Winston Adds Seyfarth Class Action Chair to Chicago Office
Daniel Blouin, who spent nearly three decades at Seyfarth, shared what it's like to start at a new firm during a pandemic.
March 27, 2020 at 06:15 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
Winston & Strawn has brought on the national chair of Seyfarth Shaw's commercial class action defense group, Daniel Blouin, signaling the firm's commitment to its litigation side even as it bolsters its transactional practices.
The Chicago-based firm has been investing heavily in its transactional practices. Chairman Thomas Fitzgerald told The American Lawyer earlier this month that approximately 50% of the $1.012 billion the firm generated in 2019 came from shepherding corporate deals.
But the firm hasn't been slouching when it comes to litigators, and Blouin's hire is proof of that, said Linda Coberly, the managing partner of Winston & Strawn's Chicago office.
"We haven't gotten to this point by deemphasizing litigation," Coberly said. "We've been doing a couple of things at the firm at the same time."
Blouin spent nearly 30 years at Seyfarth and was happy there, he said. But he was tempted to join his new firm when he was approached by some of his personal friends, who also worked at Winston.
"It wasn't like I didn't have any of that at Seyfarth. I did have that at Seyfarth. But being able to start new, a new professional challenge with great people, with great expertise, with great reputations, that ultimately enticed me to join Winston," Blouin said.
Blouin said his clients, for whom he has handled more than 75 class actions in state and federal courts, including multidistrict litigation, will be joining him at Winston.
Blouin's first day as a Winston partner was Tuesday, but he hasn't actually stepped foot inside of his office to do any work there. That's because the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many law firms, including Winston, to go remote. Blouin said he went to Winston's office last week to pick up his work laptop, and has been working from his Naperville, Illinois, home this week.
Instead of meeting his new co-workers and other Winston clients in-person, he's been participating in a series of video conference and phone calls. People who call his Winston line are automatically directed to his home office, where he has a dual monitor display set up.
Blouin said he was inundated with phone calls and email messages from his new co-workers on his first day.
"I expected some of that, I didn't expect the significant outreach in just a couple of days, from the chairman of the firm to senior firm management to paralegals whom I will be working with in Chicago," Blouin said.
"The integration has been truly remarkable," he added.
|Read More
Winston & Strawn Cracks $1 Billion, Shifting to More Transactional Work
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllA Look Back at 'Goldman Sachs': How Price Impact Is Changing Securities Class Actions
5 minute readLitigation Leaders: Laura Hoey of Ropes & Gray on Bringing an Industry Focus to Litigation Matters
Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
Some Election Day Shout-Outs to Litigators Working Pro Bono on Voting Rights
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 3Election 2024: Nationwide Judicial Races and Ballot Measures to Watch
- 4Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 5Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 6How Much Does the Frequency of Retirement Withdrawals Matter?
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250