Firm Life

Jenner & Block has elected 10 associates to partnership, including seven from Chicago: Amanda S. Amert, litigation; Debra M. Doyle, private client practice; Brian D. Hansen, litigation; Darrick J. Hooker, intellectual property; Jill R. Sheiman, mergers and acquisitions; Raymond D. Sinnappan, employee benefits and executive compensation; and John R. Storino, litigation and construction law.

Jenner & Block has promoted 10 associates to partnership. Pictured are the seven new partners in the firm’s Chicago office. From left, back row: Raymond D. Sinnappan, Darrick J. Hooker, John R. Storino, and Brian D. Hansen. From left, front row: Jill R. Sheiman, Amanda S. Amert, and Debra M. Doyle. —Photo by Mary Hanlon

Mayer Brown announced plans to merge with a Hong Kong firm, Johnson Stokes & Master. Johnson Stokes & Master, which was established in 1863, is one of the largest law firms in Asia, with offices in Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker has expanded its presence in Europe by combining with Smeets Haas Wolff, a law firm in Frankfurt, Germany. Paul Hastings now has European offices in London, Paris, Milan, and Brussels, in addition to the new office in Frankfurt.

Foley & Lardner announced the opening of an office in Miami. The office will initially include nine lawyers from the Miami office of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. This is Foley’s fifth office in Florida.

Winston & Strawn opened a major office in Charlotte, N.C., to expand its corporate finance capabilities. The firm added six partners who previously practiced at Kennedy Coving­ton Lobdell & Hickman. Dean A. Warren will head the office.

U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has appointed two Illinois prosecutors to the 2008 Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys: U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald of the Northern District, and U.S. Attorney Rodger A. Heaton of the Central District.

Winston & Strawn partner Richard William­son, has been appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Special Envoy to Sudan.

Mark Mehlman, a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, has been elected president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers for 2008.

Three Chicago attorneys have formed a new commercial litigation firm, Valorem Law Group, with offices at 35 E. Wacker Dr. The firm will use a non-hourly billing process that includes giving clients the ability to adjust their fees to match the value the firm has provided. The firm consists of Patrick J. Lamb, from Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd; Hugh J. Totten, from Perkins Coie; and Mark Sayre, from the Los Angeles office of Jackson & Wallace.

> Partners

Cynthia A. Homan will be the first attorney to hold the position of diversity shareholder at Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione. She is a shareholder in the firm’s appellate and litigation groups. Homan will be responsible for leading and implementing the firm’s diversity initiative.

Steven B. Harris has become an equity partner at Parrillo Weiss & O’Halloran. Harris concentrates on insurance defense. The firm has admitted Susan K. Sherman, civil litigation and personal injury defense, to the partnership.

Holland & Knight has elevated Eric Dorkin, litigation, to partner.

Reed Smith Sachnoff & Weaver has named Jennifer Yule DePriest, intellectual property, a partner in the firm.

Scandaglia & Ryan has named Therese Tully, hospitality industry litigation, partnership disputes, and trademark prosecutions, a partner.

Schiff Hardin has elected six new partners, four of them in the Chicago office. The four new Chicago partners are: Edward M. Casmere, product liability; Matthew B. Mock, litigation; Carrie Lynn H. Okizaki, construction; and Alex B. Young, corporate and securities. In addition, the firm has named Lisa A. Brown, a Chicago-based litigation partner, the Partner-in-Charge of Associate Development, a new firm position.

Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor has named Nanci N. Rogers a partner. Rogers practices litigation, land use, labor and employment, and education law.

Barnes & Thornburg has elected nine attorneys as partners, including two in its Chicago office: Kevin C. Driscoll, finance, insolvency, and restructuring; and Charla L. Hausler, litigation.

Kaye Scholer has elected Michael D. Messersmith, business reorganization and creditors’ rights, to counsel.

Schopf & Weiss has named William B. Berndt, commercial litigation, a partner at the firm.

Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney has elected four attorneys to shareholder in the firm, two from the Chicago office: Catherine E. Goldhaber, products liability, toxic tort/hazardous substances; and Chad Layton, commercial, construction, and insurance.

Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd has named two associates to the partnership: Julie Rodriguez Aldort and Mark A. Schwartz; both practice reinsurance and complex commercial litigation.

Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney & Priess has invited the following attorneys to become partners: Donald E. Elder, insurance coverage and commercial litigation; Kathleen Elliott (Bolingbrook office), municipal law; and Andrew J. Purcell, litigation.

