A White-Plains, N.Y.-based firm with a national reach has added an office in Jacksonville, making it the firm's 36th.

Former Akerman Senterfitt attorneys Richard N. Margulies and Benjamin D. Sharkey joined Jackson Lewis LLC as partners. Both attorneys practice labor and employment law.

"Ben and I were very familiar with Jackson Lewis and marveled at the expansion of their national footprint, especially in the last two years," said Margulies in a news release. "Their national network of offices gives us a real chance of expanding our client base outside of the Jacksonville region."

Jackson Lewis, founded in 1958, has more than 480 attorneys, whose expertise covers over 17 specialized practices of law.

Jonathan Stoler has joined the New York office of Sheppard MullinRichter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm's Labor and Employmentpractice group, which was recognized by the Legal 500 in 2007 as among the bestin the United States.  Stoler will serveas head of the firm’s labor and employment practice in New York.  He most recently practiced as a partner inthe New York office of Heller Ehrman, where he co-chaired the office’s hiringcommittee.

Stoler is an accomplishedlitigator and counselor whose practice encompasses a wide range of labor andemployment matters, including the defense of single plaintiff and class actiondiscrimination, wrongful discharge and wage/hour claims, in addition toemployment contract, non-competition, whistleblower, sexual harassment andrelated claims.  He regularly representsclients in labor and employment litigations in federal and state courts, inarbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and the FinancialIndustry Regulation Authority, and in proceedings before various administrativeagencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S.Department of Labor and state agencies throughout the United States.  Stoler also represents clients in collectivebargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations and all stages of the laborelection process, including election campaigns and hearings before the NationalLabor Relations Board.

Stoler regularly counselsboth domestic and international clients regarding the preparation andadministration of personnel policies and provides advice to clients regardingreductions-in-force, discipline and discharge, employee disability and leavesof absence issues.  Stoler also advisesmanagement on union avoidance strategies, the labor aspects of mergers andacquisitions and the extraterritorial application of U.S. laws.

In 2007, Stoler wasindividually recognized by the Legal 500 as among the best labor lawyers in theU.S.

"With Jonathan joiningus and leading the New York employment practice, we continue to grow signaturegroups like Labor and Employment and expand national capabilities to betterserve client needs on both coasts.  OurNew York office continues to grow in breadth and depth, and Jonathan's strongemployment litigation background is an excellent addition," said GuyHalgren, chairman of the firm. 

Commented Stoler, "I am excited to grow the firm's New Yorkemployment practice and add to the firm’s already formidable capabilities onthe East Coast.  With a nationalreputation as a preeminent Labor and Employment group, Sheppard Mullin offers astrong platform for my practice." 

Stoler received a J.D. fromBrooklyn Law School in 1995 and a B.A. from SUNY Buffalo in 1991. 

Sheppard Mullin has more than40 attorneys based in its New York office. The firm's Labor and Employment practice group includes close to 70attorneys firmwide.

About Sheppard Mullin Richter &Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 520attorneys in 11 offices located throughout California and in New York,Washington, D.C. and Shanghai.  Thefirm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, Century City, SanFrancisco, Silicon Valley, Orange County, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Del MarHeights.  Foundedin 1927 on the principle that the firm would succeed only if its attorneysdelivered prompt, high quality and cost-effective legal services, SheppardMullin provides legal counsel to U.S. and international clients.  Companies turn toSheppard Mullin to handle a full range of corporate and technology matters,high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.  In the U.S., the firm's clients include morethan half of the Fortune 100 companies.  Formore information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.

LOS ANGELES, April 21, 2008 — Philip E. Daniels has joined the Century Cityoffice of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP as a member of the firm's Entertainment& Media transactional practice group. Daniels, who is dually qualified in both California and the UK, joinsfrom boutique law firm Goldring, Hertz & Lichtenstein in Beverly Hills.

Daniels specializes in all matters relating to music,new media and technology.  His digitaland technology expertise includes structuring, drafting and providing strategicadvice on deals for Internet and mobile platforms, as well as advising clientsoperating in the social networking space on the development and distribution ofdigital content and digital premium goods. Daniels negotiated deals with Yahoo, MSN, Bebo, Daily Motion and MySpacefor the distribution of content along with a number of technologyinfrastructure agreements around the provision of social networking tools anddelivery content.

