Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP

Kramer Levin Co-Counsel in First Amendment Lawsuit Challenging Florida’s New Restrictions on Voter Registration
Kramer Levin teamed up with two public interest law firms, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU and the Advancement Project, to launch a lawsuit in Miami, Florida federal court today challenging the constitutionality of a burdensome and discriminatory new Florida law that has already significantly impaired non-partisan voter registration in that state. The suit, League of Women Voters of Florida v. Cobb (Case 06-21265-CIV-Jordan), was brought on behalf of a range of nonpartisan civic and religious organizations that engage in grassroots voter registration activities. During the 2004 presidential election, it is estimated that third-party groups like plaintiff League of Women Voters registered more than 500,000 new voters in Florida, but the new law has already forced some of these groups, including the League, to suspend their registration drives.

The new law imposes an initial fine of $250 per form on certain individuals who register voters with third-party groups when the forms are not delivered to local officials within a very tight 10-day deadline. The law, which exempts political parties, is a strict liability statute that levies heavier fines of $500 and then $5,000 for each form that is not submitted, respectively, by the voter registration deadline or at any other time. In the past, forms could be submitted anytime before the voter registration deadline. The law threatens to significantly chill free speech and voter participation in Florida. The burdens imposed by the law are particularly inappropriate in view of the absence of any serious past problems in Florida with the submission of late voter registration forms.

Kramer Levin attorneys Eric A. Tirschwell, Craig L. Siegel, Erin A. Walter, Parthena Psyllos, David A. Landman and Emily J. Groendyke, and paralegal Sandra Wong, have worked with the Brennan Center, the Advancement Project, and Becker & Poliakoff P.A., to bring the lawsuit.

05-18-2006

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Kaye Scholer LLP

Best of the US Inc. Recognizes 13 Kaye Scholer Attorneys
The Best of the US Inc., a research, publishing and consulting firm dedicated to recognizing excellence in the US has recognized 13 Kaye Scholer attorneys. In the New York office the lawyers include: Leora Ben-Ami (Intellectual Property), Arlene Harris (Tax Law), David Klingsberg (Commercial Litigation), Susan Rahm (Real Estate), Aaron Rubinstein (Commercial Litigation), Margot B. Schonholtz (Bankruptcy), Dana Mark (Tax Law), Gerald Sobel (Intellectual Property), Jay W. Waks (Employment), Arthur F. Woodard (Employee Benefits), Fredric W. Yerman (Commercial Litigation). In the Los Angeles office both Marc S. Cohen (Bankruptcy) and Larry R. Feldman (Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury, Malpractice Law) were recognized.

05-18-2006

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Kaye Scholer LLP

Kaye Scholer Attorneys Named to Top 10 Lists by United States Lawyers Rankings
The United States Lawyers Rankings has announced the 2006 top lawyers in the nation by area of practice. Three Kaye Scholer attorneys were elected to the top 10 lists in three areas. Michael D. Blechman, in the New York office, was named to the antitrust list; Larry R. Feldman, in the Los Angeles office, was named to the commercial litigation list; and Joel I. Greenberg, also of the New York office, was named to the securities lawyers list. Lawyers are nominated for inclusion in the United States Lawyer Rankings by members of the Bar, Judiciary and by the general counsels of large corporate and institutional clients. The lists are comprised of the top 10 lawyers for each practice area.

05-18-2006

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Jenner & Block LLP

Dr. Gregory J. Gonsalves Joins Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice
Dr. Gregory J. Gonsalves has joined Jenner & Block’s Washington, DC office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice after a nine-year career litigating diverse intellectual property disputes in federal courts and the International Trade Commission.

Previously, Dr. Gonsalves was with the DC offices of Jones Day and Pennie & Edmonds, where he litigated cases involving patent infringement, unfair competition, and misappropriation of advertising ideas and trade secrets. Dr. Gonsalves has also prosecuted over 100 U.S. and international patent applications for numerous types of inventions involving computer engineering, electrical engineering and business methods.

