Five partners from Mayer Brown’s New York office have made a move over to White & Case. All five are experienced in corporate finance, debt finance and high-yield debt offerings. Besides these new arrivals, White & Case has also hired seven new partners over the last three months. As for Mayer, sources within the firm tell us that this will result in some loss of business, but will result in a cultural improvement for those who had to work under the lead partner in the group.
Source: www.thelawyer.com

After 10 years heading Simpson Thacher Bartlett’s London office, managing partner Walter Looney prepares to return to the firm’s New York headquarters. The office’s most senior partner under Looney, Greg Conway, will take over in London. London revenue increased by 10 per cent last year, reaching $52 million. The London offices houses around 50 Simpson Thacher attorneys.
Source: www.thelawyer.com

Bankruptcy lawyers prepare for an increase in business around the end of the year. Though business bankruptcy filings are down by 45 percent and corporate debt default rates remain near all-time lows, a faith in business cycles has caused predictions of an eventual downturn. In preparation, some large firms are recruiting big-name attorneys from other firms. Winston & Strawn recruited four; Kirkland & Ellis acquired a lawyer from rival Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York; and top NY-firm Paul, Hastings Janofsky & Walker opened its Chicago office with two attorneys from Jones Day.
Source: www.blackenterprise.com

King & Spaulding announced that it will be moving its real estate capital markets practice from Atlanta to New York. Starting with the addition of Andrew H. Charles as partner, the firm plans to expand this practice area to as many as 25 attorneys in NY. Six lawyers from Atlanta are also relocating to NY to join the real estate industry team there. King & Spaulding has over 800 lawyers around the world and was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies.
Source: www.marketwire.com

After founding and 22 years of heading Dewey Ballantine’s private equity practice, Sanford Morhouse is stepping down. New York partner Joseph Smith will take over as chair, and Morhouse will continue work in NY as of counsel. The NY private equity practice gained one new partner as a result of recent firmwide promotions; the practice now has five partners who work solely in private equity and one who works in private equity and real estate.
Source: www.thelawyer.com

San Francisco-based Morrison & Foerster acquired two bankruptcy attorneys from the NY office of UK firm Lovells. Gary Lee and Karen Ostad join MoFo’s NY office, where there are already about 160 lawyers. In total, the firm has 1,100 attorneys.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

There has been a lot of activity recently in Southeast U.S. McKenna Long & Aldridge raised its first-year associate salary to $130,000 in Atlanta, where it has 55 attorneys. Kilpatrick Stockton gained a partner from PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York who will out of the firm’s Atlanta and New York offices. Three attorneys have also left Greenburg Traurig for Carlton Field’s intellectual property practice; they joined the firm as of counsel.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

As first-year salaries around the country rise like thermometers in August, some local firms are still holding their ground. Several firms in Connecticut have resisted raising salaries, at least not to the heights of their neighbor, New York. Wiggin & Dana, for example, will not make changes, if any, unti mid-year like normal. Finn, Dixon & Herling in Stamford did raise its starting pay, but only to $136,000. The branch offices of some large national firms like Bingham McCutchen have followed the salary increase trend, however, creating a pressure on local firms to follow suit in order to remain competitive.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Blank Rome announced yesterday that it would increase first-year salaries in New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Starting pay in Philly will now be $135,000; in D.C. it will be $145,000; and in NY it will be $150,000. The same day D.L.A. Piper also made the move pushing Philadelphia salaries to $135,000, NY to $160,000, and D.C. and Chicago to $145,000. Other firms have not confirmed plans to match the increases but will be wathcing the market closely now that the first Philadelphia firm has raised salaries.
Source: www.law.com

Construction firm, Peckar & Abramson, recently acquired NY boutique Berman, Paley, Goldstein & Monte. Three partners and one associate from Berman have joined Peckar & Abramson. The midsize firm has around 100 attorneys in its nine offices across the country.
Source: www.nylawyer.com