New York firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has raised first-year associate base salaries to $160,000. This increase comes soon after the hike, occuring less than a year ago, which raised first-year salaries from $125,000 to $145,000. Because firms compete for the same group of top law school grads, there is great pressure to match each other in pay for junior associates. Salaries vary more widely when it comes to senior level associates.
Source: www.law.com

About a year ago, LA firm Irell & Manella was the first California firm to raise associate salaries to $145,000, starting a trend that quickly spread. The CA raises were in response to the raises that first occured in New York. While some firms like Latham & Watkins held firm to their $135,000 starting salary, other smaller LA firms like Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges matched the NY salaries in their California offices. Associates wait with anticipation for the time when the salary increases become widespread.
Source: www.law.com

After its December merger, Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner is using the increased budget to add five new attorneys to its technology & outsourcing practice group. All five were lateral hires, and were the firms most recent additions after the merger between California-firm Thelen Reid & Priest and New York-based Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner. The technology practice now has 37 attorneys, 30 of them located in NY, and three of the new five joined the Hartford office. The Hartford office now has 41 lawyers, a dramatic increase from the numbers at opening in 1994.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

D.C. firm Howrey has gained three veteran litigation partners in its New York office. Michael F. Armstrong, 74, was most recently a partner at Cooley Godward Kronish’s NY office. Paul K. Rooney, 69, who has practiced at his own firm since 1970 also joins the team. William O. Purcell, 65, joins Howrey from the New York office of K&L Gates. Howrey’s New York office opened late last year after the acquisition of eight-lawyer litigation boutique Engel McCarney & Kenney. The firm has 600 lawyers worldwide.
Source: www.law.com

There have recently been several lateral moves for attorneys in New York. David E. Prager left Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross for Bond, Schoeneck & King. Morrison Cohen gained two partners and a senior counsel. After leaving Morea Schwartz, Aliza F. Herzberg joined Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky as a partner. Also departing from Morea Schwartz, Paul R. McMenamin joined Wiggin and Dana as a partner.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

New York’s Dewey Ballantine and San Francisco’s Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe canceled a merger that would have resulted in a 1,500-lawyer firm. Morton A. Pierce, chairman of Dewey Ballantine, stated that the two firms were not able to overcome differences about a number of key issues, keeping them from completing the merger. Orrick chairman Ralph Baxter did not provide details and emphasized that the merger had never been a done deal. The recent departure of a number of partners from Dewey might have affected the merger discussions, though Pierce denies that as being the cause.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Boston-based Bingham McCutchen recruited New York bankruptcy partner, Steven Wilamowsky, from Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Wilamowsky has focused on the representation of purchasers of assets of distressed companies, and has represented bidders and investors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcies of Polaroid, RCN Corp., and FAO Schwarz, among others. Out of Bingham’s 850 attorneys worldwide, 100 of them are located in the New York office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Daniel M. Bagatta, Richard H. Freeman and Jennifer A. McLaughlin were made partners of NY-firm Cullen and Dykman. Mr. Bagatta, a commercial lending attorney, is in the Manhattan office. Mr. Freeman, a trusts and estates attorney, practices in Brooklyn. Ms. McLaughlin, a commercial litigator, works on Long Island.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Recently there has been a lot of moving for New York lawyers. Herrick Feinstein has gained two to their sports & entertainment practice. Philip A. Haber has joined Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham as a partner in the finance practice, and George F.A. Parnell left Holland & Knight to be a partner in the corporate and securities group of Schiff Hardin. Paul H. Shur and Peter A. Antonucci have also joined Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross as partners.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner announced the opening of its first European office – a four-lawyer branch in London. The new office will focus largely on real estate finance and will be staffed by lawyers from the firm’s U.S. offices. The announcement comes after the Dec. 1 merger between Thelen Reid & Priest and New York-based Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner. The new office will be the second international office for Thelen Reid, who already has a location in Shanghai as well.
Source: www.law.com