Profiles Spotlight

Plaintiffs Attorney John M. O'Quinn Remembered as Being 'Bigger Than Life'

Texas Lawyer

News spread fast through the legal community about the death of plaintiffs attorney John M. O'Quinn, named one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal in 1997. Known for winning billions of dollars in verdicts against makers of breast implants and tobacco products, O'Quinn, 68, died Thursday in a car accident. A longtime partner remembered O'Quinn as being much like Houston, "the city that created him," adding that O'Quinn "thought there was nothing he couldn't do."

Former Antarctic Scientist Takes On New Adventures as Skadden Lawyer

The American Lawyer

Armed with degrees in molecular physiology and marine biology, Kristin Larson went to Antarctica in 1988 because "it was the wildest place to go." But a decade later, she'd hit the "ice ceiling," as she calls it, and decided to move on. After graduating from George Washington University Law School in 2000, she joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she works mostly on transactions, evaluating the environmental aspects of corporate deals for clients. But her adventurous streak is alive and well.

New Enforcement Chief Aims to Restore Confidence in SEC

The National Law Journal

As the top cop at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Robert Khuzami has spent his first six months as the director of the Division of Enforcement tackling a cleanup of major proportions. He's undertaken what many call the most sweeping changes of the division in 30 years. Under intense scrutiny from Congress and the SEC's own inspector general, the agency has come to a watershed moment. But change isn't easy, with staff reporting insecurity and doubt as they struggle to find their place in the new regime.

GC Makes Tougher Transition to COO

The Legal Intelligencer

Joe Macchione successfully moved from being an attorney at Morgan Lewis & Bockius to his role as GC at GMH Communities Trust, But the battle between his legal mind and business acumen was truly put to the test when in 2008 GMH Communities was sold and GMH Associates was created in its place -- and Macchione became the new chief operating officer. Transitioning from legal work into a purely business role requires an even broader mind and is a tougher leap to make than going from lawyer to GC, Macchione says.

Growing Up With Segregation Inspires Lawyer to 'Crack Corporate America'

The Connecticut Law Tribune

James Bowers, one of Day Pitney's key corporate compliance attorneys, grew up in the segregated South, and recalls, "There were several civil rights lawyers in the community, and what they did fascinated me." After graduating from Harvard Law School, Bowers became the University of South Carolina's first black law professor. He later chose to practice securities law, deciding against a civil rights practice. "I felt like I was going to crack corporate America," Bowers said.

Wilson Sonsini's First Woman Partner Working Hard at Startup

The Recorder

In the midst of the macho Silicon Valley culture of lawyers and engineers, attorney Judy O'Brien's career scribed an arc that has become a model of success for women. She led her own practice, hit pay dirt with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati during the dot-com boom, becoming its first female partner, then left to become a venture capitalist and now the GC of a startup company. She climbed the ladder by fitting in with the guys -- doing things like teaching herself to swear -- and then working harder than them.

Stanford Law Grad Opts for Nigerian Charity Over Big Firm Career

The American Lawyer

Afam Onyema went to Stanford Law School intending to go the Big Law route. He summered at Kirkland & Ellis and got an offer from the firm. But by the time he entered his third year, in 2006, Onyema's plans had changed. He turned down the K&E offer and one from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. Instead, he decided to fulfill his father's dream by opening a hospital in Nigeria.

Court-Appointed Supreme Court Counsel Takes On Copyright Case

The National Law Journal

Law professor Deborah Jones Merritt readily confessed that she feels like "the Erin Brockovich of the Supreme Court" these days. That's because, when she rises to argue for the respondent in the copyright case Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick today, there will be "so many lawyers on the other side." That's how it sometimes is for uncompensated, court-appointed counsel like Merritt. "I got a call out of the blue, and of course I said yes," said Merritt, who will be making her first argument before the Court.

Founder of Virtual Law Partners Firm Dies

The Recorder

Craig Johnson, the visionary Silicon Valley lawyer who founded Venture Law Group and more recently Virtual Law Partners, died Saturday after suffering a stroke. He was 62 and had just returned from a European honeymoon with his wife and law partner Roseann Rotandaro. Johnson was perhaps the quintessential Silicon Valley startup lawyer, with an unbridled enthusiasm for new ideas and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of traditional business models in law practice. And he was always onto the next big thing.

Cooley Litigator in San Diego Gets Silicon Valley's Coolest Cases

The Recorder

If a Silicon Valley case has stirred gossip lately, Michael Rhodes was probably one of the lawyers. For instance, he worked on in high-profile cases involving Facebook and Tesla Motors, and is currently representing eBay in a fight with Craigslist. The San Diego lawyer who heads Cooley's litigation practice has earned a reputation in tech corridors as a sharp, practical guy who can fight or cut a good deal. Rhodes said it's all in who you know: "I think lawyering is really very simple: It's word of mouth."