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Summer 2008 | Volume 2 | Number 3 |
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Summer Sizzle
I love summer. The weather is warm, the days
stretch longer, the baseball diamond is a regular destination, and we always make time for my favorite activity, a family vacation.
This year there’s another reason to love
summer – the opening of our Boston office. It was a step we’ve been calculating for many years, one we had confidence in taking –
but no one could have expected the response we’ve received in the region. Our first office on the East Coast has been hot!
We have met with some incredible attorneys
– each very attuned to what we’re about and why we’re different. The demand is so great that we’ve already hired a
placement coordinator, Elizabeth Smith, who will be a great help to the office. We’ve also been backlogged with meetings with corporate legal
departments and law firms who are intrigued by the quality of our people and the solutions we offer in what has become a trying economic period for
many. It's been incredibly busy, but we couldn’t be happier about it.
The opening of the office has once again
highlighted why I’m so proud of this company, and that’s the teamwork that’s been displayed. Nancy Reiner, our
executive director in Boston who came to us after 17 years with Brown Rudnick, has hit the ground running and provides an unparalleled amount of energy and market
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knowledge. She jumped on a moving train and has quickly steered us down a
promising path. Richard Stout and I have traveled to Boston countless times to support Nancy’s efforts, all while our corporate team in
Nashville has provided hundreds of hours of work to make our lives easier. Dennis McKinnie and Andy Branham have made trips to assist with client
meetings, a measure we’re all indebted to them for but something they thought nothing of doing. It’s that selfless “How can I
help?” attitude that makes our company what it is, and one I try not to take for granted.
The net result of all of this work is that
we’re invigorated! It’s exciting that there will be more opportunities for our attorneys to gain control over their schedules and
practice challenging work. It’s rewarding that new doors have been opened for us by some of the most respected companies and law firms in the
country. It’s inspiring that we’re now looking at other opportunities for offices on the East Coast. And it’s humbling that our
visibility as a company has never been higher. Our company adrenaline level is at an all-time high.
I still can’t wait for our summer
vacation this year – a family camping trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota that should provide a very different kind of teamwork test!
It’s just very assuring to know that, as I unplug for a couple of weeks, our company has already passed that test many times over.
I hope you are having a great summer, and thank
you for all you continue to do for us!
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We
are pleased to welcome the following team members:
Elizabeth
Smith has joined the Boston
office as Placement Coordinator. Elizabeth practiced in Hartford, Conn., for nearly five years as a general litigation associate with Halloran & Sage,
LLP, and then as a commercial litigation associate with Leboeuf Lamb Greene & Macrae LLP (now Dewey & Leboeuf). A native of Worcester, Mass., she is a
graduate of Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law and earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Providence
College.
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Virginia Reynolds joins the corporate office as Marketing Manager.
Virginia has more than 8 years of experience, most recently as public relations manager of Catholic Charities in Boston. She earned a master’s
degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Emerson College in Boston and bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of
Evansville. She is a Nashville native. |
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Profile | Virginia Kim | Trip of a Lifetime |
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There aren’t many attorneys who can say
they’ve traveled to war-torn and poverty-stricken Liberia for work. But that’s exactly where Counsel On Call attorney Virginia Kim found
herself earlier this year, and she couldn’t have been more pleased.
First, it’s important to
mention that Virginia loves to travel; she tries to take a trip every other month, dashing off with her husband to places like Spain and London
whenever she has the chance. Even after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School and during her practice with Sidley Austin and Eimer
Stahl in Chicago, she traveled as much as she could. But that was all for pleasure and wasn’t very conducive to big-firm life.
“The firms provided great
training for me, but I felt like I was starting to get a little pigeon-holed and there wasn’t much time for my outside interests,”
Virginia said.
Her ‘interests’ are
also noteworthy in relation to the West Africa trip. She majored in bio ethics at the University of Chicago; she loves to read and attend the theater;
she likes to garden; and, possibly most relevant, actively follows politics and world events.
Fast-forward to late 2007. After
discussing a legal writing opportunity with Counsel On Call and discovering the control it could provide her over her schedule, Virginia was presented
with an
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Virginia's socially conscious attitude fits right in at
Valorem Law Group. |
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opportunity to work on an assignment with Valorem Law Group, a new and very different kind of law firm in Chicago (a few minutes on Valorem's website will provide an inspiring glimpse of what the firm is all about). It
was an opportunity to work on different types of matters, from product liability cases to commercial litigation, for 30 to 40 hours per week.
“Kathy Erwin
knew my background and what I was looking for, and she couldn’t have been more right,” Virginia said. “It’s hard not to
love what Valorem is doing – an emphasis on client service, the autonomy they provide someone like me, and being treated like a real resource.” |
And then there’s the trip to Liberia. The case stemmed from a
Valorem partnership with a D.C.-based human rights firm and allegations of child labor violations; depositions of children (and their parents) in
Liberia needed to be taken over a two-week period in April.