Daniels began his legal career in London.  He practiced with a number of UK law firms, includingthe well-recognized London boutique Lee & Thompson, representinginternational entertainment and technology clients.  Daniels also worked in-house at BBC Worldwide,where his responsibilities included the company's Internet and Interactivedivisions.

"Philip's music industry expertise and international entertainmentexperience are an excellent complement to the global matters which wehandle," said Bob Darwell, chair of the firm's Entertainment & Mediapractice group.  "His experience in newmedia and digital business transactions is a perfect fit for our practicegroup, which crosses over all areas of the entertainment and media industriesand intersects with the technology sector."

Commented Daniels, "Sheppard Mullin has built a top-notch Entertainmentpractice and I am thrilled about joining the group in Century City.  I am very impressed by how Bob has grown theteam, and by the high profile international clients they represent and thematters they handle." 

Daniels graduated from Nottingham Law School (UK) in 1996 and earned aB.Sc. (Hons) from Bristol University (UK) in 1994.  He is the latest in a recent flurry ofattorneys joining Sheppard Mullin's Entertainment & Media practice group inthe firm's Century City office. Lastmonth, Robb Klein joined as special counsel in the firm's Entertainment &Media practice group from the London office of European law firm SJ Berwin LLP. Additionally, Jim Curry joined theoffice in March as an Entertainment and Media litigation partner.  Curry most recently practiced as a foundingpartner with White O'Connor Curry LLP in Century City.

Sheppard Mullin has 40 attorneys based in its Century City office andthe Entertainment & Media practice group includes more than 55 attorneysfirmwide. 

About Sheppard Mullin Richter &Hampton LLP

LOS ANGELES, April17, 2008 — Eric A. Klein has joinedthe Century City office of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP as a partnerin the firm's Corporate practice group.  Kleinmost recently practiced as a leader of Katten Muchin Rosenman's West CoastMergers and Acquisitions and Securities practices.  Joining Klein in Sheppard Mullin's Corporatepractice group is special counsel John J. Molloy.  Molloy also joins from Katten's Century Cityoffice. 

Klein specializes in mergersand acquisitions, equity and debt financings, private equity transactions andventure capital.  He regularly advisesclients in the healthcare, life sciences and technology industries.  Known for his creativity in the structuringof transactions, Klein represents entrepreneurial and established businesses,private equity and venture capital funds and foreign companies in their growthinitiatives. 

In the healthcare industry,Klein has recently assisted clients with strategic transactions and operationalmatters for physician-owned managed care organizations, the acquisition ofmultiple hospitals in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, obtaining CaliforniaHMO licensure under the Knox-Keene Act, the purchase and sale of healthcarecompanies by or to private equity funds, the formation of joint ventures andmanagement services organizations, and healthcare regulatory and compliancematters.  He also works regularly withlife sciences businesses, including the recent SEC registration of a stem cellcompany, and has authored a chapter offering "best practices" adviceon mergers and acquisitions in the forthcoming book "Inside the Minds:Life Sciences Mergers & Acquisitions" to be published in April2008. 

Klein regularly advises abroad range of technology companies, including Internet, enterprise software,encryption data security and hardware companies.  He routinely structures strategic alliancesand licensing transactions for companies in the tech sector, as well as assistingthem with venture capital and private equity transactions and with mergers andacquisitions.  Klein represents a numberof private equity funds in their growth equity and acquisition transactions, aswell as counseling clients on investment fund formation.  He also regularly represents companies intheir transactions with private equity funds, such as the recent sale to aForstmann Little portfolio company of a Los Angeles based media company thatproduces two of the top ten U.S. trade shows.

For more than threedecades, Molloy has handled entrepreneurial and middle market clients' mergers,acquisitions and divestitures; joint ventures; public and private equity anddebt financings; complex contractual matters; business formation; and taxplanning.  His clients include healthcareproviders, software and hardware development companies, service and maintenancefirms, telecommunications firms, medical device manufacturers, Internetcompanies and measuring devices manufacturers. Molloy has handled more than ten acquisitions over the past year for a publicly-traded national physician group practicecompany. 

"As anaccomplished dealmaker with expertise in the healthcare and tech sectors, Ericwill be a significant asset for our clients. He and Jay will add to our existing strength and expertise in theCorporate practice group, as well as in the firm's Healthcare and Life Sciencesindustry teams," said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm. 

Commented Klein,"Sheppard Mullin occupies a strategic position in California and beyond,and offers the support needed to handle sophisticated M&A, private equity,venture and other emerging company transactions. I am greatly impressed by the firm'sdedication to expanding its healthcare and tech-related practices and theexcellent group of attorneys based in Century City."

