Reed Smith LLP today announced the addition of Bruce Blefeld as a partner in the firm’s Global Regulatory Enforcement Group in Houston. Blefeld was most recently a partner at K&L Gates. The addition of Blefeld follows closely on those of Nic Barzoukas and Josh Davis, partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property, Information & Innovation Practice Group, who joined the Houston office in March. Reed Smith’s Houston office, which opened in 2013, currently has 52 attorneys and is one of the firm’s fastest-growing offices.
“Bruce strengthens our national practice by bringing incredible antitrust litigation and investigation capabilities to our group,” said Jim Sanders, co-chair of Reed Smith’s Global Regulatory Enforcement practice. “His work in the energy sector will be especially helpful to our many global energy clients, and his experience representing health care providers and major pharmaceutical companies is a perfect complement to our leading life sciences and health care practice.”
Blefeld has a wide range of experience in the antitrust arena: he successfully defended a major global health care device and supply company in a $1 billion antitrust suit, and a large health care group purchasing organization (GPO) in a $600 million antitrust suit. He also regularly provides antitrust counseling and guidance to health care providers, major pharmaceutical companies and joint ventures involving competitor collaborations. His other complex litigation work includes defense of ERISA cases involving putative class action claims, and defense of breach of contract and tortious interference claims arising out of domestic and international transactions.
Blefeld obtained his J.D., Order of the Coif, and his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas. He has been recognized by Chambers USA in the field of Antitrust (2013-2015); has been a Texas “Super Lawyer” (2012-2015); and was selected as a “Rising Star” in Antitrust Litigation for several years by Thomson Reuters. Blefeld has also been a member of the “BTI Client Service All-Star Team.”
“Our Houston office continues to attract some of the best talent in town,” said Ken Broughton, Reed Smith’s Houston office managing partner. “Bruce is an outstanding addition to our team and will help us serve our clients’ needs – whether they be local or global – even better.”
Reed Smith’s Global Regulatory Enforcement Practice: Global clients in major markets increasingly encounter parallel regulatory enforcement regimes and proceedings with cross-border impacts. At Reed Smith, our Global Regulatory Enforcement practice is equipped to handle enforcement and regulatory issues across those regimes and disciplines, and to do so with deep experience in numerous industries, and in dealing with the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. We advise clients on regulatory compliance issues and defend clients in all aspects of enforcement proceedings, whether they be antitrust and competition, exports and customs, government contracts, securities, or civil or criminal fraud investigations or prosecutions.
Source: www.reedsmith.com
