Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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McGuireWoods LLP

McGuireWoods Continues Growth in Los Angeles, Announces Merger Plans with Southern California Law Firm
McGuireWoods LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the world, today announced plans to merge with Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket LLP, a 40-attorney law firm based in Los Angeles.

McGuireWoods opened a small office in Los Angeles in 2005 at the request of clients. “Since we opened our L.A. office last year, our clients increasingly have sought our help on their legal concerns in Southern California,” said Robert L. Burrus, Jr., chairman of McGuireWoods. “The merger with Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket will strengthen our ability to meet these clients’ needs with a firm that has already built a dynamic legal practice in California and the Pacific Rim, and it provides a platform for further expansion.”

Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket recently moved from Santa Monica to new offices in Century City to accommodate the rapid growth the firm has experienced since opening in 1996. For several years, McGuireWoods and VSB have worked together in client engagements.

“One of the many synergies from which we will benefit in the merger is the fact that several of our lawyers already have established strong working relationships with each other,” said David Van Etten, managing partner of VSB. “Our areas of strength, which include our real estate and employment litigation, are complementary in McGuireWoods’ overall structure, and our clients will strongly benefit from McGuireWoods’ international capabilities and full-service offerings. These are just a few of the reasons that merging with McGuireWoods is good for us and our clients.”

This is the second merger McGuireWoods has announced in 2006. The first, completed in early February, was with Gordon & Glickson, a Chicago-based law firm well known for its technology practice. McGuireWoods is ranked as the 63rd largest law firm in the United States in American Lawyer’s 2005 ranking of the top 100 law firms in the country. McGuireWoods serves public, private, government and nonprofit clients from many industries including automotive, energy, health care, telecommunications, technology, manufacturing and transportation.

Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket began with three partners in 1996, and grew over the past 10 years to 40 lawyers working in 12 practice areas. The firm’s clients range from multinational corporations to individual professionals in the automotive, consumer products, health care, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, real estate development, telecommunications, technology and electronics industries. For more information, visit www.vsblaw.com.

03-14-2006

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Proskauer & Rose, LLP

Leading Patents & Trademark Attorneys Join Proskauer Rose\'s Washington, D.C. Office
Proskauer Rose LLP, an international law firm with more than 700 lawyers in the United States and Europe, today announced that it has expanded its growing Washington, D.C. office and its life sciences and intellectual property practices with the addition of four new partners.

The new partners - Colin G. Sandercock, co-chair of Heller Ehrman's Patents & Trademark Practice Group, John P. Isacson, Dr. Paul M. Booth, and David W. Laub - are former shareholders in the Washington, D.C. office of Heller Ehrman LLP. They bring extensive expertise in intellectual property litigation and transactions on behalf of clients in a wide range of industries that include biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemistry, mechanical and electro-mechanical technologies, electrical arts, and software.

According to Allen I. Fagin, chairman of Proskauer Rose, the additions significantly advance the firm's twin goals of growing its D.C. office and adding depth to its patent and life sciences capabilities.

""We welcome this exceptional group and the expertise they bring. They will add measurably to our growing national and international patent and life sciences practices,"" said Mr. Fagin, noting that the firm's patent practice has grown to more than 50 lawyers in the eight years since its inception.

The new group continues the recent expansion of Proskauer's D.C. office, which now has more than 40 attorneys including recent additions Rhett Krulla, a former senior trial attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, and Robyn Manos, a former special counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The office also recently moved into new, expanded office space at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Mark J. Biros, head of the firm's D.C. office, said the recent additions bring important IP and related capabilities and add significantly to Proskauer's D.C. office, which is growing quickly across the board. Mr. Biros added: ""The reputations and stature of this group are second-to-none and we look forward to working with them.""

The attorneys in Proskauer's D.C. office practice in diverse areas of the law including: health care; commercial litigation and arbitration; Internet, patent, copyright, computer and intellectual property law; internal corporate investigations and white-collar crime; labor and employment; securities regulation and enforcement; corporate ethics and governance; and antitrust.

Proskauer's patent and life sciences practices are a significant part of the firm's Intellectual Property Group and its Litigation and Corporate departments. The firm's attorneys practice in a broad range of industries in matters that include patent and technology-related litigation, patent counseling, licensing and technology transfer, and patent procurement.

The new partners in the D.C. office are:

Colin G. Sandercock
Colin G. Sandercock is a litigation and transactional attorney handling matters in all areas of life sciences including district court litigation and licensing and management of domestic and foreign patent portfolios for clients in biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceutical, chemical and inorganic chemistry.

