Sheppard Mullin Snags Two Partners in California

Sheppard Mullin snagged another two lateral partners Monday, bringing their total up to six for the year.

David Randall, an IP partner who does both patent litigation and prosecution, joined the Los Angeles office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton from Dickstein Shapiro. Robert Guite, a litigation partner whose practice ranges from class actions and products liability to unfair competition and ERISA suits, comes to Sheppard Mullin's San Francisco office from Squire Sanders. Both Randall and Guite said they will bring all their clients with them.

Randall is the third lateral IP partner to join Sheppard Mullin in California this year, and he fits squarely with the goals for the practice, said Stephen Korniczky, who co-chairs the practice. The group has grown from about 60 attorneys in 2010 to more than 95 today, but the litigation side of the practice has centered on defending companies that are accused of patent infringement. Randall's arrival will strengthen plaintiffs-side work, Korniczky said.

Randall's expertise in both patent prosecution and litigation is unusual, Korniczky said, as most IP attorneys tend to specialize in one or the other. The breadth of experience serves Randall well, Korniczky added.

"The two skills sets are very complementary," he said. "If you know how to defend patents in litigation, you know how to write them so that they will withstand litigation."

Revenue from Sheppard Mullin's IP practice shot up more than 70 percent in 2011 and more than 22 percent in 2012, Korniczky said. With the bulk of the practice's growth coming on the West Coast so far, Sheppard Mullin now hopes to add IP lawyers in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., he added.

To fuel future growth, Korniczky has set his sights on one pool of lawyers in particular. Earlier in their careers, Korniczky and Randall both worked at Los Angeles-based Lyon & Lyon, a now-defunct law firm that specialized in IP. The firm's lawyers have dispersed since its dissolution, and Korniczky wants to harness that talent once more. He said he is in daily conversation with former Lyon & Lyon lawyers about joining Sheppard Mullin.

Randall said his shared roots with Korniczky and several other Lyon & Lyon lawyers who are now at Sheppard Mullin influenced his decision.

"The fact that they have put together a strong team of people I know, that was an important factor," he said.

Randall added that Sheppard Mullin's outposts in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul were also a draw. Randall, who prosecutes patents globally, did not have any Asian offices to draw from while at Dickstein Shapiro.

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Khaitan Adds Two Mumbai Partners

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Khaitan & Co. has hired Siddharth Shah and Bijal Ajinkya, the former co-heads of the Nishith Desai Associates' funds and tax practice, as partners for its Mumbai office.

Shah primarily advises on fund formation, private equity and venture capital transactions. He also represents offshore funds and foreign institutional investors on regulatory matters including securities disclosure and issues involving insider trading.

Shah had been practicing in Nishith Desai since 1996. He was recently also the corporate and securities practice head at the firm.

Ajinkya acts on international tax structuring, tax litigation, asset protection, estate planning and fund formation deals. She also advises on issues related to e-commerce and software contracts, and estate planning. She began her legal career with Nishith Desai in Mumbai 12 years ago.

The two new hires will give Khaitan & Co. 59 partners working across its Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata offices. The firm has around 300 lawyers in total.

N.Y. Real Estate Boutique Hires Cooley Partners

Four real estate attorneys have jumped from Cooley to 60-lawyer Duval & Stachenfeld in New York, including a former chairman of its real estate practice and a senior partner.

Joining Duval & Stachenfeld are Thomas O'Connor, who served as the head of Cooley's real estate group for six years, and Alan Cohen, a former senior partner in that group. Also moving are Maureen Hannon, who is of counsel, and Michael Estreicher, a senior associate.

O'Connor's departure follows the appointment in January of Antonio Calabrese as chairman of Cooley's real estate practice. Calabrese works from Cooley's Reston, Va., office. O'Connor served as head of the practice until Calabrese's appointment.

Duval & Stachenfeld focuses on real estate law and also serves corporate, litigation and bankruptcy clients. About 50 of the firm's lawyers work on real estate matters. Founding partner Patrick Duval, a transactions lawyer, is a former Latham & Watkins partner, and founder Bruce Stachenfeld, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a partner at Shapiro, Shapses, Block & Stachenfeld. Duval & Stachenfeld was formed in 1997.

Cohen said that his new firm offers a better platform for real estate work, which is not a key focus for Cooley, he said.

"We weren't getting the green light to grow the practice the way we wanted to," he said.

Cooley declined to comment on the attorneys' departures.

