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Articles

Debunking the Mystique of the Top 20 Law Schools (PDF)

Associates Diversity Report Card (PDF)

Driving Diversity in Large Law Firms (PDF)

Legal Recruiters find Growth Zone Selling Diversity (PDF)

Agents of Change (PDF)

The Big White Apple (PDF)

Taking the express lane to diversity (PDF)

An unprecedented push for diversity (PDF)


Press Releases as of December 1, 2007

Business Litigator Victor Vital Joins Baker Botts in Dallas

Former Harris County Prosecutor Focuses on Complex Commercial Matters, Business Disputes

HOUSTON, May 2, 2007 -- Victor Vital, who has built a significant trial practice by successfully representing clients in complex commercial matters and business disputes, has joined Baker Botts L.L.P. as a partner in the Firm's Litigation Department. Vital will be based in Baker Botts' Dallas office.

A former Harris County prosecutor, Vital handles business cases that involve a variety of claims such as breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, defamation and other business torts. He has also defended businesses against complex product liability claims. He has tried more than 100 cases in a variety of forums, including arbitration, state court, federal court and bankruptcy court.

"Victor's experience in business litigation, representing clients in a broad number of forums, further strengthens our litigation team," said Baker Botts Managing Partner Walt Smith. "Victor's legal skills will offer creative, timely and strategic advice to help our clients solve complex legal issues."

Prior to joining Baker Botts, Vital was a partner in the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone LLP. He has been published in a variety of legal and business journals concerning commercial litigation and general trial practice. He is currently editor of a quarterly newsletter entitled Commercial Litigation for the Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC).

"Victor's record in representing clients in complex business litigation speaks volumes about the skills he brings to Baker Botts," said Robb Voyles, chair of Baker Botts' Litigation Department. "In representing energy companies, financial firms and Fortune 100 companies, Victor has the depth of knowledge in business litigation to help us to continue to provide our clients the service they have become accustomed to from Baker Botts."

Vital earned his law degree with honors from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1995. He was executive editor of the Thurgood Marshall Law review.

He is a member of the National Bar Association, Commercial Law Section (Executive Board and Editorial Board); Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Board of Directors; Dallas Bar Association; Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL); DAYL Foundation, Fellow; J.L. Turner Legal Association, Board of Directors; and the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation.

About Baker Botts L.L.P.
Baker Botts L.L.P., founded in 1840, is a leading international law firm with offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Riyadh and Washington. With approximately 750 lawyers, Baker Botts provides a full range of legal services to regional, national and international clients. For more information, please visit www.bakerbotts.com.

For more information, please contact:
Michael A. Cinelli
Public Relations Manager
713/229-1764 (office)
281/546-4295 (cell)
mike.cinelli@bakerbotts.com

Clara Saafir

Associate

 

Litigation

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2001 Ross Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75201-2980
United States of America

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Phone: 214.953.6491
Fax: 214.661.4491

Concentration

Complex commercial litigation and employment matters

Summary

Clara Saafir has broad experience in complex commercial litigation, unfair competition matters, and other business disputes involving issues such as breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, and commercial torts. Ms. Saafir has represented a variety of clients in labor and employment law matters involving age discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims. She also advises clients on matters of employer liability in various contexts.

Following graduation from law school, Ms. Saafir served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Representative Engagements

*          Major distributor – litigation involving age discrimination and retaliation claims

*          Manufacturer/distributor – litigation involving Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claims

*          Regional hospital system – litigation involving the Lanham Act, antitrust claims, and other business torts

*          International airport system – claims involving RICO, unfair competition, and breach of contract

*          National lender – extensive representation in matters involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of bailment, DTPA, collections, sequestration, the Home Equity Amendment Act, and post judgment relief, including settlement negotiations and mediation

*          National securities broker – representation in state and federal court and before the MDL panel in a matter involving arbitration rights

*          National securities broker – representation before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on appeal of an arbitration award

*          National securities broker – representation before the NASD


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Three Prominent Labor and Employment Partners Join Thelen in Washington, DC

Edmund Cooke, Jr., Darlene H. Smith, and O'Kelly E. McWilliams, III from Mintz Levin Will Take the Lead in DC for the Firm's National Labor and Employment Practice

WASHINGTON, DC (November 15, 2007)—Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP announced today that three new partners have joined the firm's national Labor and Employment (L&E) practice in Washington, DC.

