Power Circuit

The biggest news this week, as first reported by the legal blog Above the Law, is high-profile Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein’s decision to leave mega-firm Akin Gump, where he co-headed the Supreme Court practice. But he’s not going to one of Akin Gump’s large law-firm competitors. Instead, he’s returning to the small practice he shared with his wife, Amy Howe, before he joined Akin. The small firm will be called Goldstein Howe & Russell. Goldstein cited client conflicts as his reason for leaving.

There are a few other moves to report as well:

Erik Rasmussen, most recently a staff member on the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health, has joined the American Hospital Association as senior director for legislative affairs.

Hogan Lovells brought on Daniel Solove, also the John Marhsall Harlan Research Professor at the George Washington University Law School, as a senior policy advisor to the firm’s privacy-and-information-management practice.

Latham & Watkins welcomed Les Carnegie as a counsel in its litigation department. He previously practiced at Covington & Burling.

And now that 2011 is finally here, there are lots of new partners walking around Washington.

Dickstein Shapiro promoted one attorney in its Washington office this year: Vivek Chopra is now a partner in the insurance-coverage practice.

Holland & Knight elevated five lawyers in Washington:

Robert Boyd and Kyrus Freeman are now partners focused on real-estate law. Michael Galano is a partner in the public-policy-and-regulation group. Stephen Jeffries is an intellectual-property partner. And Ann-Therese Schmid focuses on transportation public policy and regulation, and infrastructure procurement.

Steptoe & Johnson promoted two lawyers to partner in its Washington office: Greg Kidder focuses on federal income taxation, and Meredith Rathbone is a partner in the international department. The firm also elevated four attorneys to of counsel in Washington. Anthony Cavanaugh has a complex litigation practice. Hillary Coombs Jarvis concentrates on representing insurers and reinsurers. Patrick Linehan is a white-collar-criminal defender. Leah Quadrino focuses on complex litigation and arbitration.

Wiley Rein promoted four lawyers this year: Michael Bloomquist is now a partner in the public-policy practice, Megan Brown is a partner in the communications group, Scott Felder is a partner in the government-relations and intellectual-property practices, and Gary Seligman is now partner in the insurance group.

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