Monthly Archives: May 2007

Orrick Raises CA First-Year Pay to $160,000

Friday, May 4, 2007

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced on Thursday, May 3 that it would be increasing its first-year associates’ pay in all California offices except for Sacramento. The pay raise to $160,000 matches the raise that the firm already made in New York and Washington, D.C. During the frenzy of raises earlier this year, most firms only raised CA salaries to $145,000, though some like Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges went up to $160,000. Speculation abounds whether other big name California firms like Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher or Latham & Watkins will also bump up their salaries. On the other hand, for more middle-market firms that matched NY salaries, the chances are less likely that they will all make another raise in California.
Source: www.law.com

Tags:  Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP | New York

Compensation and Benefits Partners Hired in NY

Friday, May 4, 2007

Two compensation and benefits partners have made lateral moves in New York. Mitchel Pahl left Alston & Bird for Dewey Ballantine. His clients have included Prudential Insurance Co., the Carlyle Group and Bertlesmann, Inc. Dewey has recently been on a lateral hiring spree, with new partner arrivals offsetting those lost after the failed merger last year. Philadelphia-based Pepper Hamilton recruited partner Stephen Gorell from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Tags:  New York

White & Case’s London Arm Hires Pair from McDermott

Friday, May 4, 2007

White & Case has recruited two partners from McDermott, Will & Emery for its London capital markets practice. Andrew Croxford and Andrew Caunt advise on all aspects of equity capital market transactions. The firm is also transferring US-qualified securities partner Sven Krogius from Moscow to London. Other additions to the London office over the past year include corporate partner Phillip Broke and Clifford Chance funds partner Matthew Judd. White & Case’s London office employs around 250 attorneys, the largest number of any U.S. firm in the capital city.
Source: www.legalweek.com

Tags:  White & Case LLP | Moscow

Nixon Peabody Recognized as Top Private Equity Fund Firm

Friday, May 4, 2007

Nixon Peabody was named as one of the “Most Active Law Firms” in 2006 in private equity fund formation and transactions according to the Private Equity Analyst. Ranked 4th this year, the firm has been ranked in the top five for three years. One example of the the firm’s work in this area was its representation of Credit Suisse’s Customized Funds Group in several U.S. and offshore closings for the Credit Suisse Private Equity Opportunities Fund. Nixon Peabody has 700 attorneys practicing in 17 offices across the U.S.
Source: www.prnewswire.com

Tags:  Nixon Peabody LLP

Weil, Gotshal Top Grossing Out-of-State Firm in Texas

Thursday, May 3, 2007

New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges was the number one grossing out-of-state firm in Texas in 2006, according to Texas Lawyer’s ranking. With offices in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the firm posted $62.9 million in net income last year. Weil, Gotshal was also the top firm in Texas profits per partner and revenue per lawyer. The NY firm has seen rising gross revenues in Texas ever since it opened in Dallas 19 years ago. Following Weil, Gotshal in the ranks were Jones Day of Cleveland, Atlanta-based King & Spalding, Chicago’s Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw and Washington, D.C.-based Howrey. Net income for these top five firms totaled $162.4 million, a 4.6 percent increase from 2005.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Tags:  Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP | Austin

Lateral Litigation Partner Joins Baker Botts

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Baker Botts Dallas has hired litigation partner and former Harris County prosecutor Victor Vital. Vital deals mostly with complex commercial matters and business disputes. His cases involve a wide range of claims including breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, and defamation. Vital was previously a partner in the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone. Baker Botts has 750 attorneys practicing in offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Riyadh and Washington.
Source: www.sev.prnewswire.com

Tags:  Baker Botts L.L.P. | Austin

Faegre & Benson Media Lawyers Launch Denver Office for Levine, Sullivan

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Media attorneys Tom Kelley and Steve Zansberg are making a lateral move from Faegre & Benson to Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schultz. Kelley and Zansberg, along with Chris Beall of Faegre & Benson and Ashley Kissinger of Levine, Sulliven will be opening a new Denver office for the national firm. Levine, Sullivan has offices in D.C., New York, and Philadelphia, and is considered one of the top media and First Amendment law firms in the U.S. The firm specializes in libel, privacy and other related First Amendment issues in defending news, entertainment and other media groups. Faegre & Benson most likely will not maintain a media practice without the three departing lawyers. The firm’s focus is now more on commercial litigation, corporate mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property.
Source: www.phoenix.bizjournals.com

Tags:  Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | New York

Smaller Firms Enter China Market

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Until recently, most firms that have entered the China market have been large and either based out of D.C. or the West Coast. Things have changed however, as two smaller firms have established business in China. White & Williams has had a China business practice group since 2003, and has held an informal alliance with Chinsese firm Xue Law Firm since the summer of 2006. Last month, the two firms made an official strategic alliance which will hopefully create more work and facilitate its existing work. Ohio firm Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff is also developing its China practice, having received its license in Feb. to open in Shanghai. The firm will send partner Yanping Wang to head the office and recruit other attorneys; the firm hopes to build the office up to 10 to 15 lawyers.
Source: www.law.com

Tags:  Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, LLP | Shanghai

Thompson Coburn Merges and Enters Chicago Market

Thursday, May 3, 2007

St. Louis firm Thompson Coburn is entering the Chicago market through its merger with FagelHaber. This merger is one of the biggest to be initiated by a St. Louis firm in several years; the combined firm will have over 330 lawyers. Thompson Coburn has been looking to break into Chicago for a while, though even without an office there the firm still has been making $4 to 5 million of work a year. The two firms seem compatible for a merger because they charge similar rates for work, and they both focus on large privately held companies and mid-sized public companies. Thompson Coburn’s practice focuses on litigation and corporate work, while FagelHaber mainly deals with corporate work, especially M&A, financial and real estate areas.
Source: www.stltoday.com

Tags:  Thompson Coburn LLP

FDA Partner Joins Reed Smith

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Reed Smith has added Frederick Branding to its Chicago Health Care Practice. Branding joins as a partner from the Chicago office of McGuire Woods. He is trained as a registered pharmacist and has practiced law for over 30 years. Branding’s work has focused on counseling and advising medical products companies on FDA regulatory issues, as well as providing civil and criminal defense counsel to companies and individuals facing government enforcement actions. Prior to working at McGuire Woods, Branding served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Founded in 1877, 1,500-lawyer Reed Smith is one of the 15 largest law firms in the world.
Source: www.lawfuel.com

Tags:  Reed Smith LLP