Obermayer Hires Zoning and Land Use Partner From Mattioni Ltd.

Philadelphia-based Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel has hired zoning and land use attorney Dawn M. Tancredi as a partner in its business and finance department.

Wendi Murdoch Hires a New Lawyer, Suggesting a Divorce Is Getting Messy

Mrs. Murdoch has hired William D. Zabel, a well-known New York trusts and estates lawyer who has represented several women in their divorces from wealthy businessmen, including Jane Beasley Welch during her contentious split from John F. Welch, the former chief executive of General Electric.

A spokesman for Mrs. Murdoch, Christopher Giglio, confirmed the hiring of Mr. Zabel, but otherwise declined to comment.

Mrs. Murdoch had been represented by Pamela M. Sloan, who advised Mrs. Murdoch on her prenuptial agreement with Mr. Murdoch in 1999, when the couple married in front of 82 guests on board his 155-foot sailing yacht, the Morning Glory.

But since then, Ms. Sloan had become friendly with the Murdochs, and Mrs. Murdoch decided that she wanted more independent counsel, said a person with direct knowledge of the case who like many people declined to be identified discussing personal matters.

Ms. Sloan did not return a request for comment.

Although the Murdochs signed a prenuptial agreement and two postnuptial agreements delineating the separation of assets in the event of a divorce, there are a number of areas that remain up for negotiation, said people with knowledge of the case who spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

For one, there are the custody arrangements and child support for their daughters, Grace, 11, and Chloe, 9, these people said. Because they are not binding on the court, custody arrangements and child support are rarely part of prenuptial agreements, and are often used by the less-moneyed spouse as leverage in negotiations.

Other issues that could be contended include the division of certain assets, like their Fifth Avenue penthouse and the yacht, on which Mrs. Murdoch, 44, and her daughters are currently vacationing in the Caribbean.

There is also the contentious issue surrounding the Murdoch family trust. Mr. Murdoch surprised his wife in 2006 when he announced during a television interview with Charlie Rose that Grace and Chloe would have the same economic interest in the family’s trust but not the same voting rights as his four children from his previous two marriages.

The slip almost created a separation, and prompted Mrs. Murdoch to negotiate more favorable terms for her daughters, according to people close to the couple.

Mr. Zabel, an expert in trust law, is expected to examine the soundness of the trust structure.

“Even with the most sophisticated couple, unless you have perfect 20/20 foresight often some issues can arise that weren’t taken into consideration and are prime for negotiation,” said Paul M. Talbert, a divorce lawyer at Donohoe Talbert in New York, who is not involved in the Murdoch case.

Representing Mr. Murdoch, 82, in the divorce proceeding is Ira E. Garr of the law firm Garr Silpe. But Mr. Murdoch is also relying heavily on the advice of Gerson A. Zweifach, the general counsel of both News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, as the newly separated companies are now known. Mr. Murdoch’s 1998 divorce from his second wife, Anna, cost more than $110 million in cash.

A company spokeswoman has said the divorce will have no effect on either company.

Shortly after a visit to the couple’s Northern California home in June, Mrs. Murdoch returned to New York to learn that Mr. Murdoch had served her with divorce papers, a decision he did not take lightly, according to several people close to the couple who would not discuss their private matters for attribution.

Mrs. Murdoch, after interviewing about eight different lawyers, including leading members of the matrimonial bar like Robert Stephan Cohen and Peter E. Bronstein, chose Mr. Zabel. Initially, Mrs. Murdoch did not have time to screen potential divorce lawyers and turned to Ms. Sloane, a trusted confidante, by default.

The core of Mr. Zabel’s practice at the law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel is advising wealthy clients like George Soros and the Lehman family, drafting their wills and trusts and advising on estate planning. But he also handles messier matters for his clients; in 2010, for instance, he represented the estate of his longtime client, the Palm Beach philanthropist and investor Jeffry M. Picower, in a $7.2 billion settlement with the federal government over claims related to money that he received from Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

There is also the occasional divorce assignment. Much of the time, Mr. Zabel will play the role of mediator, and has peaceably settled the divorces of the late author Michael Crichton, the radio host Howard Stern and the New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV.

