Happy Summer from National Law Review! We hope you stay safe, healthy and cool. Read on below for the latest news in the legal industry, including hiring and expanding law firms, awards and recognition of legal industries, and efforts for diversity, fairness, and justice in the field.
Law Firm Hiring and Expansion
Michael Best & amp; Friedrich LLP has added Brett R. Valentyn as Senior Counsel to the firm’s Corporate and Transactional Practice Group. On the same subject : N.J. kids who lost special ed services due to COVID can get more help, but deadline is looming. Mr. Valentyn, a well-practiced merger, acquisition and corporate lawyer, has a wide range of experience in areas such as private equity, corporate governance and transaction and contract matters. He has advised clients across industries in buy and sell side transactions for both small-cap and large-cap companies.
“Brett’s successful history of advising clients on transactional matters has positioned him well to flourish,” said Jason Rogers, President of Corporate & amp; Transactional practice group. “Brett’s impressive background in transaction law will only strengthen our already deep circle of talented and business-oriented private equity and M&A attorneys. I’m sure Brett will be a wonderful addition to our Corporate & Transactional Practice Group.”
Corporate Attorney Eric D. Statman has joined the Toxic Torts practice group at Goldberg Segalla. A 20-year-old veteran in complex commercial litigation, Mr. Statman is ready to continue its practice of environmental, product responsibility and mass waste from the company’s Manhattan office.
Previously, Mr. Statman helped clients across a range of industries, resolved major disputes with minimal impact on companies through mediation or litigation, as well as negotiated a large number of group settlements. In particular, he has represented asbestos defendants as a local and national advocate, and he has helped develop strategies to minimize exposure.
Michael J. Ligorano has rejoined Norris McLaughlin’s Property, Finance and Agriculture Group and Immigration Practice Group after nine years as the Diocese’s Attorney General. Ligorano is an established New Jersey land use and immigration practitioner with experience in evaluating undeveloped land as well as acquiring, developing and financing municipal projects around the state. In addition to urban planning, Ligorano has served as a legal resource for multinational corporations wishing to enter the United States, and has helped navigate the U.S. immigration process. He is the former supervising attorney for the Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Charities Immigration Program and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
“Michael has a deep understanding of our company and the local landscape. Not only is he one of the state’s leading land use advocates and commercial real estate agents, but as an experienced immigration consultant, he will help make ours arguably the best immigration practice in the region, ”said David C. Roberts, President of Norris McLaughlin . “We are excited to have Michael in the company and look forward to his leadership and collaboration across practices.”
Five partners and eight associate partners have joined the Chicago office of MG + M The Law Firm. Asbestos Litigation Practice welcomes partners Timothy Krippner, Michael Cantieri, Christopher Triska, William Irwin and Daniel Powell, as well as partners Alex Blair, Elizabeth Grande, Aerial Henderson, Dragana Kovacevic, Cindy Medina-Cervantes, Emily Sample and Andrea Walsh. The new members bring decades of combined high-stakes complex commercial and liability experience.
“MG + M enthusiastically welcomes this unique team of professionals to our company,” commented MG + M Chairman and Partner John B. Manning. “We have partnered with this group of attorneys for years and look forward to their improvement of our brand as a go-to firm for high-stakes lawsuits in Illinois, the Midwest and nationally.”
Legal Industry Awards and Recognition
Environmental Practice Group in Greenberg Traurig, LLP has been recognized in the Legal 500 United States 2022 Guide. See the article : Texas Supreme Court denies Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to block Travis County’s mask mandate. 31 attorneys across 12 offices in the United States were included on the list, highlighting the firm’s expertise in areas such as environmental regulation, environmental issues, energy regulation, mass torture and Native American law.
Particularly noteworthy is shareholder David B. Weinstein recognized in the U.S. Guide as a Leading Lawyer in the Dispute Resolution & gt; Product liability, mass damage and class action – defense: toxic damage. Similarly, shareholder Troy A. Eid was recognized as a leading industry-focused lawyer & gt; Native American law.