O'Connor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His real estate finance clients have included Starwood Property Trust Inc., Safra Bank of New York, Oritani Bank and Arbor Realty Trust. He previously worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Cohen, a former partner at Morrison Cohen, has represented Centurian Realty LLC, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and Caribbean Property Group.

Khaitan Adds Two Mumbai Partners

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Khaitan & Co. has hired Siddharth Shah and Bijal Ajinkya, the former co-heads of the Nishith Desai Associates' funds and tax practice, as partners for its Mumbai office.

Shah primarily advises on fund formation, private equity and venture capital transactions. He also represents offshore funds and foreign institutional investors on regulatory matters including securities disclosure and issues involving insider trading.

Shah had been practicing in Nishith Desai since 1996. He was recently also the corporate and securities practice head at the firm.

Ajinkya acts on international tax structuring, tax litigation, asset protection, estate planning and fund formation deals. She also advises on issues related to e-commerce and software contracts, and estate planning. She began her legal career with Nishith Desai in Mumbai 12 years ago.

The two new hires will give Khaitan & Co. 59 partners working across its Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata offices. The firm has around 300 lawyers in total.

Sheppard Mullin Snags Two Partners in California

Sheppard Mullin snagged another two lateral partners Monday, bringing their total up to six for the year.

David Randall, an IP partner who does both patent litigation and prosecution, joined the Los Angeles office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton from Dickstein Shapiro. Robert Guite, a litigation partner whose practice ranges from class actions and products liability to unfair competition and ERISA suits, comes to Sheppard Mullin's San Francisco office from Squire Sanders. Both Randall and Guite said they will bring all their clients with them.

Randall is the third lateral IP partner to join Sheppard Mullin in California this year, and he fits squarely with the goals for the practice, said Stephen Korniczky, who co-chairs the practice. The group has grown from about 60 attorneys in 2010 to more than 95 today, but the litigation side of the practice has centered on defending companies that are accused of patent infringement. Randall's arrival will strengthen plaintiffs-side work, Korniczky said.

Randall's expertise in both patent prosecution and litigation is unusual, Korniczky said, as most IP attorneys tend to specialize in one or the other. The breadth of experience serves Randall well, Korniczky added.

"The two skills sets are very complementary," he said. "If you know how to defend patents in litigation, you know how to write them so that they will withstand litigation."

Revenue from Sheppard Mullin's IP practice shot up more than 70 percent in 2011 and more than 22 percent in 2012, Korniczky said. With the bulk of the practice's growth coming on the West Coast so far, Sheppard Mullin now hopes to add IP lawyers in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., he added.

To fuel future growth, Korniczky has set his sights on one pool of lawyers in particular. Earlier in their careers, Korniczky and Randall both worked at Los Angeles-based Lyon & Lyon, a now-defunct law firm that specialized in IP. The firm's lawyers have dispersed since its dissolution, and Korniczky wants to harness that talent once more. He said he is in daily conversation with former Lyon & Lyon lawyers about joining Sheppard Mullin.

Randall said his shared roots with Korniczky and several other Lyon & Lyon lawyers who are now at Sheppard Mullin influenced his decision.

"The fact that they have put together a strong team of people I know, that was an important factor," he said.

Randall added that Sheppard Mullin's outposts in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul were also a draw. Randall, who prosecutes patents globally, did not have any Asian offices to draw from while at Dickstein Shapiro.

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N.Y. Real Estate Boutique Hires Cooley Partners

Four real estate attorneys have jumped from Cooley to 60-lawyer Duval & Stachenfeld in New York, including a former chairman of its real estate practice and a senior partner.

Joining Duval & Stachenfeld are Thomas O'Connor, who served as the head of Cooley's real estate group for six years, and Alan Cohen, a former senior partner in that group. Also moving are Maureen Hannon, who is of counsel, and Michael Estreicher, a senior associate.

O'Connor's departure follows the appointment in January of Antonio Calabrese as chairman of Cooley's real estate practice. Calabrese works from Cooley's Reston, Va., office. O'Connor served as head of the practice until Calabrese's appointment.

Duval & Stachenfeld focuses on real estate law and also serves corporate, litigation and bankruptcy clients. About 50 of the firm's lawyers work on real estate matters. Founding partner Patrick Duval, a transactions lawyer, is a former Latham & Watkins partner, and founder Bruce Stachenfeld, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a partner at Shapiro, Shapses, Block & Stachenfeld. Duval & Stachenfeld was formed in 1997.

Cohen said that his new firm offers a better platform for real estate work, which is not a key focus for Cooley, he said.

"We weren't getting the green light to grow the practice the way we wanted to," he said.

Cooley declined to comment on the attorneys' departures.

