Philadelphia-based firm Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin has announced that it has raised its starting salary from $125,000 to $135,000, effective July 1. 44-lawyer Hangley Aronchick is the first Philly firm with less than 50 attorneys to pay $135,000 to first-year associates. Concerning the raise, firm leaders have remarked that they are just trying to stay competitive with the market. Firms such as Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll; Duane Morris; Blank Rome; Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen; and DLA Piper have already raised to $135,000. Other firms like Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Dechert; Drinker Biddle & Reath; and Pepper Hamilton are up to $145,000 in Philly. Many corporate clients are speaking out against the outbreak of associate raises. Because they are the ones that will mostly pay for these increases, many clients feel that they should be a part of the discussions.
Source: www.law.com

Silicon Valley boutique Tomlinson Zisko is shutting its doors for good; the firm has been downsizing for several years and shrunk from 20 lawyers in 2002 to only five this year. Founding partners Timothy Tomlinson and William Zisko are moving their corporate and securities practices to Greenberg Traurig’s Silicon Valley office. Former Tomlinson attorney, Heather Meeker, helped launch the Greenberg office in 2004, and recruited Tomlinson and Zisko to the 1,600-lawyer firm. With the new additions, Greenberg’s Silicon Valley office will now have 15 corporate lawyers and 43 attorneys total. Real estate partner James Janz is going a different direction, joining Sideman & Bancroft in San Francisco. Three other Tomlinson attorneys also joined Sideman – coporate and IP partner Polly Dinkel, counsel Kelly McCarthy, and real estate partner Susan Taylor.
Source: www.law.com

Bryan Cave has begun its venture into mainland Europe by opening an office in Milan. The firm recruited a four-partner team from the Milan branch of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, led by corporate partners Fulvio Pastore-Alinante and Paolo Barozzi. Also joining the office will be former Ashurst tax chief Stefano Serbini. Bryan Cave expects the office to grow to about 15 attorneys by the end of the year. The firm also has its sights set on other European locations such as Germany, France and Iberia.
Source: www.legalweek.com

Jones Day welcomes well-known ERISA litigators Robert Miller and Steven Sacher to its Washington, D.C. office. Miller joins from Hogan & Hartson, where he provided benefits counsel and litigated on behalf of companies in fiduciary audits and other benefit-related investigations. Sacher comes from Kilpatrick Stockton; he primarily works on complex fiduciary responsibility matters under ERISA, counseling clients and representing them in the federal courts and before government regulators and Congressional committees. Jones Day’s benefits litigation practice is known for successfully representing clients in virtually every type of ERISA and other employee benefit plan dispute.
Source: www.home.businesswire.com

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has increased first-year associate salaries in California to $160,000. The Silicon Valley firm is not, however, applying that rate to its Seattle or Salt Lake City offices. Additionally, the associates receiving the raise will not benefit from the quarterly bonus program. Other firms that already made the raise include Orrick; O’Melveny; MoFo; Latham and Gibson; Paul, Hastings; Winston & Strawn; Akin Gump; and Cooley Godward Kronish.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Heller Ehrman has raised first-year associate salaries in California to $160,000. However, like Morrison & Foerster, Heller has also eliminated one level of bonuses. MoFo did away with the 1950-hour bonus, and at Heller its the 2000-hour bonus.
Source: www.nylawyer.com