DLA Piper plans to reduce its staff in Middle East by 39 percent. Here is the breakdown: On top of the two rounds of reduandancies that have occurred earlier in the year, the firm will let go seven lawyers and 10 support staff. 14 staff members are to be relocated to the UK and another group will be sent to DLA’s Australian alliance firm: DLA Phillips Fox. 11 staff have resigned. DLA Piper has offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat and Riyadh.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Drinkle Biddle has just launched its 13th office. The latest addition resides in Century City, California. The four partners who joined the firm to open the office are: George Caplan and Henry Shields Jr., from Epstein Becker Green; Kate S. Gold, previously with Kaye Scholer, and Kristopher S. Davis. The office primarily focuses on commercial litigation.
Source: www.philadelphia.bizjournals.com
Tags: Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP | Los AngelesChadbourne & Parke has announced plans to reimburse associates the amount that the firm cut from paychecks back in April. That amount was undisclosed. Chadbourne told employees that when things picked up, the firm would pay part or all of the wage reduction. Now that the market is picking up, the firm believes it is time to make good on its word.
Source: www.nylj.com
The number of associate promotions to partner has declined significantly in 2009. In the month of November, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has promoted half as many associates as last year, from eight to four. Latham & Watkins has decreased its numbers by 25 percent to 23. Ropes & Gray has graduated eight associates to partner, a third of the number from last year. The ecomonic downturn is partially to blame, but it would appear that in recent years promotions were becoming increasingly more difficult to come by.
Source: www.nylj.com
Claire Denison, a partner at White & Case is quite taken with Addleshaw Goddard literally and figuratively. Denison is joining Addleshaw Goddard as a partner in February. She has more than 20 years of experience in trade and commodity. Some of this experience was gained from DLA Piper, where Denison was a partner before joining White & Case.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: White & Case LLPNabarro has done a 180 and is now interested in expanding internationally. The firm has announced that it is interested in the markets of China, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Nanarro currently has two offices in the UK and one office in Brussels.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Haynes and Boone has cut the salary of its incoming first year associates. Their start date was already pushed back to November 30th. The salary has been reduced to $145K, but it is a possibility that that will only be the case for a month. The firm states that 2010 salaries have yet to be set.
Source: www.abovethelaw.com
Tags: Haynes and Boone, LLP
Los Angeles partner Gary J Cohen is taking a leave of absence from Sidley Austin for his appointment as Special Business Counsel to the newly created Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. The commission came about in response to the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act.
Source: www.ad-hoc-news.de
Tags: Sidley Austin LLP | Los AngelesOutsourcing legal and administrative work is becoming more popular amongst law firms. Linklaters, SJ Berwin, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and CMS Cameron McKenna are just a few of the many law firms considering it. Several firms are currently outsource legal process outsourcing, including Allen & Overy, Eversheds, Lovells, Pinsent Masons, Wragge & Co and Simmons & Simmons.
Source: www.nylj.com
Clyde & Co has begun merger talks with construction firm Shadbolt. Shadbolt has one international office in Paris. If this goes through, the combined firm will jump to number 14 in the The Lawyer’s UK 200.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Clyde & Co LLP