Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Cass Brewer of MMM to Lead ABA Environmental Tax Subcommittee
Cassady V. (“Cass”) Brewer, a Partner with Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, has been selected to chair the American Bar Association’s Subcommittee on Environmental Tax Issues. The post falls within the Tax Section’s Real Estate Committee.

“Cass is a phenomenal lawyer and we are very excited that he is assuming this role,” said Jim Sowell, Vice Chair of the Real Estate Committee of the ABA Tax Section. “He will make a valuable contribution to dealing with the important tax issues that arise in connection with environmental contamination and clean-up.”

Brewer is in Morris, Manning & Martin’s Tax, Exempt Organizations, and Wealth Planning groups. He has worked closely on tax matters with a number of real estate clients, especially those with He has worked closely on tax matters with a number of real estate clients, especially those with He has worked closely on tax matters with a number of real estate clients, especially those with environmental tax issues and with investments by tax-exempt organizations. Atlanta magazine counts him among the state’s Super Lawyers, which honors the top five percent of Georgia attorneys. Georgia Trend magazine also counts him among the state’s Legal Elite. For the past two years, he has chaired the Partnerships & LLCs Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and he frequently speaks at tax seminars, workshops and teleconferences.

“Cass has distinguished himself by representing clients varying from nonprofit organizations to developers with resorts across the U.S. and in the Caribbean,” said Morris, Manning & Martin’s Managing Partner Bob Saudek. “This post is a perfect match.”

Morris, Manning & Martin has strong environmental and real estate groups, including some of the top brownfield attorneys in the nation. Plus, in February it launched a new group specifically to serve the legal needs of green businesses.

Brewer says his first task will be developing the subcommittee’s agenda for next year. His term begins immediately.

05-22-2007

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Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Princeton Attorney Brian Rath Appointed to Board of Trustees of the United Way of Greater Mercer County
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC associate Brian Rath was recently appointed to the board of trustees of the United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC). Rath will serve a three-year term, charged with the responsibility of assuring the integrity of the organization by overseeing financial, structural and policy decisions that guide the UWGMC, its volunteers and its staff. UWGMC is an independent nonprofit organization that provides a neutral table around which diverse groups can partner and collaborate to produce measurable results in local human care issues in the greater Mercer County area.

About Rath

Brian Rath is a member of Buchanan's Health Care Section. His practice focuses upon the representation of health care entities, particularly long-term care facilities and hospitals, on a range of issues, including Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, federal and state regulatory compliance and health care entity mergers and acquisitions. Rath also litigates matters in jurisdictions throughout the United States. Rath received his law degree in 1999 from Georgetown University School of Law and his B.A. degree in history from Georgetown University in 1995.

05-22-2007

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Baker & Hostetler, L.L.P.

COURT THROWS OUT CASE BY PRINCE JEFRI OF BRUNEI AGAINST FORMER ADVISORS
In a resounding victory for Faith Zaman and Thomas W. Derbyshire, former principal advisors to Prince Jefri of Brunei, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has completely dismissed the case filed against them for RICO violations, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty.

On May 17, 2007, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled that allegations made by Prince Jefri and various entities he owns and controls failed to state legally valid claims and a basis for federal jurisdiction. The Court denied Prince Jefri's motion for leave to amend his complaint a second time as "futile" and entered judgment dismissing the case in its entirety.

Baker Hostetler partners Mark A. Cymrot, who specializes in international and commercial litigation and arbitration, and Peder A. Garske, who concentrates his practice in financial, commercial and international litigation, were lead counsel to Zaman and Derbyshire.

Judge Kaplan held that, even accepting many of the Plaintiffs'' “dubious” allegations as true, the case against English barristers Ms. Zaman, Mr. Derbyshire and the other Defendants was insufficient on its face to satisfy the requirements of a RICO cause of action. The decision is another legal defeat for Prince Jefri, who is subject to a number of court orders and enforcement actions for admittedly removing $24 billion from the Brunei Investment Agency, approximately $13 billion of which remains outstanding.

05-22-2007

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Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC

Sean F. Perrin To Receive Legal Aid Of North Carolina's 2007 Pro Bono Attorney Of The Year Award
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC today announced that Sean F. Perrin has been selected to receive Legal Aid of North Carolina's 2007 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award. Perrin, a member of Womble Carlyle's Business Litigation Practice Group, will be presented with the award at the Mecklenburg County Bar's Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 24, 2007.

This award is given annually to recognize the extraordinary efforts of Mecklenburg County lawyers who have contributed a significant amount of time and energy toward pro bono work over the past year. Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is a statewide, nonprofit, 501(c)3 law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income individuals in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity.

Perrin was selected for the tremendous amount of time he spends volunteering with the Mecklenburg County Bar on a pro bono basis. Perrin frequently handles landlord-tenant disputes for low-income Charlotte residents through Legal Services of Southern Piedmont. Additionally, he has worked with close to 30 pro bono clients in the past year alone, including: helping low-income domestic violence victims obtain 50-B restraining orders through Legal Services, aiding abused and neglected children through the state's Guardian ad Litem program, representing clients charged in criminal cases who cannot afford to hire an attorney through the Mecklenburg County Public Defender's office and handling a variety of misdemeanor and felony cases on a pro bono basis.