But at times, he has been involved in nasty marital spats, like that of Ms. Welch, whose marriage collapsed after she discovered her husband’s dalliance with the journalist Suzy Wetlaufer. The divorce was fiercely litigated and settled on the courthouse steps in 2002 only after Mr. Welch agreed to pay Ms. Welch several hundred million dollars.

More recently, he represented Christina Lurie, the former wife of the Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who divorced after 20 years of marriage. Ms. Lurie remained a part owner of the team.

Because he keeps divorce representations to a minimum, Mr. Zabel often refers cases to his former wife, Eleanor B. Alter, herself a prominent matrimonial lawyer in New York.

Lincoln Financial Hires Morgan Lewis Partner to Head Business Law Unit

Lincoln Financial Group has hired a new head of business law and compliance in its Radnor, Pa.-based law department.Former Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner James DelBello has joined Lincoln Financial and will serve as senior vice president and head of business law and compliance.

Wal-Mart Hires Former Bush Aide as Chief Image Maker

The company, the nation’s largest retailer, announced on Wednesday that Dan Bartlett, an adviser to President George W. Bush, would be its new executive vice president of corporate affairs, starting in late June.

The vague-sounding role in fact has a wide mandate, overseeing corporate communications, government relations, sustainability and the Wal-Mart Foundation. It is in essence Wal-Mart’s chief image maker.

Mr. Bartlett replaces Leslie Dach, who announced his resignation in March. Mr. Dach, an ex-Clinton aide, helped create Wal-Mart’s sustainability push, its $4 generic drug program and its healthy food program after years in which Wal-Mart had been battered by politicians and the media. “What’s happened over the last several years, clearly here in the United States and around the world, it’s become easier to site a Walmart and we have become more accepted by the community,” Mr. Dach said last year, describing the effects of those programs on Wal-Mart’s business.

Under President Bush, Mr. Bartlett oversaw the White House press office and was an adviser on his campaigns for governor and president. More recently, Mr. Bartlett was chief executive of the United States division of Hill&Knowlton Strategies, a communications firm.

Nicolle Wallace, a Republican strategist who was White House communications director under Mr. Bartlett, described him as “low-key, very unflappable, he’s the ultimate team player.”

“He was just really excited about being part of a company that, while it has an image and an identity as just a giant corporate leader, it’s also very important in all the communities in which it exists,” she said. At the White House, “he operated at that intersection of public policy and communication and really confidential counsel to the executives.”

While his work in the White House, obviously, focused on a Republican agenda, “in the private sector he’s given advice to people of all political persuasions,” she said.

Today, Wal-Mart is facing several reputational issues. It was linked to garments produced at the building in Bangladesh that collapsed last month, killing more than 1,100 workers. Wal-Mart has declined to join other large retailers like H&M in a pact to improve safety standards in Bangladesh, instead saying it would pursue its own safety program.

Wal-Mart is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department on potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and is also conducting an internal inquiry and compliance review. The New York Times reported last year that executives at the company’s Mexican subsidiary had bribed officials to smooth expansion, and that executives at the company’s headquarters had known about the bribes and declined to take action. In the most recent quarter, Wal-Mart spent $73 million on costs related to those reviews, much higher than the $40 million to $45 million it had expected to spend.

And Wal-Mart has faced issues in its stores, including slower-than-expected sales, problems in keeping shelves stocked and complaints from unions about how it treats workers.

Wal-Mart Hires Hill & Knowlton Executive

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. named Dan Bartlett, most recently president and CEO of the U.S. arm of global business advisory firm Hill & Knowlton Strategies, as its new executive vice president of corporate affairs.

Bartlett has also served as a senior counselor to President George W. Bush. The 41-year-old succeeds Leslie Dach, who played an influential role in reinventing the image of the world's largest retailer in the face of mounting attacks by labor groups and other critics during his seven-year tenure. The company said in March that Dach, a former Democratic strategist, was leaving in June.

