Smith Gambrell & Russell has started the year in hiring mode as it marks its 125th anniversary.

The firm has added four lawyers this month, including partners Bill Long in Atlanta from Dentons and Josh Gentner in New York from Vedder Price.

Gentner, an aviation lawyer, joined Jan. 16. Long, an intellectual property litigator, came aboard the next day.

Long's departure from Dentons coincided with Squire Patton Boggs' announcement Thursday that it is opening an Atlanta office with three Dentons partners—deal lawyers Ann-Marie McGaughey and Wayne Bradley, with litigator Petrina McDaniel, who has a cybersecurity practice.

Aviation, or global transport, and IP are top practices for Smith Gambrell, said its chairman, Stephen Forte. “Adding these two partners strengthens and deepens that brand.”

Long and Gentner are both “recognized in the industry and by our people as high-quality lawyers with a high-quality practice,” Forte said.

Long, who has practiced law in Atlanta since 1990, said Smith Gambrell was “a great fit for my clients,” adding, “IP is a key practice for the firm and they were looking for somebody like me in Atlanta.”

He said that he knew Greg Kirsch, who heads the firm's IP practice, from working together at local IP boutique Needle & Rosenberg, which became part of Ballard Spahr in 2008.

Of Dentons, he said, “There are some great lawyers there, and it's a wonderful firm.”

Earlier in January, Smith Gambrell hired construction lawyer Greg Smith as counsel from King & Spalding and Chris Raymond, also in the global transport practice, as an associate from a solo practice in Boston. Sarah Sharman, who has a PhD in biomedical sciences from Augusta University, joined the IP practice as a science adviser.

Smith Gambrell also expanded to the West Coast this month, adding a Los Angeles office (its ninth) through a merger with an 11-lawyer business boutique, Rodi Pollock Pettker Christian & Pramov, that took effect Jan. 1.

The roughly 230-lawyer firm grossed $97.5 million in 2016, placing it at No. 196 in the most recent Am Law 200 rankings, with average profit per partner of $625,000.

BRIEFLY

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has added three lawyers to its government enforcement and investigations team. Juan Martinez joined as an associate from Greenberg Traurig, with Nicole Medrozo as a senior litigation attorney from Brach Eichler in Roseland, New Jersey, and Aaron Gallardo as a litigation attorney.

Kilpatrick has also hired Dan Englander as an associate from Ballard Spahr for its intellectual property practice. Englander focuses on trademark and copyright enforcement and litigation. A 2012 graduate of Emory University School of Law, he is also a company member of Whole World Improv Theatre.

Matt Patterson has become the general counsel and secretary of LeasePlan USA, an Alpharetta-based company that manages fleets of leased cars. Patterson joined LeasePlan from Consolidated Container Co., a maker of plastic packaging and recycled resins, where he was deputy general counsel.

Christian Park has joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough's immigration team as of counsel from immigration firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. Park, who is fluent in Korean, handles federal immigration law.

Bryan Cave has added Jason Beckham as counsel to its financial services practice, where he represents bank holding companies and other lenders, borrowers and funds in private finance transactions. Beckham was previously at Seyfarth Shaw.

Eric Charity of Kilpatrick has been appointed to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta's Young Leaders Council.

The American Board of Trial Advocates' Georgia chapter has elected Michael Warshauer of Warshauer Law Group as president. Lynn Leonard of Lynn Leonard & Associates is president-elect, Geoffrey Pope of Pope & Howard is secretary, and Robin Frazer Clark, who has her own firm, is treasurer.