In 2015, a notable group of senior laterals joined the firm from diverse positions in government, business, higher education and private practice.
Denver
Ben Fernandez is an intellectual property lawyer who possesses noteworthy subject matter and industry knowledge and has more than 10 years of experience in patent portfolio management, freedom to operate/competitive landscape and IP diligence. He is a partner in the Intellectual Property and Litigation/Controversy Departments and the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice.
Natalie Hanlon Leh is an experienced intellectual property lawyer who serves as lead counsel in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets matters, representing clients in a wide range of technologies, including chemistry assays, genetic research methods, software, cloud storage, fiber-optic networks, tunable lasers and erbium doped fiber amplifiers. She is a partner in the Litigation Department and the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Ms. Hanlon Leh is also co-partner-in-charge of WilmerHale's Denver, Colorado, office.
Mary (Mindy) V. Sooter focuses on patent litigation and other intellectual property and business disputes, with an emphasis on cases involving telecommunications, electrical engineering and computer science. Ms. Sooter has represented clients in courts throughout the United States and in the International Trade Commission. She is a partner in the Litigation/Controversy Department and the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice.
Andrew L. Spielman is a leading public lands, environmental and natural resources lawyer whose practice involves administrative and regulatory proceedings and government relations and centers around assisting energy clients with policy and regulatory issues involved in developing new facilities, as well as representing ski areas, timber, mining, and oil and gas companies in the public land use and environmental permitting process. Mr. Spielman is a partner in the Regulatory and Government Affairs Department, chair of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Practice, and co-partner-in-charge of the Denver office.
Los Angeles
James W. Hill, MD, has a robust practice focused on patent litigation, prosecution and post-grant proceedings including inter partes review, as well as strategic counseling, intellectual property due diligence and licensing. He handles significant intellectual property matters for clients in a range of industry sectors including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, software, and signal and imaging processing. His work has included serving as trial counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement suits involving breast cancer genes and associated genetic testing, and multiple medical devices and technologies. Dr. Hill is a partner in the Intellectual Property and Litigation/Controversy Departments.
New York
Sharon Cohen Levin is a leading authority on anti-money laundering (AML), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), economic sanctions and asset forfeiture. Ms. Levin served for 19 years as Chief of the Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Ms. Levin is a partner in the Regulatory and Government Affairs, Litigation/Controversy and Securities Departments.
Anjan Sahni is a highly experienced litigator who has overseen some of the most significant white-collar and securities fraud prosecutions in recent years. Mr. Sahni rejoined WilmerHale after more than a decade as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he recently served as Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and Co-Chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Mr. Sahni is a partner in the Litigation/Controversy and Securities Departments.
Palo Alto
Samuel Coates is an experienced corporate lawyer who serves as lead counsel in a variety of matters that focus on technology, emerging companies, life sciences, medical devices, software and education, among others. Mr. Coates is a partner in the Transactional Department and the Corporate Practice.
Washington DC
Amy R. Doberman has more than 25 years of experience advising clients on federal securities laws, compliance and regulatory requirements pertaining to retail and institutional asset management and wealth management businesses, including almost seven years at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Doberman is a partner in the Securities Department and the Investment Management Practice.
D. Reed Freeman, Jr., is a leading authority on privacy, cybersecurity, and online, mobile, and social media advertising and privacy law. He also has extensive experience defending clients in FTC and state consumer protection investigations and data breach responses and counseling clients on related compliance issues, as well as on advertising and privacy laws and self-regulatory codes. Mr. Freeman is a partner in the Regulatory and Government Affairs Department and serves as co-chair of the firm's Cybersecurity, Privacy and Communications Practice.
Michael Gordon joined WilmerHale after spending four years in senior positions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, helping to design, build and set priorities for the CFPB since its inception. Previously, Mr. Gordon was counselor to the general counsel of the US Department of the Treasury. He is a partner in the Regulatory and Government Affairs and Litigation/Controversy Departments and Chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Practice.
Matt Jones represents corporations and individuals in high-stakes government enforcement actions, internal investigations, congressional investigations and complex litigation. He is an experienced advocate and counselor who helps clients navigate the most difficult legal and reputational challenges. Mr. Jones rejoined WilmerHale after serving as counsel and chief of staff to two US Attorneys in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. He is a partner in the Litigation/Controversy Department and the Investigations and Criminal Litigation and Government and Regulatory Litigation Practices.
Rob Lehman focuses on government relations and developing and implementing strategies to help clients achieve their objectives in Congress and in Federal agencies. Mr. Lehman brings more than 20 years of experience on Capitol Hill to his role as senior public policy advisor in WilmerHale's Regulatory and Government Affairs Department and co-chair of the firm's Legislative Affairs and Public Policy Practice.
Ronald C. Machen is one of the nation's leading trial and white-collar defense lawyers. His practice focuses on government enforcement actions, corporate and congressional investigations, and complex civil litigation. He specializes in helping clients navigate high-stakes, crisis situations that garner the attention of multiple regulators, enforcement authorities, Congress and private litigants. Prior to rejoining the firm in 2015, Mr. Machen served for five years as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Mr. Machen is a partner in the Litigation/Controversy Department and the Investigations and Criminal Litigation Practice.
Stephen W. Preston counsels clients on their most complex and sensitive issues involving defense, intelligence and national security. A former General Counsel of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), he has a wealth of experience in investigations, litigation, federal procurement, False Claims Act, CFIUS, cybersecurity, strategic counseling and crisis management. Before returning to WilmerHale in 2015, Mr. Preston was the senior-most, longest-serving national security counsel appointed in the Obama Administration, and the only person ever to have served as the chief legal officer of both the Department of Defense and the CIA. Mr. Preston is a partner in the Regulatory and Government Affairs and Litigation/Controversy Departments and chair of the firm's Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice.
Mark B. Rotenberg, a senior member of WilmerHale's Education Practice, offers clients unique insight and experience gleaned from more than two decades serving as the chief legal officer at preeminent private and public research universities. Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Rotenberg was Vice President and General Counsel of Johns Hopkins University, the nation's leading university in total research expenditures with activities in more than 130 countries. Mr. Rotenberg is a special counsel in the Litigation/Controversy and Government and Regulatory Affairs Departments.