Klein and Molloy arethe latest in a recent flurry of attorneys joining Sheppard Mullin's CenturyCity office.  Two weeks ago, Jim Curryjoined the office as an Entertainment and Media litigation partner.  Curry most recently practiced as a foundingpartner with White O'Connor Curry LLP in Century City.  Additionally, Robb Klein joined in March asspecial counsel in the firm's Entertainment & Media practice group from theLondon office of European law firm SJ Berwin LLP. 

Sheppard Mullin has 40attorneys based in its Century City office and about 160 attorneys based in itsdowntown Los Angeles office.  The firm's Corporatepractice group includes close to 100 attorneys.

Kleinearned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1985 and received an A.B.from Princeton University in 1981.  Molloyearned a J.D. from University of Southern California Gould School of Law in1972 and a B.S. in Accounting from University of Southern California in 1968.

Kleinis a member of the board of directors of the Association for Corporate Growthin Los Angeles.  He is also a member ofthe executive committee of the Private Equity Roundtable.  Klein also lectures nationally on negotiationskills and has taught business leaders, investment bankers, lawyers andentrepreneurs on this topic.  His writingis regularly published in legal and business publications, most recently in theHarvard Business Review.

Molloyregularly speaks on technology transactions, M&A, venture capital andprivate equity.  He is a member of theboard of directors of the Technology Council of Southern California.

About Sheppard Mullin Richter &Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP announced today the openingof a Silicon Valley office, the firm's eleventh office and eighth in California.  Attorneys in the new office, located in PaloAlto, will include partners Marc A. Sockol, Riaz A. Karamali, Karen Canaan andJames M. Chadwick.

Sockol, managing partner of the new office, joins Sheppard Mullin'sIntellectual Property practice group.  Karamalijoins the firm's Corporate practice group. Both Sockol and Karamali were previously partners at Thelen Reid BrownRaysman & Steiner LLP in Palo Alto, where Sockol headed the office.

Canaan joins Sheppard Mullin's Intellectual Property practice group.  She most recently had an independent lifesciences patent boutique servicing a variety of clients from large corporationsto start-ups.  Prior to running her ownfirm, she was a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC inPalo Alto. 

Chadwick, a member of Sheppard Mullin's Entertainment and Media andBusiness Trials practice groups, has relocated from Sheppard Mullin's SanFrancisco office. 

“Establishing a Silicon Valley presence has been a key stepin the firm's strategic plan.  Itleverages the expansion and success of our Corporate, IP and Entertainmentpractices and helps us serve current and future technology clients.  We are pleased to be opening the office witha solid foundation of talented attorneys having exactly the right combinationof skills.  We are committed to growingthe office to serve companies in Silicon Valley, including those in media,information technology, communications, clean technology, security, health careand biotechnology sectors," said GuyHalgren, chairman of the firm. 

Commented Sockol, "Joining Sheppard Mullin provides an excitingopportunity to lead the firm's new Silicon Valley office.  I was attracted by the firm's commitment toopening in this market, as well as its strong financial performance and successin opening other offices, most recently in Shanghai and New York.  I am also impressed by Sheppard Mullin’sunderstanding of the needs of Silicon Valley clients and its resources tosupport them."

Sockolspecializes in intellectual property rights and applies his technical and legalskills to client counseling, preparation and prosecution of patentapplications, preparation of patentability, invalidity and noninfringementopinions, and the assertion and defense of patent litigation claims. He also has experience in trademarks,copyrights, trade secrets and technology licensing. 

Sockolhas drafted, prosecuted and defended more than 750 patent applications across abroad spectrum of technological areas. Theseareas include computer hardware, computer software, semiconductor design andfabrication, the Internet, networking, wireless systems, satellites, QAM,multimedia distribution systems, e-commerce, business methods, POS hardware andsoftware, network and computer security systems, database structures,application development tools, storage management systems, fault tolerantsystems, QOS monitoring, biometrics, set-top boxes, digital and analogcircuitry, medical devices, solar power, optics, thin films and HVAC. 

Karamali has twenty years of experience in the areas of mergers andacquisitions, licensing and technology transactions, venture capital financing,outsourcing, and domestic and international joint ventures. He represents a broad range of clientsincluding high growth start-ups and Fortune 500 companies, and is currentlyactively involved in venture capital and acquisition transactions related tothe Middle East, India and Pakistan. 

