International trade attorney Kelsey Rule left Schagrin Associates in May, according to a motion withdrawing her from a case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. According to her LinkedIn page, Rule, who worked in Schagrin's international trade litigation practice, spent over four years at the firm.

Bret Vallacher, a former trial attorney at DOJ, moved to the Washington, D.C., office of Massey & Gail in May, Vallacher confirmed with Trade Law Daily. Vallacher's practice will center on a wide range of issues including "contract, employment, securities, antitrust, theft of trade secrets, trademark, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, fraud, defamation, election law, and constitutional takings," the firm said. The attorney, who helped litigate AD/CVD and customs cases at DOJ, said that the case that brought him to join Massey & Gail is the suit by cancer victims against Johnson & Johnson claiming that the company's talcum-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer. Vallacher told TLD he is working on the case.

Attorney Jon Yormick took 29 cases with him when he moved from Flannery Georgalis to create his own firm, Yormick Law LLC, his office confirmed with Trade Law Daily. Yormick began the process of filing notices of attorney substitutions in the cases, all of which are attached to the massive Section 301 litigation. The 29 cases involve 36 total companies that migrated with Yormick. The firm was founded on Jan. 1 as a relaunch of Yormick's small firm practice, last referred to as Law Offices of Jon P. Yormick Co., which existed from 1995-2019.

Former partners at Crowell & Moring and Ashurst have joined European firm Van Bael & Bellis's growing London-based International Trade practice, the firm announced. Michelle Linderman, formerly at Crowell, joins as a partner whose practice will center on "UK-specific and cross-border sanctions, the UK Modern Slavery Act, export controls, and cybersecurity issues," among other issues in international trade and sanctions. Joining her is Ross Denton, former head of International Trade at Ashurst, as senior counsel. His practice will key in on "export controls, sanctions, customs and trade remedies, as well as cartels, state aid/subsidy control and foreign direct investment control."

Mayer Brown added former DOJ attorney Adam Hickey as a partner. Hickey, previously deputy assistant attorney general in DOJ’s National Security Division, will focus on sanctions, export controls and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., among other issues, the firm said this week.

Caitrin McKiernan, former attorney with Shearman & Sterling, joined Steptoe & Johnson's Hong Kong and New York offices as a partner in its Investigations and White-Collar Defense Practice. McKiernan's practice will center on "multijurisdictional compliance reviews and internal investigations, crafting compliance policies, providing proactive compliance counseling, and leading interactive compliance training," the firm said. McKiernan also will aid companies seeking to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, economic sanctions and export controls, the firm said.

Catherine Hein, former acting principal deputy assistant general counsel of enforcement and intelligence at the Treasury Department, has joined Latham & Watkins in its Washington, D.C.-based Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and U.S. National Security Practice. While at Treasury, Hein also worked as the CFIUS managing counsel helping review cases before the committee. Her practice will focus on "matters involving CFIUS and US national security regulatory regimes," the firm said.

Seven attorneys and two international trade professionals, all from McDermott Will, joined Blank Rome's international trade practice group in Washington. The new lawyers are partners Joanne Osendarp and Eric Parnes, senior counsel Lynn Kamarck and Alan Kashdan, of counsel Conor Gilligan, and associates Tyler Kimberly and Brendan Saslow. Also joining are Jorge Miranda as trade economic adviser and Deborah Flinn as international trade manager, both from McDermott Will. Osendarp will co-chair the practice group with Anthony Rapa. The attorneys' practices involve trade remedy cases, export controls and sanctions proceedings and False Claims Act litigation, among other things, Blank Rome said.

Holland & Knight added 17 attorneys -- seven partners, two senior counsel and eight associates -- from Mexican law firm Sanchez DeVanny to its Mexico City and Monterrey offices. The new lawyers primarily focus on international trade and corporate law issues, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Holland & Knight said.

Washington, D.C.-based boutique firm Olsson Frank is merging with Benjamin L. England & Associates, the firms announced. The Ben L. England attorneys, with expertise cover the FDA, customs and trade, litigation and regulation, will join Olsson Frank starting May 1. The move will bring Olsson Frank's team up to over 35 attorneys, policy advisers, regulatory advisers, trade lawyers and litigators.