The Canadian law firm Blake, Cassels & amp; The Graydon LLP was recognized six times at the 2022 Benchmark Canada Awards, including three separate “Firm of the Year” Awards. Specifically, the firm was named Competition Law Firm of the Year for the first time, White Collar Crime / Enforcement Firm of the Year for the third year in a row and Arbitration Firm of the Year for the fifth year in a row.
In addition, Blakes was awarded the Impact Case of the Year Award for his work on Sherman Estate v. Donovan, led by partner Iris Fischer. Partners Michael Barrack and Melanie Baird also received the Hall of Fame Award and the IP Litigator of the Year award, respectively.
Thomson Reuters has named six Stubbs Alderton & amp; Markile’s lawyers as “Rising Stars” on the list of super lawyers in Southern California. The members of the company that have been selected are listed here:
Lawyers selected for the Super Lawyers list demonstrate a high degree of personal and professional achievement as well as a significant degree of peer recognition. The list selects only 2.5 percent of less than 40 attorneys in Southern California for the designation “Rising Stars,” who make decisions based on peer nomination, independent research and peer review.
Two Womble Bond Dickinson (US) attorneys have been ranked in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA. Cristin Cowles, Ph.D., an experienced patent attorney and patent life cycle management attorney, has been ranked in intellectual property. Jed Nosal, a practicing state regulatory oversight, enforcement and compliance attorney, has been ranked in Energy & amp; Natural resources.
In addition, the firm’s Massachusetts-based Energy & amp; Natural resources practices have been recognized by Chambers USA as a leader in the industry. A total of 60 Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys and 22 state-level practice areas have been recognized in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA.
Diversity, Equity, and Justice Efforts
Chris Slaughter, CEO of Steptoe & amp; Johnson PLLC, reaffirmed the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking the Leaders at the Front Initiative Pledge with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. See the article : Louisiana owes these flood victims more than $300M. Why has it taken 40 years to pay up? | Legislature. Nationally recognized for its strengths in energy law, business, labor and employment as well as litigation, Steptoe & amp; Johnson has a long-standing commitment to diversity, justice and inclusion, with efforts such as the D Cubed program, Standing Diversity & amp; The inclusion committee and ongoing diversity recruitment and retention efforts.
The leaders of the Front initiative are a movement that should lead the conversation about diversity and inclusion for larger organizations and law firms. It requires an organization to act on their promise by creating an action plan that translates their words into measurable actions, with the ultimate goal of helping a new diverse generation of lawyers achieve leadership positions and, in turn, create a national legal industry that is diverse and inclusive.
Three Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP attorneys have been recognized by the Virginia Access to Justice Commission for their outstanding pro bono services. Lee-Ann C. Brown, an associate of the firm, has been named the 2020-2021 Pro Bono Service Champion, an honor reserved for top Virginia attorneys who report the highest number of pro bono hours. Douglas L. Patin and Henry C. Su have also been named 2020-2021 Pro Bono Service Honor Roll members for contributing over 40 hours of pro bono service.
The Virginia Access to Justice Commission was established in 2013 by the state Supreme Court to promote equal access to justice, with particular emphasis on the civilian needs of Virginia residents. The lawyer’s participation in pro bono service has since become a priority for the Commission, linking judges, lawyers and legal assistance and social services to help make the courts more accessible to all.
“These attorneys have made tremendous progress in providing pro bono service and work to promote access to justice in Virginia society, and we are proud of their significant contributions,” said Bradley Pro Bono attorney Tiffany M. Graves.
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP has announced the establishment of the HuntonAK Pathfinders Scholarship Program, a 10-week paid summer internship for outstanding first-generation 2L law students. Based on the winning submission at the firm’s annual “Hackathon”, a brainstorming competition to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, the scholarship seeks to attract students to private law practice while providing valuable work and mentoring experience in the firm .
“Hunton Andrews Kurth is committed to making our profession more accessible to talented law students who have already demonstrated great determination by climbing the first step of the educational mobility ladder,” said managing partner Wally Martinez. “This scholarship, exclusively for first-generation students, is one of the first of its kind, and we are honored to help lead the way with this effort.”