He is a former shareholder of Heller Ehrman, where he was co-chair of the firm's Patents & Trademarks Practice Group and a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation and Transaction practice groups. He serves on the AAA Patent Advisory Committee and has also served as adjunct professor of law at the George Washington University School of Law, chaired the American Intellectual Property Law Association's Interference Committee's Electronic Records Subcommittee, the Annual Electronic Records Conference in London, and as legal counsel to the Collaborative Electronic Notebook Systems Association. Mr. Sandercock received his law degree from The Catholic University of America, a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science from Moravian College.

John P. Isacson
John P. Isacson practices in the areas of U.S. and international intellectual property law, counseling clients in portfolio management, federal litigation, patent interferences and Hatch-Waxman matters in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, immunological, chemical, and medical device fields. He was previously a shareholder of Heller Ehrman and a member of the firm's Patents & Trademarks and Life Sciences & Technology practice groups.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Isacson served as a Law Clerk to Judge Daniel J. Davidson, Chief Administrative Law Judge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He graduated from the George Washington University School of Law and the University of Maryland.

Dr. Paul M. Booth
Dr. Paul M. Booth practices in the areas of biotechnology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals and is an expert in preparing validity and infringement opinions and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications. He was previously a shareholder of Heller Ehrman and a member of the firm's Life Sciences and Patents & Trademarks practice groups.

Prior to practicing law, Dr. Booth worked in the biotechnology industry, where he directed research groups in cell adhesion, lymphokines and cytokines, and catalytic antibodies. He also has extensive training in synthetic organic chemistry. He is a graduate of the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London and Georgetown University Law Center. He was also a research fellow at Harvard Medical School, a postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge University, and a diplomarbeit at Eldgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zürich.

David W. Laub
David W. Laub specializes in intellectual property matters primarily relating to patents in the areas of mechanical and electro-mechanical technologies, medical devices, electrical arts, software, and business methods. He counsels clients on preparing and prosecuting patents and maintaining and protecting patent portfolios of all sizes and is an experienced patent litigator.

Mr. Laub was a shareholder of Heller Ehrman and a member of the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group. Prior to joining Heller, he was a partner in the Intellectual Property group at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius. Mr. Laub also served as intellectual property counsel at Siemens Corporation, and was a primary examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is a graduate the Washington College of Law at American University and received a degree in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

03-14-2006

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King & Spalding

New York Law Journal Finds King & Spalding Courtroom Victory to be the Fourth Largest in New York in 2005
King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, was the legal adviser in a courtroom victory that was the fourth largest verdict in New York in 2005, according to New York Law Journal's compilation of the biggest verdicts of the year. The list was published in the newspaper's March 2006 ""Book of Lists"" edition.

King & Spalding represented Humphreys (Cayman) Limited, developer of The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, in a breach of contract action against Fluor Daniel Caribbean, Inc., and Fluor Enterprises, Inc., in a three-week jury trial, in June 2005, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Humphreys was awarded $28.8 million, plus interest, legal fees and costs.

The jury found in favor of Humphreys after three days of deliberations at the conclusion of a three-week trial in Manhattan. Fluor Daniel Caribbean, Inc., the general contractor for the project, had sought nearly $30 million in damages. The difference between the damages requested by Fluor Daniel and the jury award to Humphreys represented a swing of nearly $60 million.

The trial team consisted of King & Spalding partners Dwight J. Davis, Edward G. Kehoe and John W. Hinchey, and Michael R. Libor, a partner of Morgan Lewis, in Philadelphia. King & Spalding lawyers Peter M. Crofton, Troy L. Harris, Angus N. McFadden, Christopher S. Prince, and Thomas V. Burch also worked on the case.

About King & Spalding LLP
King & Spalding LLP is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Atlanta, Houston, London, New York and Washington, D.C. The firm represents more than half of the Fortune 100, and in a Corporate Counsel survey in September 2005 was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies overall. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com.

03-14-2006

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Department of Fair Employment and Housing

Arnold & Porter Elects Seven New Counsel
The international law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP announces the election of seven counsel. These attorneys represent numerous practice groups including antitrust, white collar defense, real estate, corporate and securities, product liability and mass tort litigation, tax, and intellectual property law. All of the attorneys are resident in Washington, D.C., except Rashmi Seth, who is resident in New York.


The associates who have been elected counsel are:


Robert E. Mascola, a member of the firm’s antitrust and business litigation practice groups. Since joining the firm, Mr. Mascola has represented clients in several major private antitrust class action and Robinson-Patman litigations involving the pharmaceutical, book publishing, vitamin, and tobacco industries. He has provided counseling on a wide variety of antitrust, consumer protection, and trade secret matters and has assisted clients in conducting internal antitrust compliance investigations. Mr. Mascola has also represented clients before the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in merger defense, criminal and civil investigations, and litigation and franchising matters.


Evelina J. Norwinski, a member of the firm’s business litigation and white collar defense practice groups, who has represented corporations and individuals in a broad range of criminal and civil matters in both federal and state courts, including cases involving RICO, Lanham Act, product liability, environmental liability, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. Norwinski has argued more than twenty appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeal, and has counseled clients on various corporate policy matters and handled internal investigations.