The depositions were both eye-opening and heartbreaking. Some
children were “wicked” smart, even without access to a basic education, according to Virginia. Most people she encountered had no
running water or electricity and lived with a dozen other people in makeshift huts, on land termed "plantations." They worked for no
compensation.
“Everyone in the firm wanted to go, so I feel very
fortunate,” she said. “All of us believed strongly in the social and political importance of the trip. It truly was like stepping back
150 years in time.”
Now settled back in her Chicago office with Valorem, Virginia
is very excited about what the future might hold.
“Valorem has a great vision of where the
legal profession needs to be, much like COC,” she said. “There’s no way I would have found them without Kathy and Counsel On
Call.”
Virginia anticipates Valorem attorneys will make another trip to Liberia. Visit Virginia's page on the Valorem
website.
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Faces & Places
(from top left,
clockwise)
The Atlanta office
hosted its annual patio luncheon for women in-house lawyers on May 9 at Eclipse di Luna. There was a waiting list to attend the
event!
Claudia
Richardson, dubbed the ‘Fastest Lawyer in Nashville’ at Race Judicata in March, and
Estelle Winsett (Memphis office) participated in April’s Country Music Marathon in Nashville.
The
‘Cybersquatters and the Bottom Line’ CLE in Chicago was led by Mark Partridge of Pattishall
McAuliffe.
The Health & Wellness Program hit the road in Atlanta for two informational luncheons on April 23-24 and a visit to
Green Market in Piedmont Park.
The Chicago office hosted a large gathering for female corporate attorneys and their
children at a Chicago Sky WNBA game on June 1. |
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Do you have story ideas for this newsletter?
Any accomplishments or news to share
about yourself or a colleague?
We want to hear from you!
E-mail Chad Schmidt with your ideas. |
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Spotlight | ENTREPRENEURS |
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Events & Other News |
Chicago Hosts
Web-focused CLEs
The Chicago office hosted two
CLEs recently that focused on some very topical Internet-related subjects.
On May 21, Mark Partridge, a very
accomplished trademark lawyer and partner at Pattishall McAuliffe in Chicago, presented a program titled ‘Cybersquatters and the Bottom
Line.' His presentation provided practical advice on protecting a brand and content online, and generated a lot of great questions from the group
of COC attorneys and clients.
On June 25, COC's Kathy Erwin
called on three prominent legal blogger acquaintances to form a panel and discuss the many facets of the fast-growing media. Titled
‘Were You Born To Blog?,' the CLE featured Jones Day partner Mark Herrmann, Valorem Law Group partner Pat Lamb, and Lexvista founder/CEO John
Wallbillich. Each panelist has been blogging for several years and shared stories on the blogging community, the start of their respective blogs, and
how blogging has helped them become better attorneys. Look for more about these bloggers in an upcoming edition of Chicago
Lawyer.
Each event was followed by a
networking happy hour -- visit our website to see the photos and stay
abreast of upcoming
events.
Legal
Blogs:
Mark
Herrmann
Jones
Day
Drug
& Device Law
Pat
Lamb
Valorem Law
Group
In
Search of Perfect Client Service
John
Wallbillich
Lexvista LLC
The Wired GC
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Many of our attorneys enjoy the flexibility Counsel On Call offers,
which has afforded numerous people the opportunity to pursue other interests – or even start new businesses. Two Atlanta attorneys,
Courtney Thompson and Aharon Hill, have done just that.
The entrepreneurial bug has been within both women for years.
Courtney and her sister (above left) loved sewing for themselves and their friends (something instilled in them by their mom), but Courtney felt
owning a business would have to wait until after she practiced law for a while. Aharon always loved exploring her creativity and was active in the
performing arts, but as an undergraduate her focus changed to more analytical studies. After graduation she went to law school and filed her creative
interests in the back of her mind.
“Lawyers are often held captive by their work and have
little or no time to learn about themselves or take on a hobby,” Aharon said.
While working for firms in Atlanta, both heard about Counsel On
Call and thought working with the company might give them a steady income and provide the flexibility they needed to pursue their own
businesses.
Courtney’s 25- to-30-hour-per-week schedule with Counsel On
Call has allowed her and her sister to open a handcrafted linen business, Brevelle Linen Company. She admits she doesn’t miss the life of an associate at a firm, and she feels more invested in her work with
Counsel On Call than she did with the firm.
“I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunities
with Counsel On Call – it has allowed me to pursue everything I'm really passionate about.”
