Mark Kessler has decided to accept the position of vice president, general counsel, and chief compliance officer at Toll Brothers Inc.. This left Kessler, who is 71, only two weeks to enjoy his “retirement” before reentering the work for. Kessler was a corporate and securities attorney for Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen for many years, and took the position while on vacation in Scotland.
Source: www.corpcounsel.com
Ballard Spahr Opens LA Branch
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll announced Friday that is has opened a Los Angeles office. The move is part of the firm’s continued Western expansion, which has included new offices in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Joining the new office are two real estate attorneys, including one partner, recruited from Baker & Hostetler.
Source: www.bizjournals.com
Cooley Godward Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Cooley Godward Kronish has two new partners in its New York office, but one of their former partners has moved on. Laura Grossfield Birger, a white-collar criminal defense attorney, and Jennifer B. Coplan, a technology licensing and outsourcing attorney, will join Cooley Godward. Paul M. Ritter, a compensation specialist, has accepted an offer to head the executive compensation practice at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel.
Source: www.nylj.com
More Atlanta Firms Announce Salary Increases
Jones Day, Asbill & Brennan and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker are raising starting salaries in Atlanta by $15,000. The raise puts Jones Day up to $150,000 and the other two firms at $145,000. Pay increases for senior associates at Jones Day will be merit-based, and Paul Hastings will not announce 2008 salaries for other associate levels until the end of the year. Sutherland, on the other hand, will pay second-years $150,000, and third through sixth-years will be paid based on a deferred compensation structure that ranges up to $200,000. The raises will go into affect on Jan. 1, 2008.
Source: www.dailyreportonline.com
TX Firms Gardere Wynne and Jackson Walker Up First-Year Pay
Two more Texas firms have announced first-year salary increases. Dallas-based firms Jackson Walker and Gardere Wynne Sewell are matching the new TX market rate of $160,000. Gardere’s new starting salary will be effective Sept. 1, but there is no bonus associated with it. Jackson Walker’s raise will not be effective until Jan. 1, 2008; it includes a base salary of $140,000 plus a $20,000 bonus, $15,000 of which the new associates will receive immediately. Neither firm has decided on a new compensation structure for more senior associates.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Fox Rothschild Wants No Part in Pay Raises, Other Philly Firms Bump up Pay
Fox Rothschild is saying “no” to first-year salary raises, keeping its starting salary at $125,000. The firm felt that raising salaries would be a disservice to its clients, partners, and ultimately its associates too, who would be working more to earn a higher salary. Other Philadelphia firms feel differently, however, and have announced pay raises – some retroactive to January and others effective in September. Pepper Hamilton, Dechert, Morgan Lewis, and Drinker Biddle & Reath have all bumped starting salaries to $145,000. Other firms such as Saul Ewing, DLA Piper, and Blank Rome increased pay in Philly to $135,000.
Source: www.law.com
L.A. Fashion Law Business Grows
Several firms in Los Angeles have recently launched or expanded practice groups focusing on the fashion, apparel, and textile industries. Loeb & Loeb unveiled their new fashion and luxury brands industry group this month, and in April, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton recruited fashion designer lawyer Ted Max from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. Though fashion law is not a brand new area, mid-size firms are just recently getting into the game whereas before it was dominated by boutique firms. Part of the boom in business came from an increase in copyright infringement suits over textile designs and corporate deals in the industry. Loeb & Loeb’s fashion and luxury brands industry group includes ten attorneys from four different practice areas.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Lateral Employment Partner Joins Bingham in San Fran
Bingham McCutchen has added employment law partner, Walter Stella, to its San Francisco office. Joining from Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Stella brings 15 years of experience in employment litigation and counseling. There are 50 attorneys in Bingham’s labor and employment group. The San Francisco-based firm has 13 offices worldwide and over 800 lawyers.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
WilmerHale Recruits IP Partner in Silicon Valley
IP and patent litigation expert, William Bohler, has joined WilmerHale in Silicon Valley. Bohler was previously employed with Townsend and Townsend and Crew, and his practice focuses on complex patent litigation and trials in federal district courts, U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has a degree in electrical engineering and has worked with such clients as Hynix Semiconductor, Visa, and Kumho. WilmerHale has 1,100 attorneys worldwide.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Sonnenschein Plans to Expand; Loses Lawyers Along the Way
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal is rapidly adding partners (20 this year) and offices (three this year), yet its total headcount is growing slowly. The total number of attorneys has only grown by five, reaching 650, because some lawyers have left as the firm sharpens its strategic focus. The firm’s new offices are located in Dallas, Charlotte, and Menlo Park. Sonnenschein aims to expand its litigation, corporate, and real estate groups, and hopes to grow to 1,000 attorneys by 2009. Along the way the firm has lost lawyers due to its increasing emphasis on profitability and productivity standards.
Source: www.law.com