Bartlett will report to Mike Duke, Wal-Mart's president and CEO, and will serve as a member of the Bentonville, Ark., company's executive council.

"Corporate affairs play a strong role in helping us meet our business objectives at Wal-Mart," said Duke in a statement. "The team also helps us step up to the broader role we can play in meeting some of the biggest social challenges in the world today — issues like fighting hunger, job creation, sustainability, women's economic empowerment and the availability of healthier food."

Bartlett joins Wal-Mart at a time when it is grappling with allegations of bribery in its Mexico operations that surfaced a year ago as well as its treatment of its workers. Wal-Mart is also facing pressure to increase its oversight of factory conditions abroad following a building collapse last month in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,110 workers there. The tragedy, the deadliest incident in the history of the garment industry, came just months after a fire in another garment factory in Bangladesh in November killed 112 workers. Wal-Mart is the second largest buyer of Bangladesh clothing after Swedish fashion retailer H&M.

In a separate announcement, Hill & Knowlton Strategies announced that it has tapped Andy Weitz as president and CEO of its U.S. operations. Weitz is a five-year veteran of Hill & Knowlton Strategies and most recently served as executive vice president and global co-chair of its corporate advisory practice.

Wal-Mart's shares slipped 40 cents to $76.99 in afternoon trading.

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Locke Lord Hires Five Partners in Hong Kong

Dallas-based Locke Lord has added five partners in Hong Kong.

The firm is expanding through an association with local firm Cheung & Lee, which was established earlier this year and now counts five partners -- Balbir Bindra, Wing Cheung, Alfred Lee, Tejinder Mahil and Matthew Wong. The Hong Kong Law Society requires foreign firms to enter into such associations for a period of time before fully merging with local practices.

Locke Lord, heretofore little-known on the international stage, has lately been pushing hard to expand overseas. The firm recruited several partners from Salans last year to launch a London office that now counts 34 lawyers.

The Hong Kong office will be led by Bindra, who previously led the Hong Kong banking and finance practice for French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel. He joined Gide in 2009 from Sidley Austin. Earlier in his career, he was head of international banking and finance practice at the former Wilde Sapte.

Mahil is joining from Winston & Strawn's Hong Kong office, which he joined in 2011 from DLA Piper and left last September. He focuses on finance and merger and acquisitions deals in the hospitality and leisure sector.

Lee and Cheung both previously worked in the Hong Kong office of K&L Gates, where the former was a corporate partner and the latter a consultant. Corporate finance specialist Wong is joining Locke Lord from Stephenson Harwood, where he came aboard as a partner in 2011 from Bird & Bird.

The new hires are something of a relaunch in Hong Kong for the 650-lawyer Texas firm, which opened an office there in 2011 led by Brad Markoff, a former DLA Piper partner. Markoff left the firm last September to become managing director and general counsel at real estate investment and asset management company Encore Asia Ltd.

N.Y. Real Estate Boutique Hires Cooley Partners

Four real estate attorneys have jumped from Cooley to 60-lawyer Duval & Stachenfeld in New York, including a former chairman of its real estate practice and a senior partner.

Joining Duval & Stachenfeld are Thomas O'Connor, who served as the head of Cooley's real estate group for six years, and Alan Cohen, a former senior partner in that group. Also moving are Maureen Hannon, who is of counsel, and Michael Estreicher, a senior associate.

O'Connor's departure follows the appointment in January of Antonio Calabrese as chairman of Cooley's real estate practice. Calabrese works from Cooley's Reston, Va., office. O'Connor served as head of the practice until Calabrese's appointment.

Duval & Stachenfeld focuses on real estate law and also serves corporate, litigation and bankruptcy clients. About 50 of the firm's lawyers work on real estate matters. Founding partner Patrick Duval, a transactions lawyer, is a former Latham & Watkins partner, and founder Bruce Stachenfeld, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a partner at Shapiro, Shapses, Block & Stachenfeld. Duval & Stachenfeld was formed in 1997.

Cohen said that his new firm offers a better platform for real estate work, which is not a key focus for Cooley, he said.

