Jon C. Porter, former Republican House Representative, has decided to join firm Akerman Senterfitt. Porter will be stationed in Washington, D.C. as the new Director of Public Policy. Porter is a catch for Akerman, as he has over 25 years of legal experience.
Source: www.earthtimes.org
Tags: Akerman LLP
Haynes and Boone has taken on John Podvin in Dallas. He is to join the finance group as of counsel. Podvin was previously deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer and chief privacy officer with a subsidiary of Guaranty Financial Group Inc. Prior to that position, Podvin was a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani (then Bracewell Patterson, LLP).
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Tags: Haynes and Boone, LLP | Dallas
K&L Gates has just launched its office in Singapore with prior DLA Piper partner Kevin Murphy. This will make the firm’s fifth office. Soon enough, the office will be filled with 15 lawyers brought in from other K&L Gates offices.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: K&L Gates | Singapore
Blank Rome has announced plans to launch an office in Los Angeles. The firm will be birthed with the aid of five new partners: Lawrence C. Hinkle, Andrew F. Kim, Warren A. Koshofer, Glen A. Rothstein and William S. Small. Together, these five bring much litigation and real estate experience. They bring experience in the following: corporate and commercial litigation, entertainment law, insurance coverage, labor and employment law, environmental, and toxic tort defense.
Source: www.earthtimes.org
Tags: Blank Rome LLP | Los Angeles
White & Case has decided against its merger with Venture Law in Singapore. The two firms were previously in a formal alliance since 2003. Before December 2008, the only way for a foreign firm to do business in Singapore was through such an alliance with a national firm. The Singaporean Government announced last December that foreign firms are now allowed to practice on their own as long as they receive the Qualifying Foreign Law Practice license. For this reason, many firms have ended their formal relationships with other Singaporean firms. The following firms have received their licenses: White & Case, Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith, Latham & Watkins and Norton Rose.
Source: www.amlawdaily.typepad.com
Tags: White & Case LLP | Singapore
Baker & McKenzie and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom are almost head to head in terms of making the most revenue over every other US firm. Skadden Arps has retained the number one position, but Baker & McKenzie is only a mere $10 million behind in second place. The firm was able to raise their revenue by 20 percent last year, as compared to Skadden’s mere one percent. Bakers took the honor of second place from firm Latham & Watkins, who posted a revenue drop of four percent.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
Eversheds has lost a corporate associate to Real Estate investment fund Braemer Group. Orla Ball, who has spent the last 12 years with Eversheds, was stationed in the firm’s Manchester office. She is now Braemer Group’s newest in-house counsel.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Eversheds Sutherland
Latham & Watkins has initiated its own “black Thursday” by announcing it must cut 440 jobs across all of its offices. The number breaks down to: 190 associates and 250 paralegals and staff. This amounts to 12 percent of its associates and 10 percent of its staff. The offered severance packages include 6 months of salary and continued benefits.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Latham & Watkins LLP
Robert here. As promised, in this post we will provide some basic evidence of encouraging signs that China’s economy could recover in ’09.
As mentioned in previous AC posts and comments, we are, naturally, in frequent conversations with law firm partners and other business leaders in Asia, and the prevailing opinion, even from the most conservative and pessimistic, is that the major law firm deal flow in China could recover somewhat, if not yet to previous recent boom levels, by second half 2009 and that 2010 will likely be a good year. Keep in mind that the downturn hit China about one year after the US markets and it will likely recover well ahead of the US markets.
The Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia Limited, Dr. Stephen Roach, has predicted recently that China’s economy will recover by the second half of 2009. In contrast, Roach predicts that the U.S. is only 20% through its deleveraging cycle and it will be a number of years before adjustments are complete. Merrill Lynch & Co., Hong Kong, economist Lu Ting: “China looks set to be the first major economy to recover from the current global meltdown.”
Tags: Asia | Hong Kong