Welcome back to another edition of the National Law Review’s legal industry news roundup! Please read below for the latest in law firm hiring and expansion news, key industry awards and recognition and a special feature on International Chamber of Commerce elections.

Law Firm Hiring and Expansion

Matthew Hytrek brings his experience with complex litigation to Troutman Amin LLP, joining the firm as an associate attorney. He focuses his practice on Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action defense litigation and compliance.The addition of Mr. Hytrek brings Troutman Amin LLP to seven attorneys and two paralegals. Troutman Amin LLP also expanded its office to hire four post-bar law clerks. 

Firm founder Eric Troutman referred to Mr. Hytrek as “an incredibly well-rounded and experienced fellow,” noting that he is “an absolutely perfect fit for the firm.” 

William M. Pekarsky joins Blank Rome’s New York office as an associate, bringing his experience with residential and commercial real estate litigation, including construction disputes, landlord-tenant proceedings and condominium/cooperative representation to the firm’s Commercial Litigation group. 

Mr. Pekarsky’s hiring continues Blank Rome’s growth nationwide, with the recent additions of partner Audrey F. Momanaee and associate Christopher W. Caudill to the firm’s Houston office and of counsel P. Gavin Eastgate and associate Bryant A. Andrews to its Pittsburgh office.

Kevin Abikoff joins Proskauer as an anti-corruption and investigations partner, where he will focus his practice on securities litigation, corporate governance, regulatory enforcement and arbitration proceedings, including U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Kevin to Proskauer as we continue to scale. His experience with securities litigation, governance, white collar and corporate investigations fits perfectly within our existing platform, making him an outstanding addition to our deep bench of litigators and trial lawyers. I look forward to seeing Kevin and Proskauer grow together,” said Proskauer chair Tim Mungovan.

“With everchanging rules from the SEC, complex FCPA investigations, global elections and more, securities, investigations and litigation have never been a higher risk for organizations. Kevin brings a wealth of experience that can help clients prepare for and face these challenges. I am delighted to welcome him to the Firm and look forward to working with him,” said Bart Williams, chair of Proskauer’s Litigation Department, regarding the firm’s securities, investigation and litigation practice.

Littler Mendelson P.C. expands its Toronto office with the addition of partner Gerald Griffiths, who will focus his employment law practice on civil litigation disputes, collective bargaining and agreement administration, employment contracts, hiring practices, grievance arbitration, human rights and accommodation and workplace investigations. 

"I have had the pleasure of watching Littler build a commanding presence in the Canadian market, especially in the past few months,” said Mr. Griffiths. “The depth and breadth of their platform is unrivaled, and I look forward to contributing to Littler's legacy of excellence and deepening its client offerings across the country."

Littler’s Toronto office also added four new associates, Micah Fysh, Kemi Faneye, Natalie Nicholson and David McIsaac. This continues the Toronto office’s growth trend and follows the recent addition of partners Matthew Badrov, Shana French and Stephen Shore.

“The explosive growth of our Toronto office is a direct result of market demand combined with our continued commitment to attracting and retaining a top-tier team that can deliver exceptional client service throughout the region,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president. 

Legal Industry Awards and Recognition

Bradley partner Brooks R. Smith was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, a professional group of real estate finance attorneys dedicated to developing trustworthy referral networks and professional excellence to give back to their profession.

Mr. Smith, a partner in Bradley’s Nashville office, focuses his practice on real estate transactions, working with real estate professionals and developers to structure transactions and compose entity formation documents. He also frequently authors articles on real estate industry topics. In addition, Mr. Smith is a past chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Real Estate Section and Fellow of Nashville Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association.

ArentFox Schiff announced that partner Debra Albin-Riley was named by Daily Journal as one of the “Top Women Lawyers” in California for the third time. Also recognized by Legal 500 and Chambers USA, Ms. Albin-Riley is a health care litigator in the firm’s Los Angeles and San Francisco offices who successfully argued before the California Supreme Court on establishing significant anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) protections for medical staff in peer review matters.

Ms. Albin-Riley also chairs the Board of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA), and previously served as LFLA’s Governance Committee Chair and a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced that several intellectual property attorneys were ranked in Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars 2024, the “leading specialist ranking publication for the IP profession” that ranks law firms by expertise, workload, market reputation and record.

The Chicago, New York and Washington, DC attorneys honored include co-chairs of Katten’s Trademark/Copyright/Privacy Group, partners Karen Artz Ash and Floyd Mandell, as well as Kristin Achterhof, Bret Danow and chairman emeritus Roger Furey, all of whom were named as “Trade Mark Stars.” Partners Deepro Mukerjee, chair of Katten’s Intellectual Property practice, and Lance Soderstrom, co-chair of the Patent Litigation practice, were included as “Patent Stars.”

2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation featured nine Moore & Van Allen PLLC attorneys. The 500 X List features attorneys who “have eyes turned toward the future and an undiminished belief in the opportunity to make an impact” by carrying forward accomplishments of previous generations infused with fresh thought and ideas. The following Moore & Van Allen attorneys were recognized as future leaders in law:

• Matthew “Matt” R. Mollozzi
• Barrett Morris
• Brett E. Moskowitz
• Sarah H. Negus
• Tanisha Palvia
• Sarah A. Sheridan
• Richard I. Simons
• Laura B. Truesdale 
• Kathryn G. Wellman 

Several of the attorneys were the only ones in their categories to be recognized, with Mr. Moskowitz the sole attorney recognized in Entertainment Finance and Ms. Wellman the sole honoree in Regulatory Compliance. In addition, Ms. Negus was solely recognized in the Labor & Employment category in the region, while Ms. Palvia was the only Southeast attorney in the White Collar Defense category.

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court Elections

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) reappointed Claudia Salomon as President of the International Court of Arbitration for a second three-year term. The International Court of Arbitration includes 191 members from 119 jurisdictions. Ms. Salomon was elected by the ICC World Council per the provisions of the ICC constitution and statutes of the ICC Court. She made history in 2021 when she was first elected as the first woman President of the ICC Court.

“I am deeply honoured to be reappointed as President of the ICC Court. I’m proud of the significant strides we have taken to expand our global reach and deliver the highest level of service, focused on the evolving needs of the parties. I look forward to continuing this momentum, working with the Court Members from around the world to continue our gold standard of dispute prevention and resolution services,” said Ms. Salomon.

In addition to Ms. Salomon, seven new vice-presidents and 121 new members were appointed. Members are appointed by the ICC World Council, which comprises representatives from the global business community. The new appointments to the ICC Court include 35 members and vice-presidents from Africa, 61 from Asia-Pacific, 22 from the Middle East, 62 from Europe, 26 from Latin America and eight from Anglo-America. The new vice-presidents are:

• Isaiah Bozimo (Nigeria/United Kingdom), partner at Broderick Bozimo and Company, Abuja
• Julie Bédard (Canada/France), partner and the head of Skadden’s International Litigation and Arbitration Group for the Americas
• Stavros Brekoulakis (Greece), Michael & Laura Hwang Professor in International Arbitration at the National University of Singapore; arbitrator at 3 Verulam Buildings (Gray’s Inn) in London
• Valeria Galíndez (Brazil/Argentina), partner at Galíndez Arb in São Paulo
• Carmen Martinez Lopez (Spain/United Kingdom), partner at Three Crowns in Madrid
• May Tai (Malaysia), independent arbitrator and consultant with Herbert Smith Freehills in Hong Kong
• Marieke van Hooijdonk (Netherlands), partner at A&O Shearman

View the full list of ICC Court members here.