"We weren't getting the green light to grow the practice the way we wanted to," he said.

Cooley declined to comment on the attorneys' departures.

O'Connor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His real estate finance clients have included Starwood Property Trust Inc., Safra Bank of New York, Oritani Bank and Arbor Realty Trust. He previously worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Cohen, a former partner at Morrison Cohen, has represented Centurian Realty LLC, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and Caribbean Property Group.

N.Y. Real Estate Boutique Hires Cooley Partners

Four real estate attorneys have jumped from Cooley to 60-lawyer Duval & Stachenfeld in New York, including a former chairman of its real estate practice and a senior partner.

Joining Duval & Stachenfeld are Thomas O'Connor, who served as the head of Cooley's real estate group for six years, and Alan Cohen, a former senior partner in that group. Also moving are Maureen Hannon, who is of counsel, and Michael Estreicher, a senior associate.

O'Connor's departure follows the appointment in January of Antonio Calabrese as chairman of Cooley's real estate practice. Calabrese works from Cooley's Reston, Va., office. O'Connor served as head of the practice until Calabrese's appointment.

Duval & Stachenfeld focuses on real estate law and also serves corporate, litigation and bankruptcy clients. About 50 of the firm's lawyers work on real estate matters. Founding partner Patrick Duval, a transactions lawyer, is a former Latham & Watkins partner, and founder Bruce Stachenfeld, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a partner at Shapiro, Shapses, Block & Stachenfeld. Duval & Stachenfeld was formed in 1997.

Cohen said that his new firm offers a better platform for real estate work, which is not a key focus for Cooley, he said.

"We weren't getting the green light to grow the practice the way we wanted to," he said.

Cooley declined to comment on the attorneys' departures.

O'Connor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His real estate finance clients have included Starwood Property Trust Inc., Safra Bank of New York, Oritani Bank and Arbor Realty Trust. He previously worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Cohen, a former partner at Morrison Cohen, has represented Centurian Realty LLC, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and Caribbean Property Group.

N.Y. Real Estate Boutique Hires Cooley Partners

Four real estate attorneys have jumped from Cooley to 60-lawyer Duval & Stachenfeld in New York, including a former chairman of its real estate practice and a senior partner.

Joining Duval & Stachenfeld are Thomas O'Connor, who served as the head of Cooley's real estate group for six years, and Alan Cohen, a former senior partner in that group. Also moving are Maureen Hannon, who is of counsel, and Michael Estreicher, a senior associate.

O'Connor's departure follows the appointment in January of Antonio Calabrese as chairman of Cooley's real estate practice. Calabrese works from Cooley's Reston, Va., office. O'Connor served as head of the practice until Calabrese's appointment.

Duval & Stachenfeld focuses on real estate law and also serves corporate, litigation and bankruptcy clients. About 50 of the firm's lawyers work on real estate matters. Founding partner Patrick Duval, a transactions lawyer, is a former Latham & Watkins partner, and founder Bruce Stachenfeld, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a partner at Shapiro, Shapses, Block & Stachenfeld. Duval & Stachenfeld was formed in 1997.

Cohen said that his new firm offers a better platform for real estate work, which is not a key focus for Cooley, he said.

"We weren't getting the green light to grow the practice the way we wanted to," he said.

Cooley declined to comment on the attorneys' departures.

O'Connor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His real estate finance clients have included Starwood Property Trust Inc., Safra Bank of New York, Oritani Bank and Arbor Realty Trust. He previously worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Cohen, a former partner at Morrison Cohen, has represented Centurian Realty LLC, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and Caribbean Property Group.

The Legal's Top 10 Lateral Hires of 2012

Each year, we at The Legal take a look back at all the lateral moves in Pennsylvania in an effort to determine the 10 most important lateral hires of the previous year. Complete profiles of the top laterals and details about each move will be included in our "Top Lateral Hires of 2012" supplement, scheduled to be published in The Legal on Tuesday, February 19.

SanDisk Hires Former Tesla GC for Top Legal Spot

Eric Whitaker, SanDisk general counsel
Image: courtesy photo

SanDisk has found a new leader for its legal department in Eric Whitaker, the former general counsel of Tesla Motors.

