Counsel to Counsel - May 2008 - (Page 6)

partnership at a glance Duane Morris LLP Duane Morris LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the world, is a full-service firm of more than 650 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets in the United States and internationally, Duane Morris represents clients across the United States and around the world. to a level of comfort and respect in the work that I was doing for him,” says Niespolo. “Gerry doesn’t feel the need to—nor does he want to—micromanage,” says Niespolo. Instead, when a new matter comes up, Kenney will often reach out to Niespolo to see if it involves something that Duane Morris can handle. “If a matter doesn’t fall within our sweet spot, I will find the right Handing over its immigration work to Duane Morris has worked so well that NEC also gave its trademark portfolio to Duane Morris last summer. That is proceeding well, according to Kenney. “Duane Morris caught some marks that were about to expire that we didn’t even know were about to expire,” he says. While handing over entire blocks of work and experimenting with different financial George D. Niespolo is the head of the White-Collar Criminal Defense, Corporate Investigations and Regulatory Compliance division of Duane Morris’ trial practice group. Prior to entering private practice, Niespolo was an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of California. He is Peer Review Rated and can be reached at GDNiespolo@duanemorris.com. Lisa Spiegel, a partner in the San Francisco and San Diego offices of Duane Morris LLP, practices in the areas of immigration and nationality law, specializing in issues related to the employment of foreign nationals. She has been designated as a certified specialist in immigration and nationality law by the State Bar of California and is a past chair of the Northern California Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is Peer Review Rated and can be reached at LSpiegel@duanemorris.com. Stephen H. Sutro is a partner at Duane Morris practicing in the areas of complex litigation, internal corporate investigations and compliance and corporate matters. He has represented corporations, corporate executives, government officials, accountants, lawyers and others in a broad range of criminal, civil and administrative proceedings, including those involving securities and commodities, antitrust offenses, government contract fraud, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, computer crimes and public corruption. He can be reached at SHSutro@duanemorris.com. From left, Gerald P. “Gerry” Kenney with NEC Corporation of America Senior Corporate Counsel Wendy Lynch and Jackson Chen person outside of the firm,” says Niespolo. “I have done that before.” If Duane Morris does take on a new matter that involves an attorney who has never worked with Kenney or his team, Niespolo will educate that attorney about the best ways to communicate with the client. The approach saves on time and money. As the relationship partner, Niespolo keeps his finger on the pulse of all of NEC Corporation of America’s work, but he does not micromanage, either. “I monitor each situation, so I can speak intelligently to Gerry about it from time to time,” he says. “But I won’t be directly involved unless it is my area of practice.” models can be a risk, both Kenney and the Duane Morris attorneys say it has paid off. Developing a close relationship over time, as NEC and Duane Morris have, makes it easier to consider billing rates beyond the billable hour, according to Sutro. “You can develop a great level of trust and communication,” he says. “Known relationships help. And you can be more creative with rates.” “I think that’s core to what we are able to do here. He knows that if there is a turn in a matter, we will be in touch immediately,” says Niespolo. “We won’t be in contact—and billing him—unnecessarily.” 06 LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Counsel to Counsel - May 2008

Counsel to Counsel - May 2008 Contents Harassment Policies NEC Corporation of America and Duane Morris LLP Lost or Stolen Data: Minimizing Fallout On-Boarding the Board Drafting Fair, Efficient and Enforceable Arbitration Agreements Responding to Counterfeit Products Crafting an English-Only Workplace Policy Distressed Debt: New Players, Global Sophistication Make Restructuring More Complex IP Confidential: Plan Ahead, Act Fast to Protect Your Trade Secrets Adverse Changes: Think Ahead in a Strained M&A Market Optimizing Web 2.0 Technology: Expanding Your Professional Network Union Pacific Railroad Company and Patton Boggs LLP Warming Warning: Develop Your Climate Change Strategy Now Risk Sharing: Expect New Obstacles and Expenses in Syndicated Loans E-Discovery in Action Diversification at the Gate Energy

Counsel to Counsel - May 2008

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