SCG Member News Roundup: December 2023
Adler Pollock & Sheehan (US: Rhode Island) announced the firm has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms regionally in 37 practice areas.
AGM Abogados (Spain) announced Partner Leonardo Cárdenas Armesto won the 2023 prize for associative collaboration awarded annually by the Spanish Association of Tax Advisors (AEDAF) to the tax advisor of the year in recognition of his profile and track record at the association. The firm has also been included in the 2024 Leaders League publication for three practice areas:
- Corporate Tax (Leonardo Cárdenas Armesto, Jordi Rovira Esteve and Ignacio Ruiz Carrasco)
- Corporate/M&A (Francisco Lacasa Lobera, Julio Rocafull Rodríguez and Julio Menchaca Vite)
- And for the first time, Restructuring & Insolvency (Francisco Lacasa Lobera, Julio Rocafull Rodríguez and Julio Menchaca Vite)
Benson Buffett (Canada: Newfoundland and Labrador) announced Jeffrey Benson was recognized as one of the Top 10 influential corporate lawyers shaping Atlantic Canada’s business in 2023 by Business Today.
DSM Avocats à la Cour (Luxembourg) announced that Leaders League has ranked the firm among the top Luxembourg law firms in 13 categories:
- Leading (Tier 1)
- Real Estate (Mario Di Stefano, Renaud Le Squeren)
- Tax Litigation (Mario Di Stefano, Dr. Alex Pham)
- Excellent (Tier 2)
- Restructuring & Insolvency (Mario Di Stefano, Renaud Le Squeren)
- IT, Data Protection & Outsourcing (Renaud Le Squeren, Héloïse Cuche)
- Commercial Litigation (Mario Di Stefano, Alban Colson)
- Highly recommended (Tier 3)
- Corporate Tax (Mario Di Stefano, Dr. Alex Pham)
- Corporate / M&A (Mario Di Stefano, Renaud Le Squeren)
- Banking & Finance (Marie-Paule Gillen)
- Investigations & White-Collar Crime (Marie-Paule Gillen)
- International Arbitration (Mario Di Stefano)
- Labor & Employment (Mario Di Stefano)
- IP Litigation (Renaud Le Squeren)
- Wealth Management (Mario Di Stefano, Dr. Alex Pham)
Field Law (Canada: Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) announced partner Ayla Akgungor has been appointed as a Justice of the Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton. Justice Akgungor began with Field Law as a summer student and was called to the Bar in 2000 after clerking at the Alberta Court of Appeal and Court of Queen’s Bench. She joined the Field Law partnership in 2010. She has been a leading practitioner in human rights, labor, and employment and professional regulation law, serving as Field’s labor and employment practice group leader from 2014 through 2022. In addition, the firm’s 2023 Community Fund Program received a record number of applications and more than 40,000 votes for the initiatives. The Field Law Community Fund Program supports local pay-it-forward Ideas. Over the last eleven years the Program has awarded funds to support 128 organizations and charitable initiatives throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories. With $835,000 donated in support of these local initiatives to date. In 2023 the grand prize recipient for southern Alberta was Made by Momma, which supports more than 12,000 food insecure Calgarians each year. Southern Alberta recipients were Unison at Veiner Centre, Calgary Counselling Centre, Nordiq Canada and Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. In northern Alberta, Stepping Stones to Hope received the grand prize. Other northern Alberta recipients include Autism Edmonton Travelling Sensory Spaces Program, Dignity Delivered in Small Boxes, Pet Support Program for Vulnerable Communities, Camp Ciara for Grieving Families and Share and Care Intergenerationally. The Northwest Territories saw Sir John Franklin High School awarded the grand prize to fund STEM education opportunities. Other recipients from the NWT include artist Nicole Loubert and the NWT SPCA. Finally, the Fielder’s Choice Award has been awarded to Hospice Calgary, Share and Care Intergenerationally and HomeBase Yellowknife.
Fraser Trebilcock (Michigan) announced the hiring of attorney Andrew Martin who will work primarily in the firm’s Lansing office. Andrew focuses his practice on intellectual property law, business law, health law, and litigation. He is an experienced registered patent attorney with history working in the automotive, electrical, agricultural, and medical device industries. He regularly advises startups and small businesses on the patent and trademark prosecution process, assisting clients from start to finish.
