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IP Litigators Are Hot Property |
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Wednesday, 14 March 2007 |
Intellectual property litigators are hot property, and firms are willing to pay top dollar for their specialized skills and knowledge. According to the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the median cost to take a patent case through trial was five to six million in 2005; if firms don't have the attorneys to accomplish this work, they miss out on such big fees. Because there is a shortage of patent litigators, they are able to demand large sums for their services. These attorneys also emphasize the importance of a firm that supports their work by providing a strong team of technical advisors, patent prosecutors, and other litigators.
Source: www.law.com |
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Bankruptcy Group Leaves Weil Gotshal for Cadwalader |
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Four top bankruptcy partners from Weil, Gotshal & Manges have left for Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. George A. Davis, Deryck A. Palmer, John J. Rapisardi and Andrew M. Troop will be joining the firm's New York office. Though the partners' departures comes at the same time as the return of well-known bankruptcy partner Harvey Miller, the loss is still a difficult one for Weil Gotshal. Back in 2001, the firm lost partner Bruce Zirinsky to Cadwalader; getting to work with him again was actually one of the attractions for the four lawyers. The partners were also drawn to Cadwalader's strong client base among financial institutions, investment groups and in the health care arena, as well as their performance-driven culture.
Source: www.law.com |
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Drinker Biddle Increases Starting Pay Sooner Than Expected |
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Drinker Biddle has announced that they are pushing up the start date for their first-year salary increases. The firm originally planned to make the pay raise effective September 1, 2007, but it changed the date to March 1 of this year. Starting salaries in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago and Wilmington, Delaware were raised to $135,000, and will increase again in September to $145,000. First-year pay in New York, California, and Washington, D.C. was raised to $145,000. The firm's Albany, NY and Milwaukee offices will be handled individually due to the small number of attorneys in each. More advanced associates will also receive a pay increase, but it will not necessarily follow a lock-step system.
Source: www.law.com |
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Two New Partners in Blank Rome's Hong Kong Office |
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Blank Rome has added two new partners to its Hong Kong office. Peter Mills was named partner in the Maritime group; as a litigator in this industry, he advises clients in areas such as the sale and purchase of ships and cargoes, enforcement of international awards and judgments, crisis and casualty management, unsafe berth disputes, and personal injury and death claims. Andrew Hart was hired as a partner in the commercial litigation group. He comes from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, and advises clients on all aspects of dispute resolution in the areas of employment, banking, regulatory, insolvency, property, trusts and corporate work. Blank Rome's Hong Kong office opened in October 2006 as a part of the firm's combination with the international law firm of Healy & Baillie LLP.
Source: www.home.businesswire.com |
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Alston & Bird Ups Pay Again |
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Alston & Bird has raised starting salaries in Charlotte and Raleigh, NC to $145,000. The firm already raised salaries in February to $130,000, but this raise brings them to match the market rate set by other firms like Hunton & Williams; Dechert; Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; and Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. Alston also raised first year salaries for patent attorneys in Atlanta to $160,000. Again, this increase comes in response to the actions already taken by firms like Sutherland, Asbill & Brenna, DLA Piper, and Fish & Richardson. The pay raises for the firm will become effective April 1.
Source: www.law.com |
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Three Winstead Attorneys Move to Bracewell & Giuliani |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Three corporate and securities lawyers from Winstead in Dallas recently moved to Bracewell & Giuliani. Partners Bruce Cheatham and Brice Tarzwell, and counsel Connie Stamets joined Bracewell's 400-lawyer corporate and securities practice at the end of February. Cheatham commented that Bracewell's New York, Washington, and international offices were a draw because of the benefit they hold for his practice. After losing Cheatham, Winstead reorganized, doing away with his former position of corporate and securities section head.
Source: www.law.com |
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Former Miami Beach Mayor Joins Akerman |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin was hired to head Akerman Senterfitt's 27-lawyer land-use practice group in Miami. Joining Kasdin, who was formerly a shareholder with Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, are associates T. Spencer Crowley and Andrew W. Frey. Kasdin plans to have his practice group work closely with the environmental law group. He served as mayor of Miami Beach from 1997 until 2001 and as a Miami Beach city commissioner from 1991 until 1997. Many credit the former mayor with helping the growth and revitalization of Miami Beach.
