News

LexisNexis offers more to law firms

LexisNexis has announced the launch of a new feature: "Sponsorships on Martindale.com." This marketing service offers law firms options to highlight their practices on the site. It will provide in-house counsel and other legal service buyers with opportunities to search for lawyers with expertise in specific areas and located in particular geographic areas. Martindale-Hubbell will provide two placements on LexisNexis search results pages—one for national law firm announcements and one for statewide law firm announcements. It will also provide targeted sponsorships for search results in five areas of practice: admiralty and marine, aviation and aerospace, immigration, international law, and military law.

Gardere Wynne hires new CFO

Robert Swayze, Jr., has joined Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, as Chief Financial Officer. Swayze will oversee financial and accounting management of the firm, which involves reporting, strategic planning, budgeting, and financial analysis. He comes from Perkins Coie, where he served as Director of Practice Management. He has also worked at a number of AmLaw 100 firms in top finance positions. An AmLaw 200 law firm, Gardere Wynne Sewell was established in 1909 and has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Mexico City.

Birketts hires former Eversheds partner

Birketts has appointed Jeanette Wheeler to its employment law team as the head of the firm's Norwich office. With Wheeler's departure, Eversheds loses its sixth attorney and partner to rival Birketts in the last two years. Birketts is enthusiastic about its new recruit, as it hopes that her vast experience will strengthen the firm's expanding employment practice. Birketts has 36 partners and 200 staff and has established itself on the regional legal scene as a force to be reckoned with. Its lawyers advise corporate and private clients on a wide variety of legal matters.

Adelstein Sharpe hires two associate attorneys

Bellingham-based law firm Adelstein, Sharpe & Serka has hired Steve Kirkelie and Marie Gallagher as associate attorneys. Kirkelie was formerly a senior assistant city attorney and lead prosecutor. He has expertise in land-use cases, civil litigation, and municipal prosecutions and will now concentrate on construction, commercial, and employment litigation at Adelstein Sharpe. Gallagher, who previously worked as a judicial clerk, will now focus on employment law and commercial litigation. Established in 1974, Adelstein, Sharpe & Serka serves clients in a vast array of areas.

Kamenstein joins McDermott Will

Adam D. Kamenstein, a U.S. Attorney's Office veteran, has joined McDermott, Will & Emery in its Los Angeles office. Kamenstein will serve the firm as a partner in its trial department and as a member of its white-collar criminal defense practice group. The firm hopes to gain leverage from Kamenstein's vast experience with government investigations related to corporate fraud, government fraud, public corruption, civil rights violations, narcotics trafficking, and organized crime. The move has strengthened the firm's trial litigation practice, which has nearly 20 partners, most of whom are former senior prosecutors from U.S. Attorneys' offices.

Cooley Godward strengthens government contracts group

Cooley Godward Kronish raided rival firm DLA Piper to add two well-known names to its list of partners. The new hires, Gregory A. Smith and Kevin P. Mullen, are prominent government contracts attorneys and have joined the firm's Washington, DC, office. They will be associated with the firm's government contracts practice group, which was recently added to the existing practice areas of the firm. The duo, who possess more than five decades of combined experience, were earlier associated with DLA Piper, serving in the same practice area. A full-service firm, Cooley Godward Kronish employs 580 attorneys working in seven offices and serves a vast array of clients from diverse industry sectors.

Parker Scheer expands practice to "Sin City"

Boston-based Parker Scheer, which specializes in personal injury practice, has set up shop in Las Vegas under the moniker Parker Scheer Lagomarsino. The new branch will focus primarily on areas related to serious personal injury and business litigation. The firm has enjoyed a successful decade in Boston's civil practice arena, and its Las Vegas office will mark its operational expansion beyond Massachusetts. Managing Partners Eric Parker and Barry Scheer are renowned authorities in their field. The firm plans to expand towards the Southwest, pursuing an emerging legal market gaining strength from population increases in the region.

Allen & Overy receives award for Middle East firm

Allen & Overy received the Middle Eastern Law Firm of the Year award from Chambers and Partners at the 2006 Chambers Global Awards ceremony. The firm was honored for its exceptional performance in the Middle East in 2006; it has worked on a number of high-profile matters, including Kingdom Hotel Investments' IPO and Pakistan's $2.65 billion sale of a 26% stake in the Pakistan Telecommunication Company. The award ceremony followed the September IFLR awards presentation, at which Allen & Overy received Middle East Law Firm of the Year and UAE Law Firm of the Year awards.

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