Considering the difference in cost of living between California and New York, some have begun to wonder whether the West coast (and elsewhere) matching of the NY market rate is fair for NY associates. Starting in May many big CA firms raised first-year salaries from $145,000 to $160,000; some firms in Boston and Chicago have made the same move. Those firms justify the raises by emphasizing their national status – they want all of their associates to receive the same pay no matter where they are in the country. However, when it comes down to it, there are vast differences in cost of living across the U.S. The $160,000 NY salary is actually equal to $205,631 in L.A., and $278,573 in Chicago.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Dickstein Shapiro Adds 4 Thelen Reid Attorneys in L.A.
D.C. based Dickstein Shapiro has added four attorneys from Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner’s L.A. office, which has seen more than a dozen departures since its fall merger. Partners James Turken and Amy Rubinfeld, along with two associates from Thelen’s commercial litigation group have joined the 20-lawyer office in L.A. Thelen’s office now has about 50 attorneys, down from 65 at the time of its merger with Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Pay Hikes in Sacramento
Several firms in Sacramento, CA have jumped onto the pay raise bandwagon. Seyfarth Shaw increased first-year pay from $121,000 to $135,000, while Weintraub Genshlea Chediak bumped up pay to $100,000 and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP raised starting salaries to $145,000. Morrison & Foerster pays new lawyers $160,000, which is said to be the best pay in town.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Boston First Years Get Pay Raise
Several firms have raised first-year salaries to $160,000 in their Boston offices, and in some cases firmwide. Bingham McCutchen, DLA Piper, McDermott Will & Emery and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, along with Boston-based Foley Hoag are the firms who have recently raised pay to the NY market scale. Ropes & Gray, Goodwin Procter, and Choate Hall & Stewart have also already raised Boston salaries.
Source: www.law.com
Trowers & Hamilins Opens Saudi Office with New Partnership
UK firm Trowers & Hamlins has established a new partnership in Saudi Arabia with Feras Al Shawaf. Trowers associate Rami Ami-Ghosh will move to the Riyadh office joining Al Shawaf and his four associates; more Trowers lawyers will join later in the summer. Sources from Trowers are confident with the new alliance – the firms’ corporate and project work complement each other well.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Akin Bankruptcy Duo Joins Reed Smith
Reed Smith Richards Butler snagged Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s London restructuring team last week. Cross-border restructuring partner Jeff Drew and associate Nuala Barratt were recruited by Reed Smith in anticipation of an increase in restructuring work. With at least 20 restructuring attorneys in New York, Akin Gump has no plans to replace the two lost in London.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Stoel Rives Opens in Minneapolis with 13 Lateral Hires
Portland firm Stoel Rives has opened a Minneapolis office with the hiring of 13 lawyers from Minneapolis-based Lindquist & Vennum. The ten partners and three associates have practices in agribusiness, renewable energy, and food. Stoel Rives has over 350 attorneys in 10 U.S. offices.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Fulbright Recruits White Collar Litigation Team
Three white collar defense attorneys from Akerman Senterfitt joined Fulbright & Jaworski’s international litigation and dispute resolution practice this week. Richard C. Smith, Alexandre H. Rene and Guy D. Singer join Fulbright’s Washington, D.C. office; all three are former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys. Smith joins as a partner, and was known in the Justice Department for his quick investigations and prosecutions of corporate fraud cases. Rene also will be a partner at Fulbright – he has prosecuted cases involving bribery, bank fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, obstruction of justice, perjury, mail and wire fraud. Singer joins as senior counsel. Fulbright’s litigation and dispute resolution practice has been a part of the firm since its founding in 1919. The firm today has close to 1,000 lawyers practicing in 16 locations worldwide.
Source: www.home.businesswire.com
King & Spalding IP Patners Join Heller; K&S Hires New Partner
Three IP partners from King & Spalding have departed for Heller Ehrman’s NYC office; Kevin Culligan, W. Edward Bailey and John Hanish specialize in patent litigation. Before joining King & Spalding, the partners were with NY IP boutique Fish & Neave prior to its merger with Ropes & Gray. King & Spalding has already begun to fill their spots, hiring Ethan Horwitz, the former IP chairman of Goodwin Procter.
Source: www.law.com
Littler Mendelson Opens Orlando Shop
Littler Mendelson has opened an office in Orlando with six employment lawyers from Fisher & Phillips. With locations in Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; Atlanta, Mobile, AL and Miami, the San Francisco firm’s new office pushes it farther into the Southeast. Littler Mendelson is known as the nation’s largest labor and employment firm, and has over 600 attorneys across the country.
Source: www.sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com
