Howrey has announced that starting next year they will be changing from a lockstep compensation system to a merit-based system for its associates. In making the change, the firm aims to compensate associates for what they are worth, no matter how what their seniority level. Firm leaders also see it as fairer to their clients, who will no longer be forced to pay an associate more just because he or she has one more year under the belt. First years will still start at the market rate of $160,000, but all other associates advance according to personal evaluations. Their performance and experience could, for instance, shorten or lengthen the partnership track.
Source: www.law.com

Greenberg Traurig welcomed civil litigator Richard Welsh to its Santa Monica office. Welsh joins as a shareholder in the litigation practice. Formerly, Welsh was a partner with Kirkland & Ellis in downtown L.A. His specialties include real estate, commercial law, and class action suits. He has represented companies such as Home Depot and DirecTV, and also has experience in appellate representation and alternative dispute forums.
Source: www.metnews.com

Six government investigations and white-collar criminal defense lawyers from Holland & Knight have joined Nixon Peabody in its Boston office. Mark D. Seltzer and Brian French join Nixon as partners. Four associates, Lisa Lent, Averi Price, Sean Riley and Shannon Schultz, also made the move.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Patent attorneys are in strong demand across the country. With patent applications having more than tripled over the past two decades (reaching over 440,000 last year), and patent lawyers making up only about 3 percent of the nation’s 1.1 million active attorneys, the competition between firms to recruit them is fierce. The field is especially demanding because it requires scientific or technical expertise along with a law degree, making the patent lawyers out there hot commodities. First-year associates at large firms can expect a 10 percent to 15 percent premium over base pay of about $160,000. An IP partner at a top firm typically is hired at $700,000 or $800,000, even $1 million a year, even with a small book of business.
Source: www.baltimoresun.com

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner is the last major California firm to announce a pay raise as a part of the recent wave of increases. Rather than establishing a starting salary of $160,000 across the board, Thelen Reid created a two-tier pay structure that pays associates that work 2,000 hours a year $160,000, and pays those that work less $145,000. The two-tier scale will be effective on July 1 in California, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. This structure allows more flexibility for those associates who balance life/work issues, putting less pressure on them to perform up to a $160,000 standard. The associates can move between the two tiers without falling off the partner track – twice a year they can move into the 2,000-hour tier, and they can move back into the less-than-2,000-hour option once. Fenwick & West has a similar system, letting associates choose between a 1,800 or 1,950-hour pay scale.
Source: www.law.com

Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold picked up six real estate lawyers from the now dissolved Woo & Associates. The lawyers, who specialize in representing landlords, will join Sedgwick’s San Francisco office. Sedgwick’s real estate practice already included litigation and transactional services for a wide range of commercial real estate owners, developers, managers, lessees and professionals.
Source: www.charlotte.bizjournals.com