Zuckerman Spaeder LLP Chairman Graeme W. Bush Named to The National Law Journal’s 2012 List of “Visionaries”

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP is pleased to announce that The National Law Journal has named firm chairman and managing partner Graeme W. Bush to its 2012 list of “Legal Times Visionaries.” The National Law Journal’s article highlights Mr. Bush’s success in not only shepherding the firm through the recent economic downturn, but also spearheading a strategic expansion in the past year through the addition of a prominent group of attorneys in the New York and Baltimore offices, as well as the Food and Drug Practice in Washington, DC. Andrew Sandler, chairman and executive partner of BuckleySandler, described Mr. Bush as “a very fine lawyer with judgment I most value,” adding, “when we started [BuckleySandler] three years ago, [Zuckerman was] one of the models we looked at.”

“While I am personally gratified to receive this recognition, the main credit should go to my colleagues at Zuckerman Spaeder, who are responsible for the firm’s reputation and collegial environment, and whose dedication to our clients and to the highest quality representation has produced success in numerous high-profile and complex cases. It is my colleagues who enable the firm to attract lawyers with the outstanding talent of those who have joined us in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC,” said Mr. Bush.

Mr. Bush maintains a successful practice focused on complex civil litigation and white collar criminal investigations and prosecutions. He has more than 30 years of experience litigating sophisticated business disputes on behalf of CEOs and other executives, companies, hedge funds, and other law firms. At the same time that he is leading some of Zuckerman Spaeder’s most challenging cases, Mr. Bush is also leading of the firm’s strategic growth.

The firm’s strategic expansion in New York was built around the recruitment of three accomplished litigators—Steven M. Cohen, former chief advisor and strategist to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Paul Shechtman, former Director of Criminal Justice under former New York Gov. George Pataki; and Andrew E. Tomback, former Milbank partner with extensive regulatory and civil litigation experience. The New York expansion added significant depth and experience to the firm’s nationally recognized business litigation and white collar criminal defense practices.

“In New York we have brought together lawyers who have excelled in the public and private arenas,” said Mr. Cohen. “What we are building in New York reflects Graeme’s leadership: a practice that embodies the Zuckerman Spaeder approach, in which lawyers are counselors, not merely technicians, who operate as a strategically minded team that works with our clients to understand the issues they face and then to develop and help implement smart and effective solutions.”

Zuckerman Spaeder already maintained a well-regarded practice in Baltimore, but through the addition of five attorneys from Murphy and Shaffer LLC—including William J. Murphy and Robert T. Shaffer—the firm was able to double the size of the Baltimore office, further enhancing its litigation capacity not just regionally but throughout the East Coast.

“The attorneys at Murphy & Shaffer were pleased to join their colleagues at Zuckerman Spaeder,” said Mr. Murphy. “The firm’s Baltimore office now consists of 10 seasoned litigators with a remarkable range of experience in handling complex civil litigation, claims of professional malpractice, and white collar criminal investigations and trials. That a firm of this size offers clients such an array of top flight litigators—able to handle a matter competently and efficiently, from developing an initial litigation strategy through trials and appeals—is a testament to Graeme’s success at attracting top-caliber attorneys to Zuckerman Spaeder.”

In Washington, DC, nationally recognized practitioner Kate C. Beardsley joined the firm’s Food and Drug Practice. Her arrival has further enhanced the firm’s ability to represent clients in the wide array of counseling, litigation, compliance and legislative policy matters faced by individuals and companies doing business in the U.S. food, drug, and medical device industries. Since she joined the firm, Zuckerman Spaeder’s Food and Drug Practice has achieved impressive results in a number of matters, including helping clients with U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of generic versions of a number of notable brand-name drugs.

The National Law Journal’s annual Legal Times Visionaries feature recognizes lawyers based in the metropolitan Washington area “whose legal or business acumen has been key to expanding their firms or advancing the law.” Recognition on the list is determined by the editors of The National Law Journal.

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Katie Munroe
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