Bryan Cave Opens in Milan; Looks to Expand Throughout Europe

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Bryan Cave has begun its venture into mainland Europe by opening an office in Milan. The firm recruited a four-partner team from the Milan branch of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, led by corporate partners Fulvio Pastore-Alinante and Paolo Barozzi. Also joining the office will be former Ashurst tax chief Stefano Serbini. Bryan Cave expects the office to grow to about 15 attorneys by the end of the year. The firm also has its sights set on other European locations such as Germany, France and Iberia.
Source: www.legalweek.com

Tags:  Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

NJ Firms Boast Competitive Salaries; Gain New Hires

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

New Jersey firms are stepping up to the plate in terms of hiring and first-year salary raises. A sample of 21 firms shows that starting salaries in the fall will range between $90,000 and $130,000. Firms such as Flaster Greenberg felt pressure from the Philadelphia and New York markets to raise salaries; even though they can’t match those rates, the NJ firms still fight for the same talent and want to remain competitive. Most big NJ firms choose to keep their salaries at reasonable levels, and instead reward associates with merit bonuses. These firms also have “quality of life” going for them. They offer the chance to gain responsibility and make partner, whereas associates in NY often only last with a firm for a couple years. New Jersey firms are clearly doing something right, as the number of first year hires increased by 19% compared to last year.
Source: www.law.com

Tags:  New York

Wilson Sonsini Ups Starting Salary

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has increased first-year associate salaries in California to $160,000. The Silicon Valley firm is not, however, applying that rate to its Seattle or Salt Lake City offices. Additionally, the associates receiving the raise will not benefit from the quarterly bonus program. Other firms that already made the raise include Orrick; O’Melveny; MoFo; Latham and Gibson; Paul, Hastings; Winston & Strawn; Akin Gump; and Cooley Godward Kronish.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Tags:  Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Sheppard Mullin Launched Climate Change Group

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton has launched a Global Climate Change practice headed by partners Randolph Visser and M. Elizabeth McDaniel. This practice group will counsel and advocate for clients impacted by climate change regulation. Visser is a part of the Construction, Environmental, Real Estate and Land Use Litigation practice group in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He focuses on environmental compliance, government contracts counseling and environmental enforcement defense and administrative and judicial litigation. McDaniel is a member of the same practice group, but works in the San Francisco office. She is a litigator, and specializes in environmental and real estate issues and California’s Proposition 65. Along with Visser and McDaneil, partners Polly Towill and Stephen J. O’Neil will head the litigation side of the practice. The new practice group will operate out of most of Sheppard Mullin’s offices, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., San Diego and Shanghai.
Source: www.marketwire.com

Tags:  Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP | Los Angeles

Lateral IP Partner Joins Thompson & Knight

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Thompson & Knight has hired IP expert, John Driscoll, as a partner in its New York office. Driscoll specializes in businesses with IP assets, and he advises them in issues such as trademark prosecution and protection, copyright issues, licensing, sourcing, retail operations, employment, and trade matters. He also has experience in corporate and securities transactions, cross-border M&A, hedge funds, and international business transactions. Thompson & Knight has about 420 attorneys in offices around the world.
Source: www.usprwire.com

Tags:  Thompson & Knight LLP | New York

With Salary Raises Comes Fewer Bonuses

Monday, May 14, 2007

Heller Ehrman has raised first-year associate salaries in California to $160,000. However, like Morrison & Foerster, Heller has also eliminated one level of bonuses. MoFo did away with the 1950-hour bonus, and at Heller its the 2000-hour bonus.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Baker & McKenzie London Poised for Growth as Chief Begins Second Term

Monday, May 14, 2007

Gary Senior, Baker & McKenzie’s London managing partner, is ready to expand the firm during his second term. When Senior took the position in Dec. 2006, profitability was low in all firms. It took directed work increasing revenues and focusing on clients to turn things around and increase firm profitability. Specifically the corporate and banking practices have grown significantly during Senior’s first three-year term. In his second term, Senior hopes to expand all practice areas, but especially the IP practice.
Source: www.thelawyer.com

Tags:  Baker McKenzie

Greenberg Traurig Welcomes Lateral Litigator to Philly

Monday, May 14, 2007

Greenberg Traurig announced the arrival of Francine Friedman Griesing to its Philadelphia office. Friedman Griesing joins the firm as a shareholder in the litigation department. Before joining Greenberg, she was a partner at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC. Friedman Griesing has represented clients in the tourism, hospitality, restaurant, gaming, and manufacturing industries. With 1,600 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals, Greenberg Traurig is the seventh largest law firm in the U.S. based on the number of lawyers. The firm has offices in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Source: www.lawfuel.com

Tags:  Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Crowell & Moring Welcomes Two Government Contracts Partners

Monday, May 14, 2007

Crowell & Moring has brought on two new lateral partners to its Government Contracts Group. Angela Styles, the former Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House, and international government contracts lawyer Robert Nichols have joined the firm’s D.C. office. Both attorneys join from Miller & Chevalier, where they were members. Styles focuses her work on federal procurement law and litigation, and counsels clients on issues ranging from claim disputes and cost accounting to executive branch lobbying and compliance reviews. Nichols specializes in domestic and international government contracts issues, including traditional counseling, cost accounting, export controls, foreign military sales, and international dispute resolution. With its wide range of expertise and 40-year history, Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group has been recognized as one of the best in the country. The D.C.-based firm has over 350 lawyers practicing in offices in D.C., New York, California, London, and Brussels.
Source: www.prnewswire.com

Tags:  Crowell & Moring LLP | New York

Lone Star Firms Resist the First-Year Raise

Monday, May 14, 2007

As first-year salaries go up on both coasts, firms in Texas are resisting the pressure to raise. Though some non-Texas-based firms applied have applied the NY/CA market rate of $160,000 to their Texas offices, large Texas firms are staying put. The resistance may come from the fact that most firms just went through salary increases in 2006, and TX firms do not feel the need to raise them again so soon. Moreover, these firms know that because the cost of living is lower in Texas than in CA or NY, they remain competitive even if they don’t match East and West Coast salaries. Many top law students want to remain or return to Texas for just that reason. However, if any firm in the Lone Star state breaks down and decides to make the raise, it is likely that more will follow.
Source: www.nylawyer.com