Whitaker started work Monday at the flash memory manufacturer. As senior vice president and chief legal officer, he is responsible for leading the legal team and overseeing the licensing department. Whitaker, who stepped down from his post at the electric carmaker in November, said he was drawn to SanDisk by its IP portfolio and the opportunities he sees in the flash memory space.

"That's the fun part -- it's a Fortune 500 company with the potential for a lot of growth ahead," he said. "If you look at the potential applications for flash memory, we're just at the beginning."

Whitaker is best known for his work at Tesla, but he is no stranger to the world of flash memory. Kenton King, partner in charge of the Palo Alto office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, met Whitaker in 2006 when he was advising Micron Technology in its acquisition of Lexar Media. Whitaker was the target company's general counsel.

"I was very impressed with how Eric handled his side of the table. He is a very good catch for SanDisk," said King, whose firm has represented SanDisk for about five years.

The slot leading SanDisk's legal department opened up when then-general counsel James Brelsford announced his decision to return to the law firm fold in October. He joined Skadden as of counsel in November after being recruited by King.

Whitaker said he was approached by SanDisk shortly after he gave notice to Tesla and was hired in mid-December. Whitaker has leapt from a legal department of 10 at Tesla to one of about 50 at SanDisk.

"Jim Brelsford has put together a great team here," Whitaker said. "I think that I bring a scrappier and more entrepreneurial approach."

Whitaker expects the company's licensing needs as well as potential litigation and acquisitions to keep him busy. He said he wants to bring more work in-house, and new hires may be necessary. But he is most eager to weigh in as the nearly 25-year-old company looks to the future.

"The memory industry is transforming quickly right now," Whitaker said. "We're figuring out how to position ourselves for the next decade. Legal is going to have to be an important part of that."

Baker & McKenzie Hires Korea Partner for Hong Kong Office

By Jessica Seah All Articles 

The Asian Lawyer

January 16, 2013

Baker & McKenzie has hired a new Korea practice partner for its Hong Kong office.

Former Kim & Chang foreign legal consultant Seong Soo Kim specializes in cross-border project financings and international securities deals involving Korean companies.

Kim had worked at Kim & Chang, Korea's largest law firm, since 2002. Before that, he was an associate in Hong Kong with Shearman & Sterling.

Though Baker & McKenzie is opening a Seoul office, pending regulatory approval, it is unclear if Kim will work in that office. A firm spokeswoman says Baker & McKenzie has so far only decided to send three other Korean-speaking lawyers to Seoul when the office begins operations.

Baker & McKenzie announced it was applying to open a Korea office in November. It will be the firm's 73rd worldwide.

Yale Law Hires Its First Hispanic in a Tenured Position

By Karen Sloan All Articles 

The National Law Journal

January 14, 2013

Yale Law School's Cristina Rodriguez

It's official: Yale Law School has its first tenured Hispanic faculty member. Dean Richard Post announced last week that Cristina Rodriguez will join the faculty on January 28.

Rodriguez, an expert on immigration law, has taught at New York University School of Law since 2004. She took a leave from NYU in 2010 to become deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.

"Cristina is the nation's leading theorist of immigration law," Post said in a written statement. "Her work is both practical and cutting edge, and she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge. She is a superb teacher, and I expect that she will be a mentor to generations of students."

The Yale Daily News reported in March 2012 that the law school had offered Rodriguez a tenured post. That news came out of a town hall meeting between administrators and students about faculty diversity.

Law school faculties are slowly becoming more diverse, although minority groups remain underrepresented. Statistics from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) show that as of 2008 -- the most recent numbers available -- nearly 72 percent of law professors nationwide were white. Of law faculty holding tenure or tenure-track jobs, 80 percent were white.

The AALS annual meeting in New Orleans earlier this month featured a day-long slate of panels discussing minority faculty and student recruitment. A 2010 study underwritten by the American Bar Foundation and the Law School Admission Council found that lower percentages of women and minority law professors thought the tenure process was fair.

