Obama has recruited two Washington lawyers to the job of ambassador. Williams & Connolly will lose partner Howard Gutman to the position of ambassador to Belgium. Mark Gitenstein, a partner in Mayer Brown, is to become ambassador to Romania.
Source: www.nylj.com
Latham & Watkins has suffered a hit with the loss of Hong Kong partner, Julie Gao. Gao joins the Asia practice of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. She has practiced out of Latham since 2008, when she graduated law school and was promoted to partner in 2006. Gao concentrates on M&A and capital markets.
Source: www.legalweek.com
Tags: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP | Hong Kong
Paul Maher, formerly co-vice chairman of Mayer Brown, is set to join Greenberg Traurig. He will launch the firm’s London branch, from now on to be called: Greenberg Traurig Maher. Maher’s official titles are chairman of the London office and co-chair of the firm’s global M&A practice. An additional two former Mayer Brown partners, Fiona Adams and Cate Sharp, join with Maher.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Mayer Brown LLP
Despite the fact that firm Pinsent Masons announced a 1 percent rise in last year’s financial year, the firm is planning redundancy talks. Managing partner, David Ryan, says that the firm has tried everything possible to avoid layoffs, but they are inevitable. But layoffs are only one of the 7 point plan. Pinsent will push for employees to take on part-time commitments, sabbaticals, and pay freezes. The firm hopes to cut costs everywhere possible, increase staff deployment between offices, and increase client secondments.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Tags: Pinsent Masons LLP
A team of three partners has joined Baker & McKenzie in Toronto. The group specializes in insolvency and restructuring. Chris Besant, Frank Spizzirri and Lydia Salvi are the newcomers; all join from Cassels, Brock & Blackwell.
Source: www.exchangemagazine.com
Tags: Baker McKenzie
Davis Polk & Wardwell is to close its Frankfurt office August 31. The firm explained that the closing was due to resident partner, Patrick Kenadjian’s retirement. He had planned to retire at the end of the year. The lawyer who was to take over for Kenadjian left the firm for personal reasons.
Source: www.nylj.com
Tags: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP | Germany
Clifford Chance has recently had four departures from its New York litigation practice. The latest two are Joel Cohen and George Schieren, security litigation partners. Mark Kirsch announced his leaving of the firm about a week ago. Mark Holland is dumping Clifford Chance for Goodwin Procter.
Source: www.nylj.com
Tags: Clifford Chance LLP
McKool Smith has added five litigators to its New York office. Eric P. Berger, Virginia Iglesia, Katherine B. Thornburgh, John F. Petrsoric, and Benjamin J. Warlick join the firm as newbies but are certainly not new to the legal field. Berger joins the firm from the New York office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges. Miami’s Greenberg Traurig lost Iglesia to McKool. Thornburgh made the jump from the New York Office of Howrey LLP. Petrsoric worked most recently with Goodwin Procter in New York. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is losing Warlick to McKool.
Source: www.earthtimes.org
Tags: McKool Smith, P.C. | New York
The U.S. Department of Labor released the numbers of May. Last month, a total of 1300 legal jobs were lost in the United States. This number happens to be the lowest of the year, so far. Although this is comforting and perhaps a sign that the market is getting better, it may merely be a result of having already let go of so many; 14,400 have already been let go from the start of the year. 25,500 (or when not seasonally adjusted – 30,200) have been laid off in the past year. Only time will tell.
Source: www.nylj.com
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has kept on all of its newly qualified lawyers at its London office. There were only three. Weil Gotshal & Manges has offered employment to 85% of its London trainees (11 out of 13). Latham & Watkins has hired 78% of its trainee group.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
