Development Specialists, Inc. v. Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Filing 1

MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE BANKRUPTCY REFERENCE. Bankruptcy Court Case Numbers: 08-1500A, 06-B-12226 (RDD).Document filed by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP.(bkar)

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
In re:
COUDERT BROTHERS LLP,

Bankruptcy Court
Case No. 06-12226 (RDD)

Debtor.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1490 (RDD)

v.
AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1491 (RDD)

v.
ARENT FOX LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.
DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP,
Defendant.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1492 (RDD)

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1493 (RDD)

v.
DUANE MORRIS LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1494 (RDD)

v.
JONES DAY,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1446 (RDD)

JONES DAY and SCOTT JONES,
Defendants.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.
JONES DAY and
GEOFFROY DE FOESTRAETS,
Defendants.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1433

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1486 (RDD)

JONES DAY and
JINGZHOU TAO,
Defendants.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1495 (RDD)

K&L GATES LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1496 (RDD)

v.
MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.
SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP,
Defendant.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 08-1500 (RDD)

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,
v.

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 09-1148 (RDD)

DLA PIPER (US) LLP,
Defendant.
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.,
in its capacity as Plan Administrator for
Coudert Brothers LLP,
Plaintiff,

Bankruptcy Court
Adv. Pro. No. 09-1149 (RDD)

v.
DECHERT LLP,
Defendant.
TO:

David J. Adler
McCarter & English LLP
245 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10167
Counsel for Plaintiff
Development Specialists, Inc.
NOTICE OF MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE
REFERENCE AND FOR ABSTENTION
RELIEF IS SOUGHT from a United States District Judge of the United States

District Court for the Southern District of New York pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(d) and
1334(c)(1) and Rules 5011(a) and 9033(b) of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure
(“Bankruptcy Rules”).
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that upon the accompanying joint memorandum of law,
the Declaration of Claire L. Huene, dated August 24, 2011, and the exhibits thereto, and all prior
pleadings and proceedings herein, the law firm defendants in the above-referenced adversary

proceedings, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Arent Fox LLP, Dorsey & Whitney LLP,
Duane Morris LLP, Jones Day, K&L Gates LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Sheppard Mullin
Richter & Hampton LLP, DLA Piper LLP (US), and Dechert LLP (collectively, the “Law Firm
Defendants”), will move the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York,
at the United States Courthouse located at 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York, at such time
as is designated by the Court, for an Order (1) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(d) and Bankruptcy
Rule 5011 withdrawing the reference of the above-referenced adversary proceedings from the
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, (2) for abstention
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(c)(1); or (3) in the alternative to abstention, for an order converting
the Bankruptcy Court’s conclusions of law on a dispositive issue central to these adversary
proceedings to proposed conclusions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(c)(1) and Bankruptcy Rule
9033(b).
Pursuant to Local Rule 5011-1 of the Local Rules of the United States Bankruptcy
Court for the Southern District of New York, the Law Firm Defendants submit these motions to
the Clerk of the Court of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New
York.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that pursuant to Local Rule 6.1(b) of the
Local Rules of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, any
answering memoranda shall be served within fourteen (14) days after service of the moving
papers, and reply memoranda shall be served within seven (7) days after service of the answering
papers.

Dated: New York, New York
August 24, 2011
MILLER & WRUBEL P.C.
By: /s/ Claire L. Huene
Joel M. Miller
Claire L. Huene
570 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
Dechert LLP

MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
By: /s/ Brett H. Miller
Brett H. Miller
Erica J. Richards
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10104
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
Morrison & Foerster LLP

QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART &
SULLIVAN LLP
By: /s/ Eric M. Kay
Eric J. Emanuel
Susheel Kirpalani
Eric M. Kay
51 Madison Avenue, 22nd Floor
New York, New York 10010
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &Feld LLP

DUANE MORRIS LLP
A Delaware Limited Liability Partnership
By: /s/ Lawrence J. Kotler
Lawrence J. Kotler
1540 Broadway
New York, NY 10036-4086
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Lewis R. Olshin
Lauren Lonergan Taylor
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
Duane Morris LLP

K&L GATES LLP
By: /s/ Jeffrey N. Rich
Jeffrey N. Rich
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
K&L Gates LLP

KRAMON & GRAHAM, P.A.
By: /s/ James P. Ulwick
James P. Ulwick (admitted pro hac vice)
One South Street, Suite 2600
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Tel: [phone]
- and MEISTER SEELIG & FEIN LLP
Jeffrey Schreiber
Howard Davis
140 East 45th Street, 19th Floor
New York, New York 10017
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
DLA Piper (US) LLP

ARENT FOX LLP
By: /s/ George Angelich
George Angelich
Allen G. Reiter
1675 Broadway
New York, New York 10019
Tel: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant Arent Fox LLP

SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER
& HAMPTON LLP
By: /s/ Malani J. Cademartori
Malani J. Cademartori
Daniel L. Brown
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
D. Ronald Ryland, Cal. Bar No. 49749
(admitted pro hac vice)
Four Embarcadero Center, 17th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP
By: /s/ Jessica D. Mikhailevich
Jessica D. Mikhailevich
250 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10177
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant Dorsey & Whitney LLP

JONES DAY
By: /s/ Steven C. Bennett
222 East 41st Street
New York, New York 10017
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Geoffrey S. Stewart
51 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Attorneys for Defendant Jones Day

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on this 24th day of August 2011, I caused the forgoing Notice
of Motion and accompanying Declaration of Claire L. Huene, and exhibits thereto, to be served
by hand on counsel for Development Specialists, Inc.
Dated: New York, New York
August 24, 2011

/s/ Claire L. Huene
Claire L. Huene