Class Notes: Summer 2022

Phil Zeidman recently retired after an “uncommonly lucky and rewarding career” which allowed him to practice law, be involved in politics, and travel. He started out in government service for 10 years and then was in private practice for 54, many of those in a firm bearing his name. He writes that his definition of “retiring” includes finishing several projects for his most recent firm and continuing in a number of board and bar association positions, but he also wants to spend more time with his grandchildren and travel often with Ginger to his retreat in the Florida Panhandle. Grateful to his firm for “providing a supportive and congenial home for decades,” Zeidman says he hopes to continue to have lunch with his longtime partners — and keep crossing paths with many HLS friends as well.

After a long career as senior partner at the Canadian law firm Stikeman Elliott in Toronto and Washington, D.C., and then CEO of Molson Inc., James Arnett LL.M. has published his first novel. He writes: “It’s historical fiction but a true crime story called ‘Bean Fate,’ involving rum-running from Saskatchewan to Chicago during Prohibition. An unsolved murder of a member of the prominent Bronfman family inflames the public’s suspicions about the links between the Canadian politicians and the Chicago Mob. But when a rookie cop gets too close to the truth, he’s pulled off the case. Then he goes rogue.” See more at www.jamesarnett.ca.

Colin McNairn LL.M.’s latest book, a collection of light verse titled “Signs of the Times: Through Reimagined Nursery Rhymes,” has been published by Kelsay Books of American Fork, Utah.

George Vradenburg, former senior executive at AOL, CBS, and Fox, is leading a crusade to combat Alzheimer’s disease. After losing his mother-in-law to the disease in the 1990s, he founded the advocacy group UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Now, under his leadership, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, a $700 million, six-year effort launched at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda 2021, is the first global effort of its kind and links research, clinical trials, and health systems to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s. “The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is an unparalleled movement in size and scope that is making tangible progress combating this devastating disease,” writes Vradenburg. “This is not only a mission of mercy for those struggling with Alzheimer’s; it is essential to achieving a future of healthy aging that will be required for economic growth, stabilizing societies and rescuing health care systems in danger of being overwhelmed by this costly disease.” To learn more, contact Vradenburg directly at Vradenburg@aol.com or visit www.davosalzheimerscollaborative.org.

Now retired after a career as a federal prosecutor, large-firm litigator, pioneer in legal project management, and author of several successful nonfiction books, Douglas B. Richardson has just published his debut novel, “Down Wind and Out of Sight” (Archway Press). “The novel is a genre-bender,” Richardson writes, “on one hand a suspense thriller loaded with startling plot twists and quirky science, on the other a compassionate study of a ‘found family’ — of emotionally challenged recluses living illegally on a vast northern Chesapeake Bay estate. Action fans will be well-rewarded, sophisticated readers will be engaged by its psychological depth, and folks who like to be shocked will really be shocked.” He adds: “[I did] a series of book-signing events in Qatar, India, and England for [the] novel. In many ways, life as a 75-year-old debut novelist is more challenging than my career as a federal prosecutor and decades as a legal consultant. Writing the novel was easy compared with the demands of marketing and publicity in the digital age. Glad the second novel is now done!”

Harold Kirtz headshotHarold Kirtz writes: “I am currently the longest-serving attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. I started right after law school in 1974, in Washington, D.C., in the Bureau of Competition before transferring to a managerial position in 1978 in the Atlanta Regional Office. After 19 years in management, I took a senior litigator position in 1997 and have litigated primarily consumer fraud cases since then. It has been a great career! My wife, Janis, and I have resided in Atlanta now for 44 of our 52 married years; Janis has been a lawyer and executive in several real estate companies here – and is still going strong. I have also been active in the Jewish community as, among other things, president of our synagogue, president of the largest Jewish high school in Atlanta, president (several times) of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, and a writer of occasional op-eds locally. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Tampa, are both physicians, and have our two very adorable grandchildren.”

