Dallas-based firm Jenkens & Gilchrist has shrunk from 600 lawyers in 2001 to less than 200. Over the past few years the firm was sued by former clients over improper tax shelter advice and has been strategically downsizing in response. Its most recent move was the handing over of its entire 19-lawyer L.A. office to Baker Hostetler. Jenkens also moved most of its Chicago office, about 15 IP lawyers, to Nixon Peabody this week. It is also rumored that some of Jenkens’ Dallas lawyers might join Hunton & Williams.
Source: www.law.com
Troutman Sanders Opens in Shanghai
Troutman Sanders will be the first Atlanta-based firm to open in mainland China. The new office will be in Shanghai, China’s financial and commercial center. Troutman has had an office in Hong Kong for 10 years; it was this office’s success and amount of business dealing with Shanghai that led to the move to open on the mainland. Edward J. Epstein, a partner in Hong Kong, will be the new office’s managing partner; Hong Kong and Richmond partner, Coburn R. Beck, will also be a key player. Eleven attorneys from other firms’ China offices have already been recruited, and more are expected to join later.
Source: www.law.com
Mintz Levin Acquires Real Estate Expert in San Diego
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. recently gained a new Member to its Real Estate practice. Scott Biel joins the firm’s San Diego office from Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP. His work deals with the representation of owners, developers, tenants and lenders in a variety of real estate transactions; he specializes in the financing, development and leasing of offices, research and manufacturing facilities for corporate users in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and telecommunication industries. Mintz Levin is a 480-attorney AmLaw 100 firm with offices in the U.S. and U.K. The firm is especially known for its expertise in industry.
Source: www.lawfuel.com
Structural Changes for Finnegan
Intellectual property firm, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, has been slowly making changes over the last decade. The Washington-based firm is considered a first-generation firm, with most of its business tied to the top partners. It is one of few such firms today, having named its first nonequity partner only in 1998. Realizing that in order to expand, changes must be made, the firm reported 25 nonequity partners in 2006. The shift is not easy, however, for a firm who is used to seeing all partners as equal.
Source: www.law.com
Reed Smith Nabs Four from Dechert
Four partners from Dechert have joined Reed Smith’s Philadelphia office. Led by Lee Zoeller, the group (which includes Kyle Sollie, David Kraus and Frank Gallo) expands the firm’s tax controversy practice, and specializes in state tax controversy issues. In 2005, Reed Smith acquired a similar group from Preston Gates & Ellis for its West Coast office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
McKee Nelson Gains Litigation Practice
McKee Nelson announced the arrival of a six-partner business litigation practice to its New York Office. Coming from King & Spalding, the group focuses on defending lawsuits involving complex financial transactions. The fully staffed group will comprise of about 25 lawyers, pushing McKee Nelson’s numbers up to over 200 attorneys. Will Nelson, the firm’s managing partner, commented that the firm is always interested in acquiring top practices that focus on its client base and complement the existing practices. Founded in 1999, McKee Nelson has offices in NY and Washington, DC.
Source: www.prnewswire.com
Patent Litigator Moves to Buchanan from Skadden
Constance (Connie) S. Huttner has joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC as the chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group. The patent and intellectual property litigator was previously a partner at Skadden, Arps. At Skadden, Huttner established the firm’s patent litigation practice in 1990. Huttner joins a team of 120 attorneys and patent agents in Buchanan’s IP and IP Litigation groups, yet the firm expects to add more patent litigators over the next weeks. Buchanan has made several other acquisitions over the past two years including seven tax and immigration lawyers in Miami; 55 attorneys and patent professionals from Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis; and three government relations professionals in Washington, D.C.
Source: www.prnewswire.com
Eight Buchan Ingersol Lawyers Join Crowell & Moring
An eight-lawyer financial institutions practice from Buchanan Ingersol & Rooney was recruited by Crowell & Moring to join its New York office. These additions puts the DC-based firm’s five-month old NY office to 28 lawyers. Headed by William M. O’Connor, the group handles transactional and litigation matters for banks and other financial institutions. Crowell & Moring has 350 attorneys firmwide.
Source: www.law.com
Salary Hikes in Charlotte
Hunton & Williams has raised starting salaries in Charlotte, NC to $145,000. National firms Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; Dechert; and Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw are also reported to have increased to $145,000 or plan to next year. Until now, first-year associates at Hunton’s 43-lawyer Charlotte office were making only $117,5000, making the increase a 23 per cent raise. The firm’s Raleigh, Richmond, DC, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Norfolk, and Knoxville offices also now have a starting pay of $145,000. The NY office also increased to match the market rate of $160,000.
Source: www.charlotte.bizjournals.com
Drinker, Biddle & Reath Expands in DC
Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP expanded its Washington D.C. office by 33,000 square feet, now occupying 93,171 square feet of space in the Southern Railway Building. The firm has a 10 year lease at the building which was constructed in 1928 and renovated in 1988.
Source: www.costar.com
