Who’s doing what

Listen to this article

Judge Thomas Barland of Eau Claire has been chosen as the new chair of the Government Accountability Board.

Under state law, the Board’s leadership is chosen by lot at its first meeting in January each year. Judge Gerald Nichol of Madison was chosen as Vice Chair for 2011, and Judge Gordon Myse of Appleton was chosen as Secretary of the Board.

The G.A.B. is comprised of six non-partisan, former Wisconsin judges.

As Board Chair, Judge Barland replaces Judge Myse, who became Board Chair in May 2010 after Judge William Eich’s term expired.  Judge Myse’s term expires in May 2011, and he announced that he would not seek reappointment.

Board members decided to forego their per diem payments for the January meeting in support of the staff, who must take eight unpaid furlough days this fiscal year.

Quarles & Brady LLP announces that it has opened an office in Shanghai, China representing the firm’s first office outside the United States. The Shanghai office will focus on advising clients on foreign direct investment, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings (including U.S. listings), joint ventures, intellectual property, regulatory issues, and corporate and governmental relations.

Thomas Stiebel Jr. will serve as the chief legal representative of the Shanghai office.

The firm also announces the addition of Raye Daugherty to the firm as a Partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the Milwaukee office.

Daugherty has more than 12 years of experience counseling clients in all aspects of patent law. Her areas of concentration include: strategic patent portfolio management, patent application prosecution, patent validity and infringement analysis, intellectual property due diligence for corporate transactions and intellectual property and technology licenses and transactions. She received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Michael Best & Friedrich announces that Raymond P. Taffora will rejoin the law firm as a partner in its Madison office and will head the firm’s Government and Regulatory Law Practice. Taffora served as Deputy Attorney General to Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen from 2007 until January. As Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Taffora supervised the enforcement of Wisconsin’s consumer protection, environmental, antitrust and other civil laws by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Taffora will head the firm’s newly-formed Government and Regulatory Law Practice Group, which includes a number of highly experienced attorneys including former US Attorney Steven Biskupic.

The firm also announced that Mary Turke, a partner and 11-year veteran of the firm, has been named the Madison Office Managing Partner. As the first woman to hold this position, Turke is credited with building the office’s Professional Women’s Initiative.

Turke will maintain an active commercial litigation practice while serving as the Office Managing Partner. Turke’s practice focuses on commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Turke received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

The Madison and Milwaukee based law firm of Dewitt Ross & Stevens announces that Michelle M. Friedman joined the firm as its Director of Marketing and Business Development.

Friedman focuses her areas of expertise in communications, marketing, business development, public relations and strategic planning. Prior to joining Dewitt Ross & Stevens she worked at Quarles & Brady LLP for seven years as a client development manager and at Davis & Kuelthau for three years as its marketing director.