Los Angeles has become a center of recruiting activity over the past nine months, as at least seven mid-sized East Coast firms have opened or expanded offices in LA. Duane Morris; Dreier; Goodwin Procter; Hunton & Williams; McGuireWoods; Steptoe & Johnson LLP; and Venable are some of the firms that have made a move on the West Coast. The new offices tend to be in Century City, a pricier area, where clients are often involved in new media, entertainment, and technology. Several of the firms have gained large groups of lawyers from local firms; Goodwin Proctor, for example, recruited a group of real estate lawyers from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.
Source: www.law.com
Frost Brown Welcomes Former Greenebaum Partner
Bill Robinson has left Greenebaum Doll & McDonald to join Frost Brown Todd LLC. Robinson was the member-in-charge of Greenebaum’s Cincinnati and Covington, KY offices, and had worked for the firm for 16 years. At Frost Brown Todd, Robinson will chair the strategic planning and expansion committee, where he will develop a plan to expand the firm’s presence in the region. The firm currently has offices in Louisville and Lexington, KY; Cincinnati, Columbus and Middletown, Ohio; New Albany, IN; and Nashville, TN; Robinson will be based out of Cincinnati and a new office to open in Covington.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Winston Adds Four More from Thelen Reid
Chicago firm Winston & Strawn has recruited four more attorneys from Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner. Just last month Winston gained former Thelen Reid vice-chairman and litigation chief Michael Elkin, who led an eight-lawyer group to the firm. This time, Winston has added a partner, an of counsel, and an associate to its NY office, as well as one associate to its LA office. Firmwide, Winston has about 900 attorneys.
Tags: Winston & Strawn LLP
Lateral Hire at Covington
David Bayless has joined Covington & Burling’s San Francisco office from Morrison & Foerster. Bayless comes to the Washington-based firm as a partner after more than seven years with MoFo’s securities litigation practice. Sources from MoFo’s San Francisco office speculate that in moving, Bayless is seeking to pursue his regulatory practice. Covington’s securities and enforcement practice is based mainly in Washington and New York, and is known for its former government lawyers.
Source: www.law.com
Mayer Brown Says ‘Goodbye’ to 45 Partners
Chicago-based firm, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, has de-equitizated 45 of its partners, or around 10 percent of its total. Sources report that most of the terminated partners were in the U.S., but the firm is remaining quiet on the details. The restructuring comes despite a strong financial year in 2006; according to the firm, the changes were made to “enhance the firm’s position among the world’s leading law firms.” Rival Chicago firm Sidley Austin’s decision to de-equitize 32 partners in 2000 is currently under scrutiny by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which claims the termination was a result of age-discrimination. Firms that downsize in this manner usually do so to increase profits per partner and attract and keep money-making partners.
Source: www.law.com
Ten New Partners at Baker & McKenzie
Baker & McKenzie named ten new partners in its Chicago office, bringing its total number of partners in the office to 109. Narendra Acharya and Tom Hurka are partners in the Employment and Compensation group; Michael DeFranco, Tomas Man, and Helen Mantel are Corporate and Securities attorneys; Erin Maus and Shima Roy are partners in the Litigation practice; Michael Donovan and Erika Schechter made partner in the firm’s Tax group; and Doug Sanders is a part of the Environmental team.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
North Carolina Firm Opens in Charlotte
Smith Moore has opened a new office in Charlotte, NC. As a leader in the Southeast, opening an office in North Carolina’s biggest city was of strategic importance to the firm. Attorneys from the firm’s Greensboro office will comprise the litigation practice, and two corporate lawyers from Morris Manning & Martin were laterally hired; there will be a total of eight lawyers for the office’s opening. Smith Moore has over 115 attorneys in four NC offices and one in Atlanta.
Source: www.carolinanewswire.com
Corporate Practices Prepare for Fall in Business
Though there has been a booming market for corporate lawyers, a recent stock market fall provided a reality check for some. Memories of the lay-offs that occured after the demise of the dot-com have forced firms to consider their hiring practices more carefully. Firms are hiring with much more selectivity, and focusing on diversifying their corporate practices. For some this means adding new practices, for others it means adding firms or merging.
Source: www.law.com
Reed Smith Combines with Sachnoff & Weaver
After combining with mid-size Chicago firm Sachnoff & Weaver, Reed Smith has made Chicago the site of its 21st office. Sachnoff added 130 attorneys to the firm, pushing its numbers to 1,500 lawyers firmwide. Back in January, Reed Smith also combined with London-based Richards Butler, adding 300 and creating new practice groups in Shipping, Energy, and Trade & Commodities. Reed Smith is one of the largest 15 law firms in the world, and projects its annual revenues to be about $900 million.
Source: www.prnewswire.com
Jenner & Block Introduces Green Practice
Jenner & Block has launched its new Climate and Clean Technology Law practice. Co-chaired by partners Robert L. Graham and Gabrielle Sigel, prominent environmental law attorneys, the practice will counsel clients on legal issues surrounding climate change and other energy-related matters. The firm already represents big-players in the energy and green technology industries, and is positioned to address the interests of large established companies, as well as start-ups.
Source: www.prnewswire.com
