March 9, 2012 3:13 PM

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

Posted by Sara Randazzo

Dewey & LeBoeuf partner ERIC REIFSCHNEIDER is making his way to an in-house role with Qualcomm, sibling publication The Recorder reports (subscription required). 

Reifschneider will join the company's tech licensing division in May, according to The Recorder. He has spent the past four years advising lawyers in Qualcomm's tech licensing group.

Reifschneider, who joined Dewey from Cooley with several other partners in 2009 , is currently the managing partner of Dewey's Northern California offices and chairs the firm's global technology and intellectual property group. The firm has lost 16 other partners so far this year, according to our previous reporting.

In other Churn news . . .

Alston & Bird has added DAVID BARKSDALE, the former co–managing partner of Ballard Spahr's Los Angeles office, as a partner in the global finance group in L.A. Barksdale represents lenders and servicers on commercial real estate finance deals, particularly those related to distressed real estate.

Texas trial lawyer MICHAEL DINNIN has lateraled from Bracewell & Giuliani to Andrews Kurth, where he is a partner in Dallas. Dinnin represents executives and corporations in commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels.

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has gained a partner, DAVID PFEIFFER, to head its new Kuwait office. Pfeiffer, previously with SNR Denton, has worked as a commercial lawyer in the region since 1996. (Read more Am Law Daily coverage on the firm's new office here.)

Haynes and Boone has grabbed a partner in New York, JOHN HINTZ, from Chadbourne & Parke. Hintz is an intellectual property litigator who also does some transactional, licensing, and counseling work.

The New York office of Jenner & Block now counts ANTHONY BARKOW as a partner in the white-collar defense and investigations practice. A former federal prosecutor in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., Barkow joins from the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at New York University School of Law, which he founded nearly four years ago.

Jones Day has added three partners recently in Europe and Washington, D.C. Restructuring lawyer MATTHEW FRENCH joins the firm's London office from Nomura, where he was managing director of global M&A and head of restructuring for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. RENATO ANTONINI, previously with Van Bael & Bellis, has joined the firm's government regulation practice and will lead the international trade practice in Brussels. And in D.C., BARBARA HARDING, who handles asbestos, tobacco, and product liability–related litigation, makes the move from Kirkland & Ellis.

Charlotte real estate lawyer FRANK ARADO has moved to Katten Muchin Rosenman from Mayer Brown. A partner, Arado specializes in commercial real estate, focusing on the origination and restructuring of debt, the acquisition and disposition of loans, and joint venture formation.

Latham & Watkins has hired leveraged finance partner GREG ROBINS from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Los Angeles. His clients include investment banks, commercial banks, and other sources and users of debt capital in leveraged transactions.

Chadbourne & Parke has lost partner THOMAS BUTLER to LeClairRyan. A shareholder based in New York, Butler focuses on complex commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution. 

McDermott Will & Emery's two newest partner hires are RUTH WIMER from Ernst & Young and S. MICHAEL SONG from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Wimer, based in Washington, D.C., has expertise in employee compensation and benefits. Song, in Silicon Valley, concentrates on intellectual property litigation and counseling for technology companies.

MARCELO HALPERN has moved from Latham & Watkins to Perkins Coie, where he is a partner in Chicago. Halpern's practice focuses on transactional, strategic, and corporate matters for clients in the technology industry including software, consulting, and Internet companies.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has made another hire for its new Washington, D.C. office. DEREK SHAFFER joins the firm as a partner from Cooper & Kirk. Shaffer's litigation practice often finds him handling matters involving governmental bodies or questions of constitutional and statutory law. Earlier in his career, he helped launch and run the Stanford Constitutional Law Center.

ANAND DAMODARAN has advanced from a senior associate at White & Case to a partner at Ropes & Gray. Based in London, Damodaran practices in the investment funds arena, advising on the creation of private equity, real estate, and hedge funds; negotiating contracts; and assisting potential investors.

LISA LEDBETTER has left a role as deputy general counsel at Freddie Mac to be a financial institutions regulatory partner in SNR Denton's Washington, D.C., office. Earlier in her career she held senior roles with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Venable has gained GINA ADAMS ZENTZ as of counsel in Baltimore. Zentz, who joins from Gallagher Evellus & Jones, represents lenders and developers in commercial real estate financings, often related to municipal finance. 

Winston & Strawn has hired ROBERT RAWN as a partner in New York and FRANZ STIRNIMANN FUENTES as a partner in Geneva. Rawn, a corporate and securities lawyer previously with Bryan Cave, focuses on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures. Stirnimann, who was previously an associate at Winston, joins the international arbitration and litigation group from Geneva law firm Lalive.

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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