We're back with another edition of our legal news roundup. Read on below for the latest updates in law firm hiring, awards and leadership:

Law Firm Hiring & Promotions

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP announced the promotion of 21 attorneys to Partner, as well as new board and office leadership appointments. In recent years, the firm experienced considerable growth at the national level, and as a result experienced  a 14 percent percent increase in attorney headcount since the beginning of 2021.

The new Dinsmore & Shohl Partners include:

• John Berry, Commercial Litigation

• Michael Buckley, Mergers & Acquisitions

• Andrew Cassady, Commercial Litigation

• Yongsok Choi, Intellectual Property

• Bryon Collier, Mergers & Acquisitions, Commercial Real Estate

• Govinda Davis, Intellectual Property

• Andrew Gammill, Commercial Finance, Real Estate

• Maxwell Gerwin, Commercial Finance

• Andrew Good, Commercial Litigation, Construction

• Krysta Gumbiner, Commercial Litigation

• Sunni Harris, Employment, Commercial Litigation

• Kelli Hayes, Employment, Immigration

• Ian Henry, Commercial Finance, Commercial Litigation

• Robert Herrick, Mergers & Acquisitions

• Oleg Khariton, Intellectual Property

• Jennifer Livingston, Intellectual Property

• Amanda McFarland Lockaby, Commercial Litigation

• Timothy McKay, Corporate, Commercial Finance

• Bryan Murray, Health Care, Life Sciences

• Sean Price, Intellectual Property

• Michael Reichert, Corporate, Commercial Finance

Additionally, Boston office Managing Partner Javier Flores and labor Partner Johner T. Wilson III joined the firm’s board of directors, effective January 1, 2022. Mr. Flores is the former national secretary of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and Mr. Wilson is a fellow at the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Furthermore, construction industry Partner Michael Paul took over leadership of the Denver office as the firm continues to grow in the area. 

Kamran Salour  joined the Cybersecurity, Information Governance, and Privacy practice at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP as a Partner. Located in the firm’s Orange County office, Mr. Salour is well-experienced in all types of data privacy and protection, dedicating his practice to helping clients respond to security incidents (including ransomware, network intrusions, and inadvertent disclosures). With his addition, Troutman Pepper continues to expand its growing incident response team.

“We are excited to welcome Kamran to the firm and our growing team in Orange County,” said Peter Villar, Managing Partner of the firm’s Orange County office. “Kamran is a great addition for our clients who will benefit from his proactive approach to data security and years of experience.”

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP expanded its New York office with the hiring of partner Irwin M. Latner. A member of the transactional practice group, Mr. Latner has experience inprivate investment fund management, regulatory and compliance and related transactional matters. He advises hedge and private equity fund managers, family offices, investment platforms, and emerging companies. 

“For over 30 years, clients have sought out Irwin’s strategic guidance in the family office and private funds sectors, and we are excited to bring his sophisticated practice to Stradley,” said Business Department Chair David H. Joseph. “His background and experience complement our regulatory and corporate capabilities, and we know our clients – and his – will greatly benefit from his arrival.”

Thomas Zelante, formerly the First Assistant Prosecutor for Morris County in New Jersey, joined Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP as Of Counsel. Now a member of the firm’s Complex Tort & General Casualty Practice, Mr. Zelante previously managed Morris County’s Financial Crimes Unit, Insurance Fraud Unit, and Bias Crimes Unit, as well as many others. He has experience in insurance defense, governmental practic, and as a litigator.

“We are honored and pleased to have Tom join Wilson Elser in the Florham Park office,” said New Jersey Regional Managing Partner Carolyn F. O’Connor. “His experience as a prosecutor and in private practice as a litigator will benefit our litigation practice greatly and bring value to our clients.”

Recognition & Awards

Super Lawyers recognized 24 Ward and Smith attorneys as leaders in their legal specialties in North Carolina. Super Lawyers selected 14 Ward and Smith lawyers at Super Lawyers, a distinction only given to five percent of North Carolina lawyers. The publication also recognized 10 attorneys as rising stars, which only 2.5 percent of attorneys in North Carolina receive.

The Ward and Smith 2022 Super Lawyers include:

• Angela Doughty, Intellectual Property

• Don Eglinton, Business Litigation

• Charles Ellis, Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff

• Brad Evans, Business Litigation

• Lynwood Evans, Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff

• Paul Fanning, Creditor Debtor Rights

• Bill Lathan, Banking

• John Martin, Business Litigation

• Lance Martin, Creditor Debtor Rights

• Will Oden, Employment & Labor: Employer

• Greg Peacock, Estate Planning & Probate

• Gary Rickner, Business Litigation

• Ryal Tayloe, Construction Litigation: Business

• Jim Wilson, Health Care

Paul Fanning was also selected for inclusion in the Top 100 Super Lawyers list for 2021, based on a peer survey. 

