Power Circuit: Brooks Departs from O’Melveny & Myers and Holland & Knight Explains Its Hiring Binge

Jerrold Ganzfried. Image courtesy of Holland & Knight.

The hiring spree continues at Holland & Knight, which has brought on five new partners in the past month. The sixth and latest addition is partner Jerrold Ganzfried, who previously chaired the appellate practice at now-defunct Howrey.

What’s up with the rapid growth? Paul Kiernan, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Washington office, says 2010 was the strongest year financially in the firm’s history. While the recession has taken a toll on most law firms, Kiernan says Holland & Knight has benefited from the fact that the economy has forced clients to seek more affordable representation: “We are actually getting opportunities with clients that maybe we wouldn’t have gotten five or ten years ago, as some firms have priced themselves out of the market.” He says more potential hires are in the pipeline, and the firm is even considering expanding into new cities.

Big news for O’Melveny & Myers’s Washington office: DC managing partner Brian Brooks is leaving to become vice chairman of Southern California-based OneWest Bank, which has been one of his clients since 2010. Brooks will be based in Pasadena, where he will oversee OneWest’s legal and government-relations functions. He starts in the new role May 2.

Replacing Brooks as managing partner of O’Melveny’s Washington office is Stevan Bunnell, who joined the firm in 2007 from the DC US Attorney’s Office, where he headed the criminal division. In a statement, O’Melveny & Myers Chairman A.B. Culvahouse called Bunnell “a natural and effective leader” and said the firm is “fortunate to have him in this position.”

Sheppard Mullin brought on international-trade partners J. Scott Maberry and Thaddeus Rogers McBride from Fulbright & Jaworski.

Former Arizona Republican representative John Shadegg, who retired from Congress last year, joined Steptoe & Johnson as a partner in the government-affairs-and-public-policy group. He’ll split his time between the firm’s DC and Phoenix offices.

Allison Binney has rejoined Akin Gump after serving for the past five years as staff director and chief counsel, and before that as general counsel, to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. She returns to Akin as a partner in the American Indian law practice.

Finally, there are some new partners to congratulate.
Latham & Watkins promoted six lawyers to partner throughout its offices, including Sarah Nappi in Washington. Nappi specializes in customs and international-trade matters.

Drinker Biddle & Reath made seven new partners firm-wide, including Eduardo Guzman and Jonathan Tarnow in its DC office. Both Guzman and Tarnow practice in the government-and-regulatory-affairs group.

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