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July 22, 2011 3:26 PM

The Churn: Lateral Moves and Promotions in The Am Law 200

Posted by Hannah D'Apice

Correction: 7/22/2011, 5:25 p.m. EDT--The original version of this article incorrectly identifed Benny Pace's position with Adams and Reese. He is the firm’s new banking and finance group leader in Texas. We regret the error.

Cincinnati-based Dinsmore & Shohl unveiled its new office in Washington, D.C., Friday, marking the occasion by bringing in heavyweight D.C. litigators DONALD SANTARELLI and MARSHALL BERMAN.

The two were previously partners together in private practice.

Santarelli, who focuses on white-collar crime and internal and external corporate investigations, has been tapped to lead the office. He is a former senior U.S. Department of Justice official, federal prosecutor, and agency administrator, and has served five times as a presidential appointee, four times confirmed by the U.S. Senate, for three different presidents.

Santarelli told Am Law Daily sibling publication The National Law Journal that he was enthusiastic about joining the firm alongside Berman.

“What a pleasure to have a strong backup law firm to deliver the services that the two of us could not do alone,” Santarelli told the NLJ. “It is truly a treat to work with midwestern men and women.”

Berman has served on the chairman's staff and in the appellate court branch of the National Labor Relations Board, as special master for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and as a private labor and employment litigator.

Dinsmore's dive into D.C. follows similar moves into the city by Fox Rothschild in November, Becker & Poliakoff in April, and Allen & Overy in June.

Santarelli and Berman are joined by Dinsmore attorneys Joseph Terry, Ben Wells, William Sherman, and Robert Beatty, Jr.

In other Churn news . . .

BENNY PACE is headed to Adams and Reese as the firm’s new banking and finance group leader in Texas. Pace, who was previously with Kelly Hart & Hallman, will be based in Houston.

Arent Fox's Los Angeles office is welcoming CHRISTIAN SCALI as a partner in its automotive and litigation practices. Scali comes to the firm from Manning, Leaver, Bruder & Berberich.

JON LEYENS, JR., is joining Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz as a shareholder in New Orleans. Leyens was formerly with The Steeg Law Firm and specializes in commercial real estate leasing and development and business financing.

Blank Rome is expanding its Asia capital markets practice with the addition of SCOTT KLINE and DAWN BERND-SCHULZ. Both were most recently with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Bernd-Schulz will practice out of the Washington, D.C. office; Kline will be based in the firm’s recently opened Shanghai office.

ALINE CARDIN is moving to the Paris office of Clifford Chance, where she will be a partner in the firm’s corporate practice, specializing in equity capital markets. She was previously with Shearman & Sterling.

Dechert is adding HECTOR GONZALEZ as a partner in the firm's white-collar and securities litigation practice. Gonzalez was last with Mayer Brown and will be based in New York.

KELLY FRAY is arriving at Dickinson Wright as a member in the Nashville corporate practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Fray worked in-house at the Copyright Clearance Center.

JOHN PIERCE is headed to the Seattle office of DLA Piper, where he will be partner in the corporate and finance practice. Pierce was formerly with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He specializes in group project structuring and finance, as well as joint ventures and acquisitions, with an emphasis on the renewable energy sector.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton is boosting its environmental practice with the addition of attorneys JULIE DOMIKE and ALEC ZACAROLI. Domike and Zacaroli will be a partner and of counsel, respectively. Both come to the firm from Wallace King Domike & Reiskin.

KAMRAN BAJWA is returning to Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in Chicago, where he will help launch the firm’s Middle East practice group. Bajwa, who served as an associate with Kirkland from 2000 to 2003, spent the last eight years working in Middle East financial services. He most recently worked in-house at EFG-Hermes, an investment bank.

McGuireWoods announced the addition of four former Winston & Strawn attorneys to its debt finance practice group in Charlotte. New partners ERIC BURK, JIM HEDRICK, DAVID LAPP, and KENT WALKER specialize in structuring, negotiating, and documenting secured and unsecured domestic and international syndicated and single-bank credit facilities.

JOHN MOORE and PHILIP TATOROWICZ join Morrison & Foerster, in the Hong Kong and Washington, D.C., respectively. Moore, previously with Herbert Smith, joins as partner. He is also currently the deputy chairman of the Listing Committees of the Main Board and the Growth Enterprise Market of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Tatorowicz will serve as of counsel and comes to the firm from Ernst & Young, where he established the firm’s state and local tax group.

Paul Hastings is adding KY TRAN-TRONG to its global banking and payment systems practice as of counsel, as well as cochair of the payment systems practice in Washington, D.C. Tran-Trong formerly served on Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve as counsel with the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs.

LITTLE FAWN BOLAND is headed to the San Francisco office of SNR Denton. She will be of counsel to the firm’s Indian law and tribal representation group, as well as the public policy and regulation practice. Boland was most recently a solo practitioner at LFB Legal.

Thompson Hine welcomed SUZANNE ARPIN as counsel in its employee benefits and executive compensation group. She comes to the firm from Schiff Hardin and will practice out of both the Atlanta and New York offices.

JUSTIN PIERCE is joining the intellectual property group at Venable as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office, where he will advise clients in cross-border trade and customs cases. He was formerly head of trademarks and brand protection for Sony Ericsson and will continue to represent the company.

Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker is adding two general liability of counsel to its roster: COLEEN MIDDLETON in White Plains, and LISA GIBBONS in New York. Middleton was most recently with the New York Department of Investigation and specializes in general liability, commercial litigation, internal investigations, and monitorships. Gibbons was originally with Wilson Elser from 1994 to 2004. Since then he has worked as a sole proprietor of a law practice, as well as an adjunct professor of law, criminal justice, and psychology at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY.

The Churn is compiled from law firm releases and announcements. Moves based on our own reporting will note this. Please send all announcements and news releases to [email protected].

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