As she began working with Counsel On Call, Aharon had more time to
go back to her roots to explore the creativity she’s always possessed. She began designing and hand-crafting jewelry (stone necklace pictured
above), and earlier this year she founded Kaleo Designs.
“When I began working with Counsel On Call, I requested an
assignment that would provide a relatively predictable schedule, and some flexibility as well, so I could miss a day here and there if I had a show or
a client meeting for my jewelry business,” she said.
“This job is allowing me to utilize my legal background
while my company is getting started. It has matched my wish list perfectly!”
Courtney and Aharon will hold a joint trunk show –
Outlaws Trunk Show – on Saturday, August 9, in Atlanta's Morningside area. Visit Brevelle Linen Company or Kaleo Designs for more
information.
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Andy Branham (Memphis)
Executive Director, pictured, accepted the President’s Award at the TBA Annual Meeting on June 13 for service as chair
of the Attorney Wellness Task Force.
Jennifer Vollmert
(Memphis)
Paralegal, wrote an article for The Commercial Appeal about a couple who has found balance in their lives through work, family and opera.
Rachel
Waterhouse (Nashville) Attorney, is the co-chair of LAW’s Program Committee. |
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Nancy Reiner (Boston)
Executive Director, recently celebrated her
25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Italy with her husband, Ilan. |
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Ivy Horn (Atlanta)
Attorney, will pursue her M.B.A. from
the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University this fall.
Chamise
Sibert (Nashville)
Attorney, pictured on right, recently became engaged to Al Chapman.
Susan
McDonald | Ben Kilborn Attorneys, wrote the motions for two large credit life insurance cases that settled recently for a very happy COC
Atlanta client. |
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Chicago's Tasha Brown
recently visited the bright lights of New York with husband Irvin (pictured at left). They went to a show, ate at some great restaurants and
had a fabulous time. Tasha won the trip at last year's corporate holiday party.
If anyone in your family is a Hannah Montana
fan -- and is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the feature film -- be on the lookout for the Counsel On Call
connection. Judy Woods' daughter, Rachel, was cast as Clarissa Wilkins in the movie, much of which was filmed in the Nashville area.
It was Rachel's first feature film audition, and she (not unexpectedly) knocked their socks off!
Counsel On Call has been in the
news a lot lately: The opening of our Boston office spurred nice articles in the Boston Globe, ABA Journal and National Law Journal; we were
also mentioned in the Wall Street Journal; and have been named one of Nashville's top privately owned
companies by the Nashville Business Journal.
The Atlanta office
hosted another successful Georgia General Counsel Forum on June 10. An incredible panel of speakers from companies including FedEx
and International Paper discussed litigation-related issues with a group of more than 30 area corporate attorneys.
Baby news: Nashville
attorney Bob Blanchfield and wife Jennifer Swezey welcomed daughter Madeline Grace in June; Julie Frauenhofer, a
former Counsel On Call (Atlanta) paralegal who is now the head litigation/
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labor and employment paralegal for GE Energy, recently welcomed
baby girl Luci (above, left) into the world; Warner Jackson Hamm (above, right)
was born on June 12 in Nashville, and mother Lianna, as well as Dad and big sister Jordan, are doing great …
Congrats to all the families!
Congratulations to attorney Ned Morgan who, together
with three of his business school classmates, won the highly regarded Global Venture Challenge. First place came with a cash prize of $25,000, which Ned's team has put toward its new
business venture, Volantis LLC. Ned explains that they are working with a team of scientists to develop a
“super-hydrophobic coating to apply to the hulls of transoceanic transport ships” … we’ll direct further questions on the
subject to Ned. |
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We would like say a special farewell to one of our favorite people, George Burke, who has decided to jump back into a
full-time practice and recently accepted a position with Comdata Network, Inc., as the company's Vice President, Corporate
Counsel.
George began working with Counsel On Call in 2005, when he left the partnership-track at a Nashville law firm in order to
achieve a better work-life balance and spend more time with his two young children.
Over the last three years, George continued on
the same two assignments on which he first started with Counsel On Call. He worked with one of Nashville’s law firm clients, focusing
primarily in the M&A area on "deal work." Simultaneously, he also worked remotely for a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company reviewing,
drafting and revising a number of the company’s procurement contracts. George always did a fabulous job and represented Counsel On Call
incredibly well, and regularly visited our office, often just to chat and catch up. |
George was also one of the first
attorneys to appear in our marketing campaign designed to show that talented attorneys do
actually choose to leave the traditional practice of law (pictured). Now that his children are a little older and in school, George feels the
timing is right to go back to a full-time practice, and this is a wonderful opportunity with a great company.
Thank you, George for your hard
work and loyalty to Counsel On Call and its clients over the last three years – we wish you the very best of luck! |
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