Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Duane Morris, LLP

Duane Morris Partner Nolan Atkinson Receives Barristers' Association of Philadelphia Award
PHILADELPHIA, January 17, 2006 - Duane Morris is pleased to announce that partner Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr., has been named the recipient of the Honorable William F. Hall Award. The award, presented today by the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia at its Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Memorial Breakfast, honors attorneys who show a commitment to Dr. King's values through legal work and efforts to promote diversity and uplift communities.

Nolan chairs the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, Inc., a consortium of law firms and corporations committed to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in Philadelphia's legal environment. He is also chair of the Duane Morris Diversity Committee and head of the firm's Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Nolan has developed his litigation practice over the course of three decades, representing clients such as banks, insurance companies, hospitals and other businesses in matters involving product, toxic tort and complex health-related matters. He is a member of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association as well as the Philadelphia Bar Association. In addition, he has taught trial advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University School of Law.

The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, an affiliate of the National Bar Association, provides a forum for discussion and dissemination of information on matters of interest to African American attorneys and the Philadelphia African American community as a whole. The organization encompasses a network of more than 1,000 lawyers and jurists who serve in both the private and public sectors of the legal profession.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Nolan graduated from Boston University in 1964 prior to earning an L.L.B. from Howard University School of Law in 1967. He is a 1969 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he received his L.L.M. in International Law.

About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets, and as part of an international network of independent law firms, Duane Morris represents clients across the nation and around the world.

01-17-2006

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Duane Morris, LLP

Duane Morris and Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft Complete Merger
PHILADELPHIA, January 17 - Duane Morris LLP announced today the completion of its merger with the former Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft LLP, based in San Francisco. The merger strengthens Duane Morris' California presence and offers clients the resources of one of the most prominent insurance coverage practices in the country.

With the addition of 64 Hancock lawyers, Duane Morris now has more than 600 lawyers in 19 offices; 120 of those lawyers are in California. The firm is projected to generate revenue approaching $350 million in 2006. The merger also enhances Duane Morris' depth of practice, with more than 100 lawyers involved in insurance coverage work.

Former Hancock chair Philip Matthews and former Hancock partner Ray Wong have been appointed to Duane Morris' partners board. In addition, former Hancock partner William Casey has been named head of the firm's Insurance and Reinsurance Practice Group.

"In addition to an excellent insurance coverage practice, Hancock brings outstanding litigators with a strong presence in such areas as commercial litigation, technology, professional liability, construction, appellate practice, healthcare and product liability," said Sheldon M. Bonovitz, Chairman of Duane Morris. "The merger allows us the opportunity to offer a full range of legal services to Hancock's client base in areas other than litigation and also provides Duane Morris with the ability to offer more broad-based litigation services to its clients in California."

"The combined firm provides Hancock with deeper bench strength and a national platform as well as an ability to serve and develop its insurance and reinsurance clients in Europe, Bermuda and the United States," added Bonovitz, noting that Duane Morris's full-service London U.K. office has an existing business development presence.

The merger also gives Duane Morris a Los Angeles office, led by Russell Roten, formerly a partner at Coudert Brothers. Four additional Coudert attorneys joined Roten last year. The addition of Roten's group along with Hancock's insurance capabilities provides a great opportunity to better serve insurers facing complex bankruptcy issues involving such matters as asbestos. Duane Morris intends to expand the Los Angeles office, focusing in the areas of commercial litigation and intellectual property. Duane Morris also will continue to expand the Las Vegas office, opened by Hancock in 2005. The firm will maintain Hancock's office in Lake Tahoe, California.

Said Matthews, "The merger allows us to better serve our clients as a true full service, national law firm. Both Duane Morris' entrepreneurial culture and business-savvy approach to client service make it the perfect match for our practice and our clients."

"We thought long and hard about the best partner to achieve our clients' goals and our own," Matthews added. "There is no firm better suited to us than Duane Morris."

