A group of corporate, private equity and patent attorneys formerly with Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault have joined the Boston office of Edwards & Angell. Intellectual property attorney Robert J. Tosti and corporate and private equity attorney Heather M. Stone have joined as partners. Private equity attorney Dominic Blue has joined as an associate.
Tosti joins Edwards & Angell's Patents and Intellectual Property practice groups where he focuses his practice on intellectual property law including patent and trademark prosecution, portfolio development, licensing and the assessment and enforcement of intellectual property rights. He has experience in a variety of technologies including software, electronics, telecommunications and medical devices.
Stone is a private equity and transactional attorney with more than 14 years of experience in a range of domestic and cross-border fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, securities and other general corporate transactions. She represents many private equity and venture capital funds in their fund formation and investment transactions, as well as many growth-oriented software, emerging technology and media companies in all stages of development, from start-ups to multi-national public companies.
Stewart F. Grossman of Looney & Grossman, LLP has been re-elected as president of the Red Auerbach Youth Foundation and elected as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Boston Ballet.
Patrick G. Curley recently volunteered at the first-ever Career Day at the Carter Avenue Middle School in Chelsea. More students signed up for his law presentation than for any of the other 14 careers represented that day. For many of the more than 75 students who attended his presentations, it was their first personal encounter with a lawyer.
Asked why they were interested in becoming lawyers, many students remarked that they wanted to "help people" in a challenging, rewarding job. Others simply wanted to wear fancy suits to work. Curley kept the students' attention by sharing entertaining stories from his eight years of law practice. The students asked incredibly insightful questions and helped by responding to questions about the types of skills and characteristics a successful lawyer must possess.
A few days after Career Day, Curley received more than a dozen handwritten letters from students who thanked him for his participation and expressed their desire that someday they hope to become lawyers.
Lisa Weinstein Burns has been named a director in the law firm of Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster. Burns is a member of the Trusts and Estates Department and concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, taxation, business succession planning and estate administration.
Jonathan D. Tamkin, a partner in the Newton law firm of Tamkin & Hochberg, LLP, was recently appointed as a member of Needham's Board of Appeals. He manages the firm's corporate, business and commercial real estate law practices. He also serves as present of the not-for-profit Needham Community Television Development Corp. and as chairman of Needham's Cable Advisory Committee. He is a member of the board of directors of the Variety, The Children's Charity, the Massachusetts chapter of the entertainment industries' children's charity.
Melissa Gnoza Ogden recently joined the Newton law firm of Tamkin & Hochberg, LLP. She practices in the area of estate planning and corporate law. She also is a member of the Essex County Bar Association.
Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Corp., a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity established by attorneys from Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, has awarded one of its Relationship Grants to the Providence Plan in Providence, Rhode Island. Building on an initial grant made to the organization last year, the 2005 Relationship Grant will help to fund the training of approximately 30 new "Ready to Learn Providence" teachers in conjunction with grant funds obtained from the AmeriCorps program. Ready to Learn Providence (R2LP) is a unique program which expands early child literacy opportunities by training day care workers in teaching skills.
Ten people were nominated for membership on the ABA Board of Governors including Don S. De Amicis of Boston's Ropes & Gray, who will represent the ABA Section of International Law. The names of the board nominees will also be presented to the House of Delegates for election in August. Each is nominated to serve a three-year term on the 39-member board.