Hall & Wilcox (Australia: Melbourne) announced that members of McMahon Clarke (a boutique investment funds and real estate firm) joined the firm. The team includes seven partners, as well as lawyers and other professionals. As a result, the firm now offers Australia’s leading investment funds advisory team, HW Funds. In addition, Special Counsel Ann Watson won ‘The Woman in Insolvency and Restructuring Qld Award’ at the Women in Insolvency and Restructuring Queensland 2023 awards. Lawyer Georgia Gamble won ‘Female Young Gun’ at the same awards. Partner Fay Calderone was recognized in Australasian Lawyer’s Elite Women 2023 list. The firm has five finalists in the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards: Andrew Banks (Pro Bono/Community), Angelica Huang (Banking and Finance), Georgia Macri (Real Estate), Daniel Simpson (Insurance) and Bradley White (Taxation). In addition, the firm welcomed two new partners: Mark Montag and Shaun Whittaker. Montag has extensive expertise in the delivery of major projects, with particular focus on the renewable energy, energy, power, infrastructure and resources sectors. Whittaker specializes in new economy transactions revolving around social infrastructure, technology and impact investment. Also, the firm advised Netherlands-based advanced food logistics company NewCold on its acquisition of the Karras Group, an Australian family-owned refrigerated transport, cold storage and logistic storage provider. A large cross-practice team worked on the deal: partners Vanessa Murphy, James Morvell, Alison Baker, Natalie Bannister and Mark Inston, special counsel Alexandra Gallagher and Jeanette Lui, senior associates Susannah Dobbie and Ella Simmons and lawyers Caitlin Byrne and Fiona Daly.
Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe (US: Colorado) announced that the firm has once again been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms, with ten Metropolitan (local) rankings for its work within the Colorado market. The firm received a prestigious Tier 1 ranking for its work in:
- Administrative/Regulatory Law
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Law
- Employment Law – Management
- Real Estate Law
Additionally, the Firm received a Tier 2 ranking for its work in:
- Employment Law – Individuals
- Environmental Law
- Land Use & Zoning Law
- Litigation – Insurance
McBrayer (Kentucky) announced Member Mitchel Denham has been named co-chair of the upcoming gubernatorial inauguration by Governor Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear. He joins the inauguration festivities alongside MML&K Government Solutions principal Sara Osborne, who serves on the inauguration committee.
Rifkin Weiner Livingston (US: Maryland) announced several new division chairs. Obie Chinemere and Matt Bohle are the new co-chairs of the Government Relations Division, and Camille Fesche, Brad Rifkin, and Stuart Cherry are the co-chairs of the new National Practice Development Group. Additionally, Jamie Katz has been named chair of the Business and Transactions Group, Barry Gogel is the new co-chair for the State Contracting, Procurement, and Bid Protests Group, and Michael Miller has been named vice chair of the Procurement Group. Additionally, the firm has formed a new Cannabis Policy, Administrative Law, and Litigation Group with Stuart Cherry and Brad Rifkin as co-chairs.
Robinson+Cole (US: Connecticut) announced that 46 lawyers were named to the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Appellate Group chair Linda Morkan and Manufacturing Industry Team chair Jeffrey White were named to the Top 50: 2023 Connecticut Super Lawyers list. Linda also appears on the Top 25: 2023 Women Connecticut Super Lawyers list. Additionally, the firm received 32 first-tier metropolitan rankings, including 27 in the city of Hartford, in the 2024 Edition of Best Law Firms, and received six national rankings: Tier 1 ranking for Land Use & Zoning Law, Tier 2 rankings for Information Technology Law and Real Estate Law, and Tier 3 rankings in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Insurance Law, and Labor Law – Management.
Sánchez Devanny (Mexico) announced Arturo Garza Matar, Debby McKey Durán, Jorge López López, and Marisol González Echevarria have been promoted to Partners of the firm as of 2024. Arturo and Jorge will join the team of partners in the Tax practice, which will now have 7 partners, while Marisol and Debby will join the leadership team of the Corporate and M&A practice, which will now also have 7 partners. Debby will also continue coordinating the leadership team of the ESG practice within the firm.
WeirFoulds (Canada: Ontario) announced eight partners have been recognized as leaders in the Chambers Canada Guide 2024.
- Construction (Glenn Ackerley, Sandra Astolfo)
- Environment (Janet Bobechko)
- Information Technology (James Kosa)
- Real Estate: Mainly Mid-Market (Lisa Borsook)
- Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (Denise Baker, Bruce Engell)
- Transportation: Aviation: Regulatory (Carlos Martins)
The firm was also recognized as Band 2 for Real Estate: Mainly Mid-Market and Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use.
Wynn Williams (New Zealand) announced the appointment of specialist litigators Brent McDonald and Kristal Rowe. Both join as Special Counsel in the Firm’s national Dispute Resolution team. McDonald is a seasoned barrister with over two decades of courtroom experience, including 18 years as a tenant at leading London chambers 2 Temple Gardens and Old Square Chambers. His practice focused on high-value, complex, and often high-profile civil claims in the UK and abroad. Rowe is an insurance litigator with specialist expertise in the construction and health sectors. She acts for professionals and their insurers involving civil litigation and disciplinary investigations and charges before professional bodies, including the Health and Disability Commissioner. Rowe also advises insurers around liability and complex indemnity claims.
Szecskay Attorneys at Law (Hungary) announced the firm been honored with the Managing IP award ‘Firm of the Year’ for Hungary. The award was handed over to Gusztáv Bacher and Gábor Faludi Jr. at an awards ceremony in London, UK.