Copyright © 2022 National Law Forum, LLC National Law Review, Volume XII, Number 167
What are examples of diversity?
Examples of internal diversity include race, ethnicity, age, nation of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical ability.
How diverse is the legal industry?
Legal industry diversity by numbers In terms of the total number, 16.4% of lawyers today are minorities, with rates of 9.5% for partners and 8.6% for equity partners. Non-partner lawyers showed the greatest diversity among their ranks, although minorities still accounted for only 21.9% of this group.
Why is diversity important in the legal profession? Diversity is important in legislation because it creates a better reflection of society as a whole, enabling companies and legal departments to serve their clients better. For lawyers and their organizations, a diverse workplace also creates new opportunities and leads to better employee involvement and retention.
What percentage of the legal profession is black?
New data from the American Bar Association has found that black lawyers make up about 4.7% of all lawyers – a slight decrease from 2011, when black lawyers made up 4.8% of the lawyer population, and a testament to the lack of progress in the industry as whole has seen in the last decade despite the renewed push from Big …
What percentage of law firm partners are Black?
Consider these findings from the NALP report: Black partners increased by 0.1% to 5.22% overall, far behind Latinx (6.1%) and Asian (12.5%) associates. Black partners rose by 0.5% to 2.22% overall, breaking only the 2% mark for the first time in 2020.
What race has the most lawyers?
Even more sober are the statistics on racial diversity. 85% of lawyers are white, compared to 77% of the US population. Only 5% of the lawyers are African American, 5% are Latin American, and 3% are Asian.
What percentage of law firm partners are black?
Consider these findings from the NALP report: Black partners increased by 0.1% to 5.22% overall, far behind Latinx (6.1%) and Asian (12.5%) associates. Black partners rose by 0.5% to 2.22% overall, breaking only the 2% mark for the first time in 2020.
What is legal diversity?
Legal diversity is a rather self-explanatory term. While diversity can mean something different to different people, the concept basically includes people of any background, gender, age, race, sexual orientation and / or disability.
How can you increase diversity in the legal profession?
Support for external diversity efforts
- Encouraging recruitment, recruitment, development, retention and promotion to leadership roles by qualified different lawyers at majority-owned firms.
- Demonstration of the quality and reliability of various lawyers and minority-owned firms to other potential clients.
How does the ABA define diversity?
The ABA defines diversity as “the term used to describe the set of policies, practices, and programs that change the rhetoric of inclusion into empirically measurable change.” Diversity includes more than just racial or ethnic diversity.
Why is diversity important at the bar?
It is right and fair on a human level that people with all backgrounds and people of different genders and ethnicities should have a real opportunity to enter the legal industry and reach the highest levels. It is also beneficial for the industry as a whole to have increased diversity.
What does diversity in legislation mean? Legal diversity is a rather self-explanatory term. While diversity can mean something different to different people, the concept basically includes people of any background, gender, age, race, sexual orientation and / or disability.
How do you increase bar diversity?
Steps to achieve increased diversity in law firms Establishment and implementation of policies, practices and procedures to identify, retain and involve various external advisors. Work with third parties, such as law firms, interest groups and legal departments of industry colleagues.
How can you increase diversity in the legal profession?
Support for external diversity efforts
- Encouraging recruitment, recruitment, development, retention and promotion to leadership roles by qualified different lawyers at majority-owned firms.
- Demonstration of the quality and reliability of various lawyers and minority-owned firms to other potential clients.
What is the Mansfield rule?
The Mansfield Rule certification, launched by Diversity Lab in mid-2017, requires participating firms hiring senior staff and partners to confirm that they considered candidate pools for at least 30% diverse, including women and underrepresented racial and ethnic advocates.
How can law firms improve diversity?
Strategies to Recreate D&I in Your Law Firm
- Understand and train your team in how to recognize bias. …
- Build a culture of diversity and inclusion internally. …
- Make a conscious hiring plan. …
- Collaboration with law firms. …
- Work with Diversity & amp; inclusion groups for working professionals.