Former Hancock attorneys represent U.S. and international companies in a wide range of litigation and transactional areas. Renowned for its work in insurance counseling and defending insurers and reinsurers in complex insurance coverage actions and arbitrations, Hancock has been consistently ranked as the premier insurance firm in California, according to Chambers USA. Hancock attorneys have long represented Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, as well as other London, European, United States and Bermudian insurance and reinsurance companies, some of which are existing Duane Morris clients. The firm is considered to have one of the top insurance coverage and professional liability practices in the country.

For more information about the merger, please contact Joshua Peck at 215.979.7300.

About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets, and as part of an international network of independent law firms, Duane Morris represents clients across the nation and around the world.


01-17-2006

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Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP

DEWEY BALLANTINE ADDS TIMOTHY J. COLEMAN AS CO-CHAIR OF WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATIONS PRACTICE GROUP
Washington, D.C., January 17, 2006 -- Dewey Ballantine LLP, a leading international law
firm, announced today that Timothy J. Coleman has joined the firm as a Partner in the Litigation
Department. Mr. Coleman is resident in the firm’s New York and Washington, D.C. offices, and
Co-Chairs the firm’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice Group.
Prior to joining Dewey Ballantine, Mr. Coleman served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy
Attorney General of the United States. “Tim Coleman is an outstanding addition to our
Litigation Department, and to the firm as a whole,” said Morton A. Pierce, Chairman of the
firm’s Executive Committee. “This move demonstrates Dewey Ballantine’s commitment to
expanding its capabilities in the increasingly important area of government enforcement actions
and white collar criminal defense.”
Mr. Coleman was the senior Justice Department staff member responsible for the President’s
Corporate Fraud Task Force, and chaired High-Level Working Groups on Health Care Fraud and
Sentencing Policy. Previously, as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, he oversaw the work of the Enron Task Force and the Criminal
Fraud Section, which prosecutes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, financial institution
fraud, procurement fraud and a wide range of other cases.
Mr. Coleman is a nationally recognized expert on white collar crime and government
enforcement. He has worked closely with United States Attorneys throughout the country, and
with senior officials of federal, state and foreign regulatory and law enforcement agencies, on
some of the most significant white collar crime matters in recent years. He has testified before
the United States Senate and House of Representatives on white collar crime issues, and is a
frequent public speaker on corporate compliance, internal investigations, the role of in-house
counsel and other topics. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, National Law Journal,
Corporate Counsel and other national publications.
Mr. Coleman served for more than eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the
Southern District of New York. As a senior member of the U.S. Attorney’s Securities and
Commodities Fraud Task Force, he prosecuted numerous cases of accounting fraud, insider
trading, market manipulation, offering fraud and a wide variety of other matters. Mr. Coleman"


01-17-2006

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Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP

