JD Journal » Fordham University School of Law

Judge Kicks Up Dust in 9/11 Case

julie — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:53:59 +0000

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York rejected a settlement between 9/11 workers and their employers. The settlement which would have split $575 million between thousands of workers and their lawyers didn’t seem fair to him. He saw a lot of that money going to pay legal fees rather than medical bills.

Experts are of two opinions on this development. Howard Erichson who teaches complex litigation at Fordham Law School is concerned that there is no procedural basis for a judge to determine fairness in this kind case. The parties are there to present a settlement that has been reached out of court, not have their dispute tried by the court. Taking the other side is Alexandra D. Lahav, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She sees a need for judges to get involved in cases like this where the interests of the attorneys and clients aren’t perfectly aligned. Mass tort cases such as this 9/11 case sometimes need to have someone directly involved in protecting the rights of the plaintiffs as the temptation to milk legal fees while forgetting the best interests of the plaintiffs is great.

It remains to be seen what will happen with this case. They may appeal or individual cases may start going to trial in late Spring.

Steve Epstein Joins Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as Parnter in M&A Group

joshua — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:02:18 +0000

Steve Epstein has joined Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as a partner in the mergers and acquisitions practice group resident in New York, the firm announced today.

“We are delighted to welcome Steve to the Firm. He joins our highly respected M&A team known for high-profile mergers, acquisitions and private equity transactions both on the national and international stage. Steve’s transactional experience complements our team while also broadening our presence in healthcare, consumer products and infrastructure sectors,” said Robert C. Schwenkel, chair of Fried Frank’s New York corporate department and head of the Firm’s M&A and private equity practices.

“Steve is an outstanding attorney who will complement and expand our leading M&A and private equity practice groups,” said Valerie Ford Jacob, Fried Frank’s chairperson.

He has represented public and private companies, investment banking firms and financial sponsors in connection with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, takeover preparedness, and corporate governance matters. Mr. Epstein received his JD from Fordham University School of Law, and his BS from Cornell University. At Fordham University School of Law, he was a Stein Scholar and member of Fordham International Law Journal.

He joins Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver from O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he was a partner in the mergers & acquisitions group.

Fried Frank has more than 500 attorneys based in principal financial centers in the US, Europe and Asia. The firm represents many of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions. The firm’s attorneys work together across practice areas and jurisdictions and regularly advise clients in all major regions including the US, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Sachs Sax Caplan Adds Attorneys

Erik Even — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:18:59 +0000

Boca Raton, Florida’s Sachs Sax Caplan has added two attorneys to its community association practice group.

Samuel H. Golden joins as senior counsel from New York’s Godsberg, Zankel & Golden. He practices in the area of foreclosures and community association law. His JD is from the Fordham University School of Law.

Viravuth Un joins as an associate from Ben-Ezra & Katz in Hollywood, Florida. He is a former assistant state attorney in the Sarasota County 12th Circuit Court and Palm Beach County 15th Circuit Court. His JD is from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

Sachs Sax Caplan is a full-service law firm with practice areas including government relations, corporate, community association law, real estate and land use, commercial litigation, estate planning, and family law. The firm has offices in Tallahassee and Port St. Lucie.

Fordham Law Wields Banhammer on Reed Smith

Erik Even — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:36:45 +0000

Manhattan’s Fordham University School of Law has banned Biglaw firm Reed Smith from on-campus interviewing and recruiting for five years, after the law firm canceled on-campus interviews at the last minute.

From the announcement:

…after the release of EIW [Early Interview Week] interview schedules, Reed Smith contacted us to withdraw from this year’s EIW program. While the firm intends to have a 2010 Summer Associate Program and to keep its commitment to interview at other schools, Reed Smith decided to no longer interview at some schools, including Fordham…

While disappointing, Reed Smith’s action is more disheartening because of the lack of professionalism it conveys. The firm could have made its decision earlier; in fact, it received its interview schedule prior to canceling its participation. In my seven years as Dean, no other firm has canceled its interviews after the schedule was released. Thus, we have informed the firm that it will not be invited to participate in our OCI [on-campus interview] program for the next 5 years.

This is the first time the law school has banned a law firm from recruiting.

After the announcement hit the blawgosphere, Reed Smith issued a response:

Fordham is an outstanding law school and we regret that our decision has caused problems for them. Reed Smith has many Fordham graduates in our lawyer ranks; all of them valued members of our team. We look forward to discussing this matter directly with Fordham and finding a way to continue our long and successful relationship with them.