O'Connor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His real estate finance clients have included Starwood Property Trust Inc., Safra Bank of New York, Oritani Bank and Arbor Realty Trust. He previously worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Cohen, a former partner at Morrison Cohen, has represented Centurian Realty LLC, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and Caribbean Property Group.

You're the Boss Blog: When Small Businesses Try to Attract Big Partners

Portraits of women entrepreneurs.

Earl Wilson/The New York Times Alexandra Mayzler, owner of Thinking Caps Tutoring

Small-business owners often maximize their resources and extend their reach by teaming up with larger organizations. But to partner with a larger organization, they first have to get through to one. Alexandra Mayzler, who owns Thinking Caps Tutoring, is trying to do just that. She talked about the challenges of getting a foot in the door at the last She Owns It business group meeting.

To date, Thinking Caps has tutored students individually. But Ms. Mayzler is now planning to offer her study skills program in a class format as well. She’d like to begin by holding classes at organizations like the YMCA or the JCC. She’s also thought about working with large companies to offer classes to employees who are interested in learning how to help their children study. But finding “a human” to connect with at these organizations, she said, has been difficult.

“I don’t know if I’m approaching it incorrectly, maybe I’m not aggressive enough,” she said. “I understand that it takes forever to get back on this kind of stuff because there are layers of people but it’s just …”

“How to get into the organizations,” said Deirdre Lord, who owns the Megawatt Hour.

“The only other option is for us to set up shop and say, ‘Okay, we’re renting a classroom, here’s the classroom’ — just advertise it,” Ms. Mayzler said. But that’s expensive.

“I would think at least one of your clients would have some relationships at the JCC or Y,” Ms. Lord said. An introduction from the right person can make things so much easier, she added.

Jessica Johnson, who owns Johnson Security Bureau, said Ms. Mayzler needs “a superhero advocate that can go in and sit in the boardroom and say, ‘Look, we need to bring Thinking Caps on as a partner.’”

Ms. Mayzler considered this. “So identify those places and basically look for individuals on the board?” she asked.

“Look on the boards, go above the people that are in the actual locations,” Ms. Johnson said. “A board member can give you much more leverage and actually take you to the people that make the decisions.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Beth Shaw, who owns YogaFit.

“Let them advocate for you,” added Ms. Johnson. Ms. Lord agreed.

Ms. Mayzler wondered if she needed a dedicated person on staff to pursue these partnerships.

“You don’t even need that,” Ms. Johnson said. Instead, she suggested Ms. Mayzler make a plan and break it into manageable pieces. “Then it won’t seem so overwhelming,” she added. For example, if the Y is her target, she could give herself six months to win it.

“It takes a long time to win these big organizations, though, believe me,” Ms. Shaw said.

“Let me tell you, I grew my business 700 percent in the last three years — not on my own,” Ms. Johnson said. Rather, she said, “I had people advocating for me, like people that I don’t even know. They look at me, and they’re like, ‘I want to make you successful.’”

“Right,” Ms. Lord said.

“There’s a way that you can make this happen — sometimes all it takes is one person,” Ms. Johnson said. She recommended that Ms. Mayzler set aside five minutes every three days. One day, she might send a handwritten letter. Three days later, she could follow up with an e-mail. And three days after that, perhaps a phone call.

“I can’t imagine, based on who your clientele is, that someone isn’t friends with somebody on the board,” said Susan Parker, who owns Bari Jay.

“Yes, exactly!” said Ms. Lord. “You probably have champion parents, parents who are like, ‘Oh my gosh, what would we do without Thinking Caps?’” Ms. Lord suggested Ms. Mayzler call these parents, share Thinking Caps’ goals, and see if anyone is willing to make introductions.

Ms. Mayzler said that maybe the process would be easier if she just focused on one organization at a time.

“Or not one, but five,” Ms. Lord said.

“Somewhere between one and three — something that’s manageable,” Ms. Johnson said.

“Do more than one, though,” Ms. Parker said.

“Yes, definitely more than one,” Ms. Lord agreed.

“Because, if you put all your eggs in one basket, and it doesn’t happen, then you’re back to where you started,” said Ms. Parker.

“I just met with a guy who’s the director of all of the JCCs in North America,” Ms. Shaw said. She offered to introduce Ms. Mayzler to him.

“The JCCs, from what I understand, run very individual programs,” Ms. Parker said.

Still, Ms. Shaw said, the organization does have preferred vendors. At the very least, her contact might be able to point Ms. Mayzer in the right direction.

You can follow Adriana Gardella on Twitter.