Baker's San Diego Outpost Continues to Shrink; Is Office Closing a Possibility?
Corrected: The San Diego office of Baker & McKenzie has only eight lawyers remaining after two of its intellectual property litigators jumped this week to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.
Partners Howard Wisnia and James Conley are making the move, the Daily Journal (sub. req.) reports. At one time, Baker & McKenzie’s San Diego office employed 60 lawyers.
The story cites speculation by a person knowledgeable about Baker’s business affairs that the firm will close its San Diego office. When the legal publication contacted San Diego managing partner Colin Murray, he refused to comment. “I don’t know what kind of information you have,” he said.
Industry observers question whether Baker was “complacent in the region,” the story says, or whether the San Diego market is better suited to local firms. Wisnia cited another issue in an interview with the Daily Journal. “Baker is a fine firm, but it’s a very big firm, and it has a lot of clients, which creates a lot of conflicts in the patent litigation space,” he said.
Story updated at 4:05 p.m. to correct name of Mintz Levin.