Lee E. Miller headshotLee E. Miller, an adjunct professor in human capital management at Columbia and USC, has been named a senior fellow at the Human Capital Center for the Conference Board, a nonprofit business membership and research group organization. “It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries,” Miller writes.

Arthur Bryant received the Southern Trial Lawyers Association’s highest honor, the War Horse Award, during the association’s annual Mardi Gras Conference in New Orleans in February. Honorees are nominated by fellow members of the STLA and are recognized for being great courtroom advocates who also give of their time, energy, and money to state trial lawyers associations and other organizations working for justice — lawyers who are “true characters of their time.” Bryant is a partner at Bailey & Glasser in Oakland, California.

In April, Benjamin G. Davis wrote: “I was just officially informed by the ambassador to the United States from France that the French Republic has granted me the Chevalier rank in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques for services rendered to France, its language, and its culture in the United States. An amazing thing to happen and very moving for me who lived in France 17 years. This decoration dates back to 1808 and is a national order bestowed by the French Republic that recognizes those who have rendered eminent service to French education and have contributed to the prestige of French culture.”

Professor Walter A. Effross of American University has published the third edition of “Corporate Governance: Principles, Practices, and Provisions.” He writes that more information is available at www.board-readiness.com and at www.not-an-algebra-book.com.

In December 2021, Michael K. Friedland was named co-chair of Knobbe Martens’ litigation department. He has litigated patent and trademark cases with the firm for 25 years in its Orange County, California, office.

has become an investment manager and legal counsel at Omni Bridgeway, a leading global commercial litigation finance company. Among other responsibilities, he heads Omni Bridgeway’s Washington, D.C., operations and leads its antitrust litigation initiative.

Greg Waller has been appointed general counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth. His practice includes commercial litigation, products liability cases, corporate investigations, and white-collar criminal matters. He was previously the firm’s assistant general counsel and co-lead of its commercial litigation practice for four years.

Lang Wiseman, former deputy governor and chief counsel to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, has joined Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the firm’s advocacy department in Nashville.

Michèle Alexandre has become dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She has worked in higher education for two decades, previously serving as dean and professor at Stetson University College of Law. Her career and scholarship have been devoted to civil rights law, including issues of sustainability, economic independence, race and gender equity, and social justice, and she has also served as a civil rights attorney with Chestnut Sanders Sanders Pettaway Campbell & Albright in Selma, Alabama.

Brian Finrow is co-founder and CEO of Lumen Bioscience. Among other programs, Lumen is now running clinical efficacy trials for C. difficile infection and infant diarrheal diseases, both major global health threats. The company develops antibody-based drug cocktails — a new approach to grappling with antibiotic-resistant enteric bacterial infections, which kill more than 800,000 children per year in low- and middle-income countries.

Will Stephens has become one of two assistant deputies in the Public Advocacy Division for the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, the District of Columbia’s elected attorney general’s office, where he helps oversee all of OAG’s affirmative public interest litigation — including civil rights, consumer protection, elder justice, workers’ rights, housing advocacy, nonprofit enforcement, and antitrust.

In April, Erika Harold became the executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. A 2018 Illinois attorney general candidate, she was previously a commercial litigation attorney at Meyer Capel in Champaign, Illinois, and she has served on the teaching faculty of HLS’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. Harold was named Miss America in 2003.

Blair Kaminsky, a partner at Holwell Shuster & Goldberg since 2017, has joined the litigation boutique’s four-person management committee. In addition to representing clients in high-stakes complex commercial litigation and investigatory matters, she co-leads the firm’s marketing and recruiting efforts and is a co-founder of its diversity and inclusion committe

Lakeisha Caton has been elevated to partner at Pryor Cashman in New York and is a member of the firm’s labor and employment group and litigation group.

