Large Firm

Norton Rose to Merge with Macleod Dixon, Increasing Megafirm’s Attorney Roster to 2,900

In the latest move in its aggressive expansion campaign over the past two years, London-based Norton Rose is to merge with a several-hundred-lawyer Canadian firm that focuses its practice on energy and natural resources. As of Jan 1, 2012, when Norton Rose and Macleod Dixon plan to tie the knot,…

Oct 4, 2011 9:57 PM CDT

BigLaw Firms Say Anna Nicole Smith Ruling Nixes Bankruptcy Jurisdiction in Heller Clawback Case

Unlikely though it might seem, a deceased celebrity and former stripper known for her marriage to a very elderly, and very wealthy, Texas oil tycoon is at the center of an ongoing dispute concerning the dissolution of Heller Ehrman. Lawyers for the major law firms at which Heller Ehrman’s former…

Oct 3, 2011 11:55 PM CDT

IG Says Feds Paid Major Law Fims Millions Based on Bills That Didn’t Describe TARP Work Done

In a blistering report (PDF) this week, a special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program says major law firms were paid millions by the U.S. Treasury Department based on bills that provided little or no explanation of the work that was done. Although it stopped short of saying…

Sep 30, 2011 3:47 PM CDT

Wachtell PPP Again Tops Global 100, at $4.35M, Followed by Quinn Emanuel, at $3.62M

Law firms headquartered in the United States continue to dominate the Global 100 list compiled by American Lawyer of the world’s top-earning law firms over the most recent fiscal year. Baker & McKenzie remains in the number-one spot on the 2011 list, with gross revenue of $2.265 billion, followed by…

Sep 29, 2011 10:26 AM CDT

The Point Man: Steven Berrent, WilmerHale

Forecasting where technology can take litigation and understanding the steps needed to get there are great strengths of Steven Berrent’s, say those who know the managing director of WilmerHale’s Discovery Solutions. The in-house document review program uses technology that searches and organizes information. “The old way of doing document review…

Sep 28, 2011 1:54 PM CDT

Refugees from Failed Major Law Firms Do Better If Hired in Groups, Study Finds

An Emory University business professor who studied what happened to more than 1,400 attorney refugees from major law firms that failed in 2008 and 2009 says most have found new jobs, often with the help of alumni networks. But those that did the best, in terms of upward mobility, were…

Sep 28, 2011 1:01 AM CDT

Locke Lord Is Latest Law Firm to Shorten Multi-Partner Name

Clients already were referring to Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell as simply Locke Lord. So the 650-attorney Texas-based law firm decided to do the same. Having a shorter law firm name is also a branding and marketing plus, Locke Lord says in a press release today announcing the new moniker.…

Sep 27, 2011 5:14 PM CDT

Being a Top Pianist or a Traveling Do-Gooder Gives Job Hunters an Edge at Paul Weiss

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison sees lots of would-be associates with law review and good grades. While the firm looks for people with academic achievement, it also seeks something more, according to hiring partner Valerie Radwaner. “We also look for nonlegal achievement—what their greater interests are, leadership roles they’ve…

Sep 27, 2011 1:05 PM CDT

After Paying Orrick Nearly $1M to Defend Claims by 2 Fired Workers, Oakland Opts to Settle a Case

Firing two at-will employees has cost the city of Oakland nearly $1 million in legal fees, so far, as the two filed sex discrimination suits and made whistle-blower arguments. One also contended that she’d been promised a severance package as a condition of employment. So a divided city council decided…

Sep 26, 2011 8:53 PM CDT

UK’s Ashurst and Australia’s Blake Dawson Plan Major Global Firm with Focus on Asia

In a move intended to create a global law firm with a strong presence in one of the world’s rapidly growing legal markets, major law firms in the United Kingdom and Australia have announced their plans to merge their Asian practices. Ashurst and Blake Dawson conditionally agreed on Friday to…

Sep 26, 2011 5:47 PM CDT

African Adventurer: Jeffrey Krilla, SNR Denton

A prime-cut filet might be the centerpiece of a New York or Chicago meal between law firm partners and business executives, while in Los Angeles they might dine on halibut and baby artichokes while discussing multimillion-dollar deals. And in some parts of Africa, the meal might be made up of…

Sep 26, 2011 1:49 PM CDT

Client Sues Crowell & Moring, Claims Law Firm Can’t Account for $5.5M in Escrow Money

A real estate management company represented by Crowell & Moring sued the law firm today in New York state court. The Manhattan Supreme Court complaint (PDF) contends that Crowell & Moring can’t account for some $5.5 million being held in escrow on behalf of Regal Real Estate and other plaintiffs…

Sep 24, 2011 1:04 AM CDT

Law Firm Expenses Are Up 4.7 Percent, Outpacing Revenue Gains, Survey Finds

Law firm expenses are up 4.7 percent for the first half of 2011, outpacing revenue increases of 3.7 percent, a survey has found. Higher expenses are due partly to spring bonuses and partly to long-overdue infrastructure projects, according to Citi Private Bank, which surveyed law firms that are among the…

Sep 23, 2011 1:18 PM CDT

Ogletree Deakins Sues Client Entity, Maricopa County, for Defamation

A well-known labor and employment law firm has filed suit against Maricopa County, Ariz., seeking damages for claimed defamatory statements made in a letter from county officials terminating its services. It “contained false and defamatory statements including, among other things, accusing Ogletree of unethical and possibly criminal conduct and of…

Sep 23, 2011 12:24 AM CDT

BigLaw Attorney Is Accused by Client of Stealing $2.5M in Escrowed Funds

A counsel for Crowell & Moring no longer listed on the Washington, D.C., law firm’s website has been accused by a client of embezzling some $2.5 million of escrowed funds. Douglas R. Arntsen has been arrested and is being held in Hong Kong, where he is awaiting extradition to the…

Sep 22, 2011 7:22 PM CDT