Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Foley Hoag LLP

Foley Hoag Congratulates Laurie Burt on Appointment as Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Foley Hoag LLP congratulates Laurie Burt, partner and founder of the firm's Environmental Practice Group, for her appointment as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

The Commissioner of MassDEP is one of six agency chiefs reporting to Ian Bowles, Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA). In this role, Laurie will oversee all strategic and operational aspects of the agency, including implementing its policy priorities of climate change, local water supply, permitting efficiencies and renewable energy and energy conservation. The agency is the state's the principal enforcement agency, charged with ensuring clean air and water, safe management of toxic hazards, recycling of solid and hazardous waste, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.

"While we are sorry to see Laurie leave private practice, we are proud to count Laurie among the Foley Hoag alumni who now serve in distinguished public service positions," said Robert Sanoff, Co-Managing Partner of Foley Hoag and a member of the firm's Environmental Practice Group. "We wish her all the best and look forward to seeing progress on many important issues facing our state's natural resources under her stewardship. We will also very much miss Laurie's energy, creativity and skill as a lawyer and as one of the founders of our environmental practice."

"We are facing great challenges to our environment, such as climate change, here in Massachusetts and the nation," said Burt. "Governor Patrick has appointed an outstanding leadership team to address these challenges. With the spirit of innovation in this Commonwealth, I am confident that we can find solutions that make sense and will make a difference. I am honored and delighted to accept this opportunity."

Laurie joined Foley Hoag in 1980 after serving for four years as Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General in environmental enforcement. She is one of the founders of the firm's Environmental Practice and played an integral role in establishing it in its current position as one of the nation's premier practices. The Environmental Practice at Foley Hoag has held the #1 ranking in Massachusetts in Chambers USA for the past four years, and the publication has cited many individual attorneys as leaders in this field. Laurie is well known for her experience in litigation, settlement negotiations, and the development of innovative environmental compliance strategies.

In addition to her legal practice, Laurie serves in leadership roles on a number of boards and professional organizations, including the Boston Bar Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, New England Legal Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Environmental Defense. She is also a member of NAIOP, the Environmental Business Council, and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

07-20-2007

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Bingham McCutchen, LLP

Guitar Center Deal Makes List of Top 2007 Deals; Bingham Represents Seller
The move by Bain Capital Partners to acquire the California-based music store-chain Guitar Center Inc. for $2.1 billion was noted as one of the top 10 transaction of 2007, thus far, on CFO.com. Bingham partners Rick Welch andJohn Filippone and associate T.J. Stevenson represented the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Guitar Center Inc. in the deal. According to CFO.com, the boards of both companies have approved a price of $63 per share, and the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. News of this acquisition was previously reported by the Daily Deal, Bloomberg News, RTT News, FactSet Mergerstat, M2 Communications and Hedgeweek.

07-20-2007

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Armstrong Teasdale, L.L.P.

Armstrong Teasdale Launches New Task Force
The firm has announced the establishment of a new practice area at Armstrong Teasdale, the Security Clearance Task Force. Due to national security concerns, companies are increasingly faced with security clearance issues for new and existing employees. The attorneys within this task force counsel clients in obtaining and maintaining the proper security clearance to contract with the federal government and the military. In addition, they assist companies with foreign ownership or influence issues in obtaining a facility clearance and provide solutions to other facility clearance problems.

07-20-2007

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McGuireWoods LLP

McGuireWoods' Lawyers Attain Significant Legal Victory in Pro Bono Immigration Matter
In connection with a high-profile Waukegan City Council debate regarding immigration issues, McGuireWoods' lawyers Richard T. Greenberg and Luis A. Pinedo, both with the firm's Chicago office, obtained a significant legal victory on behalf of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

On July 16, Greenberg and Pinedo convinced a Lake County Circuit Court Judge to issue a Temporary Restraining Order, preventing the City of Waukegan from implementing a ticket distribution system for entrance into the city council meetings, which would have had the effect of restricting attendance at a meeting that was to address a proposed expansion of immigration enforcement. Many members of the Latino community were hoping to attend the council meeting. Greenberg successfully argued on behalf of MALDEF before Circuit Court Judge Mitchell L. Hoffman that the city's plan to implement a ticket system for council meetings violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

As a member of McGuireWoods' Business & Securities Litigation Department, Greenberg has conducted litigation and arbitration proceedings in a broad range of professional liability, business and commercial matters, especially in the areas of insurance, employment, accounting and finance. Greenberg is the managing partner of the McGuireWoods' Chicago office and a member of the firm's Board of Partners.

