After toxic tort litigation partner Douglas Wah left Bishop, Barry, Howe, Haney & Ryder in February, 14 toxic tort litigators have since followed. Nine of these lawyers have joined Wah at Foley & Mansfield, while the others left for other firms. The exodus has left Bishop Barry with eight partners, only two of which handle toxic torts. Wah feels that at Foley & Mansfield he has more litigation support from attorneys experienced in abestos litigation. Likewise, the group that most recently left Bishop Barry did so because after Wah left, they had little support in their practice area.
Source: www.law.com
Corporate Clients Seek Service-Focused Firms
Loyalty among corporate clients is waning; while 53.7 percent in 2005 reported firing one of their primary firms in the last eight months, that number increased to 61.1 percent in 2006. Most clients use two “primary” firms, about 15 “secondary” firms, and 45 other firms who handle limited matters. It is those secondary, generally mid-sized, firms that are in the best position to take advantage of clients’ willingness to switch firms. Nonprimary firms are usually more willing to be flexible, creative, and responsive in meeting their client’s needs. These firms are then perceived as more client-focused and committed to attaining client satisfaction. As a result, corporate clients are relying on primary firms less and less, and instead seeking out firms that will truely put service as a priority.
Source: www.law.com
Lateral Moves in NY
Harry Rubin has left Heller Ehrman for Ropes & Gray; he joins as a corporate partner and a partner in its Fish & Neave IP Group. William Stelwagon, a corporate and private equities attorney, has joined Fulbright & Jaworski as a senior counsel. Stelwagon was formerly employeed by Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Margaret Pierri left her partnership with the Fish & Neave IP Group of Ropes & Gray for Morrison & Foerster, where she will be a senior of counsel in the patent, life sciences, and litigation groups.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Financial Services Litigator Hired at Reed Smith
Reed Smith announced the addition of Theodore D. Aden as a partner in its Financial Services Litigation Group in the firm’s Princeton office. Aden was formerly a partner in the National Litigation Practice at Epstein Becker & Green PC, Newark. His experience is in litigating complex commercial and corporate cases, including the representation of clients across a wide range of industries such as insurance, banking and manufacturing. Reed Smith has over 1,500 lawyers practicing in 21 offices around the world.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Baker & McKenzie Expands Tokyo Office
Baker & McKenzie hired seven partners from Japanese firm Asahi Koma Law Offices and a linked operation for its Tokyo office. The firm hired name partner Fumio Koma, intellectual property partner Yasunori Hashiguchi, insolvency partner Shinichiro Abe and German-qualified counsel Markus Janssen. A group of four associates and counsel are also joining, putting Baker’s numbers in Tokyo up to 111. Baker & McKenzie is the largest practice of any foreign firm in Japan; about 75 percent of its lawyers there are locally-qualified bengoshi. There is a possibility that the firm may open a second office in Osaka in the future.
Source: www.legalweek.com
Goodwin Proctor Relocates in NY
Goodwin Proctor is relocating its New York office to The New York Times building, at 620 Eighth Avenue. Joining fellow law firms Seyfarth Shaw, Covington & Burling and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, the firm will occupy the 23rd-27th, 29th, and 30th floors. The 216,000 square foot office will provide Goodwin with more space to accomodate its growing NY office; there are currently 150 employees there, but the firm expects to grow to 300 in the next eight years. Along with giving more space, the new office will also allow the firm to build a full-sized conference center and reception/catering area on the 26th floor and have access to the property’s auditorium and cafe on the ground floor.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Lateral Moves in the Lone Star State
Texas lawyers have been on the move recently. Jeremy Gaston has joined Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw as a partner in Houston, while Jeffery Oldham has joined the firm as a litigation associate. Nickolas G. Spiliotis has joined Winstead’s Houston office as an associate with the labor and employment section. Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr’s Dallas office has hired three new attorneys: D. Ronald Reneker, shareholder, litigation; John L. Thompson, associate, litigation; and Brian P. DeVoss, senior associate, real estate.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Phoenix – Newest Site for Expansion for National Firms
Phoenix has become the next hotspot of legal expansion. Several large national firms are entering the market there, taking advantage of the thriving hospitality, real estate, construction, aerospace and electronics industries. As the fifth largest city in the U.S., Phoenix has the fastest growing population of any major U.S. city. Some of the firms that have opened in Phoenix include Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, DLA Piper, Ford & Harrison, and Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll. The entrance of these firms into the market has created pressure on the smaller local firms; Squire, Sanders & Dempsey and Fennemore Craig, for example, have lost several attorneys to incoming national firms. In fact, some long-standing Phoenix firms have actually been losing lawyers for the past five or six years. For those new firms coming into the market, they will find that it is not so easy to break into. The legal community is very tight knit, and it is not certain that the economy will be able to sustain a major push from other firms.
Source: www.law.com
Mintz Levin Continues to Grow in California
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo has expanded both its San Diego and Palo Alto, CA offices. Former Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney attorneys Daniel T. Pascucci and Andrew D. Skale, an intellectual property litigator, have joined Mintz Levin’s San Diego office as Members. Two associates from Buchanan are also joining the San Diego office. Corporate attorneys Matt Kirmayer and Jason Altieri, formerly of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, will be working in Palo Alto. Joining those two in Palo Alto are two associates from Bozicevic, Field & Francis. With the new additions, Mintz Levin’s San Diego office has tripled in size to 22 attorneys since opening nine months ago; the Palo Alto office, which opened last year, has doubled in size to 11 lawyers. Mintz Levin is capitalizing on its expertise in intellectual property, technology, and life sciences; in fact they have over 400 IP-related clients.
Source: www.home.businesswire.com
US Firms’ Salaries Lure London Lawyers From UK Firms
As US firms’ salaries increase, more and more of the top lawyers in London are leaving their UK firms for American firms. Last year, 71 partners left their UK firms for their American competitors; the majority cited higher salaries as the cause for the move. US law firms in London increased their revenue in 2006 by 17 percent, while London firms only increased revenue by 13 percent. Moreover, in 2006 the average profits per equity partner in US firms was 670,000 pounds compared to only 549,000 pounds for UK firms. In Europe, US firms, even those considered “second tier”, pose more of a threat than UK firms.
Source: www.business.timesonline.co.uk