Harvard Law School garnered attention in 2011 when it granted tenure to Jeannie Suk, making her the first tenured Asian-American woman on its faculty. (Harvard has approximately 138 full-time faculty members, compared to Yale's 74, according to the American Bar Association.)

Rodriguez, who received her J.D. from Yale, was a visiting professor there in fall 2009. She will teach constitutional law, administrative law and immigration law.

Edwards Wildman Hires Partner in Hong Kong

By Jessica Seah All Articles 

The Asian Lawyer

January 8, 2013

Edwards Wildman Palmer has hired a new partner for its Hong Kong litigation practice.

John Yiu was previously a partner with local firm ONC Lawyers. He focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitrations, including insolvency, employment, shipping, regulatory and intellectual property matters.

Yiu joined ONC only last year from another Hong Kong firm, Vivien Chan & Co., where he was of counsel. He also previously practiced as an associate at international firms Holman Fenwick Willan and Paul Hastings.

Edwards Wildman launched an association with local firm Lister Lo Lui & Choy in 2006 and formally merged January 1 this year. The firm has 625 lawyers in 15 offices worldwide, including Hong Kong and Tokyo in Asia. According to its website, the firm has 10 lawyers in its Hong Kong office, five of whom are partners.

Davis Polk Launches Hong Kong Litigation Practice With Clifford Chance Hires

Davis Polk & Wardwell has recruited two Clifford Chance partners to launch a Hong Kong litigation practice.

Martin Rogers, the former head of Clifford Chance's Asia Pacific disputes practice and co-head of its regional financial regulatory practice, and partner James Wadham are both set to join Davis Polk "in the near term," according to Thomas Reid, the New York-based firm's managing partner.

Reid says the move was driven by the demand of domestic and international clients facing a rising tide of enforcement actions in Asia. "We certainly have seen our clients asking for help in enforcement matters in Asia with increasing frequency," he says.

The move is the firm's second major expansion into Hong Kong practice in recent years. Though it opened its Hong Kong office in 1993, Davis Polk, like many Wall Street firms, only practiced U.S. law in the region until 2010, when it launched a Hong Kong capital markets practice. Since then, most of Davis Polk's major New York rivals, including Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Sullivan & Cromwell have launched similar practices.

But Hong Kong capital markets have been in a severe slowdown since the end of 2011, and Davis Polk's push into local litigation reflects a desire to create a more balanced practice in the region.

Several firms have deployed litigation partners from the U.S. and elsewhere to advise companies in Asia on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or Securities and Exchange Commission investigations. But Davis Polk is also eyeing the more active financial regulatory stance that Hong Kong's Securities & Futures Commission has adopted under chief executive Ashley Alder, a former partner at the firm now known as Herbert Smith Freehills.

The SFC recently announced a new Companies Bill that would make auditors criminally liable if they knowingly or recklessly omit a required statement from an auditor's report. And Hong Kong's securities regulator announced last week that banks could be held criminally liable if the companies they sponsor in IPOs provide false information on their prospectuses. Rogers has already been working with Davis Polk Hong Kong partner Bonnie Chan in advising 23 investment banks in their interactions with the SFC, says Reid.

Qualified in England and Hong Kong, Rogers has been a partner at Clifford Chance since 2002, when he moved to that firm from the Hong Kong office of Herbert Smith, where he had worked for 14 years and had been named Asia managing partner just prior to leaving.

Wadham began his career in New Zealand, where he worked for Auckland's Russell McVeagh. He joined Clifford Chance in Hong Kong in 2002 and became a partner in 2007. Like Rogers, he focuses on advising clients in the financial services industry. He is admitted in New Zealand, Hong Kong and England.

In a statement, Clifford Chance said it continued to have a strong litigation and dispute resolution practice in the region, noting its announcement last week of a formal law alliance with Singapore litigation boutique Cavenagh Law.

"We have every confidence this will not affect our relationships with our institutional clients as Clifford Chance offers the highest quality advice and service across the broadest range of international law expertise available in the market," the firm said.

