Our blogs like to feature news circulating with local law firms and attorneys in the country. Today we would like to take part in announcing a former senate leaving his position to join in a Florida law firm. Law Web Design would like to wish him success with his new move.
Mel Martinez's career plans after leaving the Senate appear to be bringing him to Tampa.
The
Orlando Republican is joining the offices of DLA Piper as a partner in
its Washington and Tampa offices, according to Legal Times.
DLA
Piper partner Ignacio Sanchez confirmed the news following a partnership
vote. Martinez, who left the Senate earlier this month, starts at the
firm on Oct. 1, Legal Times reported.
"When he announced he was
going to retire and let the governor appoint someone to finish out the
term, I immediately talked to him and said, you really ought to consider
looking at our firm. I think you would really do well, and we would
love to have you," Sanchez said.
The former senator will be banned
from lobbying for two years, though Sanchez said he will be able to
advise clients on a range of issues.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Gates Gains While Other Law Firms Suffer
Like most law firms, K&L Gates LLP faces headwinds. The recession
has cut demand for many corporate legal services, including work on
mergers, real estate and corporate finance. In turn, profits at firms
across the country have plummeted, forcing many of them to fire
attorneys, freeze salaries and shut offices.
Peter Kalis, chairman of the 1,800-lawyer K&L firm, has felt the pain first hand. He cut costs sharply this year, including firing about 40 attorneys and 200 other staff members.
But the 59-year-old West Virginia native -- a Rhodes Scholar, Yale Law School graduate and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Byron White -- hasn't curtailed his expansion ambitions.
In the last two years, he has overseen mergers with firms in Chicago, North Carolina and Texas, and he has opened offices abroad, including in Singapore, Frankfurt and Dubai. His Pittsburgh law firm now ranks among the nation's largest, with 33 offices around the globe.
And Mr. Kalis shows no signs of slowing down. "Downturns can present extraordinary growth opportunities," he says. "But if you are lost in navel gazing and you don't have your head beams on high looking down the road, you'll miss the opportunities."
Peter Kalis, chairman of the 1,800-lawyer K&L firm, has felt the pain first hand. He cut costs sharply this year, including firing about 40 attorneys and 200 other staff members.
But the 59-year-old West Virginia native -- a Rhodes Scholar, Yale Law School graduate and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Byron White -- hasn't curtailed his expansion ambitions.
In the last two years, he has overseen mergers with firms in Chicago, North Carolina and Texas, and he has opened offices abroad, including in Singapore, Frankfurt and Dubai. His Pittsburgh law firm now ranks among the nation's largest, with 33 offices around the globe.
And Mr. Kalis shows no signs of slowing down. "Downturns can present extraordinary growth opportunities," he says. "But if you are lost in navel gazing and you don't have your head beams on high looking down the road, you'll miss the opportunities."
Newport News firm a big donor for Democrats
Newport News law firm Consumer Litigation Associates typically doesn't cut a high political profile.
But in this year's slate of elections, the Peninsula firm is suddenly a major player, donating almost $380,000 primarily to Democratic candidates.
The bulk of the money has gone to partner Robin Abbott, a Democrat running for the House of Delegates. The firm's founder, Len Bennett, is a longtime Democratic donor who supported President Barack Obama, among others. Bennett said he wants to support candidates willing to crack down on consumer fraud.
On the campaign trail, Bennett has been aggressive, even taking to Internet message boards to defend Abbott. In places typically filled with anonymous screeds, Bennett signs his full name and offers links to articles on consumer law.
"It's probably not smart to put our name out there like that," he said. "But I've got to be able to stand behind what I'm posting."
Bennett said he hopes his campaign contributions help free state lawmakers from the financial reliance on major donations from lobbyists and corporations so they can make "the right decisions."
"Maybe it's naive, but we'll see what happens over time," he said.
Abbott's opponent, Newport News Republican Del. Phil Hamilton suggests ulterior motives.
"You've got to kind of wonder what they're after," he said. "What is Consumer Litigation trying to buy?"
So far this year, the firm has donated $379,643 and Bennett has chipped in another $38,800 almost exclusively to Democratic candidates. The sole Republican donation — $5,000 to Newport News Del. G. Glenn Oder — was likely linked to Oder's work against payday lenders and was cut before Democrat Gary West entered the race.
Bennett has donated cash, office space and laptops to Abbott's campaign and reached out to fellow trial lawyers with a pledge that he would match donations to Abbott. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign spending, nearly two-thirds of Abbott's cash comes from the legal community. Meanwhile, the firm has given generously to Democrats running statewide, cutting large checks to Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon.
But in this year's slate of elections, the Peninsula firm is suddenly a major player, donating almost $380,000 primarily to Democratic candidates.
The bulk of the money has gone to partner Robin Abbott, a Democrat running for the House of Delegates. The firm's founder, Len Bennett, is a longtime Democratic donor who supported President Barack Obama, among others. Bennett said he wants to support candidates willing to crack down on consumer fraud.