DEWEY BALLANTINE ADDS TIMOTHY J. COLEMAN AS CO-CHAIR OF WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATIONS PRACTICE GROUP
Washington, D.C., January 17, 2006 -- Dewey Ballantine LLP, a leading international law
firm, announced today that Timothy J. Coleman has joined the firm as a Partner in the Litigation
Department. Mr. Coleman is resident in the firm’s New York and Washington, D.C. offices, and
Co-Chairs the firm’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice Group.
Prior to joining Dewey Ballantine, Mr. Coleman served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy
Attorney General of the United States. “Tim Coleman is an outstanding addition to our
Litigation Department, and to the firm as a whole,” said Morton A. Pierce, Chairman of the
firm’s Executive Committee. “This move demonstrates Dewey Ballantine’s commitment to
expanding its capabilities in the increasingly important area of government enforcement actions
and white collar criminal defense.”
Mr. Coleman was the senior Justice Department staff member responsible for the President’s
Corporate Fraud Task Force, and chaired High-Level Working Groups on Health Care Fraud and
Sentencing Policy. Previously, as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, he oversaw the work of the Enron Task Force and the Criminal
Fraud Section, which prosecutes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, financial institution
fraud, procurement fraud and a wide range of other cases.
Mr. Coleman is a nationally recognized expert on white collar crime and government
enforcement. He has worked closely with United States Attorneys throughout the country, and
with senior officials of federal, state and foreign regulatory and law enforcement agencies, on
some of the most significant white collar crime matters in recent years. He has testified before
the United States Senate and House of Representatives on white collar crime issues, and is a
frequent public speaker on corporate compliance, internal investigations, the role of in-house
counsel and other topics. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, National Law Journal,
Corporate Counsel and other national publications.
Mr. Coleman served for more than eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the
Southern District of New York. As a senior member of the U.S. Attorney’s Securities and
Commodities Fraud Task Force, he prosecuted numerous cases of accounting fraud, insider
trading, market manipulation, offering fraud and a wide variety of other matters. Mr. Coleman
was the lead prosecutor on the highly publicized investigation of Adelphia Communications
Corporation, which resulted in the conviction of the company's CEO, CFO and other senior
executives. He also led high-profile investigations of other major corporations, including
Vivendi Universal, Datek Securities Corporation, Credit Bancorp Ltd. and others.
“Tim Coleman brings a wealth of experience in corporate investigations and complex criminal
and civil litigation,” said Jeffrey L. Kessler, Co-Chairman of the firm’s Litigation Department.
“Based on his experience as a senior Justice Department official, he has invaluable insight into
the government’s handling of enforcement matters across a variety of industries. At the same
time, he is a seasoned trial and appellate advocate with extensive courtroom experience and a
very successful record. Tim will play a key role in leading the expansion of our White Collar
Crime and Government Investigations Practice Group.”
Dewey Ballantine’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice Group
represents corporations and individuals in all stages of criminal and regulatory enforcement
proceedings. Dewey Ballantine also has extensive experience in conducting corporate internal
investigations, particularly in advising boards of directors in evaluating and responding to
allegations of wrongdoing, and developing compliance programs. The addition of Mr. Coleman
will further strengthen the capabilities of the firm’s White Collar Crime and Government
Investigations practice to support its clients in complex criminal and regulatory enforcement
proceedings. The attorneys in the Group include numerous former federal prosecutors with
extensive experience in a wide range of complex matters, such as allegations of fraud, insider
trading, and violations of the disclosure provisions of federal and state securities laws. He joins
a national white collar practice adept at a broad range of matters including investigations by the
Department of Justice, the SEC, IRS and state and local law enforcement. Other prominent
attorneys in this group include Seth Farber and Christine Chi, former Assistant United States
Attorneys for the Southern District of New York; Lawrence Hill, previously a Special Assistant
United States Attorney with the United States Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. and
Suzanne Jaffe Bloom, former Deputy Chief of the Long Island Criminal Division of the United
States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prior to entering Government service, Mr. Coleman was associated with Cravath, Swaine &
Moore in New York, specializing in corporate civil litigation. He received his J.D. degree from
Georgetown University Law Center in 1990. Before beginning his legal career, Mr. Coleman
worked as a foreign exchange trader for a commercial bank.
About Dewey Ballantine
Dewey Ballantine LLP, founded in 1909, is an international law firm with more than 550
attorneys located in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, East Palo Alto, Houston,
Austin, London, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Milan and Rome. Through its network of offices, the firm
handles some of the largest, most complex corporate transactions, litigation and tax matters in
such areas as M&A, private equity, project finance, corporate finance, corporate reorganization
and bankruptcy, antitrust, intellectual property, sports law, structured finance and international
trade. Industry specializations include energy and utilities, healthcare, insurance, financial
services, media, consumer and industrial goods, consumer electronics, technology,
telecommunications and transportation.