This team of highly respected L&E attorneys joins Thelen from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. The group includes partners Edmund Cooke, Jr., the former head of the Corporate Diversity and Risk Management practice at Mintz Levin, Darlene Smith, and O’Kelly E. McWilliams, III.

Ed, Darlene, and O’Kelly bring years of experience, having represented Fortune 500 clients, in virtually every aspect of labor and employment law, including defense of class actions and single plaintiff employment suits, OFCCP and DOL audits, traditional labor matters, wage and hour litigation, and advice and counsel.

The group has also distinguished itself as the go-to team for corporate diversity and risk management counseling, a specialty niche major corporations are clamoring for as they strive to achieve EEO best practices and avoid potential liability. Their wealth of talent and unique expertise in diversity risk management and counseling includes the design and implementation of employment audits and compliance, crisis communications and management, corporate counseling, and diversity supplier programs. Considered one of the elite experts in the field, Edmund Cooke, Jr., for example, served by court appointment on the Oversight Task Force assigned to monitor Coca-Cola, Inc.'s compliance with the terms of a $192.5 million race discrimination class action settlement.

Mr. Cooke said he was attracted to Thelen because of the firm's nationally recognized L&E practice and national platform. “Thelen has one of the top labor and employment groups in the country, which makes it a perfect fit for cross-selling the services this group specializes in and provides,” Mr. Cooke said. “The partners we met with immediately understood the value of corporate diversity and risk management counseling as a way to enhance and grow the overall practice.”

Linda Husar, National Chair of Thelen's Labor and Employment practice, said having an attorney of Mr. Cooke's caliber leading the practice in a key market like Washington, DC would add immediate cachet to the practice as a whole. “Ed, Darlene, and O’Kelly are extremely impressive labor and employment attorneys with experience covering all aspects of the field,” Ms. Husar said. “But what distinguishes them from other employment lawyers is their unsurpassed expertise and experience in providing sophisticated diversity risk management and counseling services. No one else does what they do at the level at which they do it.”

Andrew Ness, Managing Partner of Thelen's Washington, DC office, said the partners are a major addition to Thelen's growing presence in that market. “The Cooke group provides this office, and the L&E group as a whole, with an opportunity to immediately achieve a critical mass of exceptional experts in a highly-specialized practice area that has expanding needs and a limited number of truly qualified experts capable of meeting those needs,” Ness said.

For more information, contact:

Kevin Livingston
National Manager of Public Relations
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP
415.369.7224
klivingston@thelen.com

About Thelen
Thelen is an international law firm with approximately 600 attorneys and is widely known for its premier practices in the areas of Construction; Corporate/Finance; Technology, Media, and Communications; Energy; and Complex Litigation. Other premier practice areas of the firm include Real Estate, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy, Domestic and International Tax, and Employee Benefits.

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Please Welcome

LeClairRyan

 

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LeClairRyan is pleased to announce that Government Relations Industry Leaders Singleton B. McAllister and Weldon J. Rougeau have joined the Firm and will establish the Federal Government Relations Practice.

Ms. McAllister and Mr. Rougeau will establish a bi-partisan federal government relations practice that will include professional lobbyists and lawyers experienced in public policy development in the legislative and executive branches of the government.

1101 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20036

 

www.leclairryan.com

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Ms. McAllister comes to the Firm from Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo where she was a member of ML Strategies, the lobbying component of the firm and was also a part of the Corporate Diversity Risk Management practice. She has been practicing government relations and public policy law for nearly twenty years. She has served in numerous positions within the U.S. House of Representatives and served as senior counsel to the House Budget Committee. Ms. McAllister was appointed by former President Clinton as the General Counsel to the United States Agency for International Development. She also was a former Chair of the National Women Business Center and a past President of Women in Government Relations. She is a graduate of Howard Law School and the University of Maryland.

Singleton B. McAllister
202.659.6729 direct
singleton.mcallister@leclairryan.com

 

 

Mr. Rougeau is a former counsel with the Government Relations Group at the Washington, D.C. law firm, Arent Fox. He is a past president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and has served in senior executive positions at American Express, the Loyola University Medical Center, and the National Urban League. His government experience includes service in the United States Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Department of Labor during the Carter administration. Mr. Rougeau is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Loyola University Chicago.