Prior to practicing law, Dr. Gonsalves worked as a scientist at IBM for nearly 15 years, where he focused on the design and development of software and hardware.

Dr. Gonsalves graduated from Northeastern University in 1982 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He received his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1987. In 1991, he received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. Dr. Gonsalves received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, graduating cum laude in 1997.

05-18-2006

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Fowler, White, Boggs & Banker, Attorneys At Law

Fowler White Boggs Banker Increases Ranks Of Shareholders Formerly In Key Positions With State Of Florida Government
William D. Townsend and Rex D. Ware have joined Fowler White Boggs Banker’s Tax Practice Group as shareholders. Mr. Townsend was previously General Counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue and Mr. Ware is a former Deputy General Counsel of the agency.

Other shareholders in the firm’s Tallahassee office have held key positions, including: John “Mac” Stipanovich served as chief of staff to Governor Bob Martinez; Linda Shelley served as secretary of the Department of Community Affairs and as chief of staff to Governor Lawton Chiles and Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson; Thomas Pelham served as secretary of the Department of Community Affairs; and Jacob Varn served as secretary of the Departments of Environmental Regulation and Transportation.

According to Fowler White Boggs Banker president and CEO, Rhea F. Law, “Bill and Rex will add depth to our tax practice, particularly in assisting clients in state tax planning and in representing our clients in litigation matters and administrative proceedings. Their experience with the Florida Department of Revenue will provide our clients with a unique perspective, and offer them opportunities for legislative and agency representation.”

Mr. Townsend's practice includes state and local taxation and multi-state taxation. He has represented clients in various states on issues in administrative and judicial actions relating to sales, corporate income, B&O and telecommunications taxes, as well as state taxation of intellectual property, electronic commerce taxation and unclaimed property (escheat) issues. Additionally, he represents clients on legislative tax matters, including the taxation of computer services, corporate income tax issues and sales tax exemption matters. Mr. Townsend’s experience includes serving as Assistant Attorney General (1977-1980), Deputy General Counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue (1980-1984) and as General Counsel for the Florida Department of Revenue (l984-1989). Most recently, he was a partner with Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP.

Mr. Townsend received his bachelors degree from Florida State University and his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law.

Mr. Ware’s practice focuses on the areas of state and local taxation, including representation of multi-state clients before the Florida Department of Revenue and in litigation in circuit court and administrative proceedings. He also represents clients before other administrative agencies in licensure, bid procurement and disputes and rulemaking proceedings as well as in commercial litigation in all Florida courts.

Mr. Ware has previously served as Deputy General Counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue (1997-2000) and, most recently, was a partner with Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP. He received his bachelors degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree with high honors from Florida State University College of Law.

Fowler White Boggs Banker, a Florida law firm 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.

05-18-2006

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Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP

