November 9, 2010

THE RECORDER

By Petra Pasternak

SAN FRANCISCO – Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton continues to build its California labor and employment group, most recently with the addition of five lawyers from Littler Mendelson.

Joining the San Francisco office are Ronald Holland II and Ellen Bronchetti as partners, and Paul Cowie, Elia DeLuca and Jennifer Holly as associates. Their first day was Monday.

Holland, who specializes in traditional labor work and union negotiations, was at Littler for 20 years. He said over the years he’s increasingly been reaching outside the labor and employment firm to attorneys in other practice areas, including antitrust, environmental, general corporate and bankruptcy law. He said being at the more diversified Sheppard will allow him to build his practice, which focuses on clients in the trucking, airlines transportation, printing and waste collection sectors.

“Sheppard is committed to the growth of the labor and employment practice,” he said, noting that the firm wants to be ahead of the curve on potential changes in labor rules coming from the National Labor Relations Board “to serve not only its current client base but the clients that have followed me.” He declined to name specific clients citing confidentiality and said his rates are comparable to those of Sheppard’s other labor attorneys.

He said Sheppard offered him better pay, though he declined to give details.

Holland said the opportunity to jump to Sheppard came across his radar after he received a call from Southern California legal recruiter Ken Schwartz of Watanabe Nason, who brokered the deal.

Other labor and employment lawyers to join Sheppard this year: Thomas Kaufman, Michael Gallion and Gregg Fisch joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as partners from Seyfarth Shaw, along with five other lawyers; also in Los Angeles partner Richard Kopenhefer joined from McDermott Will & Emery.

Jennifer Walt, Littler’s San Francisco office managing partner, attributed the group’s departure to general attrition. “I think this is nothing more than the type of turnover that every business experiences,” she said, noting that Littler added 24 new partners in 15 offices nationwide this year. “We’re sad to depart ways with Ron [and his team],” she said. “We wish them well.”