November 11, 2013 – Reed Smith LLP today announced management changes affecting four of its 25 offices worldwide.
Vincent R. Gordon, Middle East Head of Business & Finance is the new Middle East Managing Partner, assuming management responsibility for the Abu Dhabi office, which he currently manages, and the Dubai office. Former Dubai Managing Partner Chau Ee Lee, a construction and engineering lawyer, is returning to his home base in Singapore.
Len Bernstein is the new managing partner in Philadelphia, replacing Ajay Raju, a real estate and real estate finance law practitioner who has served in the position since February 2009.
In Richmond, S. Miles Dumville has begun transitioning into the role of Office Managing Partner currently filled by Curtis Manchester. After 7 years at the helm of the Richmond office, Curt will step down January 1 in order to focus full-time on his commercial litigation and dispute resolution practice.
“The role of Office Managing Partner is a demanding one,” said Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith’s Global Managing Partner. “And we are grateful for the many contributions of Chau Ee, Ajay, and Curt. We are also delighted to have such capable talent as Vince, Len and Miles to carry on our tradition of strong management across the firm’s international platform.”
Vince Gordon became a Reed Smith partner in 2007, when the firm combined with Richards Butler, which he had joined in 2005. Before joining Richards Butler, he was a member of top-tier Australian law firms and served as general counsel of a leading Australian investment research company.
“The Middle East is a vibrant, growing region where Reed Smith has developed a strong presence and key relationships with many of the world’s leading companies,” said Gordon. “I am pleased to assume this new role of providing coordinated leadership to further the global and regional influence of our offices here.”
After practicing for three years in Reed Smith’s London office, Gordon joined the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, where he served as the firm’s Middle East Head of Business and Finance. He is rated a leading lawyer in Middle East banking and finance by many independent legal directories, including Chambers Global, Legal 500, IFLR and PLC. Gordon earned his law degree at the University of Queensland.
Len Bernstein brings years of management experience in several areas at Reed Smith, where he is a member of the Financial Industry Group and heads the Financial Services Regulatory Group. In addition to five years of service on the firm’s Executive Committee, Len was a primary force in establishing Reed Smith’s Princeton office in 1992 and has previously served as that office’s managing partner. Len has been active in both the NJ and PA Bar Associations as well as many organizations in the greater Philadelphia civic community, where he holds positions on numerous not-for-profit boards.
A 1983 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, Bernstein said, “I welcome another opportunity to serve in leadership at Reed Smith. Philadelphia is an important market for the firm and its clients and I look forward to leading Reed Smith’s continued development in the market.”
Miles Dumville joined Reed Smith in 1999, when Hazel & Thomas P.C. combined with the firm. He joined Hazel & Thomas in 1981. A 1976 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Dumville has nearly 40 years of experience representing clients in the financial services, construction and real estate industries.
“Our Richmond office has had the benefit of solid, strategic leadership for decades,” said Dumville. “I am excited to transition into an Office Managing Partner role that achieves a positive balance with my busy complex litigation and dispute resolution practice.”
Dumville’s practice includes mediation, jury trials and complex litigation in federal and state courts, before administrative agencies and in arbitration proceedings. He is also active in representing Reed Smith’s pro bono clients. Dumville was named by Virginia Lawyers Weekly among its 2013 ‘Leaders in the Law” and has been named among Virginia's "Legal Elite” in Construction every year since 2008 by Virginia Business Magazine, as well as a "Super Lawyer" by Virginia Super Lawyers magazine in the General Litigation practice category every year since 2006.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute-resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
U.S.: New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, Princeton, Northern Virginia, Wilmington, Silicon Valley, Century City, Richmond
Europe: London, Paris, Munich, Greece
Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Asia: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Kazakhstan