Comings and Goings
King & Spalding: The New York office of the renowned international law firm is expanding, with two new partners joining their Trial and Global Disputes practice group.Evan Diamond being one of the new hires, who comes to Spalding from Paul Hastings. “Evan is a first-chair patent trial lawyer who has been involved in a number of significant Hatch-Waxman disputes,” Andy Bayman, head of the Trial & Global Disputes practice group, said in a press release. “His capability in the pharma space dovetail well with the firm’s focus on clients in the Life Sciences sector and he adds to the firm’s deep trial bench.”
FisherBroyles: In news of another expansion, FisherBroyles has also added partners to its intellectual property team. Attorneys Gregory R. Lunt, John K. Shimmick and Mark A. Thomas will join the firm across several offices: Salt Lake City, for Lunt; Palo Alto, for Shimmick; and Washington, D.C, for Thomas. T.J. DoVale, the managing partner of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, praised the new hires.
“We are pleased to have Greg, John, and Mark join our team of experienced intellectual property attorneys who make up one of the top IP law groups in the nation,” he said in a press release. “Greg, John and Mark bring to FisherBroyles extensive experience in patent preparation and prosecution, as well as engineering backgrounds that will greatly benefit our clients.”
Richards, Layton & Finger: New leadership is coming to Richards. The firm announced July 2 that three new directors will be joining the firm, and one new member of counsel. The new directors include Robert Burns, a Delaware corporate and commercial litigator; Travis Hunter, who litigates trade secret and complex commercial disputes; and Amanda Steele, who specializes in corporate bankruptcy. Drew Sloan, who practices in mergers and acquisitions, is joining as counsel.
Awards and Honors
Bradley: A Bradley attorney was elected American Bar Foundation Fellow, according to a press release put out by the firm July 9. The winning attorney, Joseph B. Mays Jr., whose focus includes antitrust and shareholder litgation, is a partner at the firm and a member of their Litigation practice group. The American Bar Foundation describes itself as “A global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities.”
Of Mays election, Bradley Interim Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Dawn Helms Sharff offered kind words. “We are thrilled for Joe on his election as a Fellow of the prestigious American Bar Foundation, and we look forward to his continued leadership on important legal industry and justice matters,” he said.
Industry News
Gibson Dunn: Online retailers, long protected by a decision that stores must be physically present in a state in order for them to collect sales taxes, might see changes in the future. The Supreme Court overruled Quill Corp. v. North Dakota June 21, and further stated “In the name of federalism and free markets, Quill does harm to both. The physical presence rule it defines has limited States’ ability to seek long-term prosperity and has prevented market participants from competing on an even playing field.”
According to an overview of the decision from Gibson Dunn, “States lost between $8 and $33 billion in sales taxes every year under the old physical presence rule.” The new ruling, while perhaps a thorn in the back of internet retailers, could be a boon for long-suffering states whose brick-and-mortar shops long ago gave way to Amazon and eBay. The ruling was 5-4.
