In recent days, Morgan Lewis announced the addition of Margaret M. Gatti as a partner in its Antitrust Practice. She will work out of the Washington and Philadelphia offices.

Gatti is an international banker turned international trade practitioner and current chairperson of the Mid-Atlantic District Export Council. She possesses over twenty years of experience advising U.S. and non-U.S. clients in the full range of international trade, national security, and U.S. government contract matters.

Scott A. Stempel, leader of the Antitrust practice at Morgan Lewis was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “For two decades, clients have relied on Margaret to help them address complex international trade issues both proactively-through compliance counseling and training-and in instances requiring disclosures, corrective actions, settlement negotiations, and debarment proceedings. Her business acumen, paired with her experience on exports and customs, government contracts, as well as national security issues will be a winning combination for our clients.”

Gatti focuses her practice on export control and customs law, embargoed country regulations, international tax and trade law, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Her international trade practice includes export control regulations, embargoed country regulations, customs law, free trade agreements, anticorruption laws, INCOTERMS, and international commercial transactions. She serves as co-counsel for the National Council on International Trade Development.

Gatti also represents manufacturers, exporters, importers, and brokers involved in the defense industry before the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC); the U. S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS); the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). She frequently assesses export control jurisdiction for exported products, determines the appropriate U.S. Munitions List Categories and Export Control Classification Numbers, and drafts Commodity Jurisdiction Requests to the DDTC and Classification Requests to the BIS.

In addition to her work in the international arena, Gatti maintains a corporate practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, and corporate governance matters.

Founded in 1873, international law firm Morgan Lewis has 22 offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The firm provides comprehensive transactional, litigation, labor and employment, regulatory and intellectual property legal services to clients of all sizes. These include global Fortune 100 companies to startups in all major industries.

The firm’s international team of attorneys, patent agents, employee benefits advisors, regulatory scientists, and other specialists numbers over 3,000. These professionals serve clients from locations in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Houston, Irvine, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Francisco, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington.

The firm has one of the highest concentrations of East Coast lawyers of any one firm—including more than 700 lawyers combined in New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia—as well as 250 lawyers in California and nearly 70 lawyers in Houston and Dallas combined.

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An investigation is underway for former mayor of Philadelphia, John Street. The investigation is taking place due to allegations that Street awarded his son’s law firm with tons of work for the Philadelphia Housing Authority which totaled over a million dollars. Street’s brother, Milton, has been investigated recently for various legal issues involving money schemes as well.

While working at Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen, Sharif Street billed the Philadelphia Housing Authority with over $700,000 while assigned to their account. The law firm that Sharif Street worked for is no longer in existence.

The commission is currently responsible for investigating what took place during the time that John Street was mayor and Sharif Street worked at this law firm. The particular task of the commission is to know what public officials are doing. When they search for information, if they find out a public official has violated certain laws, they will be able to decide on a resolution. In most cases, the public official will have to pay a certain amount of fines or they may even be prosecuted in court for any criminal charges that may be pressed against them.

The general counsel of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Sherry A. Swirsky, said that the commission is planning to look through records and find any e-mail messages that could provide insight as to what was going on and if any wrongdoing was taking place. Swirsky says, “Whatever they have asked me for I’m in the process of getting them.” The commission is looking to find out more information about the work that Sharif  Street did while he was working at the firm. When asked about the commission, Swirsky says, “There’s no debate with them, no dispute. They will get whatever they are seeking.”

Sharif Street is no longer working at  Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen because they are no longer in business. While Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen is no longer in business, Sharif Street is still working at a separate law firm in the Philadelphia area. When he was asked for comments about the ongoing investigation, he declined to comment and has not publicly released any statements about the investigation. It seems as though he will remain silent about the investigation, at least for now.

On the other hand, John Street, who was the mayor of Philadelphia for eight years from 2000 to 2008 has spoken out about the current investigation between him, his son, and the law firm. John Street claims that he has done absolutely nothing wrong and will be glad to assist the commission in finding out necessary information to prove that no wrongdoing took place. When asked about the investigation, John Street says, “Hopefully, Wolf Block or PHA will make all the relevant information available so we can move on.”

