Law360
April 5, 2017
By Cara Bayles
Buchalter announced Tuesday that its Sacramento office has added a shareholder, counsel and two associates — all from LeClairRyan — with expertise in commercial, business, bankruptcy and employment law.
Robert McWhorter has more than 20 years of litigation experience, and joins the firm as a shareholder, specializing in representing financial institutions in bankruptcy and lender liability cases. In his business and commercial practice, his clients include businesses in the real estate, manufacturing, health care and automotive industries.
He comes to Buchalter after two years at LeClairRyan, where he started as a partner leading its Sacramento office and ended as a shareholder. Prior to that, he worked as partner at Nossaman LLP. He holds a business degree from the University of Michigan, a law degree from Wayne State University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.
The additions of McWhorter as well as Kevin Collins, who will join the firm as of counsel, and Jacqueline Vu and Jarrett Osborne, who both join as associates, bring the office total to 13.
The announcement comes six weeks after Buchalter opened a Sacramento office focused on banking- and energy-related issues with a team of four lawyers from the California Power Law Group and three lawyers from Downey Brand LLP.
McWhorter said the chance to build up the new office was what excited him about the job.
“The opportunity to join the newly established office of a firm like Buchalter is a unique opportunity that we could not pass up,” he said in a statement. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to join during such an exciting time and bring along a great team as we continue to represent all types of clients — trustees, secured creditors, acquirers, and more — in their litigation matters.”
Collins has 20 years of experience representing insurers, public agencies, financial companies and car manufacturers in class actions, multi-district litigation, product liability cases and antitrust litigation. He holds a law degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands.
Vu represents banking clients in debt, liability and foreclosure lawsuits, as well as employers in discrimination, accommodation, whistleblower and wage-and-hour litigation. She received her law degree from the University of the Pacific and her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Osborne represents public and private institutions in bankruptcy and employment lawsuits. He has a law degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law, as well as business and bachelor’s degrees from Monmouth University.
Adam J. Bass, president and CEO of Buchalter, said in a statement he was glad to welcome the new additions to the Sacramento office.
“I am confident they will make strong contributions to both the local office culture and the firm,” he said. “As we continue to expand, I’m looking forward to further deepening our footprint in the Sacramento region and all of our office locations in the months to come.”
–Additional reporting by Dorothy Atkins. Editing by Orlando Lorenzo.
Source: Law360