Pinedo, an associate in McGuireWoods Business & Securities Litigation Department, has distinguished himself both with his work in business and securities matters and with his commitment to pro bono matters. For example, this past year he worked with the Center on Wrongful Convictions to secure the release of a man wrongfully incarcerated for 10 years, by proving that the man did not receive a fair trial based on the exclusion of evidence concerning the true perpetrator.

07-20-2007

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Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

Sandy Weiner Honored by Texas State Bar for Lifetime Achievement
Vinson & Elkins partner Sandy Weiner has been awarded the Distinguished Real Estate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas State Bar.

The award is given annually by the Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law (REPTL) section of the State Bar to a distinguished Texas lawyer who has made significant and sustained contributions to the real estate bar.

Besides working on numerous real estate transactions in the state for more than 35 years, Mr. Weiner has been a tireless writer and speaker on real estate topics for the University of Texas Mortgage Lending Institute, State Bar of Texas continuing legal education programs and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, among others.

"Sandy Weiner is the consummate professional," said Joe Dilg, Managing Partner of Vinson & Elkins. "He provides outstanding service to his clients, mentors and nurtures younger lawyers, and gives back to his profession and his community in many different ways. He richly deserves this recognition and I am proud that I am Sandy's partner."

A native Houstonian, Mr. Weiner graduated from The University of Texas, B.A. economics, in 1968, and received his J.D. with high honors from Harvard Law School in 1971. He credits his great uncle, Harry Dow, with inspiring him to practice law.

“He was an extremely ethical man who spent his career representing individuals and small family businesses,” Mr. Weiner recalls. “Growing up, my image of a lawyer was not Perry Mason, it was Harry Dow.”

After graduating from Harvard, Mr. Weiner joined V&E’s Houston office, where he began working under esteemed V&E partners Dan Arnold and Darrell Morrow (both retired), the first of many mentors at the firm.

“I was surrounded by people who cared about making me a lawyer,” he said. "I count myself extremely fortunate. I liked the people, and I liked the work."

Mr. Weiner served as the firm’s Business & International section co-leader from 2000-2002. He also served as president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers in 2003, and is a member of the Houston Real Estate Lawyers Council, the Texas College of Real Estate Attorneys, and the Anglo-American Real Property Institute. He has been recognized as a leader in real estate law by Chambers USA (2003-2007); Who’s Who Legal (2007); and Best Lawyers in America (2003-2007).

Mr. Weiner is the eighth recipient of the REPTL Lifetime Achievement Award, which has been bestowed upon the following attorneys: Bernard O. Dow (the son of Harry Dow), 2000; James H. Wallenstein, 2001; William W. Gibson, Jr., 2002; J. Cary Barton, 2003; Terry Bray, 2004; John S. Hollyfield, 2005; and Edward H. Hill, 2006.

Mr. Weiner said that he was particularly honored to receive the award because his cousin, Bernard Dow, was the first recipient.

07-20-2007

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Norris, Mclaughlin & Marcus, P.A.

Edward G. Sponzilli To Serve On Supreme Court Bench•Bar•Media Committee
Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A. member Edward G. Sponzilli will serve on the newly-established Supreme Court Bench•Bar•Media Committee.

This Committee was formed to keep the public informed about the courts in general, as well as about particular court cases through accurate reporting and the underlying mutual cooperation essential to that. In addition, the Committee will identify impediments to informing the public about the work of the courts, and will devise solutions and develop protocols to overcome difficulties in reaching the Committee’s goals.

A resident of Caldwell, Sponzilli is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney with more than 30 years experience in complex corporate and commercial litigation. In addition to New Jersey, he is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia. He has litigated cases in many different jurisdictions, including employment litigation matters relating to restrictive covenant, wrongful termination, CEPA, employment discrimination and sexual harassment. He has defended products liability, toxic tort, and professional malpractice claims.

Additionally, Sponzilli has handled matters involving franchise practices, intellectual property, health care, estate, real estate, construction, antitrust, commodities, civil RICO, Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer fraud, shareholder disputes, civil rights, constitutional law, sports law, personal injury, insurance and reinsurance coverage matters, dram shop, alcohol, defamation, business tort, criminal and education law matters.