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The law firm of Duane Morris announced in recent days that Jonathan M. Petrakis and J. Colin Knisely have joined as partners in the Trial Practice Group, in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Both join from Deeb Petrakis Blum & Murphy P.C.; there, Petrakis was the founding member and president.

John J. Soroko, Chairman and CEO of Duane Morris was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “We are thrilled to have Jon join Duane Morris. He and his group will add to Duane Morris’ significant national practice in the area of counseling for banks and other financial institutions.”

Matthew A. Taylor, Chairman of Duane Morris’ Trial Practice Group was quoted as saying: “Jon is a well-known entity in the business community of Philadelphia who has developed a very impressive client base, not only in the financial institutions and banking world, but also in the general business community. He is a true problem solver for clients who look to Jon and his team in significant matters that are important to their respective businesses. Jon has an infectious personality and is well-liked. What I’m the most excited about regarding Jon’s joining the firm is to see him take advantage of our national and international platform, and I truly believe the sky’s the limit for him and his team to grow their practice.”

With more than 25 years of both litigation and transactional experience, the focus of Petrakis’ practice is the representation of banks and other lenders.

He works on implementing strategies to pursue recovery of commercial loans in actions against defaulting borrowers and guarantors. These include bankruptcy litigation, creditors’ rights litigation outside of bankruptcy, debt restructure agreements and debtor-in-possession financing. In addition, he represents banks and other lenders in matters regarding commercial loans, including mortgage, asset-based, and construction loans.

Petrakis also represents a variety of businesses, including manufacturers, retailers, and professional groups in employment law matters, contract disputes, and other business torts. In addition, he provides counsel to clients on matters involving the negotiation and preparation of commercial real estate agreements of sale and leases, employment agreements, and other types of contracts.

Colin Knisely focuses his practice on the representation of clients in commercial litigation, including torts, employment, professional liability matters, and insurance coverage matters. In addition, he provides representation for both lawyers and law firms in legal malpractice actions, grievance and disciplinary proceedings. He also represents companies in all areas of employment law, including discrimination claims, wrongful terminations and other disputes. Too, he represents accountants, architects, insurance agents and brokers, and directors and officers in professional liability, fraud, discrimination and other matters.

Ashley A. Federer and Louise Melchor also join Duane Morris as associates in the Trial Practice Group.

The focus of Ashley A. Federer’s practice is on business reorganization and bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, loan restructuring and commercial finance.

Louise Melchor focuses her practice on commercial real estate financing transactions and creditors’ rights, including loan restructuring; asset recovery; and bankruptcy representation.

Duane Morris LLP is a full-service law firm with over 700 attorneys in offices nationally and internationally.

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• Duane Morris Adds Pair of Attorneys on West Coast
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• Littler Mendelson Adds Four Attorneys to Seattle Office

Lisa Murkowski won her bid to be returned to Washington as Alaska’s Senator…

Boies Schiller let three female associates go late last week…

Sidley Austin’s Matthew Sheridan was promoted to practice Co-Head…

Mintz Levin Co-Chairs will be the featured speakers at MIT Conference…

McGuire Woods finalized an agreement to combine operations with the Houston-based firm of Nickens Keeton Lawless Farrell & Flack LLP…

Hogan Lovells added two partners to its firm, one in Philadelphia, and one in Washington, D.C….

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Virginia A. Gibson, former Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, joins as a partner in the Philadelphia office and a member of the Litigation, Arbitration and Employment practice group.

Lynn Whipkey Mehler, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Senior Counsel for Drugs, joins as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology practice group.

Gibson is a highly qualified investigation, litigation, and trial lawyer who has worked as a U.S. federal prosecutor for 24 years, serving most recently as the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in Pennsylvania where she oversaw all healthcare and government fraud, among other matters. She has also served as First Assistant and Chief of the Civil Division in that office.

Prior to her work for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Gibson was with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, where she held the positions of First Assistant, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Civil Chief. Her tenures in both U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have placed her at the forefront of civil False Claims Act and qui tam enforcement as well as civil and criminal enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other government fraud statutes. Gibson has played a central role in some of the largest and most significant pharmaceutical and medical device prosecutions the U.S. Department of Justice has undertaken in recent years.

Gibson has received numerous awards for her work from the Department of Justice and the Attorney General, including one she will receive on 6 December for a major pharmaceutical fraud matter. Other agencies, including the President’s (and the IG’s ) Council on Integrity and Efficiency, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations have recognized her fraud prosecutions.

Mehler has 12 years experience at the FDA, and served as one of the principal lawyers to the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). She was responsible for supervising the work of a number of lawyers. She has also counseled senior FDA officials on a broad range of legal issues involving federal regulation of pharmaceutical and biotechnology products, including drug safety, drug labeling, risk management, post-marketing studies and trials, and the federal regulation of controlled substances.

Hogan Lovells combines the breadth of business-oriented legal advice and high-quality service that clients have come to expect through working with its two founding firms – Hogan & Hartson and Lovells.

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Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C.,

With this acquisition, Dickie McCamey now has offices in Columbus, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, Charlotte, Steubenville, and West Virginia, along with the firm’s headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Jeffrey T. Wiley, managing director of Dickie McCamey, said joining an established firm like Golian McCaffrey “will allow us to expand in Ohio immediately because our practices are complimentary.”

Joe Golian and Pat McCaffrey, principals in Golian McCaffrey LLC since 1995, will be shareholders in Dickie McCamey. Also joining the firm is Audrey E. Varwig as an associate.

Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C. is a nationally recognized litigation firm providing comprehensive legal expertise, as well as non-litigation services, in a multitude of practice areas. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh and was founded more than 100 years ago.

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Bradley Byrne, a former gubernatorial candidate, joined Jones Walker as a partner…

Cozen O’Connor was hired to regulate BP’s gulf compensation fund…

Texas Rangers Managing Partner Charles M. ‘Chuck” Greenberg moved to Reed Smith…

Former Greenberg Traurig shareholder joined Thompson Hine as a partner…

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• Cozen O’Connor Hired To Regulate BP Gulf-Compensation Fund
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The $20 billion fund will be dispersed among businesses and persons who were caused loss by April’s Deepwater Horizon well explosion. The administrator of the fund, Kenneth Feinberg says that “no one else in the nation” has Cozen’s understanding or experience regarding the issues at hand.

Cozen’s firm, Cozen O’Connor specializes in disasters. They worked such high profile cases as the MGM Grand Hotel fire in 1980 and the 1981 collapse of the skywalk at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City.

Cozen will help determine which businesses and people are eligible for compensation. He said, “You might have a restaurant in Boston that serves Gulf Coast shrimp. Those business are not going to be eligible for anything.”

Cozen also said that there were nine attorneys working on different areas of the case. Among the practice areas involved in the spill are the firm’s litigation, maritime, insurance grups, as well as the firm’s energy department. The firm generally charges somewhere between $400 and $600 per hour.

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Andrew J., “A.J.” Thomas joined Jenner & Block’s L.A. office as partner…

A Greenberg Traurig partner was named ABA Committee Co-Chair…

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP added two partners to its Hong Kong practice…

Kobre & Kim prepared to open an office in Hong Kong…

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The employment rights committee addresses developments in the law governing the rights and responsibilities of individuals in the workplace and the resolution of disputes between workers and employers. Goldich has served as program chair and administrative chair of the ERR Committee, and also co-chair of its Trial Advocacy Subcommittee and ERISA Litigation Subcommittee.

Goldich is a member of Greenberg Traurig’s labor and employment practice in Philadelphia. He is an elected Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
Greenberg Traurig’s Global Labor and Employment Practice consists of over 100 lawyers in the United States and abroad who provide practical workplace strategies, counseling, technical assistance, and litigation services to clients in a wide range of industries.