ENERGY INDUSTRY LEADERS PREDICT RESURGENCE OF NEW GENERATION FACILITIES IN NEAR FUTURE
Industry leaders agree that there is a need to begin to site and
construct new clean coal and nuclear power plants. Energy industry leaders recently met
at a conference hosted by Dewey Ballantine LLP in New York and agreed that over the
next 15 years the industry will see a new generation of large power facilities built
throughout the country. Many of these units are likely to utilize new technologies such as
integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), which may incorporate carbon capture
sequestration (CCS) techniques, and new nuclear units which do not emit any greenhouse
gases. Guest speakers included Lisa Epifani, Special Assistant to the President for
Economic Policy and a member of the National Economic Staff at the White House, and
William Flynn, Chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission.
The conference included three panels focused on the future of generation. Panelists
discussed the need for new baseload generation, which are economic sources of power
utilized almost all hours in a day. These discussions explored what fuel sources will be
utilized, where they will be located and how costs will be recovered. Panelists also
addressed alternative approaches to financing new baseload generation, including
conventional financing, financing projects, tax-advantaged financing and joint ownership
arrangements.
“There are a number of opportunities and challenges in the construction and financing of
the next generation of power generation in the U.S.,” said Bud Ellis, chairman of Dewey
Ballantine’s Global Energy Capital Markets Practice in his opening remarks. “The future
landscape of the energy industry will be shaped by the way these opportunities and risks
are addressed. Industry leaders making the key decisions regarding the next generation
of large scale power generation facilities must be mindful of the serious financial, legal
and regulatory issues encountered in building the previous generation of baseload power
facilities.”
Keynote Speaker Lisa Epifani, who previously served on the staff of the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee, stressed that clean coal and nuclear generation would
become the wave of the future, supplying power without harming the environment. Ms.
Epifani emphasized that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was the first step in the right
direction towards a change in the country’s energy policies.
William Flynn, the luncheon speaker, asserted that a state-level siting law was needed to
oversee power plant siting. He stated that the renewal of an expired state regulation is a
priority for New York to meet its needs for electricity. Mr. Flynn explained that the New
York Public Service Commission (PSC) and the New York Independent System Operator
(NYISO) are currently working together to forecast the future of energy needs and to
create a safeguard against skyrocketing prices and excessive costs to the ratepayer.
More than 100 attendees from prominent financial institutions and pioneering energy
companies listened to panel discussions which addressed the opportunities and risks
faced by those who will build new large scale power generation facilities. Panelists
included senior representatives from the following companies: American Electric Power
Company; Bear, Stearns & Co.; Bechtel Corporation; The Brattle Group; Citigroup
Global Markets Inc.; Exelon Corporation; JPMorgan Capital Corporation; Lehman
Brothers; PNM Resources; and TXU Corporation.
Dewey Ballantine panelists and moderators included: Adel Aslani-Far, Donna Attanasio,
James Bowe, Junaid Chida, Bud Ellis, Sean Moran, Earle O’Donnell and Richard
Shutran.

05-18-2006

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Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP

Paul R. Berger, Associate Director of SEC’s Division of Enforcement, to Join Debevoise & Plimpton
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP today announced that Paul R. Berger, Associate Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, will join the firm in June as a litigation partner. Mr. Berger will be resident in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

In his role as a senior SEC official, Mr. Berger oversaw Commission investigations and enforcement proceedings and served as a principal advisor to the Director of Enforcement and to the Commission on both specific enforcement cases and on enforcement initiatives and policies. He helped establish and currently chairs the Commission’s Financial Fraud Task Force and has played a leading role in the Commission’s recent focus on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement program. He was responsible for numerous cases in the areas of financial fraud, foreign payments, executive compensation, auditor independence, Regulation FD, broker-dealer matters, and insider trading.

Mary Jo White, Chair of Debevoise & Plimpton’s Litigation Department, said, “We welcome Paul to the firm and to one of the strongest and most diverse litigation practices in the country. His wealth of experience at the SEC and his leadership on many of the SEC’s most significant enforcement cases will be a tremendous asset to our clients. He joins a stellar group of litigators in our Washington office who focus on securities litigation, enforcement and white collar criminal defense matters.”

Mr. Berger joined the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement in 1992, rising to Assistant Director in 1996 and Associate Director in 2000. Mr. Berger received the SEC’s prestigious Stanley Sporkin Award in 1999, which is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Division of Enforcement.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s White Collar Criminal Defense Practice and Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice are two of the most active practices in its Litigation Department. The practices include representation of clients in the U.S. and abroad involved in criminal and SEC investigations and litigation, and in parallel civil and administrative proceedings. The practices also include representing clients in Congressional, IRS, and other agency investigations, and conducting internal investigations on behalf of companies, boards of directors and board committees. The Department includes two former United States Attorneys and ten former Assistant United States Attorneys.

The Washington, D.C. office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP provides client services in a variety of areas, including securities litigation and enforcement, corporate governance, white collar criminal defense, regulatory and transactional work for investment companies and other financial institutions, international telecommunications and intellectual property matters.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a leading international law firm, representing a wide range of clients around the world. Founded in 1931, the firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong and Shanghai. For more information, please visit our website at www.debevoise.com .

05-18-2006

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