Clifford Chance has announced that it will open an office in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. The office, which will open in late April, will be helmed by finance partner Richard Ernest.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Littler Mendelson Opens St. Louis Office
Employment and labor law firm Littler Mendelson has opened an office in St. Louis. Shareholders Harry Wellford Jr. and Charles Reis IV will head the new branch. Littler Mendelson has 44 offices across the country.
Source: www.businesswire.com
55 Attorney Raid Due to Failed Merger
Failed merger talks between Reed Smith and Anderson Kill & Olick have led to a 55 attorney raid of the latter firm by the former. 43 of those attorneys will work in Reed Smith’s New York office with the rest spread between Philadelphia and Chicago. There are said the be no hard feelings between the firms despite the fact that Anderson Kill’s attorney count has been nearly cut in half.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Husch Blackwell Sanders Expands to Chicago
The newly-merged Husch Blackwell Sanders has announced plans to open a Chicago office to house some of its 630 attorneys. The firm hopes to add up to 20 attorneys to the new office over the course of the next two years.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Dewey & LeBeouf Takes Over Akin Gump Office in Dubai
Akin Gump Straus Hauer and Feld is having some trouble in Dubai. Recently Dewey & LeBoeuf recently raided the firm’s regional office, nabbing both partners, Gavin Watson and Chris Sioufi. Dewey & LeBeouf representatives said that they are aiming to attract 12-18 attorneys to their Dubai office, and that this move was the first step towards that goal.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Allen & Overy Introduces Black Market for Vacation Days
Allen & Overy has announced that attorneys in its London office are now allowed to buy and sell their vacation days. Attorneys are allowed to trade a portion of their salary for a determined number of days, so a mid-level trainee might buy or sell up to five days. This is part of a new life-work balance initiative and seeks to even out discrimination in terms of vacation days for those with and without families.
Source: www.nylwayer.com
Austin Trial Attorney Joins Fish & Richardson
Tommy Jacks, a top litigator, has moved to the Austin, Texas branch of Fish & Richardson. Jacks, who has previously ran his own practice, joins as a partner.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Luce Forward Changes Pay-Rate System
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps recently overhauled their pay scale system, ousting the traditional class-year system. The new pay scale is based on productivity, rates of practice, and number of hours worked. The firm changed the system mostly to give credit to those associates who have earned it.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Holland & Knight Grabs Construction Group
Holland & Knight has announced the hiring of a group of construction attorneys. Frederick Rohn, Harry Sacks, Henry Rosenzweig and Deborah Roth have all joined the firm’s New York office. They previously worked for Sacks Montgomery PC in New York.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Cadwalader Lays Off 35 Attorneys
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has announced that it is laying off 35 attorneys due to the weak mortgage-backed securities market. The firm is also stepping up efforts to diversify its practices. The firm says it does not expect the lay-offs to affect client services.
Source: www.nylj.com
