Littler Mendelson has launched a new office, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Jon Levine has joined the firm and newest office as shareholder.  Prior to joining Littler, Levine was a partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, where he was a partner in the labor & employment practice group.  

Source:  www.businesswire.com

An overwhelming percentage of Norton Rose staff has voted to put a four day week plan into action.  96 percent voted to have four day weeks, starting at anytime within the next year.  All staff on the four day plan will keep 85 percent of base salary. The other option is to take a four to 12 week sabbatical, keeping 30 percent of base salary.

Source:  www.thelawyer.com

Would you like to know the number of attorneys and legal staff dumped in March? If not, stop reading. If you do, the number is (drum roll please): 3,500. This figure is definitely higher than February’s total of 2,000 some odd jobs, and January’s now seemingly small figure of 1,500. All of these numbers, are not exact totals. Several factors affect the tallies, such as law firm’s not announcing layoff numbers or they just aren’t calling them what they are: layoffs.

Source:  www.abajournal.com

Littler Mendelson has added a new member to its shareholder club. Benjamin Webster has joined the firm as the office managing shareholder of the Sacramento office. Webster spent the last 21 years at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, and the last 8 of those as managing partner of its Sacramento office. In addition to his duties as office manager, Webster also practice law in the area of general commercial litigation, paying particular focus to employment and labor law.

Source:  www.businesswire.com

The man who was the No. 2 official in the Civil Division of the Justice Department has come back to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  Thomas Dupree Jr. rejoins as partner will focus on complex trial and appellate litigation.  Dupree is not the only former Bush administrative official to land back at Gibson.  Thomas Hunger, ex-deputy solicitor general, also rejoined the firm back in October.

Source:  www.legaltimes.typepad.com

Andrews Kurth LLP has announced an Economic Recovery/Government Opportunities Task Force.  This new group will aid clients in the affects of the economic decline, including the repercussions in governmental law.  The task force will be made up from attorneys from the following practice groups: Structured Finance/Securitization, Commercial Real Estate/Capital Markets, Private Equity, Tax and Real Estate.

Source:  www.prnewswire.com

Joseph Smolinsky will be moving from firm, Chadbourne & Parke to Weil, Gotshal & Manges.  This information has been confirmed by Howard Seife, firm-wide chair of Chadbourne’s bankruptcy.  It is reported that Smolinsky has millions in his book of business.  This is a big hit for Chadbourne, and of course, a huge step forward for Weil, Gotshal.

Source:  www.nylj.com

Jackson Lewis has merged with Berens & Tate, a nine lawyer Nebraska boutique.   These new additions will compose Jackson Lewis’ Omaha office.  Kelly Berens, name partner, will manage the office.  Jackson Lewis now has 552 lawyers and 41 offices.

Source:  www.amlawdaily.typepad.com

The New Jersey branch of Wolf Block has hopes to survive on its own, despite the fact that the rest of the firm is to close within two months.  The office must decide what is in its best interest: to merge or not to merge.  Managing Partner, John Fanburg, reports that he has received phone calls regarding proposed mergers.  He also explains that the New Jersey office was the most profitable of all Wolf Block’s, in the 2008 fiscal year.

Source:  www.law.com