Newsmakers

New Associations

Gerald M. Haines II recently joined Verenium Corporation in Cambridge, Mass. as executive vice president and chief legal officer. Verenium develops and markets cellulosic ethanol, an environmentally-friendly and renewable transportation fuel, as well as high-performance specialty enzymes for applications within the biofuels, industrial, and health and nutrition markets. Haines was previously in-house counsel at Enterasys Networks.

Kristin Shea McLean recently joined Combined Properties of Malden, Mass. as associate counsel. Prior to joining Combined Properties, McLean was a litigation associate at Ropes and Gray six years, where she represented clients in complex civil litigation on matters such as trademark infringement, heath care reimbursement and lease disputes. Prior to working at Ropes and Gray, she was a law clerk at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Claudia B. McKelway has been named general counsel to the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, Mass., a multifaceted health care facility available to eligible veterans of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Robert S. Molloy has been named vice president and general counsel at Casual Male Retail Group, Inc., based in Canton, Mass. This is a newly created position. He most recently served as vice president and assistant general counsel at Staples, Inc. Molloy was a trial lawyer at Edwards & Angell and Cooley, Manion, Moore & Jones in Boston prior to becoming an in-house attorney.

Craig Newfield was recently appointed vice president and general counsel at Gomez, Inc., a new position at the company. Gomez (www.gomez.com), a Massachusetts-based company, provides web application software solutions. A software industry veteran with more than 20 years experience, Newfield will focus on customer transactions, mergers and acquisitions and developing the company’s intellectual property assets. Newfield most recently served for six years as vice president and general counsel at MRO Software, as the company re-engineered its products and penetrated new markets, culminating in the company’s acquisition by IBM in 2006. Prior to MRO, Newfield was vice president and general counsel at Interleaf, Inc., a publishing solutions provider acquired by Broadvision in 2000.

Peter A. Spellios was recently appointed senior vice president and general counsel at The Beal Companies, LLP, a closely held real estate investment firm. Spellios will be responsible for negotiating leases, project and deal structuring, and overseeing legal matters for the company and its affiliates. Spellios was most recently a partner with Sherin and Lodgen LLP and chair of its land use, permitting and development practice, where he specialized in the disposition, acquisition, permitting, development, and financing of commercial real estate. He represented landlords and tenants in negotiating retail, office, life sciences and industrial properties. Some of the current Beal projects include the $10 million redevelopment of One Kendall Square, a 10-acre mixed-use complex located in Cambridge, Mass.; the Seaport Center in South Boston; and The Clarendon, a 33-story luxury residential building in Boston’s Back Bay.

Professional Groups

The International Bar Association, headquartered in London, has elected John F. Sherman III, deputy general counsel of National Grid in Westborough, Mass., as vice chair of the IBA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee.