertise, Nightingale's Healthcare News selected Witten as an ""Outstanding Healthcare Litigator"" in 2004.

Witten also has experience in litigation involving accounting disputes and auditor malpractice/fraud. In addition to health care clients, Witten has represented defense contractors, as plaintiffs and defendants, in disputes with the federal government.

""Our health care clients will benefit tremendously from the depth of Jesse's knowledge of the health-care regulatory scheme,"" said Michele M. Garvin, the head of Ropes & Gray's health care practice group. ""That knowledge, combined with his impressive litigation experience, make him an invaluable addition to the firm.""

Witten has served on the Steering Committee of the Health Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar, and he is an arbitrator for the Bar's Attorney-Client Arbitration Board. He is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.

In 1988, Witten earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. After completing his legal studies, Witten served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Brian B. Duff of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

06-05-2006

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Ropes & Gray, LLP

Michael G. McGovern is new partner in Ropes & Gray\'s government-enforcement group
Ropes & Gray is pleased to announce that Michael G. McGovern has joined the firm's litigation department, where he will be a partner in the government enforcement practice group. McGovern, who begins work at Ropes & Gray on June 5, will base his practice in the firm's New York office.

McGovern comes to Ropes & Gray from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he held supervisory positions in both the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit and the General Crimes Unit. In those capacities, he supervised groups of more than 20 assistant U.S. attorneys in grand jury investigations and prosecutions of complex organized crime, racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering, murder and terrorism cases. He also served as the lead Assistant U.S. Attorney in several high-profile cases, including the conviction at trial of the boss of the Gambino crime family, and prosecutions against various members of al Qaeda before and after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York, McGovern was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Fulbright & Jaworski, where he represented individual and corporate clients in a variety of white-collar criminal and civil matters. His practice focused on government investigations relating to SEC enforcement, bank and thrift regulation, and health care fraud, among other matters.

""Michael's experience as both a seasoned federal prosecutor and veteran defense lawyer makes him a particularly valuable addition to our group,"" said Joan McPhee, co-chair of Ropes & Gray's government enforcement practice group. ""His background should prove to be critically important to clients targeted by government investigations and enforcement actions, particularly in securities, health care and public corruption cases.""

McGovern is a 1987 cum laude graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. He earned a masters degree in American literature from Fordham University and completed his undergraduate studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a member of the bars of the State of New York, District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

06-05-2006

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Dorsey & Whitney, L.L.P.

Dorsey & Whitney Expands Corporate Trust and Banking Group
Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that three corporate trust partners, Ellen J. Bickal, Anthony M. Harvin and David J. Fernandez, have joined the firm’s New York office. The new partners expand Dorsey’s already extensive Corporate Trust practice.

“The addition of Ellen, Tony and David to our existing Corporate Trust practice is an excellent fit that enables Dorsey to increase and strengthen the range of services offered to corporate trust service providers. They advance our goal of becoming the premier provider of legal services to the corporate trust industry domestically and globally,” said Robert J. Dwyer, Jr., partner-in-charge of the New York office. “Our new partners are strong complements to the New York office and to Dorsey’s Corporate Trust and Banking groups.”

By leveraging the firm’s full-service capabilities and its global platform, Ellen, Tony and David will provide Dorsey corporate trust clients with additional service capabilities domestically and globally covering the broad spectrum of corporate trust products currently in the capital markets.

The three new partners have served as legal counsel to some of the largest corporate trust service providers in the world. Ellen, Tony and David were previously with Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP.

Dorsey is one of relatively few firms with a practice established specifically to advise financial services clients on corporate trust matters. The firm provides transactional and default representations, trustee liability risk management and claims defense work to corporate trust service providers. In addition, Dorsey’s advises corporate trustees on matters relating to clients’ document-based duties and responsibilities, legal compliance, the administration of trust accounts and the identification and resolution of issues arising out of trust documents.

06-05-2006

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Dorsey & Whitney, L.L.P.

Angela Hall Named \"Up and Coming Attorney\" For 2006
The global law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP today announced that Angela Hall has been named an “Up and Coming” attorney for 2006 by Minnesota Lawyer.

Each year the magazine honors 15 of the state's top new lawyers as Up and Coming Attorneys. ""All the nominees as well as the attorneys selected are exemplary lawyers who do the profession proud,"" said Mark Cohen, editor in chief of Minnesota Lawyer.

Hall is an associate in Dorsey’s Trial, Regulatory and Technology group, focusing on government procurement and construction litigation. She advises government entities on all aspects of the procurement process, from solicitation documents through contract completion. She also counsels contractors on bids and proposals, bid protests, contract compliance, and contract disputes.

In nominating Hall for this award, one client said, “Ms. Hall epitomizes an Up and Coming Lawyer… the quality of her services has been equaled only by her results in the litigated matters she has handled.”

Hall participates in many diversity activities and organizations including the Twin Cities Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms and the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association. She also serves as a member of the College of St. Catherine Alumnae Board.

Hall earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2001. She also holds a B.A. degree from the College of St. Catherine.

“We’re delighted that Angela has earned this honor,” said Jay Lindgren, Chair of the firm’s Urban Redevelopment practice group. “Clients value her advice and appreciate her dedication to their success. And we at Dorsey respect Angela’s talents and admire her work ethic. She’s a leader within the firm, and we hope to benefit from that leadership for years to come.”

In a recent Minnesota Lawyer article, Hall discusses her upbringing in the Crow Creek reservation in South Dakota, and how a family tragedy sparked a continuing fascination with the law and justice. Hall describes her legal approach as ""channeled competitiveness with compassion"" and credits her ongoing commitment to pro bono service to the sense of social justice instilled by her mother.

06-05-2006

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