The Legal Intelligencer Blog

Schnader Harrison Hires Former UPMC CLO

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis has hired Robert J. Cindrich as counsel in its Pittsburgh office. The former U.S. attorney, judge and chief legal officer of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is joining the firm from a health care consulting company he created in 2010. Along with his role at Schnader Harrison, Cindrich will maintain his duties as president of Cindrich Consulting.

Cindrich will work in Schnader Harrison’s business services and litigation departments, the firm said. “We are honored that Judge Cindrich has joined us. His experience as a litigator, judge and counsel for one of Pittsburgh’s leading health enterprises will be an invaluable addition to Schnader and our clients," Schnader Harrison Chairman David Smith said in a statement.

Cindrich opened his own health care consulting company, Cindrich Consulting, in 2010 after serving as senior adviser to the president, senior vice president and chief legal officer of UPMC, beginning in 2004. In those roles, Cindrich advised UPMC's senior management and board of directors on key corporate governance, strategic business issues and biosecurity initiatives.

Prior to joining UPMC, Cindrich served on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania beginning in 1994.

“I am thrilled – after a nearly 20-year hiatus – to begin practicing law again with Bob, whose advice, counsel and friendship means so much to me,” said Schnader Harrison’s Paul H. Titus of his former law practice partner.

Prior to being named to the bench, Cindrich served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission from 1992 to 1993. He was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1978 to 1981 and an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County from 1970 to 1972. While in private practice, he served as defense counsel in business and commercial litigation.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

 

Drinker Biddle Draws From SEC to Bolster White-Collar Team

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Drinker Biddle & Reath has continued the expansion of its white-collar defense team with the hire of another former SEC attorney.

Mary P. Hansen, the former assistant director of the Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement, has joined Drinker Biddle as a partner in the firm’s commercial litigation practice in Philadelphia.

In January, Drinker Biddle hired another former SEC attorney. Hogan Lovells partner Brian Lynch joined the firm’s corporate and securities practice group as a partner in Philadelphia. While at the SEC, Lynch worked within the Division of Corporation Finance, the Office of Chief Counsel and the Office of Rulemaking.

Hansen will focus her practice on representing individuals and corporate clients on regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, internal corporate investigations, white-collar criminal defense and compliance and prevention strategies and programs.

“Mary is a magnificent addition to our white-collar team,” Drinker Biddle Chairman Alfred W. Putnam Jr. said in a statement. “She brings SEC experience and expertise to an already impressive group of high-ranking former government lawyers who’ve joined the firm recently,” he added, referring to former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Collins; Bob Stoll, a former U.S. Patent commissioner; Scott Coffina, another former assistant U.S. attorney and assistant counsel to the president; Charlie Rose, former general counsel to the U.S. Department of Education; and Bradford Campbell, former assistant secretary of Labor.

While at the SEC, Hansen was a member of the Market Abuse Unit and the Municipal Securities and Public Pension Unit. She investigated and developed litigation strategies for matters involving potential violations of federal securities law, including broker-dealer and investment adviser fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, unlawful insider trading by securities industry professionals and corporate executives, as well as municipal offering fraud.

Drinker Biddle recently named partner Ronald Sarachan as co-chairman of the firm’s white-collar criminal defense and corporate investigations team.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Duquesne Law on Its Way to New Legal Clinic Location

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

A new $500,000 grant coupled with other funding sources could mean a new home for Duquesne University School of Law’s clinical programs as early as the start of the next academic year, the school said Tuesday.

The law school received the $500,000 grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, an initiative administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget that was developed for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic and historical improvement projects, the university said.

“The RACP funding, when matched with Duquesne University’s financial commitment to the project, will allow us to move forward immediately, hopefully in time to relocate to the new clinic quarters by the beginning of next academic year,” Duquesne Law Dean Ken Gormley said in a statement.

In addition to the RACP grant, the law school received a $250,000 grant in November from the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority to help purchase equipment and furnishings for the new clinic.

