Oved & Oved of SoHo, NY, has moved from its home for five years to a more spacious space on 101 Avenue of the Americas. Expecting growth over the next year, the firm needed more room than was offered at their old 4,500 square foot office on 110 Greene Street. The new 15,000 square foot office features newly constructed perimeter offices and secretarial workstations, a 30-seat conference room, a cafeteria, a law library, and several trial preparation rooms. Oved & Oved specializes in complex commercial litigation, entertainment, corporate, real estate and e-commerce law.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

With all the recent pay raises, one might wonder how smaller firms that can’t afford those salaries can compete and acquire quality associates. The answer is that small to mid-size firms, instead of focusing on compensation, emphasize quality-of-life, quality of work offered, client contact, and collegiality and/or reputation of its attorneys. According to a survey done by Abelson Legal Search in 2006, as well as associates who spoke to The Legal, most lawyers would take less money for more free time. Quality-of-life issues such as more free time are especially important to mid-level associates looking to make a lateral move. Junior associates are more motivated by money because of their law school debt, but they quickly learn once they start working that there are other factors to consider when choosing a firm. Other perks of mid-size firms include faster tracks to partnership and more incorporation of associates into firm management.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Boston-based firm, Fish & Richardson, announced Monday that it would increase its starting salary to $160,000 in all its offices. Doing so, this intellectual property firm is the first to raise first year’s pay in D.C. by $25,000 (from $135,000). The firm has about 50 attorneys in its D.C. office and joins McKee Nelson with salary hike. Washington firm, Covington & Burling, also announced an increase to $145,000 for its 400-lawyer D.C. office.
Source: www.law.com

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft’s top antitrust lawyer, Steven Sunshine, and two other antitrust partners moved to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom this week. This is the second recent lateral move for these attorneys, as all three had joined Cadwalader less than two years ago from Shearman & Sterling, where Mr. Sunshine had also headed the antitrust practice. Mr. Sunshine commented that Skadden’s larger M&A practice and established antitrust practice were the main draws to the firm.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Firms that have established offices in Boston over the past couple years are seeking to expand by acquiring lateral hires. Filling an office in this manner is not easy, and firms understand that it requires patience and sometimes just good timing to find individuals who will be a good fit. The competition for top laterals in Boston is fierce among the firms new to the market. In general, large firms are looking for $1 million in portable billings, and some are offering signing bonuses starting at $50,000 and even reaching $150,000.
Source: www.law.com

McKee Nelson announced last Friday that it would raise the salaries of its D.C. and NY first year associates to $160,000, matching the increases made by NY firms earlier in the week. This salary hike is an all-time high for a D.C. firm; McKee Nelson was before paying a starting salary of $145,000. No other D.C. firms have given word about a similar decision, but most likely some will eventually follow with a raise of their own.
Source: www.law.com