Fox Rothschild announced Friday that it is merging with San Francisco-based MBV Law as of Jan. 1. In absorbing MBV, Fox Rothschild will add seven attorneys to the firm, including six partners and one associate.
The new hires advise clients on corporate, employment, real estate, intellectual property and commercial litigation matters, with a client base that consists primarily of architects, engineers and other design professionals.
The new partners are WILLIAM MANDEL, LAURA HOWARD, JONATHAN O’DONNELL, L. PETER RYAN, DWIGHT DONOVAN and SYVIA MAGID.
Fox Rothschild managing partner Mark Silow says the firm has been in discussions with MBV about merging for the past four to five months, since a recruiter brought the two groups together. Fox Rothschild, Silow says, was attracted to MBV because of the smaller firm’s corporate and civil litigation practices. Going forward, Silow says, “We are looking to expand all of our practices in our San Francisco office, but we have a particular interest now in expanding our intellectually property, estate planning and tax practices.”
Mandel, meanwhile, says MBV had been approached by other large firms about the possibility of merging in the past, but that those suitors did not offer the right cultural fit and had billing rates that were too high. Fox Rothschild, he says, is not requiring him and his MBV colleagues to increase their billing rates. “Next year we might have a modest increase, but that is our own decision,” says Mandel. By merging, Mandel says he and other attorneys joining Fox Rothschild will no longer have to pair with local firms in order to take on assignments that extend beyond California’s borders.
Fox Rothschild’s San Francisco office is currently home to 13 attorneys, according to the firm’s website. The MBV attorneys will officially move into the larger firm’s San Francisco office after a transition period.
In other Churn news …
Baker & Hostetler has added JOHN BATES to its Washington, D.C., office as a partner. Previously with Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Bates counsels corporations, investment funds, and individuals on cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and restructuring.
In Brussels, ADEM KOYUNCU has jumped from Mayer Brown to Covington & Burling along with one associate. Koyuncu joins Covington as a partner with a practice focused on European Union and German regulatory issues related to clients that make pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other health and consumer products.
ADAM SCHLATNER has left Baker & Hostetler’s New York office for Cozen O’Connor. Schlatner is a commercial litigation partner who defends entities and individuals in contract and partnership disputes, conducts corporate internal investigations, and handles securities class and derivative litigation and related criminal and civil investigations, among other matters.
CATHERINE HESS has ended her service as senior counsel in the office of inspector general at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is now a partner at Dentons. Based in Washington, D.C., she concentrates on government and internal investigations and Medicare and Medicaid compliance matters for health systems, hospitals, manufacturers, and other health care organizations.
Edwards Wildman Palmer has brought on M. RICHARD SAPIR as counsel in its real estate practice. Sapir moves over from Cohen Norris Wolmer Ray Telepman Cohen, and is based in West Palm Beach, Fla.
GENE MARSH has joined Jackson Lewis’ Birmingham office as of counsel. Marsh, previously with Lightfoot, Franklin & White, is a sports law practitioner who focuses on collegiate sports with an emphasis on NCAA compliance and enforcement matters.
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has hired two partners, SOLOMON WISENBERG and SAM OUTTEN. Wisenberg, who joins as a partner and head of Nelson Mullins’ white-collar practice in Washington, D.C., was most recently a cochair of the white-collar crime practice group at Barnes & Thornburg. Outten was previously with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, and is a partner in the firm’s litigation practice in Greenville, South Carolina.He represents law firms, corporate entities, product manufacturers and real estate firms.
MARC KENNY has moved from Davis Wright Tremaine to Nixon Peabody’s private equity practice. Kenny, a Los Angeles–based partner, advises clients on domestic and cross-border private equity, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, securities, and corporate finance transactions.
Shook, Hardy & Bacon has added JANET HICKSON to its Orange County, Calif. office. Hickson, a partner in the firm’s litigation practice, represents manufacturers and distributors of automobiles, motorcycles, food products, consumer products, industrial equipment, and medical devices. She was formerly a name partner at the Newport Beach, Calif.-based Hewitt, Wolensky, McNulty & Hickson, which is now called Hewitt Wolensky & McNulty.
NORMAN BLEARS is now a securities litigation partner at Sidley Austin, where his practice covers securities class actions and SEC enforcement matters. Based in Palo Alto, he was previously with Hogan Lovells.
Locke Lord’s NANDITA BERRY has been tapped by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as Texas’ secretary of state starting Jan. 7. At Locke Lord, Berry was a business technology, energy, and corporate senior counsel based in Houston.
JOHN GLASSGOW has rejoined Winston & Strawn in Chicago as a corporate partner, representing private equity funds, borrowers and lenders in financings. Most recently at Howard & Howard, Glassgow was a Winston associate earlier in his career.