Canaanhas close to ten years of experience preparing and prosecuting patentapplications for clients in the biotechnology, chemical, and medical artsindustries.  As part of her practice, sheprepares patent legal opinions and technology transfer agreements.  In addition, she has assisted her clients in developingtrademark portfolios for their patented products and she has assisted herpharmaceutical clients with their FDA regulatory requirements.

Chadwick's practice focuses on media law and mediadefense litigation, including copyright and trademark litigation, FirstAmendment and privacy law, and access and newsgathering law, as well as generalcivil litigation.  His clients include MediaNews Group, San Jose Mercury News, Inc., Mother Jones Magazine, Salon MediaGroup, Daily News Group and NBC. 

Sockolreceived a J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law in 1992 and a B.S.in electrical engineering from University of California, Davis in 1989.  Karamali received a J.D. from Columbia Universityin 1988 and a B.A. from Rice University in 1985.  Canaan received a J.D. from Whittier LawSchool in 1997 and a B.A. in biochemistry from University of Texas, Austin in1986.  Chadwickreceived a J.D., summa cum laude, from Santa Clara UniversitySchool of Law in 1991, a M.A. from San Francisco State University in 1985 and aB.A., cum laude, from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1979.

About Sheppard Mullin Richter &Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 520attorneys in 11 offices located throughout California and in New York,Washington, D.C. and Shanghai.  Thefirm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, SiliconValley, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and SanDiego.  Foundedin 1927 on the principle that the firm would succeed only if its attorneysdelivered prompt, high quality and cost-effective legal services, SheppardMullin provides legal counsel to U.S. and international clients.  Companies turn toSheppard Mullin to handle a full range of corporate and technology matters,high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.  In the U.S., the firm's clients include morethan half of the Fortune 100 companies.  Formore information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.

Robb Klein has joined the Century City office of Sheppard MullinRichter & Hampton LLP as special counsel in the firm's Entertainment & Mediapractice group.  Klein joins from the Londonoffice of leading European law firm SJ Berwin LLP where he was a partner in theMedia & Communications Group.

Klein specializes in film and television financing,production and distribution, merchandising and the licensing of rights and newmedia. He has worked on the financingand production of numerous feature films, from small independent movies tostudio blockbusters. Recent films include"Manolete," "PS I Love You," "Love in the Time ofCholera" and "Basic Instinct 2." Klein has also worked on numerous tax-driven deals, and specializes instructuring international co-productions. His work for financiers includes representingbanks, entrepreneurs, tax funds and hedge funds, often involving securedlending and complex multi-party financing arrangements.

Klein also advises companies on their online businessarrangements, from terms and conditions to commercial supply and advertisingagreements, and on mobile content licensing. He has represented both content owners andmobile platform operators. He alsoadvises computer games developers in their dealings with publishers and onother types of software licensing.

Klein has worked on many significant corporate dealsin the media sector including IPOs and acquisitions of companies in the film,television, music, computer games, mobile and video on demand sectors.

"We have worked with Robb through the years and we're thrilled tohave him on board in LA now. Hisinternational industry experience is an excellent complement to the globalmatters which we handle," said Bob Darwell, chair of the firm'sEntertainment & Media practice group. "Robb's depth of experience in film and television finance, onlineand mobile business transactions, and corporate deals is a perfect fit for ourpractice group, which crosses over all areas of the entertainment industry andintersects with the technology sector."

Commented Klein, "Sheppard Mullin has built a world-class Entertainmentpractice and I am excited about joining Bob and the team in Century City.  I am very impressed by the breadth ofindustry work they handle and their top-notch Hollywood client list."

Klein's clients include UK producers (Holy Cow Films, West ElevenFilms), European producers (Lola Films, Ilion Studios) and large U.S.independents (Mandalay Pictures, Alcon Entertainment).  His work for financiers has includedrepresenting banks (Comerica), entrepreneurs (Infatrade), tax funds (Ernst& Young, Future Films) and hedge funds (120dB Films LLC).

Klein graduated, with honors, from The College of Law, Chester (UK) in1990 and earned an LLB (Hons) from Manchester University (UK) in 1989.

Entertainment litigation partner James E. Curry also joined SheppardMullin's Century City earlier this week. The firm has 40 attorneys based in its Century City office and theEntertainment & Media practice group includes more than 50 attorneysfirmwide. 

About Sheppard MullinRichter & Hampton LLP