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Hausfeld Starts Own Office, Leaves Cohen Milstein, Firm Says

Michael Hausfeld left the Washington-based plaintiffs class-action firm Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll, where he was a name partner, to start his own office, a spokeswoman said.

Deborah Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the firm, said yesterday that Hausfeld is opening his own law office, Hausfeld LLP, on Nov. 10 and will do work in the U.S. and internationally. Schwartz said the split
with Cohen Milstein was "very amicable.''

Hausfeld's employment ended Nov. 6, managing partner Steven Toll said in an interview. Toll declined to elaborate on the cause of departure, calling it a "private matter and a personnel issue.''

Hausfeld worked for Cohen Milstein since its inception in 1986 and with some of the name partners before then, Toll said. Hausfeld was head of the firm's antitrust and international practices.

Hausfeld's secretary, Laura Robertson, didn't return a call seeking comment yesterday. A receptionist at the firm said that Hausfeld was out for the day.

Hausfeld helped negotiate a $176 million settlement from Texaco Inc. in a 1996 racial-discrimination case. 

--Editors: Cécile Daurat, Michael Hytha.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Cynthia Cotts in New York at +1-212-617-5986 or ccotts@bloomberg.net
Bob Van Voris in New York at +1-212-617-4171 or rvanvoris@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Patrick Oster at +1-212-617-4088 or poster@bloomberg.net