Morgan Lewis� second office in Texas opens

01/05/07

Morgan Lewis’ second office in Texas opens
International law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius opened its second office in Houston and added Brady Edwards and Sandra Thourot Krider from Edwards, Burns & Krider LLP, a litigation boutique, as partners to its new office. After the Dallas office, which was opened in 2004, the firm expanded to Houston. Morgan Lewis has more than 1,300 lawyers in 22 offices spread all over the globe.

Francis M. Milone, Morgan Lewis’ chairman, said that the Houston office will greatly benefit in litigation and other practice areas from the duo’s collective experiences and expertise. Morgan, Lewis also expanded its product liability practice with the addition of Steven Luxton in its Washington, D.C. office, who earlier practiced with Edwards, Burns & Krider. Edwards and Krider will be joined by three more lawyers from their earlier firm.

Edwards, whose practice covers both Texas and the rest of the country, concentrates on the full range of product liability and toxic tort matters. He specializes in the defense of serial mass tort litigation. He is one of the founding figures behind the firm Edwards, Burns & Krider, highly regarded for its legal expertise in product liability, toxic tort and commercial litigation in the Houston area. Krider, another name partner in the earlier firm, practices in commercial litigation, product liability, and insurance recovery, and specializes in complex briefing and appeals.

Day Pitney takes over reins
A new 400-attorney strong full-service law emerged from the merger agreement between Day, Berry & Howard LLP and Pitney Hardin LLP. The new firm with the moniker Day Pitney will set up shop all over the country, particularly in the Northeast. The newer firm’s wider reach will enable its lawyers to offer increased depth of experience to its clients.

Day Pitney will now offer its clients services in litigation and corporate law, government investigations, labor, employment, employee benefits, intellectual property, energy law, and individual client matters. Both the firms’ clients are happy with the merger and the firms too hope to service respective clients in vast practice areas with the help of their expanded capabilities, which had also been a long standing demand of the clientele.

The new firm will operate from nine locations under the guidance of Dennis LaFiura, Pitney Hardin’s former managing partner and Jim Sicilian, Day, Berry & Howard's executive committee chairman. Both will now co-chair the new firm’s executive committee, in addition to three members each from the two firms. Corporate law practice partner Ronald H. Janis, litigation partner Anthony J. Marchetta,; and Gregory C. Parliman, a partner in the firm's labor and employment practice will join LaFiura and Sicilian from Pitney Hardin. While from Day, Berry & Howard, Elizabeth C. Barton, environmental and land use law practice partner; Gerald Garfield, energy and utility law practice partner; and Stanley A. Twardy, Jr., white collar defense and internal investigations practice partner will join the group.
 

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