Located at 914 Fifth Ave. in Pittsburgh, the new site for the clinical education program will include client meeting rooms; nearly double the space of the existing law clinic; a conference room for hosting meetings with judges and practicing attorneys; and a moot court room equipped with the latest technology.

The law school’s seven clinical programs — which benefit underserved families, individuals and communities — address the areas of civil rights, community enterprise, federal practice, pro se motions, unemployment, urban development and veterans. The clinic also provides real-estate-related services including general real estate matters, title searches, negotiation and drafting of agreements, preparation of land use cases, zoning issues, mortgage foreclosure matters, property tax assessment appeals, appellate land use practice and participating in public meetings.

“The new clinic, located in the Uptown community, will enable the law school and our students to directly deliver much-needed legal services to citizens in the community,” Gormley said in the statement. “This will enrich our law students’ experience by giving them hands-on training handling real clients and resolving real problems. It will simultaneously enrich the community by allowing Duquesne’s School of Law to become a partner in revitalizing the Uptown corridor by providing services in a key, accessible area of the city.”

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Pa. Inspector General Resigns for University GC Post

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Pennsylvania Inspector General Kenya Mann Faulkner has resigned from her cabinet post in advance of taking a position as general counsel of the University of Cincinnati, Governor Tom Corbett’s office announced today.

Faulkner will serve in her post in the 243-employee office until March 29. A spokeswoman for the governor said the office doesn't yet know who will replace Faulkner.

“I appreciate Governor Corbett’s confidence and trust in appointing me to this position,’’ Faulkner said in a statement. “I also want to thank all the dedicated employees of the Office of Inspector General for their hard work and support.’’

During Faulkner’s tenure, the Office of Inspector General qualified the department’s investigators as Certified Fraud Examiners, updated its mission statement to reflect the priorities of teamwork and professionalism and began a monthly process of publicly releasing the names of those adjudicated for welfare fraud, the governor’s office said.

Also during her tenure, Faulkner testified before the U.S. Congress regarding the joint state and federal fight against food-stamp trafficking, an area on which the Pennsylvania OIG has focused its efforts, Corbett said in the statement.

“As inspector general, Kenya’s mission was to ensure integrity, accountability and confidence in public programs, employees and contracts. She has worked diligently to exceed that goal,’’ Corbett said in a statement. “Kenya has been aggressive in preserving the independence of the Office of Inspector General and protecting the citizens of this state from fraud, waste and abuse in state government.”

Faulkner was nominated to serve as the state's inspector general in January 2011. Prior to that, she was a partner in Ballard Spahr's litigation, white-collar and government affairs practices.

Before joining Ballard Spahr, Faulkner was an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where she prosecuted numerous fraud cases, including the case of former Philadelphia City Councilman Rick Mariano, who was accused of bribery and corruption. She also prosecuted a New Jersey millionaire convicted in one of the largest-ever international sex-tourism cases. Faulkner also served as a senior deputy attorney general in the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office drug strike force section and was a Philadelphia public defender.

At the time she was nominated to serve as inspector general, Faulkner credited Corbett with giving her a start as a prosecutor. She moved to Philadelphia after law school and spent six years as a public defender. She wanted to be a prosecutor and applied to the Attorney General's Office in 1996. Corbett eventually interviewed and hired her, Faulkner said.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Drinker Biddle & Reath Bulks Up Trusts & Estates Practice

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Drinker Biddle & Reath has hired away a longtime Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads partner to its private client group.

Larissa Whitman joined the firm as a partner in the Philadelphia office, where she will focus her practice on the representation of high-net-worth individuals and families in a range of estate planning, personal legal and tax planning services.

“Larissa is a wonderful addition to our private client group,” Lisa Presser, chair of the group, said in a statement. “She has a high-profile client roster and is well regarded in our practice area. I am confident she will be a strong resource for our clients.”

Prior to several years with Montgomery McCracken, where she was a partner, Whitman worked as an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Dechert. Whitman is also a certified public accountant.

