Colleen Davies, a partner in the Oakland, CA office of Reed Smith, was recently chosen to head the firm’s 625-lawyer litigation team. This a first for the firm – Davies is the first woman to be a part of the senior management team. Though Reed Davis increased its female partnership by 50 percent (making 18 percent of the partners women) from 2002 to 2005, the firm still has progress to make. According to a study by Harvard Law graduates, the firm ranked 73 out of 105 for best large law firms for women.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Virginia-based Williams Mullen is planning a merger with 53-lawyer North Carolina firm Maupin Taylor. The merger will allow Williams Mullen to expand its regulatory and cross-border transaction work. The new firm will keep the name Williams Mullen, although North Carolina offices will use the name Williams Mullen Maupin Taylor during a transition period. The D.C. and Tysons Corner, Va., offices are not hiring attorneys immediately, but new hires are likely in the next few years.
Source: www.law.com

Reed Smith had a prosperous 2006 – they reported a 14.4 percent rise in gross revenue, along with an increase in profit per equity partner (PPP). With these financial gains, Reed Smith is poised to become one of the top firms of its size. Contributing to the increased revenues was the firm’s decision to focus on more high-end clients and practices in 2006. The planned merger with London’s Richards Butler and Chicago-based Sachnoff & Weaver will go into effect this year, also boosting the firm’s revenue.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Now that the merger between Drinker Biddle & Reath and Chicago’s Gardner Carton & Douglas is complete, the new firm is looking towards a new structure. Specifically, the changes revolve around the department reorganization and the addition of a regional managing partner in Philadelphia. Previously the firm had structured its practices under the two-department umbrella of business and litigation, but with its increased numbers and practice areas, the firm didn’t want the practice group leaders all reporting to just one or two senior management officials. Instead of the two departments, the firm now has 14 national practice groups; some of the practice areas have also been moved around to have better cross-selling and client team development opportunities. Drinker Biddle’s merger with Gardner Carton gives the firm 640 attorneys in 12 offices across the country.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Law firms Alston & Bird, Arnold & Porter, Nixon Peabody, Perkins Coie and Bingham McCutchen are among the best employers according to Fortune magazine’s 2007 list of the best 100 employers to work for. The same five were on last year’s list, but another from last year was missing this time – Morrison & Foerster, the only California-based firm to make the 2006 list, dropped off the chart. Making the list is cause for celebration for the selected firms because it is so important “from a recruiting and internal point of view” says Bingham’s chairman, Jay Zimmerman. To create the top 100 list, the Great Place to Work Institute collects nominations and invites companies to participate. It then narrows down the list and sends out surveys to randomly selected employees. Factors such as compensation, benefits, and diversity are also taken into consideration.
Source: www.law.com