Women Lead at Baker McKenzie Financial Regulatory Unit

Baker McKenzie has added three more lawyers to a financial regulation and enforcement practice that launched in October and has become a rare women-dominated group in Big Law.

Latest Hires: Two of the latest hires, Rebecca Leon and Jennifer Connors, were previously partners at Holland & Knight. Mark Fitterman, who moved to Baker McKenzie last month, joined the firm as a senior counsel from Morgan Lewis.

Reunion: Some of the lawyers previously practiced at Morgan Lewis with Jennifer Klass, who now co-heads Baker McKenzie’s new practice. Firm leaders say the practice expects more growth.

Roy Strom has the story.

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DAILY BRIEF

Law Firms

Former Top FTC Antitrust Official Hoffman Joins Cleary Gottlieb
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has hired the former head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, who during his tenure headed a task force to monitor antitrust issues at large technology companies.

Business of Law

Davis Polk ‘Weaponized’ Job Reviews, Fired Black Associate Says
A black former associate accusing Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP of bias and discrimination because of his race named another partner in the firm’s corporate/mergers and acquisitions group as a defendant to his suit, New York federal court records show.

Judiciary

Judge Gross Gets Warm Sendoff From Delaware’s Bankruptcy Bench
Retiring U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross entered his courtroom for the final hearing of his career and found Chief Judge Christopher S. Sontchi standing at the podium.

Also in the News

New York Lawyer Hospitalized With Coronavirus
A 50-year-old lawyer who works in Manhattan and lives in the New York suburb of Westchester County has been hospitalized and tested positive for the coronavirus.

WAKE-UP CALL

Atrium Law to Call It Quits, Return VC Funds, Report Says
In today’s column, Sidley Austin is canceling a partners meeting in Florida due to coronavirus concerns, and a New York boutique lawyer tested positive for the virus; Sheppard Mullin and Blank Rome reported strong results for 2019; Morrison & Foerster added two white collar partners in London and Paul Hastings poached an Irell partner to lead its entertainment and media practice.

PRACTITIONER INSIGHTS

INSIGHT: GCs Must Balance ESG in an Age of Activism
General counsel have an important role to play in navigating environmental, social, and governance standards. In Part 2 of a three-part series on the roles of GCs, Mathew K. Fawcett, VP and general counsel of Net App, says GCs need to help clarify corporate imperatives for their CEOs and leadership team, taking them in a new ESG direction but guarding against over-correction.

INSIGHT: Compliance Officers Must Ensure Collaboration Platforms Meet FINRA, SEC Rules
Broker-dealer compliance officers must ensure their firm’s use of collaboration platforms satisfies FINRA and SEC expectations for the 2020 exam cycle. Theta Lake’s Marc Gilman examines regulatory requirements for using online tools that employees use to communicate and offers practical advice about evaluating compliance technologies to manage emerging collaboration risks.

WORKFLOWS

Stoel Rives recently hired Elizabeth P. Ewens as a partner in its Environment, Land Use and Natural Resources (ELUNR) group in Sacramento from Ellison, Schneider Harris & Donlan LLP | Perkins Coie said that Zubin Khambatta has joined the Healthcare Industry group as a partner in Austin; he will also help the Technology Transactions & Privacy practice in Dallas, and partner with the Dallas-based healthcare innovations and privacy practice | Bradley added L. Justin Burney as a partner in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group in Huntsville, AL from Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. | Sidley Austin announced that Brian Kavanaugh has joined as a partner in its global Litigation practice in Chicago from Kirkland & Ellis | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati hired Victor Jih as partner in the Litigation department and as a member of the Internet Strategy and Litigation practice in Los Angeles from Irell & Manella | Carlton Fields grabbed Huhnsik Chung as a shareholder who will serve as co-chair of the Fintech and Property and Casualty Insurance Regulatory and Transactional Practice Group in New York from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan | Lathrop GPM recently added associates Daniel Kadin to the Intellectual Property team in Los Angeles, and Jackson Hobbs to the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group in Kansas City, MO | White & Case hired Will Smith as a partner in its Global Tax Practice in London from Sidley Austin LLP, and also added Jean-Luc Champy and Amaury de Feydeau as partners to the Global Project Development & Finance Practice in Paris; they arrive from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | Morgan Lewis said that Daniel Tehrani, former Southern District of New York (SDNY) Deputy Chief, has joined as a partner resident in New York | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher announced that private equity partners Abtin Jalali and Chris Harding have joined the San Francisco office from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

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