Robert McLaughlin has been named the 2017 recipient of the Applicants’ Attorney Award by the Workers’ Compensation Section of The State Bar of California.
The award recognizes attorneys for their knowledge of the law, professional courtesy, community service, professionalism, recent contributions to the practice of workers’ compensation, service to clients and advocacy skills.
McLaughlin has been practicing workers’ compensation law for more than 25 years in the San Diego area. He is the treasurer of the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association, and former president of its San Diego County chapter. He is also a frequent speaker on workers’ compensation issues at conventions and seminars. McLaughlin will be presented with the award at the annual meeting of The State Bar of California in Los Angeles this September.
The award is among several Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards given by the state bar each year. Jimenez was a certified specialist in workers’ compensation law in Oakland who had been very active in the state bar and in the community.
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Cooley litigation partner Steve Strauss has been inducted as a fellow into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) as part of the Academy’s annual meeting, in San Diego earlier this month. Strauss, a first chair trial lawyer with 35 years of experience achieving trial verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 billion, will be among just 500 trial lawyers worldwide to have this exclusive, invitation-only IATL Fellowship.
“I am honored to be inducted as a fellow into this prestigious organization and humbled to be among many of the global profession’s most accomplished trial lawyers,” Strauss said.
IATL is a group of trial lawyers representing prosecutors, plaintiffs and defense lawyers in criminal and civil litigation. The group includes lawyers from more than 30 countries who have achieved a career of excellence by demonstrating exceptional skill and ability in jury trials and appellate practice. Trial lawyers are invited to become fellows only after an extremely careful vetting process.
“Steve is one of the country’s most sought-out trial lawyers for complex commercial litigation and we are delighted that he has received this special honor in recognition of his innumerable achievements,” said Michael Attanasio, chair of Cooley’s global litigation department. “In becoming an IATL fellow, he is rightly joining the best of the best in his field.”
Among his many accolades, Strauss has been named an Energy and Environment Trailblazer by The National Law Journal, and was featured by the Financial Times in a special feature on innovative lawyers.
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Pedro F. Suarez, a member of the Intellectual Property Practice of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C., was recently named a member of the board of directors for technology incubator EvoNexus. Suarez will be joining representatives from EvoNexus sponsor companies and industry advisors.
EvoNexus is a nonprofit, technology incubator and hub “designed to accelerate the growth and success of entrepreneurial companies” with a focus on the Southern California startup community and innovation economy. EvoNexus provides a variety of high-value events and programs such as MarketLink, Special Interest Groups, and Headliners.
“After working with EvoNexus for a number of years, both as a sponsor as well as serving on a number of organizing committees, it is an honor to be named a member of the board of directors,” said Suarez.
Suarez’s practice focuses on all aspects of patent law, including the strategic planning and development of IP portfolios and the preparation and prosecution of patent applications with an emphasis on software, wireless communications, medical devices, and cybersecurity. He has extensive experience in handling patent matters for emerging and global high-technology companies as well as universities, and draws on his litigation experience to prepare and prosecute strategic, high-value patents.
Also at Mintz, Adam Lenain was named a member of the firm’s Corporate Practice, based in San Diego. Lenain, who regularly represents public and private life sciences companies, is the former general counsel of AMSI Inc., a privately held, San Diego-based biotechnology company and most recently was a partner with K&L Gates.
“Life sciences companies nationwide require counselors with the breadth and depth of expertise to navigate an array of challenges, from long product development pipelines and increased regulatory hurdles to pricing pressure and access to capital,” said Bob Bodian, managing member of Mintz Levin. “Adam is a highly regarded counselor who fits perfectly in our nationally recognized life sciences practice. He also joins us at a time when Mintz Levin, coming off its best fiscal year in history, is on pace to have another record breaking year.”
Lenain represents and counsels clients in various stages of development throughout the corporate life cycle, from start up to exit. He handles equity and debt financings, commercial transactions, licensing and collaborations, and general corporate matters, and advises on corporate governance and regulatory compliance, including the SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley. Additionally, he represents buyers and sellers in connection with acquisitions, including structuring and negotiating mergers, asset acquisitions and sales of stock for both private and public companies.
“Adam is a great addition to the deep bench of life sciences practitioners and across the firm,” said Daniel T. Pascucci, managing member of Mintz Levin’s San Diego office. “He is well-known and highly regarded by his peers and among the region’s top life sciences companies.”
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Higgs Fletcher & Mack Managing Partner Steven J. Cologne, who succeeded John Morrell, said he is busy in the new position, but is loving the new assignment. At the San Diego Economic Development Corp. Annual Dinner last month, he was making the rounds, working the room, developing clients. That’s critical work for managing partners, and the work never ends.
Randy Frisch is in-house counsel for the National University System.
He can be reached at rcfrisch@msn.
