Correction, 5/22/2013, 10:05 a.m. EDT: The original version of this story misstated the title Zachary Smith held at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. It was senior counsel. The information has been updated in the subheadline. We regret the error.
DAVID SCHILLER has left the partnership of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to join Baker Botts as a partner in the tax department. The employee benefits and executive compensation attorney is based in Dallas.
GLENN RYBACKI is the latest addition to Day Pitney’s Hartford office. Rybacki, who focuses on tax matters and debt transactions, joins the municipal finance team from the public finance department of Robinson & Cole.
Dickstein Shapiro has hired intellectual property attorney MARK KRESNAK as counsel in Palo Alto. Kresnak was last senior director of the intellectual property division at Elan Pharmaceuticals, a Dublin-based biotechnology company.
FRANCES LAFLEUR has returned to former firm Drinker Biddle & Reath as a partner in its employee benefits and executive compensation practice, based in Chicago. LaFleur has had a number of in-house positions over the past 10 years, most recently as senior legal counsel for Schneider Electric, a company specializing in energy management. She had worked at Drinker Biddle’s predecessor firm in the Chicago market, Gardner Carton & Douglas, after graduating from law school.
Duane Morris has expanded its corporate practice with the recent addition of BRUCE CZACHOR, who specializes in capital markets work such as debt and equity offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. Czachor had been a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe since 2011.
Fenwick & West has welcomed EVA WANG in its China business group. The new partner, who had worked as a partner at Covington & Burling since February 2012, will bolster the firm’s corporate and securities law practices in the Asian market, with a particular focus on the technology industry.
JENNIFER KISKO has joined GrayRobinson as of counsel in the firm’s intellectual property practice. Prior to her move, Kisko was a senior counsel at Hoffman La Roche Inc, the Swiss global health care company. Kisko will be based in Orlando, where she will focus on patent issues related to the life sciences industry.
K&L Gates has announced two recent hires in the renewable energy space. TERESA HILL and WILLIAM HOLMES will be partners in the firm’s energy and infrastructure projects and transactions practice. Both join from Stoel Rives and will be based in Portland.
REBECCA LEGRAND has lateraled from an associate position at Williams & Connolly to the partnership of The Kaiser Law Firm, a firm based in Washington, D.C., that specializes in federal criminal defense. LeGrand will continue to work on civil litigation, concentrating on cases related to securities and intellectual property law.
CHAIM GOTTESMAN has joined Kaye Scholer from a position as senior vice president and assistant general counsel of CW Financial, a real estate finance and investment management company. He joins Kaye Scholer as counsel and will focus his practice on structured finance and matters related to federal securities.
King & Spalding has snatched Bird & Bird’s former head of international trade and customs for Brussels and London, IAIN MACVAY, to establish the firm’s first London trade practice. MacVay, who joins as a partner, will concentrate on advising clients in the alcoholic beverages, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical industries.
Mayer Brown has strengthened its capabilities in collateralized loan obligation work with the hire of LAWRENCE BERKOVICH in Charlotte. Previously a counsel with Dechert, Berkovich joins Mayer Brown as a partner in the banking and finance practice.
ZACHARY SMITH has followed three former colleagues from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft to O’Melveny & Myers. Smith, who was senior counsel at Cadwalader, will be a partner in the restructuring practice in New York.
In Chicago, ALISON FETHKE has returned to Ropes & Gray as counsel after working in the legal regulatory and compliance division of AbbVie, a pharmaceutical research and development company. Fethke will be advising clients in the health care and life sciences industries.
MICHAEL HEIMBOLD has left Steptoe & Johnson to join Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. Heimbold, whose practice concentrates on general business and intellectual property litigation, as well as transactional matters, will continue to practice in Century City, in Los Angeles. Heimbold will be a partner in the firm’s business trial and intellectual property practice groups.