With Whitman’s addition, Drinker Biddle now has 17 attorneys in its private client group.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

AG Settles Vioxx Claims With Merck for $8.25 Mil.

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Pennsylvania has settled with pharmaceutical company Merck for $8.25 million over the company’s failure to warn the state of the harmful health effects of prescription painkiller Vioxx.

The money will go toward the state’s PACE program, a prescription assistance program for Pennsylvania’s seniors. The state government was assisted in settlement negotiations by Cohen, Placitella & Roth. After the law firm is paid its fees and expenses, $6.9 million will go to the PACE program.

This is the second time Pennsylvania has entered a settlement with Merck related to the Vioxx litigation. Pennsylvania was one of several states that participated in a $58 million settlement in 2008 over allegations Merck deceptively marketed the drug. Pennsylvania’s cut of that settlement was $2.9 million.

Pennsylvania declined to participate in a $950 million federal and multistate settlement with Merck in 2011 that would have split about $200 million among 43 states.

Harry M. Roth of Cohen Placitella said Pennsylvania was put in the position of having to give up its more lucrative PACE claims for a piece of the $950 million settlement to resolve Medicaid claims. It objected to that settlement and ultimately withdrew from the settlement discussions.

Pennsylvania then continued litigating its claims regarding PACE and other government third-party payers such as Medicaid. During the course of that litigation, all of the other third-party payers were voluntarily dismissed, leaving only the PACE claims. Today’s $8.25 million settlement announcement resolves those PACE claims.

Pennsylvania’s lawsuit against Merck alleged the company failed to disclose its studies, which showed the use of Vioxx increased the user’s risk of serious illnesses, such as heart attack and stroke. In the lawsuit, the state said it would not have purchased the quantities of Vioxx it did had Merck properly disclosed the studies revealing the associated health risks.

“The Merck settlement will further support PACE programs and help grant access to affordable prescription drugs to our seniors in need,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane said in a statement. “Merck had a clear legal obligation to disclose known harmful side effects from Vioxx to both the medical community and patients. Companies that fail to reveal pertinent facts about side effects from their drugs should be aware there are legal and monetary costs to pay for misleading the citizens of Pennsylvania.”

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Duane Morris to Work With Singapore Government on Biz Ops

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Duane Morris has continued to grow its presence in Singapore through its joint law venture in the country, Duane Morris & Selvam.

Now that venture will partner with Singapore’s Economic Development Board to link the law firm’s clients in the United States and Latin America with business opportunities in Singapore, Duane Morris said Thursday. The agreement was signed today and is expected to last through 2015.

The goal of the Economic Development Board is to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business center. The country has received attention from a number of U.S. law firms looking to open operations in the region.

Under the agreement, Duane Morris, in conjunction with its U.S.-based public affairs unit, Duane Morris Government Strategies, and the Singapore joint law venture, will seek to engage clients and contacts in the United States and Latin America to explore business and expansion opportunities in Singapore.

The EDB focuses on extending the city’s offerings to businesses, fostering local and foreign investment, encouraging expansion into new markets and providing feedback to other government agencies to ensure that infrastructure and public services remain efficient and cost-competitive, Duane Morris said.

“This agreement is a boon for our clients looking to forge new connections and establish operations in Asia,” Duane Morris Chairman John Soroko said in a statement. “Leveraging our existing and future contacts on both sides of the Pacific, and bolstered by this agreement, Duane Morris will act as a bridge for investment and growth. We are pleased to collaborate with the EDB toward our common goals, and look forward to a strong and productive relationship.”

Eduardo Ramos-Gómez, managing partner of Duane Morris’ Asian offices and a former Mexican ambassador to Singapore, led the firm’s collaboration with the EDB.

“Singapore is a vibrant city that has developed rapidly into a hub for business and innovation,” Ramos-Gómez said in a statement. “It’s easy to see why. Our highly educated workforce, business-friendly climate, well-developed legal system and proximity to markets throughout Asia and the Middle East create a particularly attractive target for new investment. We hope to provide our clients with the means to succeed and indeed thrive in Singapore. Our agreement with the EDB is an ideal way to do just that.”