01-17-2006

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Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg, LLP

Flash: Davies Mounts Successful Defence in Largest Proposed Class Action in Quebec History
The Québec Superior Court has today released its much anticipated decision in the "Piro" case (Option Consommateurs v. Novopharm et al.). In refusing to authorize the proposed class action, the Québec Superior Court has made clear that class actions in Québec - which had developed the reputation as a class action haven - will not simply be rubber-stamped based on general and vague allegations and without a sufficient factual basis to support the claims being made.
In February 2003, a newspaper article appeared in La Presse reporting that certain unnamed generic pharmaceutical manufacturers would have given "illegal" rebates and other benefits to pharmacists in Québec and other provinces. Two days later, solely based on this newspaper article, a proposed class action was instituted. The action sought $3.9 billion in damages on behalf of all Québec residents against nine manufacturers of generic medications on the grounds that the manufacturers would have allegedly failed to deduct the "value" of these rebates and other "benefits" from the prices of medications under Québec’s publicly administered drug insurance plan.

In her decision of January 17, 2006, Madam Justice Claudine Roy held that while the legislator had reduced to a minimum Québec's class action authorization criteria, there must, at least, be some minimum factual foundation to allow the Court to have sufficient information to appreciate the seriousness of the proposed class action before it can authorize it. Roy J. further held that this information was severely lacking ("faisait cruellement défaut") in this case and that there simply was no basis for her to find that there was any appearance of fault, damages, or a causal link that would have triggered the liability of the manufacturers. In the end, the Court held that the proposed action, with all of its amendments and modifications, was nothing but a "moving target" that lacked serious factual allegations that would have given rise to a cause of action against the manufacturers. The Court was simply not prepared to authorize a class action riddled with such numerous factual gaps and to conclude that the petitioner had a serious case based on "pure speculations" drawn from a newspaper article.

It is interesting to note that the Court rejected Option Consommateurs' claims that it was an adequate representative, and that the mere fact that Option Consommateurs had acted in this capacity in other class actions was conclusive of the matter. Finally, Roy J. concluded that Option Consommateurs had failed to allege any facts showing that it had the significant resources necessary to take a matter of this complexity and magnitude to trial. Option Consommateurs has 30 days to appeal this judgment.

Davies, with a team made up of Guy Du Pont, Nick Rodrigo, David Stolow and Mathieu Bouchard, successfully represented Pharmascience Inc. in these proceedings. Davies is involved in some of the largest and most complex class action litigation matters in the country and this victory cements Davies' pre-eminent reputation in this field.

Please do not hesitate to call Nick Rodrigo (514-841-6548), David Stolow (514-841-6567) or Mathieu Bouchard (514-841-6479) if you would like further information on this case or to obtain a complete copy of the decision.

The information and comments herein are for the general information of the reader and are not intended as advice or opinions to be relied upon in relation to any particular circumstance. For particular applications of the law to specific situations, the reader should seek professional advice.



01-17-2006

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Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, LLP

Curtis Retained as Conflicts Counsel in Significant Chapter 11 Cases
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has recently been retained as conflicts counsel in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Calpine Corporation, Northwest Airlines, and Musicland -- three of the largest companies to file for bankruptcy protection in the last 6 months. The Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Department is chaired by partners Steven J. Reisman and Lynn P. Harrison, 3rd. Steven Reisman is leading these engagements and is working with partner Lynn Harrison and associates Jerry Bregman, Andrew Thau, David Karp, Jim Drew, John Katsanos, Miriam Harwood and David Leamon. Partners and associates from other departments of the firm are also working on each of these engagements.
A Wall Street Journal article published on Saturday, January 14th, 2006 noted Calpine's retention of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP as its conflicts counsel

01-17-2006

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Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, LLP

Curtis Retained as Conflicts Counsel in Significant Chapter 11 Cases
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has recently been retained as conflicts counsel in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Calpine Corporation, Northwest Airlines, and Musicland -- three of the largest companies to file for bankruptcy protection in the last 6 months. The Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Department is chaired by partners Steven J. Reisman and Lynn P. Harrison, 3rd. Steven Reisman is leading these engagements and is working with partner Lynn Harrison and associates Jerry Bregman, Andrew Thau, David Karp, Jim Drew, John Katsanos, Miriam Harwood and David Leamon. Partners and associates from other departments of the firm are also working on each of these engagements.

A Wall Street Journal article published on Saturday, January 14th, 2006 noted Calpine's retention of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP as its conflicts counsel.

01-17-2006

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