Founded in 1905, the Fordham University School of Law is a part of Fordham University, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city.

K&L Gates Brings on New Partners

Erik Even — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:37:03 +0000

K&L Gates has announced the addition of two partners.

Wilson Chu joins in Dallas from from Haynes and Boone, where he will concentrate his practice on mergers & acquisitions and private equity transactions. Chu represents clients in a broad range of industries, including the Internet, software, information technology, and health care. He is highly regarded for his M&A work on behalf of the American Bar Association’s Mergers & Acquisitions Committee. His JD is from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Roger Crane joins in New York from Nixon Peabody. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation for banks, venture capital, investment bankers, brokerage firms, real estate owners, developers, contractors, multinational corporations, accounting firms, telecommunication companies, biotechnology firms, and law firms. His JD is from the Fordham University School of Law and his LL.M from New York University School of Law.

K&L Gates LLP is a US law firm with over 1700 attorneys worldwide, and is ranked as the 10th largest law firm in the world.

Chartwell Law Launches New York Office

Erik Even — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:36:51 +0000

Pennsylvania’s Chartwell Law has launched a Manhattan office.

Danielle Sullivan Kaminski joins from Clausen Miller as a partner in New York, handling first-party property, damaged cargo, major casualty, complex subrogation, transportation, and construction law. Her JD is from the Fordham University School of Law, where she was editor of the law journal.

Matthew Gonzalez joins from Bruckmann & Victory. He handles complex commercial litigation, subrogation, insurance defense, and first-party property insurance coverage, for both domestic and international companies. He also graduated from Fordham.

The firm opened a Delaware office in June.

The Chartwell Law Offices, LLP was founded in Valley Forge in 2002 with four lawyers. It now has offices in Valley Forge, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Scranton, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New York City; and Wilmington, Delaware. It employs 49 lawyers.

There is no one at the firm named Chartwell — it is named after Winston Churchill’s house.

BuckleySandler Adds More Lawyers

Erik Even — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:56:38 +0000

BuckleySandler, founded in March when two Skadden partners left the firm’s Washington DC office, has grown to 55 lawyers with the addition of two lawyers.

Stephen Ambrose Jr. joins from GE Capital, where he was general counsel of the consumer finance unit. He will be managing partner of the firm’s new New York office. He earned his JD at Fordham University Law School, where he served as Editor of the Fordham Law Review.

Robert Cook joins as of counsel from Countrywide Financial, where he was deputy general counsel. He was previously special counsel at the Federal Reserve Board.

BuckleySandler is headquartered in Washington DC, with offices in New York and Los Angeles. It represents clients in the financial services industry, such as banks, mortgage lenders, and credit card companies.

Cozen O’Connor Brings on Lawyers

Erik Even — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:17:37 +0000

Cozen O’Connor added two lawyers to its New York office last week.

Angelo Savino joins from Mound Cotton as a partner in the global insurance group. He handles matters involving directors and officers, professional errors and omissions, and corporate indemnification. Savino earned his JD in 1981 from the Fordham University School of Law.

Robert Fischer joins from the defunct Wolf Block as of counsel in the corporate group. He was a co-founder of Wolf Block’s New York office. He handles corporate law, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. Fischer earned his JD in 1954, from Yale Law School.

Cozen O’Connor PC is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 114th on the AmLaw 200 Survey in 2008, and ranked 89th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 Largest American Law Firms in 2007. It has expanded to 23 offices employing over 500 lawyers.

McKool Smith Hires 5 Lawyers in New York City

Erik Even — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:09:56 +0000

McKool Smith, which brought on two new partners in March, has now hired five attorneys for its New York office.

Eric P. Berger joins from Quinn Emanuel in New York. He handles intellectual property matters, including electrical engineering patent litigation. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, before graduating cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Virginia Iglesia joins from Greenberg Traurig in Miami. She graduated from Emory University School of Law and holds a master’s degree in communications from Florida International University.

John F. Petrsoric joins from Goodwin Procter. He graduated from Fordham University School of Law, and has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

Katherine B. Thornburgh joins McKool Smith from Howrey. She represents clients in government investigations, internal investigations, commercial litigation and intellectual property matters. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Benjamin J. Warlick joins from Paul Weiss. He handles patent and antitrust litigation. He has a JD from the New York University School of Law and a masters degree in electrical engineering from the University of California Berkeley.

McKool Smith has offices in Dallas, Austin & Marshall, Texas; plus New York City and Washington DC.