Crowell & Moring Elects 16 New Partners, Promotes Five to Senior Counsel, and 25 to Counsel

 

Largest-ever partner class is 88% diverse, based on racial/ethnic and gender diversity

 

 

Washington – January 9, 2023: Crowell & Moring elected 16 lawyers to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2023. The firm also promoted five lawyers to the position of senior counsel and 25 associates to the position of counsel.

The new partners have been promoted from within the ranks of the firm’s Brussels, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. offices and from across several practice groups, including Antitrust & Competition; Corporate; Energy; Environment & Natural Resources; Government Contracts; Health Care; Labor & Employment; Litigation; Mass Tort, Product, and Consumer Litigation; Patent & ITC Litigation; Tax; and White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement. This marks the largest partner class in the firm’s history and one of the most diverse. Attorneys from underrepresented groups make up 88% of the firm's new partner class, including women and people of color. Twelve of the 16 promoted partners are women.

“We celebrate these lawyers for their accomplishments, dedication to our clients, and  professional excellence,” said Philip T. Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring. “Their commitment to advancing our clients’ goals and our firm mission will ensure their continued success.”

The newly elected partners are:

Gang Chen, Ph.D. (Chicago) – A member of the Patent & ITC Litigation Group, Chen’s practice focuses on patent ligation, prosecution, post-grant proceedings, and general IP counseling in a variety of technical areas such as wireless and wireline communications systems and components, optical devices, lasers, display technologies, video coding, video streaming, quantum computing/communications, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Chen previously spent nearly a decade as a principle researcher at a leading industrial research lab. He also managed patent asset mining, licensing, and assertion in his in-house role at a large technology corporation. Those experiences have provided him a technical acumen and a unique perspective of the IP needs of technology clients.

Elizabeth B. Dawson (Washington) – Dawson is a member of the Environment & Natural Resources Group, a co-leader of the firm’s ESG Advisory Team, and Chair of the Sustainability Committee. She counsels clients in navigating the range of federal environmental laws, helping them comment on and litigate agency rulemakings, pursue federal approvals, and defend against enforcement actions. Most recently, Dawson has advised on the increasing demand for climate change-related corporate disclosures. Dawson began her legal career in the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division. 

Carina C. Federico (Washington) – A member of the Tax Group, Federico focuses her practice on federal tax controversy and tax litigation matters before the IRS and in trial and appellate courts across the United States. Her experience includes serving as first chair at trial, taking and defending depositions, briefing a wide range of tax issues, negotiating settlements, and representing clients in IRS Appeals conferences. She previously served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division and as deputy associate counsel for the White House. 

Andrew Holmer (Los Angeles) – Holmer is a trial and appellate litigator who defends clients in class action litigation, ERISA health care litigation, and complex business litigation. He represents clients in the health care, aerospace, technology, and automotive industries in state and federal court, and in alternative dispute resolution. He has extensive trial and arbitration experience, having tried bench and jury trials in California and federal courts and conducted multiple complex arbitration hearings. Holmer also is a seasoned appellate litigator, who has taken a leading role in in numerous appeals to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court, and who has successfully argued before the California Court of Appeal.

Evelien Jamaels (Brussels) – A member of the Labor & Employment Group, Jamaels helps clients meet the challenges of the modern workplace. She advises both national and international companies from a broad range of sectors on all stages of the employment process, from hiring to termination (whether individual or collective). She assists clients with their complex employment issues, including, for example, restructurings, company closures, trade secret protection, diversity in the workplace, discrimination, whistleblowing, termination of employment agreements, drafting and negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and audits/due diligence.

Mark Kass (Washington) – Kass is a member of the Corporate Group and the Privacy and Cybersecurity Group. His practice focuses on technology transactions, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Kass’ technology transactions practice includes IP and software license agreements, strategic agreements, SaaS agreements, joint ventures, software development, and distribution/reseller agreements. His clients operate throughout the technology and life sciences ecosystem, encompassing software, information technology, cybersecurity, AI, fintech, cleantech, foodtech, pharma/biotech, and medical devices. Kass’ practice also involves representing leading Israeli tech companies, as well as other foreign-based companies doing business in the United States.

Shannon M. Lentz (Washington) – Lentz is a member of the Patent & ITC Litigation Group. Her practice includes all aspects of patent law, including preparing and prosecuting patent applications; providing infringement and validity opinions; counseling in litigation and post-grant proceedings; and challenging or defending patents in inter partes review proceedings. She has experience with a wide range of biomedical and chemical technologies, including biologics and small molecules, pharmaceutical chemistry, polymer chemistry, metallurgy, medical devices, coatings, adhesives, nanomaterials, research tools, and drug delivery technologies.

Skye Mathieson (Washington) – A member of the Government Contracts Group, Mathieson works with and advises clients from diverse industries on a wide array of matters, including contract performance disputes, cost allowability issues, defective pricing, fiscal law questions, prime-sub disputes, bid protests, internal investigations, and responding to DCAA audits. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Mathieson spent several years as a trial attorney at the procurement litigation division of the Air Force Headquarters for Legal Operations, where he pioneered the seminal “Laguna Defense” that is now widely raised and litigated at the Boards of Contract Appeals.

