Welcome back to another edition of the National Law Review’s legal news roundup! We hope you remain safe, healthy, and cool as the summer winds down. Read on below for the latest in law firm hiring and expansion, industry awards, and a spotlight on women in the legal industry!

Additionally, be sure to check out the latest episode of our podcast, Legal News Reach, featuring Chris Fritsch, founder of CLIENTSFirst Consulting!

Law Firm News and Updates

Sunstein LLP has added attorneys Shane Hunter and T.J. Clark as partners. Previously the founders of Hunter Clark PLLC, an intellectual property law firm, both attorneys focus their practice in this field: Mr. Hunter assists individuals in developing billion-dollar companies and helps to protect their intellectual property. Mr. Clark’s practice focuses on patent prosecution and intellectual property portfolio counseling for software and web-based business methods, biomedical devices, and semiconductor processing.

“Shane and T.J. bring impressive backgrounds as engineers and skills as attorneys that greatly complement our firm’s focus on helping technology clients leverage their diverse IP portfolios,” said Chair of the Sunstein Patent Group, Kathryn Noll. “They are a great addition to our team.”

Insurance attorney Graham Pulvere has joined Wilson Elser’s Birmingham office as a partner. Mr. Pulvere’s practice focuses on litigating insurance coverage and bad faith actions. With experience representing clients in areas such as legal malpractice actions, bar disciplinary proceedings, and errors and omissions actions against insurance agents and brokers, he will be joining the Insurance & Reinsurance Coverage and the Professional Liability & Services practice group as well as the London Practice.

London Practice Chair David Holmes said, “Graham has significant experience working with the London market on first-party and bad faith matters and will add to our strong ability to handle complex coverage and bad faith matters not only in Alabama but also in Mississippi and Louisiana.”

Steptoe & Johnson welcomes associate Evan Janc to the business litigation practice group. Practicing in the firm’s Dallas office, Mr. Janc has experience representing clients in construction litigation, public finance, and real estate in front of Texas state agencies and government entities. Evan also analyzes and drafts construction contracts and real estate agreements.

Sidley Austin LLP added Jay Jariwala, Senior Director, Regulatory Compliance to the firm’s Food, Drug, and Medical Device Compliance and Enforcement practice. Joining the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, he previously served in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Compliance, and Office of Manufacturing Quality. Mr. Jariwala brings more than 13 years of regulatory and leadership experience to Sidley.

Raj Pai, partner and global leader of Sidley’s Food, Drug, and Medical Device Compliance and Enforcement group, said, “We’re happy to welcome Jay to our growing team of former FDA officials who have world-class experience and insights. Jay’s background will strengthen our team’s ability to help clients understand, assess, and address compliance concerns effectively.”

Industry Awards and Recognition

Benjamin F. Wilson, former Chairman of Beveridge & Diamond PC, has been honored with the 2022 Environmental Achievement Award from the Environmental Law Institute. Recognized for his visionary leadership and service to local communities over the span of his entire career, Mr. Wilson has provided representation on a wide range of clients on environmental matters, both at Beveridge & Diamond and in other private practices. He has previously served in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and he established the African American General Counsel and Managing Partner Networks in 2012, as well as founding the Diverse Partners Network in 2008.

“Ben is a remarkable environmental lawyer whose impact reverberates so far beyond his immediate circle. An astounding number of people call him a mentor, and his lasting impacts are felt not only in the legal profession, but across diverse communities nationwide,” said Jordan Diamond, President of the Environmental Law Institute. “He spent a career championing the interplay of environmental and civil rights, and we are all better for it.”

Twelve attorneys at Clifford Law Offices have been recognized by Law Bulletin Media as Leading Lawyers. They are as follows:

• Robert A. Clifford

  • Ranked #2 in 2022 Top 10 Aviation List

  • Ranked #4 in 2022 Top 10 Personal Injury List

  • Ranked #5 in 2022 Top 10 Medical Malpractice List

  • Ranked #5 in 2022 Top 10 Product Liability List

• Richard F. Burke, Jr.

