best of the atl law blog 2016
TRANSCRIPT
THE BESTOF THE
ATL LAW BLOG
Wilbert GroupThe
Wilbert Group brings you the biggestnews of 2016 from Atlanta’s biggestlaw firms, as first reported onatllawblog.com
January
Freshly minted partners from dozens of
ATLANTA LAW FIRMS assume their new titles.
Jonathan Eady succeeds Glenn Hendrix as managing
partner of Arnall Golden Gregory. Hendrix becomes the
firm’s new chairman.
A Sutherland team led by Dorothy Black Franzoni represents
Consolidated Edison Development with its $227 million purchase of Alamo 7.
KING & SPALDING advises TSYS on its acquisition of
TransFirst for $2.35 billion.
February
Charlotte-based Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein opens an Atlanta office by recruiting a
McGuireWoods team.
Sutherland partners
THOMAS BUNDY III and
ALLEGRA LAWRENCE-HARDY bolt to start their own litigation
firm, Lawrence & Bundy.
OGLETREE, DEAKINS elects
C. MATTHEW KEEN as managing shareholder.
Leah Ward Sears, the (then) Schiff Hardin partner and former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme
Court, is mentioned as a possible candidate
for the high court vacancy following
Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.
Morris, Manning & Martin ranks as the top Atlanta-based firm – and sixth in the nation – based
on the percentage of attorneys honored by Chambers USA.
March
A trio of firms –
TROUTMAN SANDERS, JONES DAY
and
GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER – provides counsel to Southern Company
on its planned acquisition of PowerSecure International.
King & Spalding advises Douglas Emmett on the acquisition of four office
buildings in West Los Angeles for approximately $1.34 billion.
Lewis Brisbois partner
SCOTT MASTERSON leads the successful defense against a man who said his
exposure to asbestos included in Union Carbide products
caused his mesothelioma.
King & Spalding counsels Carmike Cinemas’ definitive merger agreement with AMC Entertainment
in a $1.1 billion deal.
Long-time Troutman Sanders partner
CHARLIE HAWKINS sets up his own law firm, The Hawkins Firm LLC.
Former Sutherland partner Bennett Kight pleads not guilty
to charges of stealing over $2 million from elderly clients.
April
Fisher Phillips opens an office in Sacramento; hires
STEVE MAURO as chief operating officer.
King & Spalding advises credit card processor
Total System Services on the sale of $1.5 billion in senior
notes to underwriters.
Troutman Sanders counsels Snyder’s-Lance in its $1.9 billion merger with Diamond Foods.
ALSTON & BIRD secures a major win for client
GENUINE PARTS in the Delaware Supreme Court.
May
SMITH, GAMBRELL & RUSSELL
represents SASCO Chemical Group in its acquisition by Arsenal Capital Partners.
W. HUNTER HOLIDAY, a longtime corporate and
securities partner at Alston & Bird, is named
general counsel of North Highland Co.
Holland Knight’s Robert Highsmith opens Game 3 of the Eastern Conference NBA semifinals by singing the national anthem.
Bryan Cave’s C. Scott Greene
becomes a fellow of the American College of
Trial Lawyers.
KUTAK ROCK announces that
Atlanta public finance partner
DAVID AMSDEN has been elected as the firm’s
new vice chair.
Fisher & Phillips ditches the ampersand
and rebrands as Fisher Phillips.
ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY
joins the ranks of Atlanta-based Am Law 200 firms for the first time.
June
Ogletree Deakins is named by Law360 as the No. 1 firm for
black attorneys.
IP firm Finnegan relocates its Atlanta office to
Atlantic Station in Midtown.
DLA Piper’s Ceasar Mitchell announces he’s
running for Mayor of Atlanta.
SMITH, GAMBRELL & RUSSELL
serves as legal counsel to
HERITAGE GROWTH PARTNERS
in a growth recapitalization of East West Manufacturing.
DLA Piper advises ClearView Group in its
acquisition of Ebony and Jet magazines from Johnson
Publishing Company.
Associate pay jumps $20,000 at several of
Atlanta’s largest law firms.
July
KILPATRICK TOWNSEND leads Atlanta-based firms in
The American Lawyer’s annual pro bono ranking of the
200 top-grossing U.S. firms.
Dentons recruits Edward Lindsey, former majority
whip in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Fisher Phillips opens an office in New York City.
Greenberg Traurig’s Joel Katz and Bobby Rosenbloum
are recognized by Billboard magazine as two of the music
industry’s top lawyers.
King & Spalding beefs up its
national public affairs capabilities through a strategic alliance with former Washington mayor Anthony Williams.
August
Smith, Gambrell & Russell advises Cherry Street Energy
on the first solar energy procurement agreement
under HB 57.
KING & SPALDING advises Post Properties on its $3.88 billion acquisition by Mid-America Apartments
Communities.
Jones Day advises Randstad on its $429 million acquisition of
Monster Worldwide.
FISHERBROYLES adds a team of five lawyers
from Lewis Brisbois.
Baker Donelson senior managing
shareholder Linda Klein is
named president of the American Bar Association.
Robert “Bo” Strauss and Morris Little of
TAYLOR ENGLISH DUMA advise a Russian freight airline
consortium on an $8 billion deal.
September
Sutherland represents Rockland Capital and affiliate
Redback Power in acquiring the Victoria Power Station.
PAUL HASTINGS advises Carey Watermark Investors 2 in its acquisition of the Renaissance Atlanta
Midtown Hotel.
TROUTMAN SANDERS counsels Canada’s
Cynapsus Therapeutics in its $624 million sale to
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals.
Polsinelli moves to
larger digs at One Atlantic
Center.
SMITH, GAMBRELL & RUSSELL
lures Leah Ward Sears, former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court,
from Schiff Hardin.
Dentons announces Jeff Haidet
will become U.S. chair.
October
Alston & Bird advises RREEF Management on its
purchase of the Las Olas City Centre office property in Fort Lauderdale
for $220 million.
KING & SPALDING represents EndoChoice Holdings
with its acquisition by Boston Scientific for $210 million.
BakerHostetler recruits Ron Gaither and his clients, including the
Atlanta Braves, from Schiff Hardin.
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