Power Circuit: Baker Hostetler Nabs Big Group From Howrey

Robert Abrams, previously co-chair of Howrey’s global litigation practice is now a partner at Baker & Hostetler.

The great Howrey diaspora continues. Seventeen attorneys from the firm—which dissolved earlier this month—have landed at Baker Hostetler, including 15 in the Washington office. The remaining two are based in Los Angeles. Joining Baker in the District are partners Robert Abrams, Gregory Baker, Robert Brookhiser, Gregory Commins, Gilbert Keteltas, Elizabeth McCallum, and Terry Sullivan. Four counsels and four associates also moved to the office.

Steptoe & Johnson picked up James Hibey, a former cochair of Howrey’s securities-litigation, government-enforcement, and white-collar-crime practice. He’s now a partner in Steptoe’s commercial-litigation group.

After announcing four new partners last week, Holland & Knight has picked up another one. Gary Halbert joined the firm from the National Transportation Safety Board, where he was general counsel.

Kirkland & Ellis has also gone on a hiring binge in Washington. The firm welcomed former Federal Trade Commission chairman Tim Muris, Christine Wilson, and Bilal Sayyed—all of whom most recently practiced at O’Melveny & Myers—as partners. Ian Conner, previously at Hunton & Williams, joined Kirkland as of counsel. All four attorneys belong to Kirkland’s antitrust practice. Also new to Kirkland is former US Court of Appeals judge Michael McConnell, who joined the firm’s litigation practice as of counsel.

Baker Donelson brought on Laine Glisson to its public-policy group as a senior public-policy adviser. She was previously a senior vice president at Dutko Worldwide.

K&L Gates bolstered its public-policy team with the addition of retired Democratic congressman Bart Gordon, who stepped down as a representative from Tennessee earlier this year.

Finally, Drinker Biddle & Reath welcomed Christopher Berendt to its environment-and-energy group, where he’s of counsel. He was previously vice president at Pace Global Energy Services.

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Marisa M. Kashino

Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a possible wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia. Kashino lives in Northeast DC.