  • Ranked #10 in 2022 Top 10 Aviation List

• Susan A. Capra

• Bradley M. Cosgrove

• Kevin P. Durkin

  • Ranked #6 in 2022 Top 10 Aviation List

• Keith A. Hebeisen

  • Ranked #7 in 2022 Top 10 Medical Malpractice List

• John V. Kalantzis

• Shannon M. McNulty

  • Ranked #8 in 2022 Top 10 Personal Injury Women List

• James C. Pullos

• Kristofer S. Riddle

• Craig J. Squillace

• Robert P. Walsh, Jr.

According to the Leading Lawyers website, less than five percent of all lawyers licensed in each state have received this prestigious distinction. Recipients are selected based on external attorney surveys that ask which of their peers they would most likely recommend to a family member or friend.

Lawmatics has recently been ranked as a high performer in G2’s Summer 2022 Grid®️ Report for Legal Practice Management Software. G2, formerly known as G2 Crowd, is a peer-to-peer review site that collects information for various types of business software; to qualify for the Grid®️ Report in the Legal Practice Management category, the product must:

• Manage law firm client information

• Store relevant legal documents

• Integrate with or provide functionality similar to legal case management solutions

• Be designed for independent law firm use

In addition to the high overall satisfaction rating that Lawmatics boasts, the Summer 2022 report also found that 100% of Lawmatics customers rated the service 4 or 5 stars, 92% stated they were likely to recommend Lawmatics to their peers, and 90% believed their quality of support goes “above and beyond.”

Women in the Legal Field

The American Bar Association awarded five legal practitioners with the 2022 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago on August 7^th. The prestigious award has been given to numerous pioneers in its more than 30-year history, including former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This year, the recipients were health law and bioethics innovator Michele Goodwin, IP expert and radio personality Christina L. Martini, AbbVie executive Laura J. Schumacher, corporate executive and DEI leader Wendy Shiba, and Myra C. Selby, the first African-American woman to serve as Associate Justice for the Indiana Supreme Court.

“We are honored to recognize this spectacular group of women who have been trailblazers throughout their careers,” says Maureen Mulligan, chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. “They are role models for all women in the legal profession.”

Benchmark Litigation has recognized three Bradley attorneys on their 2022 Top 250 Women in Litigation List.  Birmingham’s Leigh Anne Hodge, Nashville’s Lela M. Hollabaugh, and Huntsville’s Kimberly B. Martin were all selected due to their respected positions in the legal community and overwhelmingly positive client feedback.

Ms. Hodge leads Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the Healthcare Practice Group, where she assists clients with matters related to insurance, medical malpractice, licensing board hearings, and product liability. Ms. Hollabaugh is a lead trial lawyer who has worked on dozens of jury and bench trials while helping infrastructure clients with land acquisition, construction, and operations. She recently co-authored an amicus curiae brief for the U.S. Supreme Court related to the Natural Gas Act and 11^th Amendment immunity. Ms. Martin handles international health product liability and white-collar claims.

Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters said, “We are proud of Leigh Anne, Lela, and Kim and congratulate them on their continued recognition as top female litigators. Their inclusion on this prestigious list is well deserved.”

Varnum LLP Partner Maureen Rouse-Ayoub has been featured in Michigan Lawyer Weekly’s 2022 Class of Influential Women of Law. The list celebrates women in the legal profession who have attained excellence in their field and made significant contributions through leadership, mentorship, and volunteering. When she isn’t leading Varnum’s Labor and Employment Practice team out of the Novi office, Ms. Rouse-Ayoub speaks about labor law issues at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and works with the State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Section and Michigan Chamber of Commerce Health and Human Resources Committee. In her spare time, she volunteers with Northern Michigan Adaptive Sports, where she uses special tools and instructions to teach alpine skiing to people with disabilities. Rouse-Ayoub and her fellow awardees will be celebrated at a September 23^rd ceremony in Detroit, followed by a September 26^th magazine profile.