Weldon J. Rougeau
202.659.6728 direct
weldon.rougeau@leclairryan.com


Brian K. Telfair 
LeClairRyan
951 East Byrd Street
Eighth Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 783-7539
Fax: (804) 783-7639
 
Practice Areas
Products Liability & Mass Tort
Automotive Defense
Tort Defense
 
Experience
 
Mr. Telfair is a shareholder in the Firm’s Tort Defense Group. His practice is principally devoted to defending product designers, manufacturers and sellers against damage claims arising out of alleged product defects, malfunctions or failures. He has defended insurance companies, automobile manufacturers, chemical companies, pharmaceutical companies, fast food companies and gas appliance manufacturers in a variety of matters. He has first or second chaired approximately 32 jury trials. He has served as in-house counsel to The Dow Chemical Company from 1990-1992. He represented Dow in tort related matters involving asbestos, methylene chloride, dioxin, Agent Orange and other phenoxy herbicides.
 
Legal Experience
 
LeClairRyan, Richmond, Virginia, June 2007-Present
Womble Carlyle, Tysons Corner, Virginia, 2006-June 2007
Law Offices of Brian K. Telfair, Richmond, VA, 2006
Adorno & Yoss, LLC, Richmond, Virginia, 2005-2006
Bowman and Brooke LLP, Richmond, Virginia, 1999-2005
Wilder & Gregory, Richmond, Virginia, 1996-1999
Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, PLC, Detroit, Michigan, 1992-1996
The Dow Chemical Company, Counsel, Midland, Michigan, 1990-1992
 
Education
College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, J.D., 1990
University of Massachusetts, M.Ed, 1985
Virginia State University, B.S., Chemistry, 1983
 
Extended Information
 
Representative Matters
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging manufacturing and design defects in an automobile’s airbag system. Defense verdict.
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging manufacturing defects in a truck’s rear axle. Defense verdict.
§  Represented a Japanese automobile manufacturer in a Virginia Lemon Law matter alleging inadequate fuel consumption. Defense verdict. Plaintiff’s Petition for appeal denied.
§  Represented a Japanese automobile manufacturer in a North Carolina Lemon Law matter alleging various defects in a sports utility vehicle. Motion for Summary Judgment granted.
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging manufacturing and design defects in an automobile’s airbag system. Motion for Summary Judgment granted.
§  Represented a Japanese automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging manufacturing and design defects in a sport utility vehicle’s electrical system. Defense verdict.
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging design defects in an automobile’s airbag system. Plaintiff non-suit during trial and subsequent voluntary dismissal with prejudice.
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging design defects in an automobile’s primary restraint system. Motion for Summary Judgment granted.
§  Represented an American automobile manufacturer in a product liability matter alleging defects in a sport utility vehicle’s steering system. Motion to Strike granted.

Speaking Engagements
§  The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education on American Society, 2002, RACA

Professional Memberships
§  National Bar Association
§  American Bar Association
§  Old Dominion Bar Association
§  Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys: Board of Directors (2005-Present); Chair, Products Liability Committee (2003-2004); Vice-Chair, Products Liability Committee (2002-2003)
§  Greater Richmond Urban League: Board of Directors (1996-2001); Vice Chair of Programs (1998-2001); Chairperson, Legislative/Social Action Committee (1998-2001)
§  William & Mary Law School Association: Board of Directors (1997-Present)

Fraternity/Sorority Memberships
§  Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Life Member)

Admissions
§  Michigan, 1990
§  U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1993
§  Virginia, 1996
§  U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 1996
§  U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, 1999
§  U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2005

Place of Birth
§  Jacksonville, Florida
 
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Speaking Engagements and Seminars

Telfair to Present at Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute


Weldon H. Latham
Senior Partner

Practice Areas: Corporate Diversity Counseling Government Contracts: Introduction White Collar Defense and Corporate Compliance
Weldon H. Latham is a senior partner concentrating in the areas of Corporate Diversity Counseling, Government Relations, Corporate Law, and Government Contracts. He also serves as the Practice Leader of the Corporate Diversity Counseling Group and represents a wide range of Fortune 500 companies, minority and women-owned businesses, and municipalities in legal matters involving crisis management and diversity representation, acquisitions, mergers, financial transactions, Federal grants and procurement, as well as Federal executive, legislative and regulatory matters. Mr. Latham advises a number of Fortune 200 CEO's whose companies are confronted with highly publicized charges of racial discrimination or related disputes with Federal agencies and often directs confidential corporate diversity compliance reviews. Moreover, he has assisted clients in developing a wide range of "best practice" diversity initiatives and plans, ranging from executive management and workforce diversity to minority business procurement, diversity-related government/community relations, and targeted philanthropic efforts.
 
 













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