THE CHURN: Lateral Moves and Promotions in The Am Law 200

Incisive Media Global

SURVEYS AND RANKINGS

MAGAZINE

FEATURED SPONSORS

The Churn

September 5, 2008 5:43 PM

THE CHURN: Lateral Moves and Promotions in The Am Law 200

Posted by Tosin Sulaiman

Bingham McCutchen expanded its international securities practice with the addition of Kenneth Kopelman, former head of Bear Stearns's fixed income and derivatives legal groups, and Gerald Russello, former managing director of Bear Stearns's legal department. Kopelman, who was the first lawyer hired to build a legal team to service Bear Stearns's newly established derivatives business in 1993, joins as a partner. Russello, who was responsible for regulatory and enforcement matters for international financial services at Bear Stearns, joins as of counsel.

Brown Rudnick welcomed Sonya Van de Graaff, former managing director principal and solicitor with Bear Stearns International in London, as a partner in the bankruptcy corporate restructuring group in its London office. Van de Graaff works with hedge funds, corporations, investment banks, and other financial institutions that are active in the distressed and restructuring markets.

Dechert announced that Henry Wang has joined the firm as managing partner of its newly opened Beijing office. Wang was previously the general counsel of the largest Chinese-U.S. joint venture company, Shanghai General Motors, where he orchestrated the legal structure for all of GM's major investments in China.

C. Robert Paul, the former general counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and the Philadelphia Board of Trade, has joined DLA Piper's corporate and finance practice. Paul, who has advised clients such as securities, futures, and commodities exchanges and investment banks, will serve as counsel to the alternative asset management group in DLA Piper's New York office.

Jenner & Block added Peter Gaines as a partner in its corporate practice. Gaines, a corporate lawyer with extensive experience in complex finance transactions, was most recently a partner in the Chicago office of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd. He also spent 20 years practicing with Mayer Brown. In his prior practice, Gaines represented Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Dresdner Bank, Goldman Sachs, UBS, Petrobras, and Time Warner Telecom in a wide variety of project finance, acquisition, securitization, and other transactions.

The Hong Kong office of K&L Gates announced that Michael Chan will become a partner in its corporate, M&A, and securities practice. Chan, a Hong Kong native, joins K&L Gates from Jones Day. He focuses his practice on a variety of transactional and corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity investments, corporate restructurings, and finance.

Stefan Schmitz has joined McDermott Will & Emery's London office as a partner in the energy and infrastructure group, expanding the firm's energy project finance capability in London. Schmitz, whose practice focuses on renewable energy, with particular emphasis on wind and photo voltaic solar electric projects, was previously at the London and Frankfurt offices of Squire Sanders & Dempsey.

Kenju Watanabe has left Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to become a partner in the Tokyo office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. The firm said Watanabe, whose practice focuses on high-profile cross-border M&A, private equity, and joint venture transactions, will bolster its corporate practices.

Saul Ewing welcomed Jeffrey Glaser to its Baltimore office as special counsel in the personal wealth, estates, and trusts department. Glaser focuses his practice on estate planning, probate law, charitable giving, business succession planning, and related tax issues. Prior to his arrival, Glaser was chair of the estate planning department at Hodes, Pessin & Katz.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati expanded its litigation practice with the appointment of Elizabeth Peterson, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the district of Minnesota. Peterson, who will focus on white-collar criminal defense, corporate internal investigations, and complex commercial civil litigation, will be based in the firm's Palo Alto office. Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Peterson served as counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, D.C.

The churn is constant. Our reports are twice weekly. Send your news to amlawdaily@alm.com.

Make a comment

Comments (0)
Save & Share: Facebook | Del.ic.ious | | Email |