Bell, Boyd & Lloyd has named five assoc­iates to partnership: Heather A. Boice, intellectual property; Jason A. Engel, intellectual property; Dawn L. Johnson, litigation; Marcus M. Lee, real estate; and Dan G. Rosenberg, litigation.

Sugar, Friedberg & Felsenthal has admitted Michelle M. Huhnke, estate planning, as a partner in the firm.

Cogan & McNabola has promoted John M. Power to partner.

McGuireWoods has elevated three associates to partners in its Chicago office: John A. Leja, intellectual property litigation/patents department; Derek A. Roach, technology and business department; and Christopher J. Verstrate, international department.

Greenberg Traurig has elevated 53 attorneys to shareholders, including eight in Chicago named shareholders, and two attorneys named of counsel. The new shareholders are: Kimberly M. DeShano, litigation; Gregory A. Fishman, real estate; Amy C. Kurson, governmental affairs; Todd A. Mazur, corporate and securities; Amit Mehta, corporate and securities; Martha A. Sabol, governmental affairs and gaming; Jeffrey L. Terry, corporate and securities; and Jason M. Toon, real estate and retail. David W. Baddley, business reorganization and bankruptcy; and Mary Kathryn McCreery, real estate; are new of counsel.

> Moves

To SmithAmundsen: partner Eugena A. Whitson-Owen, construction and product liability, from Moore, Strickland & Whitson-Owen.

To Drinker, Biddle & Reath: associate Robert G. Cimo Jr., health law, from Mc­Dermott Will & Emery.

To Greenberg Traurig: of counsel Scott H. Kapp, corporate and securities, from Arnstein & Lehr.

To Seyfarth Shaw: partner Jacqueline M. Vidmar, environmental, safety and toxic torts, from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.

To Sidley Austin: partner Stanley M. Stevens, real estate, from Equity Office Properties Trust, where he was executive vice president, chief legal counsel.

To Sugar, Friedberg & Felsenthal: partner Leland H. Chait, litigation, health law, and antitrust, from McGuireWoods.

To Reed Smith Sachnoff & Weaver: partner Thomas A. Marrinson, insurance recovery, from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

To DLA Piper: partner John E. Truty, environmental, from Bell, Boyd & Lloyd.

To Swanson, Martin & Bell: partner Edward R. Duncan Jr., mediation practice; Duncan was previously a DuPage County circuit judge.

To McGuireWoods: associate Sarah A. Zielinski, complex commercial, product, and consumer litigation, from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she was a legal writing teaching assistant.

To Hoeppner Wagner & Evans, of Valpar­aiso, Ind.: associate Sarah L. Mutz, labor and employment and commercial litigation, from Mayer Brown.

To Katten Muchin Rosenman: partner Ross Pazzol, financial services, from Mayer Brown.

To Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagel­berg: partner Rachel M. Trummel, class action and other complex litigation, from Mc­Dermott Will & Emery; associate Jeremy R. Segal, commercial real estate, from McDermott Will & Emery; and new associates Sharon E. Calhoun, commercial litigation, Candice C. Jones, commercial litigation, and Brandon C. Prosansky, also commercial litigation.

To Tabet DiVito & Rothstein: of counsel Daniel L. Stanner, commercial litigation; assoc­iate Amy C. Crawford, complex litigation, from Scandaglia & Ryan; and new associate Kathleen M. Cunniff.

To Leydig, Voit & Mayer: associates John L. Gase, emphasis in the biological and chemical arts; Robert T. Wittmann, emphasis in the electrical, computer, and mechanical arts; and Kevin C. Parks, trademark and copyright litigation, from SOUNDIES, Inc., a music ­licensing and counseling agency, which he founded.

To Schiff Hardin: associate Valarie Hays, litigation, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

To Meckler Bulger & Tilson: counsel James F. Henry, arbitration and mediation. Henry was a Cook County Circuit Court judge until his retirement in October 2007.

To Chapman and Cutler: partner Philip Edison, real estate, from Adams LaSalle Realty, where he handled acquisitions and deal structuring for properties in several states.

> Changes

Ronald Wilder, a partner at Schiff Hardin since 1979, died on Dec. 19, at age 70, after a long fight with cancer. During his career at Schiff Hardin, Wilder concentrated his practice in the representation of management in labor and discrimination matters.

Mark T. Banner, a partner at Banner & Witcoff for more than three decades, died on Dec. 30, at age 57, following a five-year battle with cancer. Banner focused his practice on patent and trademark litigation.