Law Firm

Survey: Power Shifting From Law Firms to Internal Legal Departments

March 30, 2012

A shift in influence is going on from outside law firms to in-house legal departments, according to a recent survey of in-house counsel by the Association of Corporate Counsel. Companies are turning less frequently to outside counsel to handle legal matters. The survey also finds that budgets for internal legal departments climbed 18 percent last year.
 

SEC Names Chief Counsel

November 12, 2010

The Securities and Exchange Commission has elected Joseph Brenner as Chief Counsel of the Division of Enforcement. Brenner is filling the Chief Counsel position previously held by Joan McKown, who left the agency in August after 24 years of service. In his new role, which he is expected to begin...
 

Ingersoll-Rand General Counsel to Retire

October 14, 2010

$3.3 billion Ingersoll-Rand, a multi-brand commercial products manufacturer, has appointed Robert Katz as senior vice president and general counsel, effective Nov. 1. He will succeed Patricia Nachtigal, who is retiring in late December after 31 years with the company.Katz joins Ingersoll Rand from Federal-Mogul Corporation, where he served for four...
 

Former Chartis General Counsel Joins Dewey & LeBoeuf

October 13, 2010

Andrew Holland, former senior vice president and general counsel of Chartis U.S., a unit of American International Group, has joined the insurance practice of Dewey & LeBoeuf as a partner in its New York office. Holland spent 11 years with the AIG organization. Prior to becoming General Counsel of Chartis...
 

Chadbourne & Parke Adds New Partners

October 05, 2010

The international law firm Chadbourne & Parke announced that litigators M. Scott Peeler, previously a partner at law firm Arent Fox, and Jeffrey Wasserman, recently a partner at law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, have joined the firm as partners in the New York office, bolstering Chadbourne's litigation capabilities in two...
 

Senior DoJ Official Returns to Covington & Burling

October 01, 2010

Jim Garland, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General at the Department of Justice, has returned to the law firm of Covington & Burling. His practice will focus on complex commercial litigation, including matters involving antitrust claims and financial fraud, as well as matters at the...
 

Senior DoJ Official Returns to Covington

September 23, 2010

Steven Fagell, most recently the Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice, has rejoined the international law firm of Covington & Burling as a partner. Fagell will practice in the firm’s litigation group, with a particular focus...
 

Regal Beloit Appoints New General Counsel

September 21, 2010

Electrical equipment manufacturer, Regal Beloit, has appointed Peter Underwood as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective Sept. 27. In this capacity, Underwood will be responsible for all legal activities. He will report directly to CEO, Henry Knueppel. Underwood joins Regal Beloit from the law firm Foley & Lardner,...
 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joins Foley & Lardner

September 20, 2010

Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Noller has joined Foley & Lardner as a partner in its Chicago office, where she will join the firm's Government Enforcement, Compliance & White Collar Defense Practice and the Health Care Industry Team. Noller is a highly-regarded trial lawyer in the Chicago United States Attorney’s...
 

Celgene Corporation Hires Chief Compliance Officer

September 10, 2010

John Soriano has been appointed corporate vice president and chief compliance officer of Celgene Corporation, a multinational biopharmaceutical company, effective as of Aug. 30.Soriano, who informed Compliance Week of his new position on Sept. 10, said he will report directly to Celgene CEO Robert Hugin.Soriano joins Celgene from Ingersoll-Rand Company,...
 

Chadbourne & Parke Adds New Partner

September 10, 2010

The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke announced that veteran corporate governance attorney Heidi Lawson has joined the firm as a partner. Although resident in London, she will spend significant time in New York to serve and continue building her sizable U.S. client base.Most recently, she was international counsel...
 

Duane Morris Adds Corporate Partner

September 10, 2010

The law firm of Duane Morris has brought Richard Jaffe on board to join the firm’s growing Corporate Practice Group as a partner in its Philadelphia office. Jaffe, who joins Duane Morris from Ballard Spahr, focuses his practice in the areas of private equity, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate finance...
 

BAE Systems Hires Corporate Monitor

September 03, 2010

BAE Systems, the U.K.'s largest defense contractor, has hired David Gold, a senior partner with London-based international law firm Herbert Smith, to serve in the role of independent corporate monitor, effective as of Sept. 1. His responsibilities are to assess and monitor BAE Systems' compliance as part of a plea...
 

CFTC Senior Counsel Member Joins Covington & Burling

September 01, 2010

Allison Lurton, who most recently served as senior counsel at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has joined the international law firm of Covington & Burling as of counsel. She will join the firm's energy, derivatives and white collar practices with a focus on advising clients on the financial regulation...
 

SEC Enforcement Official Joins Steptoe

September 01, 2010

Christopher Conte, Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission, will join Steptoe & Johnson, following a distinguished 17-year career in government. Conte will be a partner in Steptoe’s Washington office, where he worked as an associate from 1988 to 1992. During his career at...
 

