Shook Expands Data and Discovery Strategies Practice

New arrivals have extensive in-house experience

Two attorneys with in-house eDiscovery experience have joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon’s Data and Discovery Strategies practice and enhanced the group’s presence on the East Coast.

Of Counsel Vincent M. Catanzaro and Jesse E. Weisshaar joined Shook in March 2015 in the firm’s Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. offices, respectively. Their arrival follows last year’s addition of two other former in-house counsel, Partner Patrick Oot and Of Counsel Daniel Lim. Oot is in Shook’s Washington, D.C. office, and Lim is in Houston.

Before joining Shook, Catanzaro served as Senior Counsel, Global Discovery Manager for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, where he was responsible for counseling the company on how best to comply with evolving legal standards relating to discovery and data and technology management. At DuPont, Catanzaro “developed and implemented innovative strategies that saved the company millions of dollars,” said Silvio DeCarli, DuPont’s former Associate General Counsel and Chief Litigation Counsel.

Weisshaar rejoined Shook after serving as Assistant Senior Counsel, Litigation and Compliance, at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where she was particularly active in the development and refinement of policies and practices relating to data preservation and collection.

“Vince and Jesse are problem-solvers with first-hand knowledge of issues that our clients face every day,” said Denise Talbert, practice group chair. “We couldn’t be happier that these two outstanding lawyers have chosen to join our team.”

Oot joined Shook in April 2014 after serving as senior special counsel for electronic discovery in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Office of the General Counsel. He was previously in-house with Verizon as Director of Electronic Discovery and Senior Litigation Counsel.

Lim, who joined Shook in July 2014, is a former Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Guidance Software, Inc., where he managed a team of attorneys responsible for consulting on eDiscovery, cybersecurity and records management initiatives.

“Shook continues a committed tradition in exceeding our client expectations for discovery and data strategic needs,” said Oot. “Our firm’s deep bench of former in-house lawyers has the seasoned experience that clients need.”

Shook’s Data and Discovery Strategies practice provides results that are creative, defensible and cost-effective. The group’s focus extends to records and information management as well as discovery. Services include defensible data disposition; development of records policies and procedures; data and document preservation, collection, review, and production; a document review center featuring a temporary analyst program and managed review services; and implementation and support of state-of-the-art technology.

“Shook has been a trailblazer in data and discovery with more than 30 years’ experience serving client needs in this area,” said Madeleine McDonough, Shook Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Litigation Division Chair and Shook Executive Committee Member. “We continue to build upon our incredible heritage and strength, and we look toward the future and increasingly complex issues associated with data, discovery, privacy, and security.”