The National Law Review curates noteworthy legal industry moves, law firm innovation, and attorney recognitions and awards.  Read on to learn more about innovative developments in the legal area.

Law Firm Strategic Additions

Former congressman Mike McIntyre joined Ward and Smith as the firm’s Senior Advisor for Government Relations and Economic Development. 

McIntyre was elected to North Carolina's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and served for nine consecutive terms working on issues such as economic and business development in rural and coastal communities. He also served as the No. 2 ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee and was the No. 3 ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.

"I've known Mike for decades. His dedication, commitment, and extensive knowledge of local, state, and federal issues are unparalleled," said Jamie Norment, the firm's Government Relations Practice Group leader. "The caliber of our Government Relations team was extensive before. With Mike joining the team, our capacity to represent clients in and out of North Carolina is bar none."

McIntyre’s legal practice includes sports and entertainment, business, agribusiness, energy, environmental and real estate. He will be based out of the firm’s Raleigh office and will include work on behalf of clients in Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Edelson joined Varnum’s Business and Corporate Services practice team, and will be based in the firm’s Birmingham Michigan office.

Edelson’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate governance and general corporate matters, representing private equity firms and portfolio companies. He also serves as a board member of the Founders Junior Council at the Detroit Institute of Art. 

"We're very pleased to welcome Gabe to Varnum and the Birmingham office," said Seth Ashby, who leads the firm's Business and Corporate Services group. "In addition to being an excellent lawyer, Gabe brings a variety of experience and interests to the team and we look forward to working with him."

Andrew P. Young joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in the firm’s San Diego office, where he will be a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. Young has over a decade of government prosecution experience, having previously served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Major Frauds and Public Corruption Unit for the Southern District of California and as a Criminal Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Tax Division. 

“Fraud and corruption skyrocket in moments of crisis, and we’re already starting to see charges brought involving PPP loans and a number of other COVID-19 related issues,” said Randy Brown, chair of the firm’s Litigation Department. “Given his storied government experience, Andrew can offer clients valuable knowledge in these and other areas.” 

Young focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, compliance, internal investigations and complex business litigation. As a federal prosecutor, he secured more than 100 convictions and seized more than $35 million in illicit gains. 

“We’ve grown an impressive bench of litigators in Southern California, and Andrew is the third prosecutor to join us from the U.S. Attorney’s office since 2019,” said Troy Zander, San Diego partner-in-charge. “Andrew is uniquely positioned to advise our clients and bolster our litigation practice in San Diego and beyond and I’m thrilled to welcome him.”

Eric Winwood joined Sidley Austin as a partner in the firm’s Dallas office, and will be a member of Sidley’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice and the leader of the firm’s Dallas Tax, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. Before joining Sidley, Winwood was an employee benefits and executive compensation partner with Baker Botts LLP and a member of its Oil and Gas M&A team.

Winwood’s experience includes advising clients on compensation and benefits matters, including those associated with domestic and international M&A and private equity transactions, spinoffs, and joint ventures and has significant experience in the energy sector. 

“Eric’s experience advising clients on the executive compensation aspects of transformative M&A and private equity transactions will be a great value to clients across our many practices,” said Laura Barzilai, global leader of Sidley’s Tax, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice. “Additionally, Eric’s knowledge of a wide array of compensation and benefits matters further strengthens our existing team that regularly advises clients on highly sensitive matters, including executive onboarding and exits.”

Carolina Guibert Chase joined Allen Matkins as a partner, specializing in land use law, including California Environmental Quality Act compliance. Her background includes extensive experience in urban planning and land use law. 

"San Francisco's always-shifting legislation and complex planning code make it one of the most challenging jurisdictions for real estate developers in California, if not the country. Caroline's keen understanding of, and experience working within, this complicated environment gives her the upper hand when assisting clients to move projects forward," says Emily L. Murray, co-chair of Allen Matkins’ Land Use, Environmental, and Natural Resources practice group. "Caroline deepens the bench of the firm's already dynamic Land Use Practice Group and we look forward to having her on our team."

In her legal career, Chase has represented an array of educational institutions including the University of San Francisco, and affordable housing developers, including some of the Bay Area's top mixed-use, office, and residential developers.

Chase serves on the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition Board (SFHAC) and is Chair of the SFHAC Legislative Committee. She is also a member of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association Housing Policy Committee and the Urban Land Institute.

Law Firm Recognitions and Attorney Awards

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox was named as the Inter-Partes Review Firm of the Year and earned the Hatch-Waxman Impact Case of the Year award at the 2020 LMG Life Sciences Americas Awards. Sterne Kessler was also recently recognized by Managing Intellectual Property as the 2020 PTAB Firm of the Year.

The Hatch-Waxman Impact Case of the Year award recognizes Sterne Kessler’s ’s work before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC et al. v. Almirall LLC, which resulted in a final written decision in favor of the firm’s ’s client Amneal Pharmaceuticals. Sterne Kessler has been previously recognized by LMG LIfe Sciencesfor the award. 

“There aren’t many firms that have won an award category three times from LMG Life Sciences, but Sterne Kessler is an appropriate fit for the record due its substantial PTAB group, and one we are happy to name as Inter-Partes Review Firm of the Year,” said LMG Life Sciences editor Chris Adams. “The firm is one of the most active, has the clients, and takes part in novel post-grant matters showcased through its work in the recent Amneal case.”

Sterne Kessler was also shortlisted by LMG Life Sciences in the Hatch-Waxman Litigation – Generic, Patent Strategy Firm of the Year, Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Boutique categories. Sterne Kessler directors were also finalists in certain categories, including   Eldora L. Ellison, Ph.D. and Deborah Sterling, Ph.D. for Post-Grant Proceedings Attorney of the year, JC Rozendaal for Hatch-Waxman Litigator of the Year – Generic and Gaby L. Longsworth, Ph.D. for Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year – District of Columbia. 