Pierce Atwood partner Kyle J. Glover has been named leader of the firm’s technology transactions and outsourcing practice. His work with purchasers of outsourced services, information systems, and technology includes guiding clients throughout the deal and dispute life cycle, negotiating contracts with national and international services vendors, and providing advice to clients on negotiation strategy and deal design. Formerly a faculty member of the Harvard Negotiation Institute and a lecturer on law on negotiation at HLS, he is currently a member of the Harvard Mediation Program Advisory Board and an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, where he teaches a course on multiparty negotiation.

Aaron Levy has been promoted to partner at Sheppard Mullin and is a member of the firm’s finance and bankruptcy practice group based in the New York office. He is also a member of the derivatives and structured products team. Levy represents major banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, investment funds, and end-users in a range of derivatives and structured products transactions.

Pablo Svirsky, a partner at Faegre Drinker in Indianapolis, has been named co-leader of the firm’s Diversity Collective. Faegre Drinker’s Diversity Collective develops and strengthens connections between the firm’s self-identified diverse attorneys and consulting professionals. Svirsky advises and supports companies on corporate matters from large M&A transactions to simple commercial contracts. In addition, he represents clients in divestitures, supply and distribution agreements, service contracts, and business formation.

Elizabeth Dorsi has become partner at Farella Braun + Martel in San Francisco. She represents clients in disputes ranging from pre-litigation conflict resolution to high-stakes civil litigation in state and federal trial courts, on appeal, and in arbitration. Her practice focuses on complex litigation with an emphasis on unfair competition, false advertising consumer class actions, breach of contract claims, and trust and estate litigation. Dorsi serves on the executive committee of the Harvard Law School Association of Northern California.

J. Hillyer Jennings writes that he recently founded a nonprofit in Atlanta called One People Flags, Inc., which “provides free American flag sets for display on homes of veterans and low-income families across the country in order to unite our communities under a banner that belongs to all of us.” More information can be found at www.onepeopleflags.org.

New Sheppard Mullin partner Erica Kraus is a member of the firm’s corporate practice group and health care team and is based in its Washington, D.C., office. She represents health care entities in regulatory compliance matters, including with respect to federal and state fraud and abuse laws and reimbursement requirements.

David Zins has become a partner at Morrison & Foerster in Los Angeles. He is a member of the firm’s litigation department and part of its employment and labor group, and his practice focuses on advising and defending employers in wage-and-hour class, collective, and representative actions. He also represents and defends employers facing other employment-related claims and maintains a counseling practice.

Samantha Heaton was recently promoted to shareholder at business law firm Winthrop and Weinstine in Minneapolis, where she is part of the estate planning practice area. She represents clients in connection with preparing comprehensive estate and gift plans that are implemented through wills, trust agreements, and related documents. She also represents high-net-worth individuals and families in charitable gift planning; tax planning; and probate, trust, and estate administration.

Emily M. Savner has become special counsel in the litigation department at Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the firm’s investigations, compliance, and defense practice. Previously a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division for six years, she represents and advises a wide range of companies in connection with governmental and internal investigations. Her pro bono practice includes helping clients raise constitutional claims in post-conviction proceedings.

New Jenner & Block partner Katie B. Johnson is a core member of the government controversies and public policy litigation practice in the Washington, D.C., office. She is also a member of the firm’s investigations, compliance, and defense as well as its congressional investigations practices. She represents companies and institutions facing multifaceted government investigations. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Johnson spent six years in the executive branch, including as personal aide to President Barack Obama ’91 from 2009 to 2011.

Peng Lin has been elevated to principal at Fish & Richardson. He concentrates his practice on patent prosecution and counseling, opinion work, due diligence studies, and patent portfolio development and management.

Matthew Shapanka writes: “I was appointed in February 2021 as chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration chaired by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). In that role, I work on matters involving voting rights and campaign finance legislation, investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the rules and regulations that govern the Senate. Since graduating from HLS, I have also worked in private practice as an election lawyer and policy adviser in Washington, D.C. In May 2021, my wife, Megan, and I welcomed our first child, Ben.”

Lark Turner and Pete Davis welcomed son Francis Shelton Davis in April 2022.