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Six Litigators Join Arnold & Porter in Washington and Los Angeles
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Group Brings Substantial Experience in Trademark, Antitrust, and Complex Commercial Litigation
Washington, DC, & Los Angeles, CA -- Arnold & Porter LLP today announced that a group of six litigators have joined the business litigation and antitrust groups in two of the firm’s offices. Kenneth Chernof and Carl Nadler will be based in Washington; Charles Curtis will serve clients out of the Washington office; and James Speyer, John Ulin, and Eric Shapland will be based in Los Angeles. The group, which has substantial experience in trademark, antitrust, and complex commercial matters, will expand the firm’s existing capabilities in those areas.
"We’re thrilled to attract this immensely talented group of lawyers to Arnold & Porter," said Chair Thomas Milch. They bring invaluable experience in complex litigation matters and their arrival strengthens our litigation and trial practice in key substantive and geographical areas."
Commenting for the newly arrived group, Mr. Chernof said, "Arnold & Porter has a rich tradition, a strong firm culture and an impressive business plan to move forward. We chose Arnold & Porter because we respect the breadth and depth of their litigation experience and for the wealth of talent they have in so many key areas of practice."
Washington, DC
At his former firm, Mr. Chernof was a member of the policy committee and co-chair of the complex commercial litigation practice. He represents one of the nation’s largest consumer products companies in complex antitrust and trademark litigation. His practice has expanded to encompass complex antitrust litigation, including defending clients against price-fixing conspiracy class action suits that were pending in over 40 federal and state courts across the country. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Chernof served in the US Department of Justice as Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of Staff to the Associate Attorney General.
Mr. Curtis focuses on Native American matters for a major consumer products company. He helped to develop a joint defense strategy with other participating manufacturers on many Indian related issues involving Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) disputes. He has successfully argued both an Indian law case in the Ninth Circuit and an Administrative Procedures Act/campaign finance case in the DC Circuit in recent years. He served as law clerk to Senior Judge David L. Bazelon of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1982-1983) and to Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the US Supreme Court (1984).
Mr. Nadler’s litigation practice focuses on intellectual property law. He has experience managing large and complex patent litigation cases involving a variety of technologies, specifically telecommunications. He has handled complex commercial litigation involving antitrust, class actions, licensing and contracts, and all aspects of advertising litigation. He has served as co-chair of the telecommunication practice at a national law firm.
Los Angeles
Mr. Speyer’s practice focuses on antitrust and other complex civil litigation, including product liability, unfair competition, and franchise law. He served as chair of the litigation practice in Los Angeles at his former firm. He has extensive background in all phases of civil trial practice and appeals, in federal and state courts in California and throughout the country. He recently ran the defense team in a set of antitrust cases for a major consumer products client. From 1991 to 2005, Mr. Speyer was an attorney at Arnold & Porter and practiced in the antitrust and trade regulation group.
Mr. Ulin is a trial lawyer who focuses on trademark litigation. In 2007, he won a visible brand integrity trial for a national consumer products client and another trademark trial in which he acted as co-lead counsel for a classic toymaker. He has also devised and implemented brand protection strategies for major corporations and has handled false advertising litigation for a pharmaceutical products company and unfair competition litigation for a Fortune 500 company in the semiconductor industry. His practice extends to products liability litigation for clients in the defense, tobacco, plumbing, and automotive industries. Mr. Ulin also enjoys a rich pro bono practice focusing primarily on voting rights, political reform, and other civil rights issues. He is also a past chair of the litigation practice in the Los Angeles office of his former firm.
Mr. Shapland represents a variety of Fortune 500 companies in industries that include tobacco, computer software, and commercial real estate, which are facing suit under state and federal antitrust laws. He has been responsible for developing strategies for trial, dispositive motions and class certification proceedings. He has second chaired a federal jury trial and several arbitrations, briefed and argued motions in federal and state court, and argued before the California Court of Appeal.
Arnold & Porter’s Business Litigation Practice
Arnold & Porter’s business litigation group is composed of more than 300 lawyers nationally. The firm has substantial experience trying cases before judges and juries in federal and state courts across the country, and in US and international arbitral forums. Arnold & Porter represents public and private companies, as well as international sovereigns, in contract disputes, business torts, product liability and mass torts, class action defenses, and a broad range of complex litigation. The firm has defended scores of class action litigations involving consumer protection/false advertising, antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, securities, distributor disputes, and environmental and toxic tort claims.
Arnold & Porter was one of 18 law firms singled out in the "Honor Roll" section in The American Lawyer’s 2008 "Litigation Department of the Year" feature. The firm was highlighted for its success in savings and loan litigation and diet drug litigation. Arnold & Porter is the only law firm in the country to be simultaneously recognized in 2008 by FORTUNE magazine’s "100 Best Companies to Work For," Working Mother magazine’s "100 Best Companies" and "50 Best Law Firms for Women," and The American Lawyer’s "A-List" of top 20 law firms.
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