Davis Polk Launches Hong Kong Litigation Practice With Clifford Chance Hires

Davis Polk & Wardwell has recruited two Clifford Chance partners to launch a Hong Kong litigation practice.

Martin Rogers, the former head of Clifford Chance's Asia Pacific disputes practice and co-head of its regional financial regulatory practice, and partner James Wadham are both set to join Davis Polk "in the near term," according to Thomas Reid, the New York-based firm's managing partner.

Reid says the move was driven by the demand of domestic and international clients facing a rising tide of enforcement actions in Asia. "We certainly have seen our clients asking for help in enforcement matters in Asia with increasing frequency," he says.

The move is the firm's second major expansion into Hong Kong practice in recent years. Though it opened its Hong Kong office in 1993, Davis Polk, like many Wall Street firms, only practiced U.S. law in the region until 2010, when it launched a Hong Kong capital markets practice. Since then, most of Davis Polk's major New York rivals, including Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Sullivan & Cromwell have launched similar practices.

But Hong Kong capital markets have been in a severe slowdown since the end of 2011, and Davis Polk's push into local litigation reflects a desire to create a more balanced practice in the region.

Several firms have deployed litigation partners from the U.S. and elsewhere to advise companies in Asia on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or Securities and Exchange Commission investigations. But Davis Polk is also eyeing the more active financial regulatory stance that Hong Kong's Securities & Futures Commission has adopted under chief executive Ashley Alder, a former partner at the firm now known as Herbert Smith Freehills.

The SFC recently announced a new Companies Bill that would make auditors criminally liable if they knowingly or recklessly omit a required statement from an auditor's report. And Hong Kong's securities regulator announced last week that banks could be held criminally liable if the companies they sponsor in IPOs provide false information on their prospectuses. Rogers has already been working with Davis Polk Hong Kong partner Bonnie Chan in advising 23 investment banks in their interactions with the SFC, says Reid.

Qualified in England and Hong Kong, Rogers has been a partner at Clifford Chance since 2002, when he moved to that firm from the Hong Kong office of Herbert Smith, where he had worked for 14 years and had been named Asia managing partner just prior to leaving.

Wadham began his career in New Zealand, where he worked for Auckland's Russell McVeagh. He joined Clifford Chance in Hong Kong in 2002 and became a partner in 2007. Like Rogers, he focuses on advising clients in the financial services industry. He is admitted in New Zealand, Hong Kong and England.

In a statement, Clifford Chance said it continued to have a strong litigation and dispute resolution practice in the region, noting its announcement last week of a formal law alliance with Singapore litigation boutique Cavenagh Law.

"We have every confidence this will not affect our relationships with our institutional clients as Clifford Chance offers the highest quality advice and service across the broadest range of international law expertise available in the market," the firm said.

Pepper Hamilton Hires Discovery Services Director

Pepper Hamilton CEO Scott Green, himself no stranger to starting up an e-discovery services component of a large law firm, has hired a new director of discovery services and litigation support.

Ashurst Boosts Asia Disputes With Herbert Smith Hires

By Jessica Seah All Articles 

The Asian Lawyer

December 10, 2012

Ashurst has added two new partners to its disputes practice in Asia.

Robert Palmer and Christopher Bailey are both joining Ashurst from Herbert Smith Freehills, where they were respectively an of counsel in Singapore and a consultant in Bangkok.

The two will both join the firm's Singapore office initially, though Bailey will later relocate to Tokyo.

Palmer specializes in international arbitration work related to energy and infrastructure sectors. Bailey, who will become Ashurst's first disputes partner in Tokyo, will focus on advising Japanese clients on their overseas disputes. Before transferring to Bangkok last year, Bailey had worked in Herbert Smith's Tokyo office for five years, including a period of secondment to a Japanese trading house.

According to its website, London-based Ashurst has 19 lawyers in its Tokyo office and 16 lawyers in Singapore. With its merger earlier this year with Australia's Blake Dawson, Ashurst has more than 1,700 lawyers worldwide.

Wanted: Lateral Hires With Real-World Experience

The fall hiring season has returned with renewed vigor, with some big law firms bringing in as many new fall associates as they did before the economic downturn.