On the campaign trail, Bennett has been aggressive, even taking to Internet message boards to defend Abbott. In places typically filled with anonymous screeds, Bennett signs his full name and offers links to articles on consumer law.
"It's probably not smart to put our name out there like that," he said. "But I've got to be able to stand behind what I'm posting."
Bennett said he hopes his campaign contributions help free state lawmakers from the financial reliance on major donations from lobbyists and corporations so they can make "the right decisions."
"Maybe it's naive, but we'll see what happens over time," he said.
Abbott's opponent, Newport News Republican Del. Phil Hamilton suggests ulterior motives.
"You've got to kind of wonder what they're after," he said. "What is Consumer Litigation trying to buy?"
So far this year, the firm has donated $379,643 and Bennett has chipped in another $38,800 almost exclusively to Democratic candidates. The sole Republican donation — $5,000 to Newport News Del. G. Glenn Oder — was likely linked to Oder's work against payday lenders and was cut before Democrat Gary West entered the race.
Bennett has donated cash, office space and laptops to Abbott's campaign and reached out to fellow trial lawyers with a pledge that he would match donations to Abbott. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign spending, nearly two-thirds of Abbott's cash comes from the legal community. Meanwhile, the firm has given generously to Democrats running statewide, cutting large checks to Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon.
Atlanta Law Firm Foundation Aids Flood Victims
The national law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP announced today that a foundation it established following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is helping its attorneys and staff affected by the recent devastating floods in Georgia. The firm is currently accepting assistance applications from the Georgia employees of Fisher & Phillips who suffered damage.
Chairman and Managing Partner Roger Quillen said: “The attorneys and staff of our firm who were not directly affected by the flooding have displayed the same desire to aid their co-workers as they did when Hurricane Katrina damaged or destroyed the homes of our people in Louisiana. It does my heart good to see how our extended law firm family comes together in a time of need.”
Robert Christenson, chair of the firm’s Employee Benefits Practice Group, pointed out that any employer can create a charitable fund to provide immediate disaster relief assistance to its own employees. When properly organized and operated, donors receive a tax deduction for contributions to such a fund, and recipients of assistance do not pay income tax on money they receive. Employers have been permitted to set up such funds since the 9/11 disaster. Following that tragedy, Congress enacted the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001, which allows an employer to establish a 501(c)(3) private foundation for the purpose of providing timely disaster relief assistance to its employees and their families (an “Employer-Controlled Foundation”). Disasters such as Katrina and the Georgia floods are covered by the Act.
Christenson said: “A foundation such as ours gives employees the opportunity to aid their colleagues who have been affected by a disaster or tragedy. Our attorneys are ready to assist any company that wants to move quickly to establish its own foundation to help during this time of need. We will put together the organizational documents, help with the tax filings, and explain the law to ensure that employers properly establish their foundations.”
The Fisher & Phillips Foundation provides money for such things as living expenses and uninsured repairs. All assistance is purely “needs based” and a committee ensures that the funds are properly distributed. Following Hurricane Katrina 17 attorneys and staff received a total of $77,000 from the foundation. The firm donated $60,000 to start the fund and lawyers and staff donated an additional $22,000. The firm has committed to donate an additional $40,000 to the fund as needed and the foundation is also accepting donations from attorneys and staff to help the Georgia flood victims.
Miami law firm eyed in Stanford scandal
A Miami law firm allegedly helped jailed financier R. Allen Stanford
establish an unregulated money pipeline to Antigua, The Miami Herald
reported Sunday.
The newspaper said in 1998 the firm of Greenberg Traurig helped Stanford, who is charged with running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, in create a pipeline between Miami and Antigua that became a cornerstone of Stanford's banking empire. That relationship has reportedly been targeted by a court-appointed receiver that is trying to recover money for Stanford's alleged victims.
The Herald said Greenberg Traurig helped Stanford set up a special trust office in Miami that could move millions of dollars overseas without having to report anything to the government.
The firm also allegedly helped Stanford institute changes in Antigua's banking system after a series of money laundering scandals prompted the U.S. Treasury to consider blacklisting all offshore institutions in the Caribbean island, officials say.
The newspaper said in 1998 the firm of Greenberg Traurig helped Stanford, who is charged with running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, in create a pipeline between Miami and Antigua that became a cornerstone of Stanford's banking empire. That relationship has reportedly been targeted by a court-appointed receiver that is trying to recover money for Stanford's alleged victims.
The Herald said Greenberg Traurig helped Stanford set up a special trust office in Miami that could move millions of dollars overseas without having to report anything to the government.
The firm also allegedly helped Stanford institute changes in Antigua's banking system after a series of money laundering scandals prompted the U.S. Treasury to consider blacklisting all offshore institutions in the Caribbean island, officials say.
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