Christina LaRosa has joined the Chicago office of Anderson, Kill & Olick in insurance recovery litigation on behalf of policyholders. She was an associate at Holland & Knight.

Paula M. Jacobi, a former associate, has been named a partner in Barmann, Bohlen & Jacobi, Kankakee. She practices estate planning, real estate transactions, business and commercial law.

Jason M. Cieslik has joined the firm as an associate in litigation of personal injury, insurance defense, criminal and family law. Former partner Deborah Woodruff is now of counsel to the firm.

Alan J. Martin and Adam K. Hollander have joined Barnes & Thornburg as partners in the Policyholder Insurance Coverage Group of the firm's litigation services in Chicago. Both were with Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.

The new Chicago firm of Belongia & Shapiro was formed Nov. 1 by merger of the Law Offices of Mark. D. Belongia and Law Offices of Benjamin P. Shapiro. Other members of the corporate and banking law practice are Nathaniel R. Sinn and Ian M. Burns.

Helen B. Bloch has opened the Law Offices of Helen Bloch, a general practice, in suite 700 at 200 N. LaSalle, Chicago; telephone (312) 281-9931. Prior to four recent years with Bellows & Bellows, she was an assistant Chicago corporation counsel in the Tort Division for five years.

Patricia Cornell has opened a family law practice in suite 110 at 415 W. Washington, Waukegan. She received a 2007 Lake County Bar Association President's Award for chairing the Young and New Lawyers Committee for the past three years.

Donohue, Brown, Mathewson & Smyth, Chicago, has formed a new management team chaired by John A. Krivicich, who has been financial partner for the past four years.

Mark M. Burden was named financial partner. He was operations and human resources partner for four years. Donald J. Brown Jr., a partner since 1995, is now operations and human resources partner.

Katherine L. Jough has joined the Chicago office of Dykema as of counsel to the Real Estate Practice Group. She was a partner in a Washington, D.C., firm.

Foley & Mansfield, based in Minneapolis, opened a Chicago office on Oct. 1 at 39 S. LaSalle, suite 1110. This is the seventh regional office the firm has opened in the past 12 years.

Jennifer Franklin has been named a partner in the Franklin Law Offices, Park Ridge and Chicago. She handles child custody, removal, support and property matters. The firm was founded by her father, Randy W. Franklin.

Eric E. Carlson has joined GoodSmith, Gregg & Unruth, Chicago, as an associate. Returning to law from the business world, he once was with Latham & Watkins in real estate and corporate matters.

Brian H. Driscoll, Jynnifer E. Bates and Elyse M. Kattengell have joined Inman & Fitzgibbons, Chicago, as associates in workers' compensation and general liability defense.

Carissa Mahr Haning has joined Leighton & Mobley, Bloomington, as an associate in civil litigation, family, real estate and corporate law. She was an associate at Londrigan, Potter & Randle, Springfield.

Mark Kominskas has joined Levenfeld Pearlstein, Chicago, as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He was the owner of Kosmark Capital Advisers for the past three years after practicing with Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz and Schiff Hardin.

Michael K. Moyers has joined Levin & Schreder, Chicago, as a partner in sophisticated tax, business and estate planning for individuals and families.

Daniel D. Frohling of the Intellectual Property Group is administrative partner-in-charge of the office, and Jordan A. Sigale, a recent lateral hire, has been named lateral hiring partner.

Lord, Bissell & Brook, headquartered in Chicago, has combined with Texas-based Locke, Liddell & Sapp to form Locke, Lord, Bissell & Liddell. The Oct. 2 merger resulted in a 700-lawyer firm with 11 offices.

Thomas J. Cunningham, Nick J. DiGiovanni and Jackie Klein of Lord Bissell serve on the executive committee with three lawyers and a chair from Locke Liddell.

Patricia F. Sharkey has joined the Chicago office of McGuireWoods as a partner in the Land Use and Environmental Department. She was with Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.

Robert P. Gal (Capital Markets) and Susan Groh (Complex Commercial Litigation) have joined the firm as associates. Gal was with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and Groh was a law clerk to Judge William J. Bauer of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Elaine Waterhouse Wilson has joined the Chicago office of Quarles & Brady as a partner in the Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice Group. Formerly a partner in Barnes & Thornburg, Indianapolis, she is co-chair of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Section of the American Bar Association Committee on Charitable Organizations.

Jeffrey Piell has joined the firm as a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. He was a partner in Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.

Don W. Weber, a former assistant Madison County state's attorney and 3rd Circuit judge, is of counsel to Reinert & Rourke, a St. Louis-based firm with an office in Edwardsville.

Michael W. Forster has been appointed managing partner in Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, a St. Louis firm with an office in Carbondale.

Gregory M. Feary, a partner in Scopelitis, Garvin, Light & Hanson since 1992, is now a name partner in Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary. The Indianapolis-based trucking and transportation law firm has a Chicago office.