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• Greenberg Traurig Partner Named Co-Chair of ABA Committee
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Fish & Richardson nabbed the communications team from McDermott…

A recent poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans are unable to name a single member of the U.S. Supreme Court…

U.S.–based Kirkland Ellis bolstered its London office with the addition of two highly-regarded private equity partners…

Three more partners left Nixon Peabody for rival DLA Piper…

AM Law’s second Hundred also took a hit in ‘09…

Littler Mendelson added a partner to its Philadelphia Office…

A former Kirkland IP Partner launched hiw own IP firm…

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati added an expert patent litigation partner to its IP Practice…

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Littler Mendelson, founded in 1942, is the largest U.S. based law firm exclusively dedicated to employment and labor law matters. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the firm has 750 attorneys in 48 offices nationwide.

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A Bensalem Police Department sergeant involved in searching out possible ads for prostitution on Craigslist answered the ad and when he asked to see what she looked like, she sent him three photos of her bare breasts.  A meeting was set up at a local bar after an attempt by the officer to also add drug charges to the crime failed when she told him she did not have any for the exchange.

A female heavy jury has been chosen for the trial which is expected to end by tomorrow.

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Antzis joined Saul Ewing straight out of Penn Law in 1978. He represents various midmarket clients in transactions, finance and general business matters. He succeeded chairman Stephen Aichele.

Saul Ewing was founded in 1921 and has approximately 250 attorneys. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia and has regional offices in Baltimore, Harrisburg, Newark, New York City, Princeton, Washington, and D.C., Chesterbrook, PA and Wilmington, DE.

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Now the city’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board is advising Mayor Michael Nutter that further spending cuts would be too harmful to the city’s justice system.

The mayor’s current plan would force the city’s courtrooms to shut down for 15 days in 2010, and result in the loss of several dozen prosecutors’ jobs.

The cut in the prosecutors’ budget is a 22% decrease from the $32 million the office was supposed to get in the new budget, before the national financial crisis forced Philadelphia and cities nationwide to further cut spending.

Philadelphia’s court system is facing a 14% decrease, from this year’s $115 million to $99 million next year.

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Blank Rome won’t officially reveal how many people it laid off, so here’s the JDJournal tally: 1,243,812 laid off, all of them infants and nuns.

The Legal Intelligencer has a more conservative estimate of 20 associates and 40 staff members laid off.

While a Blank Rome spokesman wouldn’t get into specifics as to the breakdown or which practice groups were affected, he said cuts at the 500-lawyer firm were made last week and were done across the firm. He said all of the people affected were provided with a severance package and outplacement counseling.

Phillie’s Ballard Spahr also laid off a number of secretarial and administrative staff last week, with reports putting the number at between 40 and 65. Up to 10 attorneys were also involved in the cuts.

Via this.

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Dubin’s suit seeks nearly $6 million in back pay and damages.

The firm and its counsel at Miller & Wrubel say that every one of Lubin’s claims is false. Dechert says no one lied to Lubin during the interview process in October 2002, and they deny the allegation that Lubin’s religion played a part in his dismissal.

Dechert’s team also says the suit is barred by statute of limitations rules and seven other affirmative defenses.

As for Lubin’s claim that he was a highly sought-after commodity who left a “secure” $215,000 job at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for the chance of more fulfilling work at his new firm, Dechert again challenges the notion. It denies that Lubin’s job at Skadden was actually “secure,” though the firm doesn’t explain how it knows this.

Skadden did not immediately respond to questions about Lubin’s tenure there.

Lubin had been at Skadden since about 1999 after short stints at both Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Latham & Watkins. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1994.

He claims Dechert offered him work on a complex deal involving the securitization of attorneys fees from tobacco litigation. The deal, which he described as “poorly organized” and “in total disarray” by the time he arrived, eventually fell apart, Lubin’s complaint says.

I gotta tell ya, if I could sue ex-employers for giving me a crummy job, I’d be a billionaire.

Via Am Law Daily.

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