Charles S. Donovan, International Finance Attorney, Joins Sheppard Mullin
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP announced that Charles S. Donovan has joined the Firm as a partner in the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice Group in San Francisco. Donovan has extensive experience in negotiating international agreements and in international arbitration and litigation.
Betsy McDaniel, Administrative Partner of the San Francisco office, said, "We are extremely fortunate that Charley has chosen to join our firm. His international expertise fits in well with our office's current patent, trademark, and litigation matters for international clients, and his maritime work brings a new breadth to our real estate and land use group's waterfront practice." Added Richard Brunette, Chairman of the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice Group, "Charley has a wealth of experience in both international and domestic finance, with a strong reputation in maritime matters. He brings a new dimension to our finance practice."
Offered Donovan, "Sheppard’s people are simply the best. That is what attracted me to the firm and excites me about being here. I hope to broaden the firm’s international presence and plan to put its resources to work for my clients around the world."
Donovan's recent engagements have ranged from advising an international leasing company on security issues arising from transactions in numerous countries, including Brazil, Germany, Denmark and Singapore, to handling an ICC arbitration in Seoul in which he obtained a multimillion-dollar recovery for an American investment banking concern against a Korean chaebol.
He received his law degree from Cornell University in 1977 and his undergraduate degree from Haverford College in 1974. Donovan is admitted to practice in California, Louisiana and Massachusetts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He serves as an Early Neutral Evaluator in the Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Program of the United States District Court, in San Francisco. He has held several positions of leadership in the ABA and the Maritime Law Association of the United States. He chaired the ABA TIPS Committee on Admiralty and Maritime Law, the MLA Subcommittee on Liens and Mortgages and the MLA Criminal Law Committee. Donovan is also a member of the International Bar Association, the Union Internationale des Avocats, and the Permanent Advisory Board of the Tulane Admiralty Institute. He has lectured and written on topics relating to international law, admiralty and cross-border leasing issues.
Joining Donovan in the San Francisco office are two associates: Brian R. Blackman and Amy Beth Norris.
Blackman concentrates his practice on commercial litigation, specializing in contract disputes and product liability. He received his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1998, and his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University in 1994.
Norris focuses her practice on corporate transactional work advising clients on business formation and operation, corporate structuring, corporate governance and all phases of buying and selling businesses. In addition, Norris has experience in commercial litigation, including international contracts and employment disputes. She received her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1998, and her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego in 1992.
Sheppard Mullin
has more than 380 attorneys among its eight offices in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Orange County, Del Mar Heights, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. The full-service firm provides counsel in Antitrust and Trade Regulation; White Collar and Civil Fraud Defense; Business Litigation; Construction, Environmental, Real Estate and Land Use Litigation; Corporate; Entertainment and Media; Finance and Bankruptcy; Financial Institutions; Government Contracts and Regulated Industries; Healthcare; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Real Estate, Land Use, Natural Resources and Environment; and Tax, Employee Benefits, Trusts and Estates. The Firm celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2002.
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