Deal Lawyer Christina Marshall Returns to Haynes and Boone
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Deal Lawyer Christina Marshall Returns to Haynes and Boone Christina Marshall, a former corporate partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP, is returning to the firm following a stint as executive vice president and general counsel at Chalak Mitra Group of Companies, a Dallas-based group of investment companies focused in the hospitality and sports industries. Marshall will serve as a partner in Haynes and Boone’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group, where she will focus on advising companies in connection with middle market mergers and acquisitions and other corporate strategic transactions. “We are excited to have Christina return to Haynes and Boone and help us expand our middle market corporate strategic acquisitions practice,” said M&A Partner Jennifer Wisinski. “Having worked in-house, Christina has a keen understanding of what clients expect from their lawyers. She is also a proven mentor who can help us train and develop our younger lawyers as she leads deal teams through the acquisition process.” Marshall handled legal and business issues at Chalak Mitra Group of Companies, including the purchase and sale of assets, management of the group’s litigation docket, and oversight of several departments including human resources and risk management. She later served as a principal at Dallas law firm Keating Marshall PLLC, where she advised clients on M&A matters and other business transactions, including joint ventures, securities law issues, and debt and equity offerings. “I have missed Haynes and Boone since I left and am very excited to return. I have many close colleagues and a deep appreciation for the firm’s client-first and teamwork culture,” Marshall said. “I look forward to furthering Haynes and Boone’s commitment to partnering with clients to provide the tailored, practical and comprehensive business solutions that I know companies covet.” Litigator Marlén Cortez Morris Joins Barnes & Thornburg in Chicago Barnes & Thornburg has added Marlén Cortez Morris as a partner in the Litigation Department. Cortez Morris, who was previously at Cheng Cohen LLC, is the ninth partner to join the firm’s Chicago office in 2018. The firm said Cortez Morris represents and advises clients on franchise, labor and employment, and commercial litigation matters in courts and alternative dispute resolution venues, and before government agencies across the country. She litigates complex matters from inception through appeal. Her deep litigation experience includes the enforcement of contract and intellectual property rights, as well as the defense of claims for breach of contract, business torts, violations of franchise registration and relationship laws, state consumer protection violations, and vicarious and joint employment liability. On the labor and employment side, she defends franchisors and employers against wage and hour class and collective actions and claims for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation arising under federal, state and local laws. In addition, she has enforced non-competes, litigated unemployment compensation benefits claims up to appeal, and represented management in traditional labor disputes. Cortez Morris also works with complex compliance strategies and best practices for litigation prevention. “Marlén is a great addition to our team,” said William McErlean, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Litigation Department. “From successfully representing franchisors in litigation, arbitration, and regulatory matters to advising franchisors on unique employment issues in that industry, Marlén’s diverse experience will be invaluable to clients who become embroiled in these complex issues.” Cortez Morris is a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising and Section of Labor and Employment Law, the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the International Franchise Association (IFA). She serves on the IFA’s Diversity Institute Board, frequently speaks and writes on employment and franchise law topics, and is an editor of the ABA’s Franchise Law Journal. Mark Rust, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office, added: “The genuine care that Marlén exhibits toward her clients and the sterling reputation she has earned in the local legal community make her a terrific addition to our growing office. We’re thrilled to have her on board.” Cortez Morris earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she was an associate editor of the University of Illinois Law Review and received the Rickert Award for Excellence in Advocacy, and her B.S., with honors, magna cum laude, from the University of Tampa. Five Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson Partners Among Texas’ Top 100 Attorneys The publishers of Texas Super Lawyers have selected five partners with the family law boutiqueOrsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, among the state’s Top 100 attorneys. Partners Richard Orsinger, Keith Nelson, Scott Downing, Brad LaMorgese and Lon Loveless were selected to the Top 100 list from the nearly 90,000 eligible attorneys in Texas. The Top 100 recognizes the state’s elite attorneys, regardless of their primary area of practice. No other family law firm in the state has so many attorneys named to the Top 100 for 2018, the firm said in a release. A total of 11 lawyers were selected among the state’s leading family law attorneys, with several earning additional 2018 accolades. Six firm attorneys were selected among the Top 100 attorneys in Dallas-Fort Worth: Nelson, Downing, LaMorgese and Loveless, along with partner Jeffrey Anderson and of counsel Marilea Lewis. Lewis also was named to the list of the Top 50 female attorneys in Texas. Orsinger was selected among the Top 50 attorneys in Central/West Texas. Orsinger, Nelson and Downing have been selected among the state’s top Family Law attorneys every year since 2003. The 2018 recognition is LaMorgese’s 15th time to make the list. Partners Amber Liddell Alwais and Paul Hewett each earned their sixth selection, while William Reppeto and Loveless were honored for a fifth year. Lewis was selected for a seventh year and associate Hunter Lewis earned recognition for a sixth year. Super Lawyers selections are based on a combination of peer nominations, evaluations and independent editorial research. No more than 5 percent of Texas attorneys are chosen each year. The full 2018 listing appears in the October editions of Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers, and is available online at http://www.superlawyers.com. Weisbart Springer Hayes Partner Julie Springer Earns ABOTA Membership Julie A. Springer, a founding partner of the Austin-based commercial litigation firm Weisbart Springer Hayes, LLP, has been accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA dedicates itself to the preservation and promotion of the Seventh Amendment, which guarantees the right to civil jury trials. Members in this prestigious invitation-only group must have tried a minimum of 10 civil jury trials to conclusion. More than 7,600 lawyers and judges are involved in ABOTA chapters in all 50 states. “ABOTA is one of the nation’s most effective organizations in championing the ethics, professionalism and principles of the legal profession, and I’m honored to be part of this select group,” Springer said. In her practice, Springer represents clients in all types of employment and business-related disputes in federal and state courts and before regulatory agencies throughout Texas and the United States. Springer’s litigation experience includes claims of discrimination, harassment and other traditional employment claims; defense of national wage and hour collective and class actions under federal and state law; and business disputes involving breach of contract, breach of non- competition and non-solicitation agreements, and misappropriation of trade secret claims. In addition, Springer has experience in issues involving higher education, such as Title IX litigation, as well as other issues affecting colleges and universities throughout the country. Springer also regularly counsels corporate and individual clients on all facets of the employer-employee relationship, including the negotiation of executive compensation and separation agreements. A graduate of Baylor Law School who also earned her undergraduate degree from Baylor University, Springer is one of the few lawyers in Texas who is Board Certified in both Labor & Employment Law and Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has earned recognition on the Texas Super Lawyers list each year since 2011, and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Blank Rome Signs New Chief Innovation & Value Officer Linda Novosel Linda Novosel has joined Blank Rome LLP as its first Chief Innovation & Value Officer. Novosel joined Blank Rome from Steptoe & Johnson LLP where she served as the firm’s Chief Client Value Officer. Novosel is based in the firm’s Philadelphia office. “We are delighted to welcome Linda to Blank Rome,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Chairman and Managing Partner. “We are committed to partnering with our clients to develop and deliver innovative and efficient services, and are confident that Linda’s proven experience in strategic pricing and legal project management will further enhance our efforts in these critical areas.” The firm said that, in this new role at Blank Rome, Novosel will develop solutions to drive efficiency and enhance client service through the implementation of collaborative systems and processes to support