Top M&A Partner Exits Dewey & LeBoeuf for White & Case as Tally of 2012 Departed Partners Nears 100

Updated: As additional partners announce their departures from Dewey & LeBoeuf, the total of those leaving the approximately 1,000-attorney and 300-partner firm in 2012 is moving toward 100. Among the latest to announce a planned exit is mergers and acquisitions ace Morton A. Pierce, a former chairman of Dewey Ballantine…

May 3, 2012 6:26 PM CDT

Lawyers Describe ‘Chaos’ at Dewey, Where Some Partners Had Pay Packages Worth $5M a Year

The mood at troubled law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf is grim, as lawyers spent the day Tuesday boxing up papers and backing up emails and contacts. Lawyers described the situation as “chaos,” employees as “shellshocked” and the mood as “unbelievably difficult and stressful” in interviews with the New York Times,…

May 2, 2012 1:01 PM CDT

‘Very Short’ Health Insurance Suspension Is Latest Bump in Road at Struggling Dewey & LeBoeuf

Two unidentified junior attorneys at Dewey & LeBoeuf discovered Tuesday that employees of their struggling law firm are facing another financial issue—their medical insurance was suspended April 1 due to nonpayment. “It’s unbelievable,” an associate told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). “It’s one thing not to pay Westlaw or…

May 1, 2012 11:01 PM CDT

Quinn Emanuel Opens 2nd Office in Germany with 11-Lawyer A&O Team; More Euro, Asia Growth Planned

For the second time in a year or so, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has raided Allen & Overy to set up a new office in Germany. This time, Nadine Herrmann, formerly A&O’s local intellectual property practice group chief, led an 11-attorney group to Quinn, where they are now resident,…

May 1, 2012 5:46 PM CDT

Pepper Hamilton to Open New LA Office with Former Dewey & LeBoeuf Partner

Pepper Hamilton is opening a new Los Angeles office with the acquisition of a former practice leader from Dewey & LeBoeuf. Gary Apfel, who is one of, at last report, over 85 partners to exit the struggling Dewey firm in 2012, served as co-chairman of the consumer financial services practice…

May 1, 2012 4:11 PM CDT

Top Law Firms Turn to Litigation Finance Companies to Fund Suits

Litigation finance companies aren’t just bankrolling suits by small law firms and personal injury lawyers. Some of the nation’s top law firms have introduced clients to such companies, the New York Times DealBook blog reports. Among them are Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Latham & Watkins, Fulbright & Jaworski and Patton…

May 1, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

In Latest Memo, Dewey Encourages Its Partners to ‘Seek Out Alternative Opportunities’

Dewey & LeBoeuf is loosening its hold on partners who have remained at the firm during a period of intense turmoil. In an internal memo circulated Monday evening, the law firm told partners that they are encouraged to look for jobs, according to the New York Times DealBook blog, which…

May 1, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

A Meh Market: Surveys Reveal Slight Growth in Legal Revenues, Greater Growth in Expenses

May 1, 2012 6:59 AM CDT

Tally of Dewey Partners Who Exited in 2012 Now Tops 85

Nearly a dozen partners have exited Dewey & LeBoeuf within less than a week, putting the total tally of those who have exited the law firm in 2012 at 86 as of Monday, Reuters reports. Among the latest to depart is Gordon Warnke, who headed Dewey’s tax department and served…

Apr 30, 2012 11:17 PM CDT

Latest Dewey Defections: Three More Partners Leave, Including Bank and Finance Chair

Updated: Dewey & LeBoeuf’s troubles continue as more partners announce departures for other law firms. Marshall Stoddard, who led the bank and institutional finance practices group at Dewey, is among a team of at least four finance lawyers headed to Morgan Lewis. He will be co-chair of the finance practice…

Apr 30, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

Dewey Gets an Extra Week to Renegotiate Debt, While Its Ex-Leader Defends Himself Amid DA’s Probe

Dewey & Leboeuf’s onetime chairman Steven Davis is defending himself in an email sent to partners amid mounting turmoil at the firm and news of a preliminary criminal investigation. Davis was ousted from his post as one of five co-leaders of the firm on Sunday, the New York Times DealBook…

Apr 30, 2012 10:45 AM CDT

Greenberg Traurig Says There’s No Merger Plan in Statement About Dewey

Amidst news that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is investigating allegations of financial improprieties by the former chairman of Dewey & LeBoeuf, it appears that Greenberg Traurig may be rethinking its merger discussions with the troubled law firm, which has lost at least 70 of its partners since January. In…

Apr 27, 2012 10:18 PM CDT

Sullivan & Cromwell Pays Spring Bonuses; Blog Deems Them ‘Small Change’

Sullivan & Cromwell is reportedly paying spring bonuses that are quite small by BigLaw standards. The bonuses range from $1,000 for the class of 2011 to $5,000 for the class of 2006, Above the Law reports. A Sullivan & Cromwell spokesperson did not immediately return the ABA Journal’s calls seeking…

Apr 27, 2012 4:17 PM CDT

Holland & Knight Plans to Appeal $34.5M Malpractice Award; ‘Resolution’ Averts Punitive Verdict

Holland & Knight reached a deal on Tuesday to avoid a punitive damages verdict in a legal malpractice case after getting socked with a $34.5 million compensatory award last week. Los Angeles jurors were deliberating punitive damages on Tuesday when the law firm reached a confidential agreement with investors who…

Apr 26, 2012 12:43 PM CDT

Onetime BigLaw Associate, 2 Co-Defendants Part of $33M Insider-Trading Settlement

Updated: A former attorney at four major law firms who pleaded guilty last year in an insider trading case in federal court in Newark, N.J., has agreed, with two co-defendants, to settle a civil case for $33 million. Matthew Kluger, who is now in his early 50s, agreed to pay…

Apr 25, 2012 10:12 PM CDT