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— Analysis —
Emanuel S. Heller opened his law practice in San Francisco in 1890. The firm's Web site says it has 650 attorneys and professionals working in 35 practices across 14 offices. All are looking for work. Law.com reported that on Tuesday, Peter Benvenutti (pictured), chairman of the dissolution committee now controlling the firm, confirmed that Baker & McKenzie and Winston & Strawn LLP, both one-time merger candidates, had withdrawn proposals to pick up large groups of lawyers and their expensive real estate. Heller will dissolve Nov. 28.
UBS Investment Bank hired Janine Shelffo for its investment banking department as a managing director in the technology, media and telecommunications group. She will report to Jeffrey Sine, vice chairman of IBD and global head of TMT banking, from New York. At Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Shelffo was a managing director and senior coverage banker for media. Before Lehman, she worked for nine years in the media and communications investment banking practice at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. and Credit Suisse Group. RBC Capital Markets appointed Peter Walraven as a managing director to its U.S. debt capital markets efforts for infrastructure and project finance. Walraven spent more than 20 years with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., most recently as a managing director and a senior member in the global private placements group. Based in New York, Walraven reports to John Hastings, head of U.S. infrastructure and project finance, and to John Younger, head of U.S. DCM. Covington & Burling LLP significantly expanded its intellectual property litigation practice, adding about 50 lawyers from Heller Ehrman LLP in California and Washington. The firm launched offices in Silicon Valley and San Diego as well. The new lawyers include 14 partners, six counsel and associates at all levels. Patent trial lawyer Robert Haslam will head the launch of the Silicon Valley office, along with partners Stanley Young, Nitin Subhedar, and Andrew Byrnes. Former Heller partners opening the San Diego office are Alan Blankenheimer, Laura Muschamp and Jo Dale Carothers. Joining the San Francisco office as partners are Robert Fram, Michael Plimack, Christine Haskett and Michael Markman. New partners in Washington are Sturgis Sobin, an ITC practitioner, together with Maureen Browne and Johnny Chiu. Rod McKelvie and Robert Fram will co-chair the firm's expanded patent litigation practice group, with Michael Plimack and Chris Sipes as vice chairs. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP hired 27 partners and one senior counsel from Heller Ehrman LLP, including three previous chairmen of that firm: Barry Levin, Robert Rosenfeld and Larry Popofsky. The group includes eight former Heller practice group leaders: Stephen Bomse, competition; Karen Dempsey, corporate governance; Richard DeNatale and Mark Plumer, who were co-chairs of the insurance recovery practice; Edward Henneberry, former co-chair of the European practice; Joshua Rosenkranz, appeals and strategy; Robert Rosenfeld (mentioned above), antitrust and trade regulation; and Patricia Thayer, who co-chaired intellectual property litigation. The other partners are David Brownstein, Russell Cohen, David Goldstein, Richard Goldstein, Jay Jurata, Douglas Lahnborg, Jessica Pers, David Smutny, Scott Westrich, Edward Joyce, David Klein, Elizabeth Goldman, Annette Hurst, Mark Parris, Daniel Dunne, George Greer, Lori Lynn Phillips and Jonathan Palmer. Cooley Godward Kronish LLP took on 15 partners from Heller Ehrman LLP; 10 will join in Silicon Valley and one in Washington. Four will open an office for Cooley in Seattle. In Palo Alto, Calif., the hires include corporate partner Mark Weeks, previously the head of Heller's firmwide business department; Mark Medearis, a co-founder of Venture Law Group; corporate partner Elias Blawie, a co-founder of VLG and co-chair of Heller's energy and clean technologies practice; corporate partner Jon Gavenman, head of Heller's Silicon Valley office; corporate partner John Sellers, compensation and benefits; tax partner Mark Windfeld-Hansen and corporate partners Keith Miller, Renee Deming, Amy Paye and Mavis Yee. The Seattle office will be led by corporate partner John Robertson, recently chair of the business department for Heller's Northwest offices. He is joined by corporate partners Sonya Erickson, co-chair of Heller's national life sciences practice; and intellectual property transactions partners Alison Freeman-Gleason, co-chair of Heller's energy and clean technologies practice, and Kevin Kelly, chair of Heller's IP transactions group. In Washington, Natasha Leskovsek, an experienced U.S. Food and Drug Administration practitioner, joins the life sciences practice. Pillsbury Winthrop LLP brought in a team of four energy regulatory lawyers in Washington from Heller Ehrman LLP. The team includes partners Becky Bruner and Joe Fagan, counsel Sandy Grace and senior associate Tom Orvald. |
On Sept. 26, Heller Ehrman LLP gave its lawyers 60-day notice of employment, 
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