The 2022 Rising Stars from Ward and Smith include:

• Whitney Campbell Christensen, Government Relations

• Paige Inman, Family Law

• Michael Kohagen, Mergers & Acquisitions

• Emily Massey, Employment & Labor: Employer

• Evan Musselwhite, Construction Litigation

• Michael Parrish, Business Litigation

• Tyler Russell, Cannabis Law

• Allen Trask, Business Litigation

• Devon Williams, Employment & Labor: Employer

• Jeremy Wilson, Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff 

Hall Estill elected E. Job Seese, Diane L. Hernandez, Joel P. Johnston, Tami Hines, Jacqueline M. McCormick, and Margo E. Shipley as shareholders. 

“The annual election of Shareholders is met with great anticipation within Hall Estill,” said Mike Cooke, managing partner for Hall Estill. “Job, Diane, Joel, Tami, Jacqueline, and Margo have earned this status through the embodiment of our core values, including the highest degree of commitment and care for our clients.”

Mr. Seese specializes in commercial disputes – oil and gas, cannabis, trade secret and general contractual matters. He previously worked in private practice, and clerked for The Honorable Stanley F. Birch, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He earned his J.D. from the  the Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he graduated with highest honors, and his undergraduate alma mater is the University of the South.

Ms. Hernandez focuses her practice on employment-based immigration, as well as labor and employment law. While she was a student at the University of Tulsa College of Law, she served as the editor in chief of the Tulsa Law Review and as Vice President of the Latino Law Students Association. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in foreign service/political science and master’s in environmental studies from Baylor University.

Mr. Johnston is a lawyer who focuses on environmental, regulatory, and corporate/transactional law across a variety of industries, where he uses his experience as a technical and corporate leader in the environmental consulting arena. He earned his J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law with a certificate in sustainable energy and resources law and served as a Notes and Comments Editor for the Energy Law Journal. Mr. Johnston earned his Bachelor of Science in geology from Colorado State University, and he holds a Professional Geologist license in Wyoming.

Ms. Hines specializes in  bankruptcy and complex commercial litigation, as well as litigation involving oil and gas, construction/contract, and general corporate matters. She is an adjunct professor of law at Oklahoma City University School of Law. She received her J.D. from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, cum laude, and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Ms. McCormick represents ciients in a variety of matters including professional negligence, oil and gas law, banking, construction law, premises liability, commercial disputes, and employment issues. She earned her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Ms. Shipley specializes in general litgation and complex business litigation. She earned her JD from the University of Tulsa College of Law, summa cum laude, and her bachelor’s from John Brown University.

Greenberg Traurig environmental practice shareholder Christopher L. Bell earned the American Society for Quality’s (ASQ) Richard Freund-Donald Marquart Medal. The medal is given to an individual who applies quality principles to the development, implementation,and literature of management standards. 

“I strongly believe that it is our responsibility to strengthen our communities and provide sustainability and value for future generations. I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from ASQ,” Mr. Bell said.

Mr. Bell advises clients around the world on environmental management; sustainability; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, with decades of experience. He focuses on building business systems aimed at achieving sustainable and credible ESG performance. The ASQ award recognizes his role in creating and implementing international standards such as ISO 14001 that have exerted a global influence and shared thought leadership on ESG and sustainability objectives. 

Women in Leadership

Ropes and Gray LLP announced the promotion of Ama Adams to managing partner of their office in Washington, DC. Ms. Adams brings a wealth of experience in international trade regulations, economic sanctions, anti-money laundering, customs laws, regulations and much more. Ms. Adams is also the co-chair of Ropes & Gray’s Multicultural Forum, which is committed to creating an environment to succeed for people of all backgrounds and identities.

“Ama is a strong, visionary leader, and a trailblazer among CFIUS and international risk lawyers. She commands the respect of clients and our attorneys, which makes her the perfect office managing partner. Ama will boldly lead our Washington, D.C. office into the future,” said Ropes & Gray chair Julie Jones.

Claudine Chen-Young is the new chair of Women in Securitization, (WiS) which is an arm of the Structured Finance Association (SFA). The WiS Program helps women in the industry succeed by providing education and resources. Ms. Chen-Young was previously the WiS vice-chair.

Ms. Chen-Young has experience with buying and selling residential mortgage loans and helps to structure them through securitization. 

"Claudine's excellence as an attorney and her innovativeness as a strategist in the field make her an ideal choice for this role. Claudine is a proven leader who understands what is required to elevate women in our industry and is very much equal to the task," said Anna-Liza Harris, co-chair of Katten's Structured Finance and Securitization practice.

Amber Rogers of Hunton Andrews Kurth is a recipient of Dallas Business Journal’s 2022 Leaders in Diversity awards, which recognizes both individuals and organizations for their commitments to diversity and inclusion in both the workplace and leadership. 

Ms. Rogers is the hiring partner of Hunton’s Dallas office, as well as the co-chair of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion committee. Ms. Rogers also co-founded the Network of Empowered Women (NEW) which is a group focused on advancing the careers of African-American women attorneys. 

Rachel Popa also contributed to this article.