Kathryn E. Olson, a member of the firm’s real estate practice group. Ms. Olson has represented clients in a wide range of general commercial real estate matters, including purchases and sales, leasing, financing, management and compliance matters. Her practice frequently focuses on transactions in the hospitality industry.


Lisa A. Price, a member of the firm’s business litigation and product liability and mass tort litigation groups. Ms. Price handles complex litigation in federal and state courts, primarily in the nationwide defense of pharmaceutical companies. She has extensive experience in diet drug litigation. Her practice has included working with expert witnesses, serving as trial counsel, and developing strategy, particularly with respect to complex medical and scientific evidence. Prior to joining Arnold & Porter, Ms. Price clerked for two federal judges, the Honorable James P. Jones of the Western District of Virginia and the Honorable Sven Erik Holmes of the Northern District of Oklahoma.


Rashmi Seth, who focuses on corporate and securities law. Ms. Seth's experience includes representation of both domestic and foreign clients, from start-ups to large, publicly held companies, in a wide variety of transactions, including private and public offerings of securities, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, secured and unsecured credit facilities, private equity financings and corporate restructurings. She also regularly counsels clients on a range of corporate and securities laws compliance matters, including SEC reporting requirements and corporate governance issues.


Ali R. Sharifahmadian is a member of the firm’s intellectual property practice group. He has extensive experience litigating patent, trade secret and unfair competition matters in the computer, software and electronics technologies at the trial and appellate level. Mr. Sharifahmadian is also experienced in counseling clients on licensing issues, procuring patents, and providing opinions on issues such as infringement, validity, and enforceability.


Joy Taylor, a member of the firm’s tax practice group. She advises clients in the U.S. and abroad on the U.S. income tax consequences of entering into a wide variety of transactions. Her primary expertise is in the area of corporate taxation, where she advises clients in taxable and tax-free domestic and cross-border transactions. Ms. Taylor also has represented nonresident aliens on various aspects of U.S. income and estate taxation.


Arnold & Porter LLP, an international law firm of approximately 625 attorneys, has offices in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, London, and Brussels. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.

03-14-2006

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Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Expands Antitrust 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 Susan Creighton as a partner in its antitrust practice. Creighton rejoins the firm from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where she served as the director of the Bureau of Competition for the past two and a half years. Preceding her FTC experience, Susan had been a partner in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Palo Alto office.

""Susan is one of the country's preeminent antitrust attorneys,"" said John Roos, CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. ""She's an incredibly talented leader and strategic advisor. Her expertise brings a new dimension to our existing team, and we are thrilled that she has decided to rejoin the firm. We are confident that she will add significantly to the success of our national antitrust practice and our expansion plans on the East Coast.""

Creighton joined the FTC as deputy bureau director in August 2001, and was named director in July 2003. During her tenure, she supervised the bureau's non-merger and merger enforcement divisions, and oversaw the investigation and litigation of many of the FTC's most important recent matters. Creighton also played a key role in developing antitrust policy at the FTC, and made significant contributions to discussions about the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property and on numerous amicus opportunities. In addition, she oversaw ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency and transparency of the FTC's merger review process.

Prior to joining the FTC, Creighton was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, specializing in antitrust counseling and litigation. While at the firm, Creighton represented Netscape Communications in connection with antitrust issues raised by its dealings with Microsoft, and successfully defended VISX at trial against antitrust charges brought by the FTC based on claims of patent misuse. She also represented Autodesk, VISX, Borland, Netscape, VIA, and numerous other companies in connection with antitrust litigation and counseling matters. Creighton earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Pamela Ann Rymer on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Creighton, who is set to begin in late May, joins the firm's strong and growing antitrust practice. Last September, the firm welcomed partners Jonathan Jacobson and Charles Biggio from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where they had concentrated on civil antitrust litigation, antitrust merger clearance, and agency antitrust investigations.

""Our antitrust practice focuses on counseling, transactions, investigations, and litigation both in the court and federal agency systems,"" said Jacobson. ""Susan is extraordinarily highly regarded in both the bar and business communities. She will be a tremendous addition to our practice, cementing our position as one of the top antitrust practices in the country.""

The firm also announced its intention to relocate its Reston, VA, office to Washington, D.C., later this year. ""This is a natural transition, as Washington is home to the major regulatory authorities and our clients are increasingly demanding a D.C. presence,"" said Roos. ""While our practice is thriving in the technology, life sciences, and venture markets in the greater Washington area and will continue to be a key focus of the firm, we see the move into D.C. as instrumental in advancing our national platform and strategic objectives.""

