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

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The Churn

December 24, 2008 2:36 PM

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

Posted by Rachel Breitman

We're not looking to dampen anyone's holiday spirit. But here at The Am Law Daily, we often look to The Churn as a gauge of how things are going in the world of The Am Law 200. Well, it's no surprise that the number of moves we have to report on is dwindling, as resumes flood the market from the latest law firm failure (ok, the holidays have a little something to do with it, too). We can't help but wonder where these folks ultimately will land.

“Times are tough,” says recruiter Ann Director of Washington, D.C.'s Sitcov Director. "There are still some people at firms that dissolved who are not yet settled. Not every associate and not every partner from a firm that implodes is going to find that they are as gainfully employed."

There does seem to be some demand for state and federal prosecutors.

Anderson Kill & Olick added Frederick Pettit, former Philadelphia assistant district attorney, as a shareholder. He’ll handle insurance coverage and employment issues.

Meanwhile, Baker & Hostetler is well-placed to profit from the dire outlook for 2009, adding bankruptcy guru Irving Picard to its New York office. Picard, a corporate restructuring expert who previously worked at Gibbons, currently serves as the court-appointed trustee under the Securities Investor Protection Act in the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Baker & Hostetler previously handled investigations for financial companies as an independent monitor of Merrill Lynch and an independent examiner of the Bank of New York Mellon.

Cozen O’Connor has hired Thomas Harty, who joins the Philadelphia office's commercial litigation department. Formerly with Levy Angstreich Finney Baldante Rubenstein & Coren, where he was a managing attorney, Harty will handle contract claims, anticompetitive and unfair trade practices matters, business plus securities fraud claims and shareholder litigation.

Dickstein Shapiro helped three Dreier real estate attorneys come in from the cold, offering the lawyers spots in the firm's corporate and finance practice. Partner Mark Fawer, who had chaired Dreier's real estate practice, will be joined by counsel Michael Waters, and an associate. The team will advise on real estate acquisition, disposition, development and financing.

Greenberg Traurig’s newest shareholder is Jessica Graf; she joins the Boston office’s environmental, energy, and project finance group. A former Nixon Peabody lawyer, Graf will focus on regulatory, transactional, and project development for power producers and investors.

Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky will expand its IP, real estate, and litigation practices with former Dreier partner Steven Gursky. He will use his expertise in the area of trademark and anticounterfeiting litigation in the apparel industry and other industries.

Patton Boggs has hired Christina Guerola Sarchio as a partner in its worldwide litigation practice, resident in the Washington, D.C., office. Sarchio, who worked most recently at Howrey, was formerly a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, will handle commercial, antitrust and white collar crime cases.

Finally, also in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood, Williams Mullen added James Kinsel as a partner in the McLean, Virginia, office. Kinsel, who joins from Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice handles complex business litigation and is co-author of an unfair business practices blog. Also joining the firm is P. Brian See, the new partner and chair of the electronic discovery and litigation technology group. See will advise Williams Mullen attorneys and clients on electronic records retention and the identification, preservation, collection, review and production. He was previously an associate at Seyfarth Shaw and Squire Sanders & Dempsey.

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

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