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

K&L Gates Welcomes Back White House Aide to Pittsburgh Office

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

David H. Ehrenwerth has rejoined K&L Gates after two-and-a-half years as an official in the Obama administration.

President Obama had appointed Ehrenwerth as the regional administrator of the General Services Administration and, most recently, as associate commissioner of the U.S. Public Buildings Service.

Ehrenwerth is rejoining K&L Gates’ real estate investment, development and finance practice.

At the U.S. Public Buildings Service, Ehrenwerth helped manage the government’s national real estate portfolio of nearly 400 million square feet across 10,000 properties. He also served as the agency’s senior Recovery Act official, overseeing the expenditure of $5.5 billion allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the construction and energy-efficient renovation of a variety of federal buildings throughout the country.

Ehrenwerth advises real estate developers, closely held entities, investment groups and lenders, as well as major hospitals, foundations and economic development organizations, on a range of business matters. He has a particular focus on real estate development, finance, corporate transactions and domestic and international joint ventures.

“We are delighted that Dave has returned ‘home’ to K&L Gates,” Carolyn M. Branthoover, administrative partner of K&L Gates’ Pittsburgh office, said in a statement. “As they have done in the past, we expect many of the firm’s clients will benefit considerably from Dave’s impressive private and public sector experiences, including his latest work with the GSA and Public Buildings Service.”

Ehrenwerth first joined K&L Gates in 1974 and was elected to the partnership in 1979. He served for more than a decade on the firm’s management committee and as administrative partner of the Pittsburgh office.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Lincoln Financial Hires Morgan Lewis Partner to Head Business Law Unit

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Lincoln Financial Group has hired a new head of business law and compliance in its Radnor, Pa.-based law department.

Former Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner James DelBello has joined Lincoln Financial and will serve as senior vice president and head of business law and compliance.

DelBello will report directly to Lincoln Financial General Counsel Adam Ciongoli.

In his new role, which became effective December 31, DelBello will manage all of the business-unit-aligned legal and compliance resources across the company. He will also provide legal counsel on complex business issues, compliance matters and other initiatives.

“Jim is a highly accomplished lawyer and a talented business-oriented manager. We are thrilled that he decided to join Lincoln,” Ciongoli said in a statement.

DelBello was a partner with Morgan Lewis since 2004. At Lincoln Financial, he will serve in the company’s corporate leadership group.

While at Morgan Lewis, DelBello focused his practice on litigation, serving in a leadership role in the firm’s technology industry litigation practice. DelBello’s litigation practice included representing clients in contract and licensing disputes, class actions, product liability and mass and toxic torts, with an emphasis in the technology and health care industries.

Gina Passarella is the senior reporter for The Legal. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone at 215-557-2494. Follow her on Twitter at @GPassarellaTLI.

Offit Kurman Expands Real Estate Practice

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Jim Ettelson has joined the Philadelphia office of Baltimore-based Offit Kurman, where he will head up the firm’s real estate practice.

Ettelson had spent the past seven years at Thorp Reed & Armstrong and has joined Offit Kurman as a principal.

Ettelson’s practice will focus on transactional corporate business and real estate law, ranging from business organization and counseling, equity and debt finance negotiation, lease/sale negotiation and agreement preparation to land use and zoning issues.

“Jim Ettelson has represented some of the largest real estate entities not just in Philadelphia, but in states throughout the nation,” Offit Kurman Managing Principal Ted Offit said in a statement. “Among his clients have been one of the largest consumer products companies in the United States, a major real estate and shopping center development company, a leading local health care system and an important local university,” among others.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ettelson was the chief executive officer of a men’s clothing manufacturing firm in Philadelphia. Then, in the mid-1980s, he became executive vice president of Piedmont Industries.

Between 1993 and 2005, Ettelson was re-elected to three four-year terms as a Lower Merion Township commissioner. Ettelson currently serves as an adjunct professor in the management department of the Erivan K. Haub School of Business at St. Joseph’s University.