On the Move

Alper Deniz has joined the London office of Brown Rudnick LLP as a partner in the European Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Group. Formerly a partner at Chadbourne & Parke LLP, Alper follows the recent arrival of fellow Chadbourne restructuring veteran Adrian Harris, and brings the number of new Brown Rudnick London partner hires to six since June 2011. Alper has extensive experience in international financing transactions, debt capital markets, debt restructuring and derivatives transactions.

Three bankruptcy attorneys have joined Foley & Lardner LLP and will practice in the firm's San Diego office. Christopher Celentino, Mikel R. Bistrow and Kathryn M.S. Catherwood are now partners in the firm's Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice. Prior to joining Foley, all three were members of the Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring group at Duane Morris LLP. Celentino focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, business reorganization and creditor's rights, with a specialty in the crossover of family law and bankruptcy. Bistrow represents borrowers and lenders in real and personal property loans and secured transactions. Catherwood represents creditors, debtors and trustees involved in workouts, commercial litigation, bankruptcy and lender liability/secured creditor matters. Bistrow and Celentino will also act as the Western Regional co-chairs of Foley's Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice.

Becker Meisel LLC has named Suzanne Iazzetta as counsel to the firm, practicing in its Livingston, NJ, office. Iazzetta will handle both debtor-side and creditor-side bankruptcy and restructuring matters. She was previously an associate at Lowenstein Sandler, where she spearheaded the development of the business and finance curriculum at Lowenstein Sandler University, the education arm of the firm, in addition to playing an integral role in numerous high-profile bankruptcy cases.

Partners Chris Safarian and Alex Choi have left Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis to open Safarian & Choi in downtown Los Angeles. Their new firm will focus on corporate and securities matters, litigation and bankruptcy. They expect the firm to grow to as many as 15 attorneys during the next 24 months.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has announced that M. Natasha Labovitz has joined the firm as a partner in its New York office and a member of the firm's Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group. Labovitz focuses her practice on the representation of debtors, having acted as lead debtor counsel in several of the largest Chapter 11 cases filed in recent years, including Chemtura Corporation and TOUSA, Inc. Labovitz joins Debevoise from the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she was a partner in its Restructuring Group.