Ogletree Deakins Names Head of International Practice Group, Grows Boston Office

BOSTON, MA – September 1, 2011 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, has tapped Carson Burnham to lead the firm’s International Practice Group. Burnham joins Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder based in the firm’s Boston office. Previously, Burnham was Vice President, Global Employment Law, with Novell, Inc. in Waltham, Mass. where she had been with the company since 2004. Burnham’s experience includes litigation, employment advice and counsel, executive compensation and benefits, mergers and acquisitions, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, and training. Throughout her career, she has developed relationships with attorneys and law firms around the world and has dealt with the peculiarities of employment issues in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as the unique aspects of working with foreign counsel.  

“Carson is an advocate and diplomat for clients and will be an exceptional leader for our firm’s International Practice Group,” said Kim Ebert the managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins. “Clients are asking with increasing frequency for assistance in international issues and Carson’s background and experience will help us galvanize the firm’s existing resources.”  

Burnham has extensive experience in global employment matters as an employment law litigator and advisor. She also has experience managing employment litigation and threatened litigation on a global scale which includes working with in-house and outside counsel, advising executive leadership, international managers and human resources personnel. During her career, Burnham has also tried federal and state cases on matters regarding discrimination, the Family and Medical Leave Act, retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, defamation and fraud. She has advised all levels of management, both directly and through an international team, on issues related to employment contracts, performance management, disciplinary action, termination and redundancy matters on a global scale. “Carson is a talented lawyer and extraordinarily energetic person,” said Josh Davis, managing shareholder of the firm’s Boston office. “She joins a wonderful collection of lawyers and will be able to help our clients face the challenges posed by our global economy.” 

Burnham earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania where she was also Senior Editor of the Journal of Constitutional Law. She also completed a program for leadership development at the Harvard Business School. Earlier, Burnham received a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Vermont where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
 
With the addition of Burnham, Ogletree Deakins continues adding shareholders across the firm’s network of 40 offices including in Atlanta, Greenville, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Philadelphia, and Tampa.

About Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third-largest labor and employment law firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has more than 550 lawyers located in 40 offices from Miami to Los Angeles. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law. Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the United States. For more information, please contact Ryan King, public relations manager, at (404) 870-1742.