Duane Morris Adds New Partner

August 16, 2010

Duane Morris, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, announced that R. Timothy Bryan has joined the firm's Corporate Practice Group as a partner in its expanding Baltimore office. His arrival strengthens Duane Morris' capabilities in commercial transactions, corporate...
 

Gibson Dunn Expands in Asia

August 04, 2010

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is further expanding its international platform by opening an office in Hong Kong. It is the second office the firm has opened in Asia, following the opening of an office in Singapore in 2008.The new Hong Kong office will focus on corporate transactions and corporate compliance,...
 

AIG Chooses New Compliance Chiefs

July 06, 2010

American International Group has chosen David DeMuro, the former head of compliance and regulation at now-defunct Lehman Brothers Holdings, to serve as its new deputy general counsel and heading of the company's compliance and regulatory affairs.The company also promoted Karen Nelson to chief compliance officer. Nelson, who joined AIG two...
 

Toll Brothers Names Chief Compliance Officer

June 29, 2010

Luxury home builder Toll Brothers has appointed John McDonald as senior vice president, general counsel, and chief compliance officer, effective July 1. He assumes these positions from Mark Kessler, who will remain at Toll Brothers in the role of vice president and senior counsel.McDonald, who joined the Company in August...
 

New Partner Joins Crowell & Moring

April 28, 2010

The international law firm of Crowell & Moring has announced the addition of Mark Egert as partner in the firm’s Corporate and Financial Services groups, as well as a member of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group. Egert will draw upon 15 years of in-house counsel experience to...
 

Former Bearing Point CCO Joins Stinson

April 23, 2010

The law firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker has hired Russell Berland, who will join the firm's Kansas City office. Previously with Bearing Point (formerly KPMG Consulting) where he served as vice president and chief compliance officer, Berland joins the Corporate Finance Division as of counsel.Berland brings 17 years of legal...
 

Avis Taps New General Counsel

April 23, 2010

$5.1 billion vehicle service rental company Avis Budget Group has hired Michael Tucker to serve as executive vice president and general counsel. In his position, Tucker is responsible for the legal affairs of the company, including management of its franchising and other contracts, litigation, government relations, and information security.Prior to...
 

HCP Hires New General Counsel

April 23, 2010

$1.1 billion real estate investment trust, HCP, has hired J. Alberto Gonzalez-Pita as executive vice president, general counsel, effective May 17. Edward Henning, the current general counsel, will remain with the company as an executive vice president.Previous roles served by Gonzalez-Pita include senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary...
 

New GC at Western Southern Financial Group

April 23, 2010

Privately owned Western Southern Financial Group, an insurance and financial services company with more than $44 billion in assets under management, has promoted Jonathan Niemeyer to senior vice president and general counsel.Niemeyer replaces longtime General Counsel Donald Wuebbling, who retired April 1 after a 35-year career with the company. He...
 

Top FCPA Legal Chief Joins Paul, Weiss

April 16, 2010

The law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison announced April 16 that prominent Department of Justice prosecutor Mark Mendelsohn will join its Litigation Department as a member of the firm’s White Collar Crime & Regulatory Defense and Securities Litigation practices. He will be a resident in the firm’s...
 

Former FINRA Chief Joins Bingham

April 13, 2010

Less than a month after announcing her decision to step down as head of enforcement at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Susan Merrill has joined Bingham McCutchen as a partner in the firm's broker-dealer group in New York.Merrill will lead Bingham’s enforcement practice and will advise financial industry clients on...
 

Ober Hires New Principal of Health Law Practice

April 06, 2010

Law firm OberKaler has hired Eileen Coggins as a principal in the firm's Health Law practice. Coggins joins the 40-attorney practice with an extensive background in health care law and broad-based business and legal experience. Most recently, she spent seven years as general counsel, corporate secretary, and senior vice president...
 

Former Wyeth General Counsel Joins Reed Smith

March 24, 2010

Law firm Reed Smith has tapped Lawrence Stein, former general counsel of pharmaceutical giant Wyeth,as counsel. He will be working from the firm’s Philadelphia and Washington offices, effective immediately.Prior to joining Wyeth, Stein was senior vice president and general Counsel of Genetics Institute. Earlier in his career, he also was...
 

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Hires New Partner

March 05, 2010

The law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips announced that Thomas Leary has joined the firm as a partner in the corporate and finance practice group.Leary has extensive experience advising public and private companies, boards of directors, and executives in a broad range of complex business, litigation, and transactional matters,...
 

PG&E Names Chief Risk and Audit Officer

February 26, 2010

PG&E Corporation and its utility unit, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, announced the election of two new officers and new assignments for key team members within the companies' finance and risk organizations.PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company named Anil Suri as vice president and chief risk and audit...
 

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Survey of the Week


Deloitte is conducting their annual Look Before You Leap: Managing Risks in Global Investments survey to better understand the approaches companies are taking to address compliance and integrity-related risks in emerging markets. 

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