CINCINNATI, OH – March 27, 2009 – Baker Hostetler announced today the expansion of its Litigation Group with the addition of Counsel William H. Hawkins II. Mr. Hawkins, who previously served as Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary of Convergys Corporation, a publicly traded S&P 500 company, will be resident in Baker Hostetler’s Cincinnati Office. Prior to Convergys, Mr. Hawkins was a partner and Chair of the Executive Committee at Frost & Jacobs (now known as Frost Brown Todd).
A veteran trial lawyer, Mr. Hawkins has significant experience as a third party neutral in complex commercial and business litigation. He has served as trial counsel in numerous complex national cases, including the defense of medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and the operator of a DOE facility in Fernald, Ohio. Mr. Hawkins also has extensive experience in the defense of wrongful termination claims brought against large multinational and domestic businesses.
In his role at Convergys, Mr. Hawkins was responsible for Sarbanes-Oxley and SEC compliance, corporate security, government relations and lobbying efforts. He worked closely with the Board and served on the corporation’s Executive Committee.
In addition to his legal experience, Mr. Hawkins is also co-founder of Playground Marketing, LLC, a publishing company specializing in children’s books which universities and private charities use for educational and fundraising purposes.
Active within the community, Mr. Hawkins currently serves on the Regional Board of Mercy Health Partners of Southwestern Ohio, as a Board Member for People for MR/DD Services, and is on the Board of Trustees of the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor in Northern Kentucky University's MBA Program and a Faculty Member at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, University of Cincinnati.
"We are thrilled to welcome Bill Hawkins, a respected practitioner and community leader, to our office," said Dave Holcombe, Partner-in-Charge of the firm's Cincinnati Office. "While other law firms are downsizing or in a hiring freeze, Baker Hostetler continues to grow in key practice areas to meet the needs of clients across the firm, as they face ever-increasing challenges in today’s global economy," said Holcombe.
"I am delighted that Bill has joined our team," said Ray Whitman, Group Chair of the firm's national Litigation Group. "He is a highly-skilled, experienced litigator with exceptional credentials. Having been in-house with a major, multinational professional services company and serving for many years as Chair of the Executive Committee at his previous firm, Bill is uniquely qualified to partner with our clients to help them devise solutions to their most pressing legal issues," Whitman said.
About Baker Hostetler Founded over 90 years ago in 1916, Baker Hostetler is among the nation’s 100 largest law firms with 600 attorneys coast to coast. The firm has 10 offices nationwide: New York, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Costa Mesa, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando and Washington, D.C. Its five primary practice groups are Business, Employment, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Tax. For more information, visit the firm’s Web site at www.bakerlaw.com. # # #
Contact: Christine L. Gill Communications Manager (216) 861-7852 cgill@bakerlaw.com