Philadelphia litigator Aliza Karetnick is taking her practice from one locally headquartered Am Law 100 firm to another.

Karetnick, a commercial litigation and intellectual property lawyer, joined Ballard Spahr Tuesday as a partner in Philadelphia. She comes from Duane Morris, where she has practiced since 2009, when she joined with a group of lawyers from now-defunct firm Wolf Block.

Aliza Karetnick.

In her practice, Karetnick represents businesses in the cosmetics and personal care, fragrance, and food and flavor industries, she said, ranging in size from emerging businesses to large, established companies. With some of those clients, she said, she has taken on an outside general counsel role, advising them not just in litigation, but with regard to compliance issues, marketing claims and employment.

“I saw synergies that Ballard offered with clients I am engaged with,” Karetnick said, though she declined to specifically name them. “Ballard represents some of the clients of my clients. While some people might see that as a conflict, I see that as a depth of experience.”

Moving to Ballard Spahr offered opportunities to “lead and contribute,” Karetnick said, noting that she would like to become involved in the firm's women's initiative in particular. She and Ballard Spahr chairman Mark Stewart have a long-standing friendship, she said, through their involvement on the board of directors for local nonprofit Students Run Philly Style. Stewart chairs the board.

“I've admired Ballard Spahr's position in the public service and pro bono community,” she said. “Despite almost a decade at Duane Morris … I thought it was a time to try something new.”

Karetnick said she expects her clients to join her at her new firm, though she added that some may continue to work with Duane Morris on certain matters.

In her time at Duane Morris, she worked on a couple of cases that made headlines. She represented pharmaceutical testing company Almac Clinical Service in a trade secrets case filed against a former employee, which ended in voluntary dismissal in 2016. She represented Stan Lee Media Inc. in a fight over the ownership of Spider-Man.

She was also named one of The Legal Intelligencer's Lawyers on the Fast Track in 2011.

A spokesman for Duane Morris said in a statement that the firm wishes Karetnick well in her future endeavors.

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