February 24, 2012 2:54 PM

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

Posted by Sara Randazzo

A team of Shook, Hardy & Bacon patent lawyers have broken away from the Am Law 200 firm to start their own shop, a Shook Hardy spokesman confirmed Friday. As first reported by the Kansas City Business Journal, former Shook, Hardy partners ERIC BURESH and ADAM SEITZ have formed Erise IP in Leawood, Kansas, along with five associates and at least one patent agent.

Shook, Hardy chairman John Murphy told the Business Journal that Buresh and Seitz, who were both income partners, are taking most of the firm's work for client Garmin with them. Murphy added that the departures will not affect Shook, Hardy's budget projections for 2012.

As reported by The Am Law Daily earlier this week, Shook posted moderate growth in revenue and profits in 2011, bringing in $341.5 million in gross revenue and racking up profits per partner of $1.07 million.

In other Churn news . . .

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has taken on three new senior lawyers, including two partners hired with an eye toward opening a new office in Hong Kong. The partners are GREGORY PUFF, previously with Shearman & Sterling, and ANDREW ABERNETHY, from Norton Rose. Both practice in the areas of corporate, capital markets, private equity, and funds work. In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, NICOLE SPRINZEN has rejoined Akin Gump as senior counsel in the white-collar defense and corporate investigations practice after a four-year stint as a prosecutor in the fraud section of the U.S. Department of Justice's criminal division.

Baker Botts has hired ELAINE WALSH as a partner in Washington, D.C. Formerly with Kirkland & Ellis, Walsh represents clients in the energy industry on transactional and regulatory matters, including mergers and acquisitions, power purchase and tolling agreements, and renewable and fossil fuel power project development.

Winston & Strawn loses litigator JAMES BAKER to Baker & McKenzie. A partner in San Francisco, Baker focuses on litigation and counseling related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as well as employee benefits and executive compensation issues.

Ballard Spahr has hired former Saul Ewing partner KATAYUN JAFFARI as a partner in its Philadelphia office. Jaffari counsel companies, primarily those in the biotechnology, energy, and technology sectors, on securities transactions.

DAVID WARREN has jumped from Cooley to Blank Rome in New York. A partner in the firm's private client group, Warren practices trusts and estates law, particularly related to high-net-worth individuals.

Health care lawyer DINETIA NEWMAN has moved her practice to Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Jackson, Mississippi. Previously with Balch & Bingham, Newman represents hospitals and health systems, physicians, managed care organizations, and other Medicare Part B suppliers on issues related to Medicare and Medicaid payments.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher looked to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to find its newest counsel, JEFF STEINER. Based in Washington, D.C., Steiner will continue to focus his work on derivatives and market regulation as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Chicago office of Hinshaw & Culbertson now counts NICHOLAS LEGATOS as a partner. Legatos, who was formerly with Latimer LeVay Fyock, represents real estate developers in transactions including acquisitions, debt and equity financing, development, land use, and leasing matters.

In Hong Kong, NEIL CAMPBELLhas left O'Melveny & Myers, where he co-led the Asia debt capital markets practice, to join K&L Gates. A finance partner, Campbell represents clients on debt capital markets and securitization transactions, including those involving airlines, shipping, and consumer receivables. 

The newest addition to the New York office of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips is counsel PETER EBRIGHT.  Ebright joins from the New York City Department of Buildings, where he served as deputy director of special enforcement. His practice focuses on regulatory compliance matters in the areas of zoning and land use.

JOHN SULLIVAN has returned to Mayer Brown as a partner in Washington, D.C., Sullivan was with Mayer Brown before leaving to work for the government eight years ago. His practice covers global commerce, import and export regulation, foreign investment in the U.S., and domestic sanctions issues. He was most recently a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

McDermott Will & Emery has added attorneys on both coasts. In Boston, securities litigators JOHN STEN and JASON MOREAU join as partners from Greenberg Traurig. Both focus on federal and state securities and commodities litigation, as well as on other complex commercial litigation. McDermott has also made three intellectual property hires in California: partner BHANU SADASIVAN in Menlo Park and counsel NATHAN SMITH and DANE BUTZER in Irvine. Sadasivan, formerly with Covington & Burling, focuses on patent and trade secrets litigation, particularly related to the life sciences. Smith, who last worked at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, has a practice covering foreign and domestic patents, trademarks, and other IP protection. Butzer, who was previously a solo practitioner, specializes in patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, and copyright filings.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has hired a senior counsel in Boston, HENRY HORBACZEWSKI, and a partner in San Francisco, SUSAN RESLEY. Horbaczewski joins the firm after working as general counsel of Reed Elsevier, a publishing company. He will advise clients on litigation, intellectual property and copyright law, and commercial and corporate transactional law. Resley, meanwhile, joins from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. She represents companies and individuals in securities-related regulatory investigations and in class action and derivative litigation. Earlier in her career, she worked in the enforcement division of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Atlanta real estate lawyer SHAWN LANIER has left DLA Piper to be a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. Lanier focuses on real estate development, including property and air rights acquisition, development, operation, financing, and disposition.

Perkins Coie welcomes a three-member intellectual property team from Loeb & Loeb. The new hires are partners TIMOTHY CARROLL and MATTHEW CARMODY and one associate, all based in Chicago. The group's practice covers IP and commercial litigation, including patent infringement, misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets, licensing and technology disputes, and class actions.

The Atlanta office of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan now counts JOEL HUGHEY as a partner in the corporate group. Previously senior vice president of corporate development at Premiere Global Services, Hughey will counsel technology companies and private equity and venture capital investors on corporate, securities, and finance matters.

Winston & Strawn has gained two litigation partners in Chicago from Greenberg Traurig. DANIEL RUBINSTEIN, a former assistant U.S. attorney, has a practice defending companies and executives in regulatory enforcement matters as well as handling government and corporate internal investigations. PAUL MCGRADY specializes in laws governing the intersection of information technology and intellectual property, particularly related to domain names.

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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