News

Sonnenschein Nath to strengthen its IT and litigation support system

In order to boost its IT and litigation support system, Illinois-based Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal has renewed its three-year contract with Williams Lea, a corporate information solutions provider. Williams Lea has been associated with the law firm since 2002 and has developed customized IT solutions to improve its customer service and legal support systems. The organization has recently deployed legal support analysts who will work alongside Sonnenschein's trial team to manage on-the-spot IT implementation and e-discovery processing, storage, and transfer. By strengthening its IT support system, the firm intends to begin transferring information between its offices more efficiently, thereby improving customer service. Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal has more than 700 attorneys and other professionals working in offices in 10 U.S. cities and across the globe.

Nelson Mullins adopts new technology designed to compile witness and testimony data

In order to implement an IT tool that identifies and quantifies expert witness and testimony data related to pharmaceutical cases, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough has turned to Collexis, Inc., a software services provider. Nelson Mullins will use Collexis' Syynx Mediator tool to generate conceptual maps of texts such as word processing documents, websites, and emails. Syynx Mediator is also capable of creating profiles of people and organizations. Nelson Mullins' implementation of the software application will enable its attorneys to more easily handle clients' information during pharmaceutical and biotechnology cases. An international technology company, Collexis develops software to support knowledge retrieval and discovery in a number of industries.

Clifford Chance adds five associates

With the addition of five new associates to its Hong Kong, Australia, and Taiwan offices, international law firm Clifford Chance has further strengthened its Pan-Asian presence. Candy Chan has joined the firm's Hong Kong office, Seeyan Lee was hired by the Australian office, and Vincent Lin, Eric Poon, and Teresa Leung joined the Taiwan branch. Increased mergers and acquisitions and funds activity in Asia prompted the firm to add the attorneys, all of whom made lateral moves. With these additions, the firm has boosted its key practice areas in Asia, which include mergers and acquisitions, compliance, securities and funds, and foreign direct investment. According to firm estimates, the first nine months of the fiscal year have witnessed healthy levels of business in the region, primarily in the area of mergers and acquisitions.

Drinker Biddle to merge with Gardner Carton

Philadelphia's oldest law firm, Drinker, Biddle & Reath, plans to merge with Chicago-based firm Gardner, Carton & Douglas. The new law firm will be comprised of 651 lawyers and 26 other professionals working from 12 offices. It will retain the name Drinker Biddle at 10 of its offices, but in Illinois and Wisconsin it will be known as Drinker Biddle Gardner Carton until 2008. Alfred W. Putnam, Jr., from Drinker Biddle will be the firm's chairman. Once the merger is finalized, Drinker Biddle will have offices in three of the five biggest markets for bankruptcy filings, New York, Delaware, and Chicago, as well as in Texas and California. Enjoying a stronger Chicago presence will help Gardner, Carton & Douglas' national litigation group, particularly its products liability sector.

Jones Day hires former Ohio state solicitor as a partner

Washington, DC-based Jones Day has hired former Ohio State Solicitor Douglas R. Cole as a partner in its issues and appeals practice. Cole will be based in the firm's Columbus office and will address legal issues for intellectual property, patent, and technology clients. Formerly, as State Solicitor for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Cole represented several clients in legal cases before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other appellate courts in Ohio. With 2,200 attorneys, Jones Day is one of the world's largest law firms and has offices across the globe.

Birch Stewart hopes to acquire IP clients by relocating to San Diego

In a strategic move to generate intellectual property clients in the San Diego region, Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch has firmed up plans to shift its headquarters from Costa Mesa to San Diego. The firm anticipates acquiring business from the growing San Diego life sciences and biotechnology sectors, as well as from the area's high-tech business community. Birch Stewart's new headquarters will provide ample opportunities for the firm to pursue relationships with a variety of clients. The firm has been providing a full range of intellectual property technical and legal services for more than 30 years.

Fennemore Craig on expansion track

Phoenix-based Fennemore Craig has bolstered its intellectual property practice by opening a new office in Denver. It has hired intellectual property lawyers Bruce Dahl and Sue Chetlin to head the new office. As Denver is one of the major markets in the West, the law firm is all set to expand its presence in the region. A 160-attorney firm, Fennemore Craig is one of the largest and oldest law firms in the Southwest; its litigation and transactional capabilities extend to almost every major industry.

Gibbs Gregory adds attorney

Gibbs, Gregory & Emmons, LLC, has announced the addition of Dorion B. Morgan to its Brown Mills, NJ, office. Morgan will work on real estate, municipal court offense, and criminal law cases. He graduated from Rutgers School of Law in 2001 and formerly served in the victim witness unit of the Burlington County prosecutor's office.

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