Sponzilli was presented with the Client Protection Award from the New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection in December 1999. He was honored for his outstanding service on behalf of the public and the Bar of New Jersey for his role as Chancery Court-appointed Receiver in the case of Montano v. Cohen & Cohen.

Sponzilli is a past president of the C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court and a trustee of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey. He has been on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy for 11 years and, for the past three years, has been one of only two non-government faculty members in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Trial Advocacy Institute. Sponzilli is also a state certified mediator and federal arbitrator. He is a member of the Bergen, Essex and Middlesex County Bar Associations, New Jersey and New York State Bar Associations, American Bar Association, as well as the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, Trial Attorneys of New Jersey (Board of Trustees), The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Association of College and University Attorneys, and the New Jersey Defense Association.

Sponzilli earned his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School in 1975, his M.A. from Columbia University in 1972, and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Rutgers University in 1971.

07-20-2007

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Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Katten Enhances Law Firm Diversity Initiatives with Launch of Leadership Institute for Women of Color
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to continue its leadership in the area of law firm diversity with the launch of its Leadership Institute for Women of Color, an internal program designed for female attorneys of color at all of the Firm’s offices. The Leadership Institute is the first program of its kind in the nation to proactively address the issue of women of color leaving law firms at a high rate by providing them with the tools that they need to ensure long-term success in their careers as attorneys at the firm.

Katten’s inaugural Leadership Institute will be held on July 24 and includes a daylong workshop, hosted by Dr. Arin N. Reeves, one of the nation’s preeminent diversity consultants and a key architect of the ABA’s 2006 study on women of color. The event will include a day of interactive workshops designed to assist attorneys from all of the Firm’s offices in growing their careers to their fullest potential. Topics addressed will include networking skills, career choices, internal and external visibility, maintaining personal strength and stamina, building support systems and marketing.

Featured speakers at the event, in addition to Ms. Reeves, will include Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Capital Management, LLC, Andrea L. Zopp, senior vice president, human resources, at Exelon Corporation, Connie L. Lindsey, executive vice president of The Northern Trust Company, and University of Chicago Graduate School of Business professor Tanya Menon Gandhi. Following the workshops, Katten attorneys will participate in a wine tasting with master sommelier Alpana Singh, host of the popular television show “Check Please!” and then attend the event’s concluding dinner.

“While progress has been made in recent years, the legal profession still struggles to retain minority and women attorneys,” said Leslie D. Minier, founder of the Leadership Institute for Women of Color and Katten’s Chief Diversity Partner. “Katten has already made great strides in this area and has become one of the thought leaders among law firms for diversity issues. With the launch of the Leadership Institute for Women of Color, we are taking the critical next step toward bringing the retention rate for women of color in law firms in line with the majority population in the industry, and we hope other firms will follow suit.”

Ms. Minier has pioneered Katten’s ascension as one of the nation’s leaders in the area of law firm diversity since becoming chair of its Diversity Committee in 2003. She assisted the Firm in crafting its initial diversity commitment statement and strategic diversity plan, and has led a number of national initiatives aimed at the promotion, development and retention of minority attorneys in the legal profession. These included the establishment of a firm-wide minority attorney retreat and firm-wide minority newsletter, “Connecting Katten.” In addition to her diversity efforts within Katten, Ms. Minier devotes a significant portion of her time to endeavors aimed at promoting diversity in the Chicago legal and business communities, as well as nationally.

Katten Muchin Rosenman is dedicated to the achievement and promotion of diversity within both the Firm and the broader legal community. The Firm's National Diversity Committee is designed to address the steps necessary to accelerate the process of building diversity at every level within the Firm. The Firm actively supports and promotes diversity within its workplace through various programs, including the Katten Muchin Rosenman Women's Leadership Forum, which fosters career development and advancement and provides support, mentoring and training programs for the Firm's female attorneys, and its Minority Associates Committee, which is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and promotion of minority associates at the Firm. The Firm was also a lead signatory to the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women “Call to Action” this past year and is actively involved in the Chicago Committee for Minorities in Large Law Firms. These initiatives enable the Firm to better attract, retain, nurture and advance its attorneys at every level.

07-20-2007

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