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Justice Department Lawyer Kali Bracey Rejoins Jenner & Block In Washington, DC

by March 6, 2017

Jenner & Block announced today that Kali Bracey, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Torts Branch of the US Department of Justice’s Civil Division (DOJ) and former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lawyer, has rejoined the firm as a litigation partner in the Washington, DC office. Ms. Bracey joins the firm’s Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practice. She brings 20 years of experience handling complex commercial litigation, investigations and regulatory matters.

“Kali is an experienced litigator and we are proud that she chose to rejoin our team,” said Jenner & Block Managing Partner Terrence J. Truax. “Her complex commercial litigation and regulatory leadership as well as her knowledge of CFPB, in particular, will be beneficial to a broad array of our clients.”

As Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Torts Branch in the Civil Division at the DOJ, Ms. Bracey had litigation and policy oversight on major issues, including over drones and the US’ major toxic tort litigation. She oversaw four areas: Environmental Torts, Constitutional and Specialized Torts, Aviation and Admiralty, and the Federal Tort Claims Act. She also managed the government’s tort compensation programs, including the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, the Vaccine Compensation Fund and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Fund.

Prior to her position at the DOJ, Ms. Bracey held senior positions at the CFPB. In March 2012, she joined the CFPB as a senior counsel in the Office of Supervision Policy. In that role, Ms. Bracey helped to craft the first federal nonbank supervision program and also drafted rules defining nonbank markets for the CFPB to supervise. She worked in the areas of student lending, auto finance discrimination and debt collection. She went on to work for Director Richard Cordray as a senior advisor, advising him on policy and enforcement decisions arising from the Legal and Supervision Enforcement and Fair Lending Divisions. She also led a cross-CFPB group on auto finance discrimination.

Prior to joining the CFPB, Ms. Bracey was an associate and then a partner at Jenner & Block where she worked on a wide range of cases including white collar investigations on behalf of government contractors, SEC investigations, FOIA cases, business litigation, qui tam cases, and insurance coverage litigation.

“I was fortunate to have worked with Kali when we were both previously together at Jenner & Block,” said Thomas J. Perrelli, chair of the Jenner & Block’s Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practice. “Her private practice background, combined with her government experience drafting rules and working with top enforcement and supervisory decision makers, will provide valuable guidance to our clients.”

“I am looking forward to working alongside Tom and other great colleagues,” Ms. Bracey said. “I’m thrilled to return to Jenner & Block and build a premier litigation and investigatory practice that matches the firm’s renowned reputation.”

Ms. Bracey began her career as a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia where she tried more than 20 cases to verdict, drafted appellate briefs, and argued an appeal. She clerked for Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and Spelman College.

UChicago Law School Dean and Jenner & Block Litigation Chair Announce the Opening of Their US Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic — The Jenner & Block University of Chicago Law School Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic

Thirty-Seven Percent of New Law Firm Partners Are Women; Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s Report Finds Steady Increase

by March 6, 2017

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance announced today that the percentage of women promoted to partnership in 2016 in the U.S. Offices of many of the nation’s largest law firms has reached a five-year high of 37.3 percent. This number has steadily increased from 33 percent in 2012, aside from a one-year dip to 32 percent in 2014, and is up nearly 3 percentage points from 34.4 percent last year. The Alliance’s 2016 New Partner Report noted that Diversity & Flexibility Alliance member firms continued to outpace the national average with 38.3 percent of attorneys promoted to partnership being women.

“While law firms still have a long way to go before women have an equal place in leadership, we are seeing some positive trends in the overall percentage of women being promoted to partnership in 2016,” said Manar Morales, President and CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “It is imperative that firms support and develop female talent by providing them opportunities to advance their careers, and creating an inclusive culture where women can advance to leadership positions,” she added. “We believe that it is crucial that we monitor and report this data so that our members and others in the industry are aware of the progress made and continue to explore opportunities that advance women in the profession. We are extremely proud that our member firms understand these opportunities and continue to outpace the national average for promoting women to partner.”

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s New Partner Report is a yearly compilation and examination of data from more than 100 of the nation’s largest law firms regarding the attorneys promoted to partnership in their U.S. offices. The data is based upon publicly available firm announcements and other self-reported sources about new partner classes with an effective date of promotion between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016. The details of the report are available on the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance’s website.

The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance is a think tank that collaborates with organizations and corporations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions that increase organizational effectiveness and create high performance cultures leveraging diversity and flexibility.

Julius Turman Takes the Reins of Constangy’s New San Francisco Office

by March 6, 2017

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in San Francisco, furthering its California presence and extending the national labor and employment law firm’s network to 29 offices in 15 states.

The new office will be led by L. Julius M. Turman, who joins the firm from Reed Smith, LLP. Turman enjoys a strong reputation both in California and nationally for representing a diverse client base and solving complex issues ranging from class-action litigation, labor-management relations, trade secrets and non-compete issues, discrimination litigation, company-wide, state and federal investigations, and issues involving Title IX, drug testing, privacy, disability and accommodation and sexual harassment law.

“One of the strongest benefits of working with Julius Turman is that he solves the client issue in a straightforward way, addressing the immediate situation, while considering any future impact,” said Mary Vinette, formerly of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour and now with Technicolor. “Over the past 15 years Julius has been my ‘go-to’ counsel for every complicated employment issue I’ve encountered.”

“Constangy clients are seeking expanded services for counseling, single-plaintiff cases, class, collective, and representative actions and other high-profile matters in Northern California,” said Neil Wasser, chair of Constangy’s executive committee. “We’re excited to have Julius and his team lead our expansion in San Francisco. Their strength of diversity and experience contributes to the overall culture of inclusion and client-focused representation that Constangy is devoted to serving.”

“Constangy provided me with a tremendous opportunity to bring my practical skills to a wider base of clients and to increase my professional capabilities, all within a framework of a sophisticated and fast-growing national platform with a strong representation of women and people of color in senior leadership.” Turman said. “Constangy also meets the diversity and inclusion goals that I have dedicated much of my professional career to achieving.”

Philip Smith, who also comes to Constangy from Reed Smith, will join the firm as senior counsel. Along with additional hires to be announced in the coming weeks, Smith will help Turman grow the firm’s presence in San Francisco and throughout California, specializing in counseling and complex employment litigation matters and class and collective actions, especially those involving wage-hour issues.

The new San Francisco office follows the opening of Constangy offices in Miami and Los Angeles in early 2016, which brought about an unprecedented period of growth for the firm, now celebrating more than 70 years of labor and employment preeminence. Constangy also became the first large law firm (NLJ350) in the country to have an African-American attorney as a name partner, with the addition of Donald Prophete in 2015.