Venable Elects 11 Attorneys to Firm Partnership

1/6/17

Venable LLP, an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm, announced that 11 attorneys have been elected to the firm partnership, including R. Andrew Arculin, Eric S. Berman, Celeste M. Brecht, Kelly A. DeMarchis, Nicholas M. DePalma, William F. Herrfeldt, Daniel C. Lorenzen, Brandt U. Mori, Todd M. Nosher, Courtney A. Sullivan, and Linda J. Zirkelbach.  The 11 new partners, from Venable's Washington, DC, Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tysons Corner offices, represent a broad cross section of the firm's practice groups, including Advertising and Marketing, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Privacy and Data Security, Regulatory, and Tax and Wealth Planning.

Co-Managing Partners Lawrence H. Gesner and Daniel P. Moylan said, “Our people are our primary asset, and nothing is more important to the future of the firm than who we select to be our partners.  We unanimously voted these 11 outstanding lawyers – from all four of our divisions and six of our offices – into the partnership because they are talented lawyers who are committed to client service, the firm, and the communities in which we practice.  We are expecting continued great things from them in the future and are confident they will make all of us and our firm better.”

All 11 attorneys join Venable's partnership effective January 1, 2017.  Below is background on Venable's new partners.

Andy Arculin is a member of Venable’s Regulatory Group and the firm’s Consumer Finance practice in Washington, DC.  He has over a decade of experience in mortgage and consumer finance, both in private practice and with the federal government.  Mr. Arculin advises a wide range of clients from banks and nonbank lenders to loan servicers, secondary purchasers, and services providers on various state and federal statutes and regulations.  With a focus on navigating this complex regulatory landscape, Mr. Arculin helps his clients implement new rules and regulations, drafts and evaluates policies and procedures for regulatory compliance, designs advertising disclosures and marketing agreements, and drafts disclosures and terms for mortgage and non-mortgage loans.  He also assists clients in obtaining necessary licenses and registrations and counsels them through examinations and other engagements with state and federal regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Deposit Insurance Company. 

Eric Berman practices at the intersection of Venable’s Advertising, Nonprofit, Antitrust and State Attorneys General practice groups in the Washington, DC, office.  He is a well-rounded regulatory lawyer whose practice includes counseling, advocacy, and litigation defense in the areas of marketing and consumer protection, antitrust, and charitable solicitation and professional fundraising.  He represents large companies, trade associations, charitable organizations, and closely held businesses before both the consumer protection and competition bureaus of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust and Civil Tax Divisions, and the state attorneys' general.

Celeste Brecht in Los Angeles focuses her practice on complex civil litigation.  She has been a member of multiple trial teams in both state and federal court, and has obtained successful jury verdicts for her clients.  Additionally, Ms. Brecht has won numerous dispositive motions in advance of trial and has managed cases from inception through post-verdict motions involving commercial business disputes, employment matters, as well as products and premises liability cases for clients ranging in size from regional business entities to Fortune 50 companies

Kelly DeMarchis in Washington, DC, advises and represents clients on issues related to privacy, data security, and e-commerce.  She concentrates on U.S. and global consumer data privacy and security issues and has extensive experience assisting clients in complying with state and federal privacy and security laws and industry best practices.  She regularly represents clients in investigations and adversarial actions in front of the Federal Trade Commission, Congress, state Attorneys General, and other regulatory agencies and works with clients in a number of industries, including automotive, information services, risk management and fraud prevention, consumer goods, retail, and gaming.

Nick DePalma is a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation Group in Tysons Corner, Va., where he assists clients in business litigation matters, including disputes involving fraud, breach of contract, false advertising, unfair competition, and tortious interference.  He has served as first chair in jury trials, directed and cross-examined expert witnesses, handled mediation and arbitration matters, and negotiated settlement agreements.  Mr. DePalma also has an active pro bono practice in which he regularly represents indigent criminal defendants.

Bill Herrfeldt in Baltimore is a member of Venable's Corporate practice who represents companies of all sizes, private equity funds and lenders in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, capital raising (debt and equity), strategic partnering and joint ventures, private fund formation, venture capital transactions, and general corporate planning.  Additionally, Mr. Herrfeldt represents capital partners, developers, and owners in real estate joint ventures, as well as the financing, acquisition, and disposition of real estate.

Dan Lorenzen in Los Angeles counsels clients on all aspects of their estate planning, including the preparation of trusts and wills, tax planning, business succession planning, and family wealth transfers.  Many of his clients have owned businesses in the agricultural, oil and gas, biotech, entertainment, and apparel industries.  Mr. Lorenzen has advised on the implementation of strategies, including the use of irrevocable trusts, insurance arrangements, gifts and generation-skipping transfers.

Brandt Mori is an experienced corporate attorney in San Francisco who advises clients through their entire business lifecycle, focusing on business formation and joint ventures; mergers and acquisitions; private equity and venture capital investments and financing transactions; the negotiation of complex commercial agreements; and corporate governance and compliance.  His practice includes representing technology and other emerging companies as well as a broad range of other clients, from early stage start-ups to mature multinational corporations.  Mr. Mori also has significant knowledge of the hospitality industry from his time as in-house General Counsel to a growing hospitality company.

Todd Nosher is an intellectual property litigator in Venable’s New York office who focuses his practice on complex patent litigation in the pharmaceutical, electronic, and mechanical industries.  He frequently represents clients against non-practicing patent assertion entities.  Mr. Nosher also litigates and arbitrates matters involving research and development agreements, licensing disputes, and copyright and trademark matters.  Additionally, he counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including pre-suit investigations, litigation strategy, and transactional work.  

Courtney Sullivan is a seasoned litigator and member of Venable’s Commercial Litigation Group in Washington, DC.  She has extensive government and private practice courtroom experience focusing on criminal and civil matters.  She represents clients in a host of industries, including government contracting, partnership disputes, real estate, construction, and health care.  She also has significant experience in federal criminal, regulatory and internal investigations, strategic planning, and business counseling.  Prior to joining Venable, Ms. Sullivan served as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice Counterterrorism Section, National Security Division, where she successfully prosecuted a number of high-profile terrorism trials, advised the Assistant Attorney General for National Security on classified intelligence operations, and managed investigations with members of the intelligence community.

Linda Zirkelbach in Washington, DC, has extensive private practice and in-house corporate experience representing clients in a range of intellectual property matters.  She regularly counsels clients on complex copyright and trademark issues; litigates in the areas of copyright, trademark, false advertising and domain names; negotiates and drafts copyright and trademark license agreements, publishing agreements, and other IP agreements; searches and registers trademarks; and reviews and clears publications and other productions prior to launch.

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