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's broad range of services and legal disciplines are focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in corporate governance, public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, securities class action litigation, employment law, intellectual property litigation, patent prosecution, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and technology licensing and other intellectual property transactions. The firm, which is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has offices in Austin, New York, Reston, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. In addition, the firm has applied for a license to open an office in Shanghai, China. For additional information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

03-14-2006

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Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw Receives Minority Corporate Counsel Association Award for Its Achievements in Diversity
Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP has been named as the recipient of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's (MCCA) Thomas L. Sager Award which was presented at the association's Midwest Region Diversity Dinner in Chicago March 15, 2006.

Named in honor of the vice president and assistant general counsel of DuPont Company, the Thomas L. Sager Award recognizes law firms that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to improve the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys.

""We are greatly honored by this award,"" said Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP partner Mary Richardson-Lowry. ""At the same time, we suffer from no illusions. We recognize the considerable amount of work that lies ahead to ensure diversity in the legal profession, and we feel it is our duty to be a catalyst for this change.""

In 2005, Mayer Brown's Chicago office exceeded the market average with 21.8 percent associates of color -- versus 14.1 percent on average for other Chicago firms. In the Chicago office, the number of minority attorneys has grown from 38 in 2003 to 58 in 2005. During the same period, the number of women attorneys has grown from 159 to 171. There is also a lower attrition rate in the firm for minority attorneys than non-minority attorneys.

Among the factors contributing to these gains are Mayer Brown's creation of a formal diversity committee, its organization of annual national diversity retreats, an increased focus on professional development and mentoring, collaborative minority awareness programs with high schools and colleges, and a greater consideration of minority hiring and staffing as a factor in compensation.

The firm has created a 3-Part Career Development program designed to better prepare and educate the next generation of diverse law students. It includes a ""How to Succeed in Law School"" panel designed to prepare first-year diverse law students across the nation for challenges that await them in law school. Additionally, the ""Resume Workshop"" assists diverse students in resume writing. The ""Mock Interview Program"" helps first-year diverse students hone their interviewing skills.

Mayer Brown has also expanded its diversity efforts working in partnership with MCCA, the National Black Law Students Association, the Chicago Committee on Minorities and Large Law Firms, the ABA Minority Counsel Program, Black Women Lawyers Association, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and other organizations

03-14-2006

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Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw strengthens Brussels practice
International law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP has strengthened its Brussels regulatory practice with the appointment of EU regulatory specialist, Jean-Philippe Montfort. He joined the firm as a partner on 8 March from Keller and Heckman LLP in Brussels.

Mr. Montfort is the Chairman of the Chemical Working Group of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (Amcham EU), and is one of the leading legal experts on the upcoming EU regulatory regime for chemicals, REACH. With over fifteen years experience in European regulatory law, he specialises in food chemicals, food packaging and product safety legislation. He studied both in the US and EU and is a member of the Brussels Bar.

Joining Mr. Montfort are Dr. Anna Gergely and Sébastien Louvion, who advise on multi-jurisdictional regulatory issues in areas such as chemicals, food and drug law, medical devices, food science and cosmetics.

Kiran Desai, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw partner in Brussels commented: ""The value of work concerning REACH and other EU regulatory standards will grow materially over the next ten years. Having in-house expertise on these regulations places us in a prime position to help clients address such major governmental pressures.""

Jean-Philippe Montfort added: ""I am excited about joining Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. My clients will benefit from the firm's strong global platform and superb capabilities in governmental affairs, trade and intellectual properties and I look forward to bringing EU chemicals and packaging regulatory expertise to Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw's clients"".

Peter Scher, head of the Washington, D.C. based Government and Global Trade Practice continued: ""We very much welcome Jean-Philippe and his team to our growing government affairs and regulatory services group. Their arrival will enable us to provide our multinational clients with the support they need to accomplish their business objectives in the complex and tightly-regulated EU environment.""

In addition to the EU regulatory expertise that the team offers to the firm's clients, Montfort and his colleagues will complement the Brussels antitrust and recently expanded EU government affairs practice. The lawyers will also be an important element of the firm's chemicals and environmental law groups, as well as supporting the firm's German food law practice in Frankfurt.

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has significantly grown its Brussels practice over the last years by adding partners in areas including antitrust & competition, government affairs, intellectual property, regulatory, and trade. A recent high-level addition to Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw's Brussels office include Dr. Günter Burghardt, former Ambassador of the EU in Washington D.C., who helped launch the firm's European Government Affairs practice, who advises clients on the implementation of the broad EU/U.S. regulatory cooperation agenda.

The Brussels office also includes Global Trade partner Paulette Vander Schueren, praised by Chambers Global 2006 as a ""formidable expert,"" who advises clients on trade law and remedy issues involving antidumping, anti-subsidy, trade barrier investigations and customs matters, as well as in litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO). Last year also saw the arrival of Dr. Jeroen den Hartog, a Dutch and European Patent Attorney with in-house experience in multi-country patent litigation and patent procurement matters.

03-14-2006

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