Source: www.law.com
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Dewey, Galgano Combination Complete |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
The collaboration between Dewey Ballantine and Italian firm Galgano is finally complete. Though Dewey initially only expected to gain ten lawyers in the deal, the New York-based firm ended up acquiring 15 associates and five partners, including Galgano’s heads of TMT and finance, Marco Consonni and Davide Contini respectively. Those two, along with founder Galgano, and corporate partner Alessandro Accinni will become full partners; two other Galgano partners will become local partners at Dewey. This deal is a sign of Dewey's desire for growth in Europe, where they have already had recent success.
Source: www.thelawyer.com |
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Bracewell & Giuliani Expands NY Office |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Bracewell & Giuliani has expanded its New York office to now take up the 18th and 19th floors of the Americas Tower building. The expansion doubles the size of the space, adding 24,475 square feet for the growing firm. Bracewell opened in New York in 2005 after former mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined as a name partner. Since then, the office has grown from two to fourty attorneys, thanks to outstanding recruitment efforts and a maintenance of a good deal of work from the firm's central practices.
Source: www.prnewswire.com |
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Holland & Knight Acquires Millstein & Taylor; Expands IP Group |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Holland & Knight has acquired D.C.-based firm Millstein & Taylor, and in the process its Intellectual Property Group gains a prominent biotech patent lawyer. Name partner and respected life sciences attorney Larry S. Millstein joins the firm's D.C. office as partner. Name partner and transactional lawyer Robin Taylor, also joins and will practice in the firm's Northern Virginia office in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. The addition of Millstein is just the latest move in a series of lateral hires by Holland & Knight's IP group, which added eight lawyers last year. With a Ph.D. in molecular biology and chemistry, Millstein's practice focuses on technology and intellectual property portfolio development and strategy. Taylor has more than 20 years of experience in matters relating to business transactions, taxation, regulatory compliance, intellectual property law, and employment law.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
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Sheppard Mullin Opens First Overseas Office in Shanghai |
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Monday, 12 March 2007 |
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton opens its first international office in Shanghai, China. The LA firm has recruited former Coudert chairman David Huebner as its regional managing partner in the new office, and has also hired two attorneys from AllBright for the opening. Though this will be the firm's first overseas location, it did already have US-based teams for Israel, Italy, Latin America, South Korea, and China. Because many of Sheppard Mullin's clients have operations in China, the firm felt that in order to provide them with the needed support, they needed to establish a branch there.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
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Lateral Partner Hiring at Pittsburgh Firms |
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Sunday, 11 March 2007 |
Wesley Yang, a tax attorney and certified public accountant, joined Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl LLC as a partner. He has 30 years' experience in international tax and estate planning, corporate/commercial matters, nonprofit and health care tax issues, and the environmental and energy fields. Rawle & Henderson also gained two new partners; Michael D. Heintzman and Jeanne Welch Sopher joined the firm's Pittsburgh office. Heintzman specializes in the defense of product liability, medical malpractice and toxic tort cases. He joins the firm after 14 years of being a partner with Heintzman, Warren, Wise & Fornella P.C. Sopher's practice focuses on medical professional liability, toxic tort and product liability.
Source: www.pittsburghlive.com
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Saturday, 10 March 2007 |
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is moving from its 165,000 square foot space at 155 N. Wacker in Chicago to 333 W. Wacker. The new office takes up six floors, or about 15 per cent of the building. Areas of practice in the Chicago office include negotiated acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, contested takeovers, public and private equity and debt financing, leveraged leasing, restructuring and reorganization, federal income tax work, large-scale litigation, communications, and real estate finance, development and restructuring. Skadden's Chicago office is just one of the firm's 22 offices worldwide.
