Trial lawyer Linda Addison, a member of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP's executive committee, was named partner-in-charge of its 140-lawyer New York office. In a statement, Fulbright said Addison, a leader of the firm's litigation practice, is known by her peers as the lawyer to handle "bet-the-company" cases.

Addison succeeds William Bush, who is leaving Fulbright after more than three decades to join BDT Capital Partners, a merchant bank in Chicago that will invest in and advise family and entrepreneurially controlled or influenced companies.

Former Goldman, Sachs & Co. banker Byron Trott recenly launched BDT Capital. Trott, who received high praise from Warren Buffett after working as an adviser for Berkshire Hathaway Inc., was vice chairman of Goldman's investment banking division in Chicago and spent 27 years with the firm. Bush will serve as a founding partner and general counsel of BDT Capital.

Putnam Investments tapped Walter Donovan as chief investment officer, reporting to president and CEO Robert Reynolds. Donovan was president of Fidelity Investments' equity division, responsible for portfolio management, investment research and trading. He was also in charge of the high-yield group. Before joining Fidelity in 1995, Donovan had been a director on the corporate debt trading desk with Merrill Lynch Capital Markets for seven years.

Chicago Investment Group hired Thomas Parkins as president. Parkins has been an executive director and business development officer with UBS Financial Services, a regional director and operating committee member with Piper Jaffray & Co., and a senior vice president in private client services with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. He also worked at SG Cowen, Oppenheimer & Co. and Morgan Stanley.

The firm's past president, Robert Acri, will continue working with CIG's investment advisory division.

• Maxim Group LLC hires Goldman's Sharie Loeffler as head of leveraged finance.
• Collins Stewart adds U.S. oil and gas coverage, taps J.P. Morgan's Katherine Minyard.
• Former Lehman chief legal officer Thomas Russo joins Patton Boggs.