Euromoney Legal Media Group (LMG) selected Knobbe Martens Partner Susan Natland as the recipient of its “Best in Trademark” award at the 2020 Americas Women in Business Law Awards ceremony held virtually September 17th. 

Natland previously received the “Best in Trademark” honor in 2015, and has been named to LMG’s Americas Women in Business Law expert guide four times. She co-chairs Knobbe Martens’ Trademark and Brand Protection Group, and specializes in international and domestic trademark selection and clearance, enforcement and brand protection. Natland has argued multiple cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She advises officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee. She is a former member and chair of the firm’s diversity committee.

Five Perkins Coie Trademark Partners were named as 2020 WTR Global Leaders by World Trademark Review.

Patchen Haggerty, Lynne Graybeal, and Grace Han Stanton received recognition in Washington state; Scott Palmer in China; and Fab Vayra in the District of Columbia were recognized by World Trademark Review for their expertise and experience in relation to managing, protecting, creating and enforcing essential brand rights.  

Perkins Coie’s IP practice includes over 250 attorneys and agents, with extensive experience in all areas of U.S. and international trademark prosecution. 

Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals' named Jennifer Keller of Keller/Anderle LLP on its list of The Top 100 Lawyers in California. This marks her thirteenth appearance on the list. 

Keller was also ranked as the No. 1 attorney in Southern California by Southern California Super Lawyers for 2020, and was recognized on the list of the 2020 Benchmark Litigation Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America. Keller is also a 2018 inductee to the California Lawyers Association Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.

Keller represents plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation and white collar cases. Keller recently won a temporary restraining order in federal court after plans were announced to turn a Costa Mesa facility previously condemned as unfit for human habitation into an 80 patient coronavirus treatment center. The plans were abandoned. 

Law Firm Innovation and Initiatives

Blank Rome launched its Biometric Privacy Team, composed of multidisciplinary attorneys from its Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Privacy Class Action Defense, Artificial Intelligence Technology, and Labor & Employment groups. The group was created to help clients address and minimize risks associated with biometric privacy regulatory compliance, enforcement, and litigation.

“We are thrilled to launch this important and timely initiative,” said Jeffrey N. Rosenthal, who leads the Firm’s Biometric Privacy Team. “Our team includes both highly experienced compliance counsel and seasoned privacy class action defense litigators. Collectively, we are well positioned to help clients navigate today’s myriad biometric privacy laws. Whether proactively developing comprehensive compliance/risk management programs or aggressively defending clients in state and federal courts across the country, our Biometric Privacy Team possesses the technological savvy, industry knowledge, and battle-forged litigation skills needed to counsel and defend our clients as consumer privacy laws continue to expand and evolve.”

A team of attorneys from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) worked with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law intervened on behalf of the Georgia NAACP and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda to stop over 14,000 voters in  Fulton County being purged from the county’s list of registered voters.   The group of BCLP attorneys filed an emergency motion, stopping a lawsuit demanding challenge hearings and the purging of impacted voters.  Along with the emergency motion, the team argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, saying the lawsuit was an illegal attempt to avoid the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).  After a hearing, the court denied the petition to purge the voters, pointing out the NVRA precludes voter removal within 90 days of a federal election.  

Both the Georgia NAACP and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda have been working to get out the vote in Georgia ahead of the 2020 election, and the suit’s dismissal is helpful to that cause. Jennifer Dempsey, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, said of the victory: 

Now more than ever we need to protect the right to vote. Hopefully, our work here with the Lawyers Committee will help to dissuade similar attacks on the right to vote in Georgia and in the rest of the country.

The BLCP team included Atlanta Partners Bill Custer and Jen Dempsey. Custer is currently serving on the board of directors of the Lawyers’ Committee. Atlanta/Los Angeles Associate Christian Bromley, Atlanta Associate Leah Schultz and Atlanta Paralegal Stephanie Roberts, and Leanne Middleton also worked on the project.

Read Ahead, a nonprofit that partners volunteer mentors with elementary school students in New York City, recognized DLA Piper at the organization's virtual gala, Books and Beyond. 

More than 80 of DLA Piper’s lawyers and staff volunteered to serve as mentors to students in the program. DLA Piper Partner Christopher Paci, serves on Read Ahead’s board of directors.

“Our commitment to creating a culture that is inclusive of all people, and where everyone has an opportunity to succeed, is fundamental to who we are,” said Fenimore Fisher, DLA Piper’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, while accepting the recognition on September 16, 2020. “We support Read Ahead’s mission that every child deserves the opportunity to be successful in school and in life.”  

The Antitrust Group at Proskauer Rose announced an interactive price gouging map, providing at-a-glance information on state regulations on price gouging restrictions.  This information is especially needed due to unscrupulous business practices gong on duirng the COVID-19 pandemic.  The map helps users stay aware of local, state and federal rules, as well as executive orders, put in place since the onslaught ofthe Coronavirus pandemic.  Christopher Ondeck, co-chair of Proskauer Rose’s Antitrust group, states the map highlights the challenge of complying with a web of price-gouging laws that apply in different jurisdictions, and a major problem for businesses is gauging which laws are applicable on what products and services.  He says,  “A price change that is safe in some states could be illegal in many others. Different products and services are covered by different states. . .  Our map provides businesses with a tool to help with this challenge in an interactive and user-friendly format.”

That’s the news for now.  We’ll be back in two weeks with more information.

Rachel Popa also contributed to this article.