Tiffanie McDowell (Orange County) – A member of the Antitrust & Competition practice, McDowell focuses her practice primarily on complex antitrust and health care recovery. McDowell represents several large health care clients in federal and state actions involving pay-for-delay agreements, product hopping, regulatory gaming, fraudulent pharmaceutical pricing, and unlawful market allocation agreements. McDowell has also defended health plans in government investigations and regularly counsels clients on issues related to rebate agreements and formulary access, PBM agreements and the drug supply chain, and pharmaceutical overcharges. 

Sima Namiri-Kalantari (Los Angeles) – A member of the firm's Antitrust & Competition Group, Namiri-Kalantari is a complex commercial litigator, focusing on antitrust and unfair competition law. Her primary practice includes defending clients in civil antitrust litigation as well as assisting Fortune 500 companies to achieve affirmative recovery through litigation when they have been victims of price-fixing cartels. She also counsels clients on all aspects of antitrust law. Namiri-Kalantari has served as a co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Women’s Leadership Initiative since 2018.

Lauren R. Nunez (Washington) – Nunez is a member of the firm’s Health Care Group. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation before federal and state courts, administrative agencies, and arbitral forums. Her practice covers a wide range of litigation and counseling engagements, with a particular focus on commercial health care disputes, class actions, mental health parity, civil antitrust, and False Claims Act suits. She is also experienced in defending government investigations involving mental health parity and False Claims Act allegations. Nunez represents clients in multiple spaces within the health care industry, including managed care organizations, health benefit plans, health care providers, government contractors, and various other corporate commercial litigants.

Cherie J. Owen (Washington) – A member of the Government Contracts Group, Owen counsels and represents clients in a wide array of government contracts issues, with a focus on bid protests (at the United States Government Accountability Office, the United States Court of Federal Claims, procuring agencies, and other fora), contract formation (including grants, OTAs, procurement contracts, cooperative agreements), and organizational conflict of interest issues. Prior to entering private practice, Owen spent 12 years at GAO, where she served as a bid protest hearing officer resolving some of the most challenging bid protests on procurements ranging from thousands to billions of dollars.

Erin Rankin (Washington) – Rankin is a member of the Government Contracts Group and is experienced in resolving government contract disputes with a particular focus on cost allowability, cost accounting issues, and DCAA audit findings. She also advises clients on all aspects of FAR and DFARS compliance in connection with the administration, performance, and closing out of government contracts. Rankin has extensive experience representing government contractors before the Boards of Contract Appeals, defending companies against False Claims Act allegations, conducting internal investigations, and advocating for clients in mandatory disclosures and suspension and debarment proceedings.

Rachel Raphael (Washington) – A member of the firm's Mass Tort, Product, and Consumer Litigation Group, Raphael has significant experience litigating commercial disputes on behalf of clients in a wide range of industries. Her practice focuses on a broad spectrum of complex commercial, consumer, and retail litigation, including defending class actions and multi-district litigation. Raphael advises clients on a range of consumer protection issues with a particular focus on consumer product safety and regulatory compliance.

Rochelle-Leigh (Shelley) Rosenberg (Washington) – Rosenberg is a member of the Litigation and Health Care groups and the firm’s E-Discovery Practice. Rosenberg handles complex commercial disputes, from pre-litigation through appeal, with a focus on the health care industry. She regularly represents managed care companies, health benefit plans, and other health care entities. Before joining Crowell & Moring, Rosenberg clerked for the Honorable Robert H. Cleland on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Rosenberg is also passionate about how becoming a parent has made her a better lawyer. 

Tiffany Wynn (Washington) – A member of the White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group and the firm's Investigations Practice, Wynn’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement actions, government investigations, and corporate internal investigations. She has represented individuals and companies in investigations led by the DOJ, SEC, Congress, and other federal and state regulators in matters involving allegations of fraud and regulatory non-compliance, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, anti-money laundering investigations, alleged environmental crimes, and False Claims Act litigation.

Crowell & Moring lawyers promoted to senior counsel are: Alexis Victoria DeBernardis of the Antitrust & Competition Group (Washington); Nicholas James of the Corporate Group (Washington); Matthew Moisan of the Corporate Group (New York); Lidia Niecko-Najjum of the Health Care Group (Washington); and Arlen Pyenson of the White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group and International Dispute Resolution Group (New York).

Crowell & Moring associates promoted to counsel are: Connor Ahearn, Crinesha Berry, Zhiwei Chen, Eric Fanchiang, Lily Geyer, Michael Gruden, Alice Hall-Partyka, Sigourney Haylock, Judy He, Eric Herendeen, Ashley Kalimada, Delphine Keppens, Pierce Lee, Justin Lurie, Eleanor McWaters, Melissa Moravec, Payal Nanavati, Edmund Northcott, Helen Ogunyanwo, Amy Pauli, Zachary Schroeder, Adam Singer, Adam Sussman, Matthew Troncali, and Matthew Vicinanzo.

About Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia. Drawing on significant government, business, industry and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and corporate and transactional issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service as well as its programs and initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.