February 2012
By Thai Phi Le

Honors and Appointments
Martin Perlberger has received the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Leadership as chair of the Business Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association for 2010–2011… Jason R. Baron, director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration, has received the 2011 Emmett Leahy Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the records and information management profession. Baron is the first federal lawyer to receive the award… During its annual Equal Justice Awards Reception, the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia honored D.C. Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo with the 2011 Judge Ricardo M. Urbina Lifetime Achievement Award and Rosanne Avilés, supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, with the 2011 Hugh A. Johnson Jr. Memorial Award… U.S. Department of Justice lawyer John Giordano has been appointed as deputy secretary for administration at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett… William “Bill” Braun has been honored by the King County Bar Association in Seattle with its Pro Bono Award for his commitment to providing access to justice to those who cannot afford it… Robert S. Peck, president of the Center for Constitutional Litigation, P.C., has been elected vice chair of the Board of Overseers for the RAND Institute for Civil Justice in Santa Monica, California; was elected as delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section; and appointed cochair of the Lawyers Committee for the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia… Joseph M. Hanna, a partner at Goldberg Segalla LLP, has received the 2011 Community Service Award from the Defense Research Institute for his commitment to the public through his work as founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad… The Honorable Joan V. Churchill, a retired immigration judge for the U.S. Immigration Court for Arlington, Virginia, has been elected president–elect of the National Association of Women Judges… Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A. has been honored by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Board of Education with its 2011 Distinguished Service to Public Education Award… Benjamin F. Wilson, a managing principal at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., has been honored by Mentoring to Manhood as one of the organization’s “Men Who Make the Difference”… John J. Connolly, a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, has received the Maryland Bar Foundation’s Legal Excellence Award for the Advancement of Unpopular Causes. Amit P. Mehta, also a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, has been named to the National Law Journal’s 2011 list of “Minority 40 Under 40” lawyers… Alexander Chinoy, of counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, has been elected president of the International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association for the 2012 term… Geneva Vanderhorst has beenelected for a second three–year term as member of the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers… A number of attorneys from Paley Rothman have recently received appointments: Bibi M. Berry has been elected to the Maryland State Bar Association’s Family and Juvenile Law Section Council. Deborah A. Cohn has been chosen as chair–elect of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Estate & Trust Section Council. James R. Hammerschmidt has been recognized for his distinguished service to and leadership of the Federal Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section during the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago. Jeffrey A. Kolender has been named to a three–year term as member of the Montgomery College Foundation’s Planned Giving Committee. Howard B. Soypher was elected as fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Patricia M. Weaver has been named one of the recipients of The Daily Record’s 2011 Leadership in Law Award for outstanding work in bettering the community and the legal profession in Maryland… Jesselyn Radack, national security and human rights director at the Government Accountability Project, has received the Sam Adams Award, presented annually by the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence to an intelligence professional who has taken a stand for integrity and ethics… Dineen Pashoukos Wasylik has been appointed to a two–year term as chair of the Hillsborough County (Florida) Bar Association Intellectual Property Section… Keith Harper, a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

On the Move
Dietrich M. von Biedenfeld has joined San Jacinto College District in Pasadena, Texas, as contract administrator…  Privacy and telecommunication attorneys Wendy M. Creeden and L. Elise Dieterich have joined Kutak Rock LLP… Fatima S. Sulaiman has joined K&L Gates LLP as partner in the firm’s investment management, hedge funds, and alternative investments practice… Marybeth Peters has joined Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P. as senior counsel in the firm’s trademark and copyright practice group… Vasu Muthyala has joined O’Melveny & Myers LLP as counsel in the firm’s white collar defense and corporate investigations practice… David H. Resnicoff has joined Miller & Chevalier Chartered as member in the firm’s international, white collar, and internal investigations practices… Adrien C. Pickard has joined Blank Rome LLP as associate in the firm’s commercial litigation group… Daniel J. Smith has joined TidalTV, Inc. as chief counsel, becoming the company’s first in–house attorney… Jason A. Levine has joined Vinson & Elkins LLP as partner in the firm’s complex commercial litigation practice… Shannon Donnelly has joined Baker & McKenzie as of counsel in the firm’s global immigration and mobility practice… Sean Patrick Roche has been elevated to partner as a civil litigation attorney with Cameron/McEvoy, PLLC… Ashley R. Dobbs has joined Bean, Kinney & Korman, P.C. as associate… Michael Diamant, Jason J. Mendro, Cynthia E. Richman, and Amir C. Tayrani have been promoted to partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP… Venable LLP has added four attorneys to its energy practice group: David DeSalle, Daniel Malabonga, and Brian Zimmet have joined as partner, and Michael Splete has joined as associate. Janet Fisher has joined the firm as partner in the firm’s commercial litigation group. Ralph S. Tyler has joined as partner in the regulatory and litigation groups, practicing at the firm’s Baltimore and Washington, D.C., offices. . . Karen A. McGee has been named managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg LLP… Jeffrey M. Sherman has joined Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chartered, as principal in the firm’s creditor’s rights and bankruptcy practice group. John E.  Tsikerdanos has joined as associate in the same practice group… Michael R. Hill has joined EDF Inc. as associate general counsel… Stanley J. Samorajczyk has joined McNamee Hosea as senior counsel in the firm’s Annapolis office, specializing in financial restructuring and corporate reorganization work… Michael Dimino has joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP as counsel on the firm’s electronics and software team… James R. Bieke has joined Sidley Austin LLP as partner, focusing on environmental and natural resources law and policy… David L. Cox has been elected partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP on the firm’s insurance recovery team… Alice J. P. Rhee has joined Pepper Hamilton LLP as associate in the firm’s commercial litigation practice group in Detroit… Jarrett Wolf has become licensed as a private investigator in New York.

Company Changes
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has merged with the Houston law firm of Spain Chambers and Orlando law firm of Litchford & Christopher Professional Association. The firm will maintain the name of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. … Perkins Coie LLP has opened an office in Taipei, Taiwan, focusing on patent litigation and other intellectual property matters.

Author! Author!
Thomas M. Susman has written “Reciprocity, Denial, and the Appearance of Impropriety: Why Self–Recusal Cannot Remedy the Influence of Campaign Contributions on Judges’ Decisions,” published in volume 26 of the Journal of Law & Politics in August 2011… David Ralston Jr., a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, has written “Key Steps and Strategies in the Bid Protest Process,” which appears in Aspatore’s 2011 edition of Inside the Minds: Litigation Strategies for Government Contracts… Pieter M. O’Leary, a San Diego attorney, has written “Bullies in the Sandbox: Federal Construction Projects, the Miller Act, and a Material Supplier’s Right to Recover Attorney’s Fees and Other ‘Sums Justly Due’ Under a General Contractor’s Payment Bond,” published in volume 38 of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law’s Transportation Law Journal… Michael Ariens, a professor of law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, has written “Lone Star Law: A Legal History of Texas,” the first overarching study of Texas legal history… Andrew J. Sherman, a partner at Jones Day, has published his 21st book, Harvesting Intangible Assets: Uncover Hidden Revenue in Your Company’s Intellectual Property, a strategic guide to the management and leveraging of intellectual capital.

D.C. Bar members in good standing are welcome to submit announcements for this column. When making a submission, please include name, position, organization, and address. Please e–mail submissions to D.C. Bar staff writer Thai Phi Le at tle@dcbar.org.