Source: www.suntimes.com |
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Gordon & Rees Opens Denver Office |
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Friday, 09 March 2007 |
West coast firm Gordon & Rees has opened an office in Denver. Litigators and co-managing partners, Scott Cook and Miles Scully, will head the new office which will focus mostly on commercial litigation initially. Senior associate Amy Darby will join them in Denver; she deals with complex business disputes, class action matters, and general business litigation. The San Francisco-firm's Colorado client based spurred the opening of a branch there. Gordon & Rees now has 14 offices nationwide.
Source: www.denver.bizjournals.com |
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Pepper Hamilton Raids Cozen O'Connor for IP Group |
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Friday, 09 March 2007 |
Pepper Hamilton has added to its IP group again - this time the lawyers come from Cozen O'Connor. Earlier this month, five other IP attorneys joined the Boston office. From Cozen, partners Mark DeLuca and Paul K. Legaard joined the firm's Berwyn, PA, office and were followed by four other intellectual property attorneys and one patent agent. DeLuca commented that he and the group wanted a firm with a more active life sciences business practice. Sources from Pepper Hamilton report that the firm still is seeking to expand its intellectual property practice; likewise, Cozen is looking for replacements for its losses in the IP department.
Source: www.law.com |
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Lateral Hires at Dinsmore |
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Friday, 09 March 2007 |
Dinsmore & Shohl is gaining four new partners from the toxic torts practice of Pittsburgh-based Thorp Reed & Armstrong. James Zeszutek, Michael R. Bucci Jr. and P.J. Murray of the Pittsburgh office, and Denise D. Klug of the firm's Wheeling, West Virginia office will join the firm, proabably along with some associates. The partners met Dinsmore attorneys last year while the two firms were in merger talks; though the merger did not materialize, the partners maintained connections with the firm. All of the partners except for Klug will move into Dinsmore's Pittsburgh office; Klug will work in Wheeling. Dinsmore & Shohl has 300 attorneys in offices in Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Source: www.law.com |
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Former NY Governor Focuses on Energy at Chadbourne & Parke |
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
New York's former Republican governor, George E. Pataki, has joined Chadbourne & Parke as a counsel. He will focus on environmental issues, paticularly renewable energy, and will be joined by his former chief of staff, John Cahill, who will also become counsel at the firm. Pataki was governor for 12 years before stepping down this year; he was a strong supporter of renewable energy while in office, and was drawn to the firm because of their experience in the area. New York firm, Chadbourne & Parke, has 400 lawyers.
Source: www.law.com |
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Buchanan Loses Bankruptcy Team to Greenberg |
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
A four-lawyer bankruptcy team has left Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Princeton, NJ, office for Greenberg Traurig's Florham Park branch. Partners Louis de Lucia, Thomas Halm Jr., and Alan Brody were joined by associate Alyson Fielder and some clients. The team gives Greenberg's NJ office a financial restructuring and insolvency practice. This acquisition is one of several the firm has made by recruiting attorneys with portable books of business; in February 2006, the firm recruited a five-lawyer employment and labor group at Bressler, Amery & Ross in Florham Park, and in November, a five-lawyer intellectual property practice from McCarter & English joined the firm. Greenberg has 1,334 attorneys and was ranked No. 12 on the 2006 Am Law 100 list.
Source: www.law.com
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Bracewell & Giuliani Matches NY Rate for First-Years |
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
Bracewell & Giuliani announced today that they matched market rates for first-year salaries in their New York office. The increase to $160,000 was made effective February 7, 2007. This leading firm has 400 lawyers in offices in New York, Texas, Washington, D.C., Kazakhstan and London.
Source: www.prnewswire.com |
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Wolf Block Schorr Hikes Salaries |
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen is the latest firm to jump onto the pay raise band-wagon. Starting salaries in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill went from $125,000 to $135,000. First-years in New York and Roseland, NJ get a $15,000 increase to $145,000 and $115,000, respectively. The salary increase are not equal for more advanced associates, however. Duane Morris, Blank Rome and DLA Piper have also raised associate salaries in Philadelphia to $135,000. Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Dechert topped that with starting rates of $145,000 in Philly.
Source: www.nylawyer.com |
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