Insurance News Net and a variety of legal publications reported today that a construction litigation team of six partners, two counsel and seven associates will be joining Pillsbury in its Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC and New York offices. The group comprising 15 individuals have reportedly left the Howrey firm, and are joining the construction practice group at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Pillsbury Firm Chair Jim Rishwain, commented that “We are enthusiastic to have this team of market-leading professionals join Pillsbury, as these attorneys are remarkable for their breadth of litigation and arbitration experience combined with an unsurpassed focus on construction and infrastructure. Under John Heisse's leadership, as former co-head of Howrey's Construction Litigation group, the team received the 2010 Award for Excellence in Construction by Chambers USA,” According to press releases and the Pillsbury website, the team comprises a marquee group of litigators with an emphasis on resolving disputes for general construction and engineering, real estate and infrastructure projects and securing insurance coverage for those matters. The partners joining Pillsbury are John R. Heisse (San Francisco), David T. Dekker (DC), Robert B. Thum (Los Angeles), Jeffrey Gans (DC), Melissa Lesmes (DC), and Michael McNamara (DC). Heisse will reportedly serve as a leader of Pillsbury s Firmwide Construction Litigation team. In addition, the team will also include two counsel in Los Angeles, five associates in DC, one associate in San Francisco and one associate in New York. Other Howrey partners have joined Pillsbury in the recent past, specifically San Francisco IP litigation partner Duane Mathiowetz joined the firm on February 12, 2011.