In Monday’s meeting of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the 413,000-member organization agreed that law firms should rethink their mandatory retirement policies. These sorts of policies violate age discrimination laws in place in most every other workplace. The ABA recommends that instead of age-determined retirement policies, firms should consider senior partners’ performance levels when evaluating their future with the firm. According to a 2005 study, 57 percent of law firms with 100 or more attorneys have a mandatory retirement age, which usually ranges from 65 to 75.
Source: www.law.com
IP Lateral Attorney Hired by Sutherland
David Wigley has joined Sutherland Asbill & Brennan’s Atlanta office. The IP attorney joins as Counsel resident, and will focus his practice on securing, maintaining and enforcing intellectual property rights for domestic and foreign companies. Wigley has a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and he has done work in the life scienes, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. Sutherland now has 49 IP attorneys, 26 of whom are members of the Patent Bar, and 6 of whom have Ph.Ds.
Source: www.atlanta.dbusinessnews.com
Manatt Phelps Opens San Fransisco Office
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips opened a new office in San Fransisco on Monday. The new office houses 12 attorney and six professionals who previously worked for Manatt Health Solutions in Palo Alto and Los Angeles. This new office will specialize in health care, energy, land use and corporate litigation. Manatt Phelps plans to expand it’s new Bay Area office by recruiting from other local firms.
Source: bizjournals.com
Building Boom Causes Boston Hiring Frenzy
Due to recent increase in Boston’s commercial and development market, area firms are enlarging their real estate practices. Firms such as Goulston & Storrs, Goodwin Procter, and Mintz, LEvin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo are among those clamoring for new real estate associates. The Boston branch of national firm DLA Piper has nearly doubled its real estate attorneys since 2003. Currently there are 75 large ongoing building projects with a total value of $3.3 billion.
Source: www.nlj.com
Best Firms for Working Mothers List Announced
Working Mother Magazine has announced its 2007 list of best law firms for working mothers. The firms were selected for their emphasis on work-life balance, the retention and promotion of female employees, and had such benefits as flex-time, child care, and women-focused mentoring programs. Representatives at Working Mother magazine are optimistic about women’s futures with prominent firms, and are delighted to promote those firms that are doing their best to make positive changes in their infrastructure to aid women in their careers.
Source: earthtimes.org
Ogletree Opens Two New Midwest Offices
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart has opened an office in St. Louis and has plans to open a new office in Detroit September 1st. The St. Louis branch will be headed by Gregg M. Lamley of Bryan Cave, and Tim A. Garnett of Kinder Morgan. After August 20th they will be joined by Heidi Kuns Durr, also of Bryan Cave. The St. Louis office is the only national labor/employment firm in the city, an opportunity too good for Ogletree to pass up. Ogletree has 30 additional offices in the US.
Source: nylawyer.com
CC hires London Partner from Jones Day
Clifford Chance has hired Greg Olsen for its London office. Olsen was previously a senior competition partner at Jones Day for six years, and he headed the City competition team there. Before his time at Jones Day, Olsen was an associate at CC. Olsen specializes in European Union and UK competition law as well as banking and finance practices.
Source: legalweek.com
O’Melveny Appoints First Asia M&A Head
O’Melveny & Meyers has named partner Gregory Puff to head the firm’s Asian mergers & acquisitions practice in Hong Kong. Previously, Puff worked in O’Melveny’s Tokyo office. Previously the duties of the head Asian M&A partner were handled jointly by Asia practice head Howard Chia and Michael Moser, the co-chair of the China office. This structure change came about because of an increase in Asian transactions.
Tags: O'Melveny & Myers, LLP | New York
Hunton & Williams Hires Tax Partner
Hunton & Williams has announced that Michael A. Silva will join their Miami office as a partner within their private wealth tax practice. Silva has 13 years of experience with tax law as well as over a decade of international tax experience in addition to having been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Miami. Silva will join Hunton & Williams partner Cary Tolley in the tax practice.
Source: www.digital50.com
Bracewell Recruits Tax Partner
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP has hired Elizabeth L. McGinley as a tax partner in their New York office. McGinley specializes in mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, and real estate transactions. Previous to working for Bracewell, McGinley was counsel at Skadden. The New York office of Bracewell opened in April 2005 when Rudolph Giuliani joined the firm as a name partner, and the firm has been growing ever since.
Source: home.businesswire.com