Perrin also spends much of his time volunteering with the Guardian ad Litem program, a state-run program that assigns a volunteer to look out for the interest of children who must be removed from their homes. He works through the Council for Children's Rights to assist children in the middle of custody disputes, with the Center's role being to focus on the best interests of the child, and works in Juvenile Court with children who are in Department of Social Services custody.

At Womble Carlyle, Perrin concentrates his practice on the defense of law enforcement officers and municipalities in police misconduct and related civil rights litigation in state and federal courts. He gained substantial trial experience as an assistant District Attorney for Mecklenburg County where he prosecuted murder, rape, armed robbery, and narcotics trafficking cases for five years.

Perrin received his bachelors of arts degree, with honors, in English and political science from James Madison University and obtained his J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina. He is admitted to practice law in North Carolina and before the Eastern and Western Districts of the state.

05-22-2007

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Thompson Hine LLP

Thompson Hine Partner Becomes Ohio State Bar's President
Thompson Hine partner Robert F. Ware is the new president of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA), effective July 1, 2007. Ware served for two years on OSBA's 21-member board of governors before becoming president-elect in 2006. Ware states that during his one-year term as president of the 30,000-member organization, he will focus on three priorities: strengthening and energizing the organization, enhancing services to members, and contributing to improvements to the system of justice in Ohio. Ware is the third Thompson Hine lawyer to serve as OSBA president in the last 20 years.

Ware, resident in the firm's Cleveland office, focuses his practice on counseling and litigation regarding antitrust, intellectual property and competition issues. He has significant experience in litigating trade secret, non-competition agreement and civil antitrust cases.

Ware graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and received his B.A. from the University of Virginia. Until recently, he served as firm-wide chair of Thompson Hine's new lawyer committee, responsible for lawyer recruiting and hiring in the firm's seven U.S. offices. In addition to the OSBA, he also is a member of the American Bar Association and the Cleveland Bar Association. He serves on the boards of trustees for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Bainbrook / Laurel Springs Association. He is a vestry member of St. Martin's Episcopal Church.

05-22-2007

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Stinson, Morrison & Hecker, L.L.P.

Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP and Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss, PC to Join Forces
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP and Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss, PC announce their intent to combine their practices. The combination will create a team of more than 60 attorneys and 68 staff in St. Louis, and will be called Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP.

“We are always looking for what is best for our clients and providing them with the best service and expertise possible,” said Mark Foster, Stinson Morrison Hecker managing partner. “Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss is an excellent law firm with a top-notch team of lawyers. Our clients will benefit from the synergies created as a result of this combination.”

Stinson Morrison Hecker traces its heritage back to 1878. The firm opened its St. Louis office in 1994 and it is comprised of attorneys with extensive experience in real estate law, mergers & acquisitions, labor & employment, business litigation, financial services, health care, sports law and products liability.

Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss was established in St. Louis in 1950 by John Blumenfeld, a prominent real estate attorney who continues to be active with the firm, and today ranks among the fifteen largest law firms in St. Louis. Major areas of practice include real estate, tax, estate planning, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, immigration, labor and employment, intellectual property and litigation.

"The potential benefits for our clients, created by this combination with Stinson Morrison Hecker are significant," said Philip Kaplan, president of Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss. "Our practice has continued to grow on the local, national and international stages and this combination will allow us to provide additional talent that will expand and enhance the efficient delivery of legal services."

The combination will be effective July 1, 2007 subject to completion of final due diligence and conflict analysis.

05-22-2007

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Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P.

ORANGE COUNTY - Snell & Wilmer's Intellectual Property Team Successfully defends Kids Safety First in Trademark Litigation
In a pro-bono case surrounding trademark litigation, Snell & Wilmer’s intellectual property team headed by Ketan Vakil donated over $150,000 in legal fees that resulted in the successful defense for Kids Safety First (KSF), allowing them to keep their name and logo. KSF is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting automotive child safety to underprivileged children and parents. KSF requested the legal assistance of Vakil in December 2005 after Cosco Management, a division of Dorel Juvenile Group that oversees Safety 1st, a manufacturer of juvenile products, filed a trademark opposition to KSF’s trademark application. After a favorable ruling before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the negotiations concluded on May 10 with a settlement valued at over $435,000 in favor of KSF.

Vakil launched a comprehensive strategy of defense for KSF which included:
• Pursuing counterclaims against six Safety 1st trademark registrations.
• Presenting evidence that Safety 1st was not using all goods listed on its trademark registrations, thus alleging the trademark registrations were invalid due to fraud on the trademark office.
• Deposing former CEO and founder of Safety 1st confirming the non-use of some of the goods listed on its trademark registrations

“This is a great victory for our organization and the thousands of children and parents that will benefit from the settlement,” said Jorgen Weterrings, Co-Founder and President at KSF. “Our name is very important to us as we have long time established relationships with several fire and police departments and various philanthropic communities nationwide. We give great thanks to Ketan Vakil and Snell & Wilmer for their excellent legal assistance and support. As a result of their hard work, KSF will be able to expand their current program offerings and provide thousands of underprivileged children parents and caregivers with the products and education needed to promote child automotive safety.” As a result of the settlement with Cosco and after 16 months of litigation, KSF will receive 25,000 child seats and $60,000 for distribution of the child seats and to aid in other KSF initiatives. Cosco also agreed to promote the KSF brand over the next two years.

05-22-2007

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