Leading Lawyers Form Partner Advisory Board

New York, July 20, 2011 – Some of the world’s leading legal minds have joined forces to help their profession find more effective ways to serve their clients and win new business. The impact of constantly changing legislation and regulation, and how it affects the work of leading lawyers and corporate legal teams, is the key focus of a new high-level think tank established by Thomson Reuters Governance, Risk and Compliance (accelus.thomsonreuters.com).

The Thomson Reuters Governance, Risk and Compliance Partner Advisory Board, which held its inaugural meeting this month, is made up of leading lawyers including Christopher Cox, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forty-two representatives from law firms around the globe will meet regularly to discuss pressing issues facing the legal industry and formulate solutions to help their colleagues run more effective businesses.

The Partner Advisory Board will provide information and guidance to members of the profession. This connection will help lawyers build their networks and stay close to legal industry trends and developments.

“The Thomson Reuters Partner Advisory Board serves as a pool of collective legal knowledge and insight. It is a major resource where law firms can get assistance and guidance from experts who provide legal counsel to heavily regulated industries,” said Ely Razin, vice president, Thomson Reuters Governance, Risk and Compliance. “The Board will help guide lawyers in a number of key areas. The rules of business have changed and there are a whole host of new business opportunities to be won by lawyers.”

Among the key issues explored by the board are cross-border mergers and acquisitions, which are expected to become an increasingly large part of law firm billings as global consolidation accelerates. New regulations, such as Dodd-Frank, are another opportunity for lawyers to earn new business.

“There are some real opportunities, but they also bring added complexity,” Razin said. “Those firms best armed to advise on issues such as new global regulations and complex transactions will win. The Partner Advisory Board can help lawyers best understand the most effective ways to capitalize on these opportunities.”

The Partner Advisory Board members include:
Christopher Bellini (Dorsey Whitney), Andrew J. Sherman (Jones Day), John K. Hughes (Sidley Austin), Warren S. de Wied (Wilson Sonsini), Mark S. Bergman (Paul Weiss), Michael O'Bryan (Morrison & Forester), Berl Nadler (Davies, Ward Phillips & Vineberg), C. William (Bill) Baxley (King & Spalding), Francis J. Aquila (Sullivan & Cromwell), Scott Sonneblick (Linklaters), Dennis Block (Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft), Kerry Berchem (Akin Gump), Dieter Schmitz (Baker McKenzie), Samuel Wolff (Akin Gump), William (Scott) Ortwein (Alston & Bird), Jonathan Lawrence (K&L Gates), V. Gerard Comizio (Paul Hastings), Michael Macaluso (DLA Piper), Evan Koster (Dewey LeBouf), Joseph Suh (Schulte Roth), Michael Sackheim (Sidley Austin), Andrea Kramer (McDermott Will & Emery), Salvatore Barbatano (Shaw Gussis), Christopher Cox (Bingham), Peter Healy (O'Melveny & Myers), Jeffrey Rubin (Hogan Lovells), Gregg Berman (Fulbright & Jaworski), Stewart Landefeld (Perkins Coie), John Olson(Gibson Dunn), Karl Ege (Perkins Coie), Adam Emmerich (Wachtell), Deborah Hayes (Lincoln Financial), Eddie Best (Mayer Brown), Brian Breheny (Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom), Thomas F. (Tom) Morante (Holland & Knight), Heather Lennox (Jones Day), George Casey (Shearman & Sterling), Hal Leibowitz (Wilmer Hale), Jonathan Klein (DLA Piper), Jeffrey Blount (Fullbright & Jaworski), Charles Nathan (Latham & Watkins), Robert Masella (Clifford Chance).