Heavyweight Clients Help Ex-Irell & Manella Litigators Launch Own Firm
Bankrolled by a book of business including major corporate clients, a trio of litigation partners has left the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella to form a new firm that is already looking to grow bigger.
The new Kendall Brill & Klieger partnership includes Viacom Inc., CBS and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc.on its client roster, reports the Recorder in an article excerpted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
Formed by Richard Kendall, Laura Brill and Robert Klieger, the partnership is at least the third recent spinoff apparently prompted, at least in part, by client pressure for lower legal fees, the Recorder writes.
“This is an opportunity for us to put some of our thoughts in practice about how to develop the best law firm for the next decade,” Kendall tells the National Law Journal.
He says the firm plans to offer success-based billing arrangements, in which fees are determined in advance according both to the results achieved and the time it takes to achieve them. Meanwhile, the firm expects to hire about six additional lawyers soon, and grow further within a few years.
The new hires won’t be classified as associates or counsel, simply “attorneys” who receive base salaries and can eventually expect to share in some of the firm’s profits, Kendall explains.
Additional coverage:
JD Journal: “Irell & Manella Partners to Found New Firm”
Law 360 (sub. req.): “Ex-Irell Lawyers Open Up Litigation Boutique”