One thing is noticeable: more of the new fall hires have prior professional experience and have been out of law school for a few years, as firms continue to seek candidates who fill specific staffing needs.

"A lot of the hiring is not back to the pre-recession madness, but it has rebounded," said Peter Giuliani, a Weston, Conn.-based law firm economic adviser who works with 100-lawyer-plus law firms throughout the country. "I don't think the salaries have gone up much at all though."

These days, new hires are expected to know more than the average applicant fresh from law school. That means lawyers with strong internships, court clerkships or business experience are in highest demand. "There is a big inventory on the market of lawyers who have experience," Giuliani said.

Day Pitney, with offices in New York, New Jersey and Hartford, Conn., announced it has hired 16 new associates, including eight in Connecticut, which the firm said is its biggest fall associate class ever. Wiggin and Dana welcomed four new associates to its offices in New Haven, Conn. and Stamford, Conn. Shipman & Goodwin brought in eight new associates, including many with useful past-work experience for its growing practice areas, including education and import/export law.

"The talent pool was exceptional in 2012 and many things differentiated these hires," said Karen Staib, partner and chair of the Hiring Committee for Shipman & Goodwin. Worth noting she said, was that "some previously held jobs within industries where we provide legal services."

One of the new hires is a former teacher who has joined the firm's education law practice. Another worked as an aerospace engineer before going to law school. "He will begin his legal career in our import/export compliance practice, servicing some of the world's largest defense and aerospace corporations and manufacturers," Staib said.

EXPERIENCE GAPS

A factor fueling this hiring spree is that many large firms cut back their staffing levels in 2009 and 2010, especially with regard to newer associates, right after the economic downturn began in 2008. Law firms have since realized there is a gap between their staffing levels and their ability to keep clients happy.

"So now the firms are back out in the market, hiring laterally to fill experience gaps," Giuliani said. "That is what may be churning a little action in the recruiting market."

News Corp. Hires Former WilmerHale and Davis Polk Lawyers in Compliance Push

News Corp. has appointed five group chief compliance officers (GCCOs) in a shake-up of its global compliance structure, including an ex-U.S. federal prosecutor and a former lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The new compliance structure will be headed up by the recently installed group GC and chief compliance officer Gerson Zweifach, who was brought in last February to steer News Corp.'s efforts to shake up its governance following the phone-hacking scandal.

In an internal memo to staff, Zweifach confirmed the five full-time appointments, who have been brought in to ensure the business "operate[s] with the highest level of integrity," and who will strengthen the company's training programs, internal controls and auditing.

In a position that will attract much scrutiny in the U.K., Candy Lawson has joined as GCCO for Europe and Asia. Lawson, who will be based in London, joins from Morgan Stanley, where as EMEA anti-corruption counsel she designed and implemented the bank's compliance program. She was also previously a lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York.

Elsewhere, Brian Michael, formerly a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York and Los Angeles, and more recently a lawyer at U.S. law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, will now oversee compliance for the Fox Networks Group, which includes Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox Sports Media Group, Fox International Channels, FX and National Geographic Channels.

John McCoy, who will also be based in Los Angeles, will look after compliance for the worldwide operations of Twentieth Century Fox Film, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Shine Group. He joins News Corp. from the SEC, where he was the associate regional director of the enforcement division in Los Angeles. Prior to this, McCoy was a litigation partner at Los Angeles firm Bird Marella Boxer Wolpert Nessim Drooks & Lincenberg.

Meanwhile, Keith Wood will continue to serve as director of internal audit and risk for News Ltd. for News Corp.'s Australia group. New York-based news and information GCCO Lisa Fleischman will oversee compliance of Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox TV Stations Group, Dow Jones, the New York Post, HarperCollins, News America Marketing and Amplify.

Fleischman, also a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York, will also serve as News Corp.'s deputy chief compliance officer.

The appointments come after News Corp. confirmed in June that it intends to divide its publishing and media/entertainment businesses into two separate companies, with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom taking the lead advisory role.