Knox Ricksen announced that Maisie C. Sokolove will become its managing partner on Jan. 1, 2024. She assumes the role from long-time managing partner Thomas E. Fraysse. Sokolove focuses on insurance fraud litigation, with an emphasis in health care. She represents insurers and other payors in affirmative civil actions to redress false, fraudulent, or misleading insurance and benefits claims. Sokolove has experience litigating unfair and fraudulent business practices, as well as actions grounded in common law fraud. She regularly handles matters addressing a wide array of fraudulent conduct, from medical billing schemes to the unauthorized practice of law in the submission of insurance claims, to prescription drug fraud, to vendor misconduct in the workers’ compensation arena.

Jon Gurka joins Crowell & Moring as a partner in the firm’s intellectual property department, bringing nearly three decades of intellectual property law experience, with a focus on complex patent litigation. Gurka’s intellectual property practice spans patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, and breach of contract matters. He handles cases that involve complex technologies, including blockchain, semiconductor processing and manufacturing, computer hardware and software systems, microprocessor control systems, electro-mechanical control systems, complex digital signal processing techniques, computer numerical control machines and systems, telecommunications, medical devices and surgical procedures, and thermodynamic systems and processes. Before joining Crowell, Gurka was a partner at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear.