Partners

Leaders of Philly Law Firms Warn of Tough Performance Reviews

Philadelphia law firms have escaped the brunt of the economic downturn since they did not focus on securitization and real estate finance, the hardest-hit practice areas. But some firm leaders are warning that the economy could lead to tough performance reviews this year. One of them is Cozen O’Connor chief…

Dec 3, 2008 4:01 PM CST

Declining Pound, Pay Disputes Spur Lawyer Exits at Clifford Chance

Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance is losing partners and cutting associates as it grapples with the decline of the pound and disputes over lockstep pay. Legal Week reports that four Clifford Chance litigation partners based in New York City are poised to jump to other firms. James Moyle is…

Dec 3, 2008 1:49 PM CST

Ex-Pa. Justice Exits Cozen O’Connor, Denies Holocaust E-Mail is Reason

A former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice says an inflammatory e-mail bearing her name was not the reason for her departure from Cozen O’Connor. Former justice Sandra Schultz Newman told the Legal Intelligencer that she decided to leave the law firm, where she led a national appellate practice, because conflicts made…

Dec 3, 2008 1:17 PM CST

White & Case’s Reorganization Detailed

First there was news of massive layoffs, then a scaled back holiday party. But the real story at the international behemoth White & Case is its massive reorganization. At the heart of the new structure is a power shift from the firm’s 35 offices to 14 regional groups, reports the…

Dec 2, 2008 11:44 PM CST

Sealed Filing Sheds Light on IP Boutique’s Partner Exodus

An inadvertently disclosed file in an otherwise secret dispute between current and former partners of one of the oldest intellectual property boutiques in the country has revealed the lengths to which the firm tried to stop an exodus of partners. The Am Law Daily got hold of the filing in…

Dec 2, 2008 11:17 PM CST

Third Wave of Thelen Lawyers Land at Reed Smith

Pittsburgh’s Reed Smith announced today that it has picked up yet another group of partners from the dissolved Thelen firm. According to a news release, Phillip Lookadoo is joining the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, and Eulalia Mack will join the New York City office. The Blog of Legal Times reports…

Dec 2, 2008 7:58 PM CST

Reed Smith Partner With Relatives in Mumbai Turns to Firm Expert

The aunt and uncle of a Reed Smith partner staying at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai are safe, thanks to their own pluck. Lawyer Bradley Schmarak is thankful for his relatives’ escape—and for the help of the law firm’s India practice leader. The couple, Marilyn and Joe Ernsteen, were…

Dec 2, 2008 5:41 PM CST

Perpetual Competition in Large Firms is Lesson of Evolutionary Biology

Corporate law firms have grown so large that they have surpassed the “tipping point” that glues individuals together. Research by evolutionary biologist Robin Dunbar suggests that people can maintain stable relationships with a limited number of individuals, and the “Dunbar number” for humans is 150, two law professors write for…

Dec 1, 2008 1:25 PM CST

Ex-Hunton Partner Sentenced to 70 Months for Viewing Child Porn

A former partner at Hunton & Williams was sentenced Monday to 70 months in prison for viewing child pornography on a law firm laptop. Ex-partner Emerson Briggs had pleaded guilty in September to one count of receiving child pornography, Legal Times reports. He admitted that he downloaded pornographic videos while…

Nov 25, 2008 2:11 PM CST

Job-Seeking Lawyers Scrutinize Law Firm Finances

Job-seeking lawyers worried that their new employer could dissolve are increasingly asking for more financial information from law firms. Recruiters and hiring partners told the Recorder that job-hunting laterals, especially potential equity partners, want to know about a law firm’s financial history, capital requirements, debt levels and financing plans. Former…

Nov 25, 2008 1:49 PM CST

Arent Fox Partner Indicted for Obstruction in Case of Murdered D.C. Area Attorney

A partner of Arent Fox has been indicted in connection with the unsolved 2006 slaying of a Northern Virginia lawyer. The slain attorney, Robert Wone, 32, was a houseguest of the Arent Fox partner, Joseph Price, who has been indicted along with two other individuals for allegedly obstructing the investigation…

Nov 20, 2008 5:44 PM CST

Former Solicitor General Will Rejoin King & Spalding

Former Solicitor General Paul Clement is heading back to his former law firm. King & Spalding announced in a press release that Clement will rejoin the firm’s Washington, D.C., office to establish an expanded national appellate practice and a strategic counseling practice. The well-respected Clement served seven years as solicitor…

Nov 20, 2008 4:17 PM CST

Cadwalader MP Left Off Recommended Slate of Leaders

Partners at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft received a recommended slate of candidates for the firm’s management committee on Wednesday with one obvious omission. Managing partner Robert Link was not on the list, the American Lawyer reports. He had already given up his post as chairman in February to W. Christopher…

Nov 20, 2008 12:42 PM CST

How to Avoid the In-House Ax—and Recover, If It Falls

As law firm layoffs become relatively commonplace news, it isn’t just attorneys in private practice who are nervously wondering where the ax might fall next. In-house lawyers are at risk of losing their jobs, too—and likely will have more trouble finding new corporate jobs, compared to their law firm colleagues.…

Nov 19, 2008 10:34 PM CST

Reed Smith Gets Thelen Labor Group, Confirms Thelen Energy Hire

Reed Smith has announced that it has captured a premier labor and employment group from the dissolving Thelen firm. Headed by Linda Husar and Thomas Hill, the five-partner and four-associate Thelen group “will clearly strengthen our capabilities on the West Coast” and enhance their new firm’s growing transactional practice in…

Nov 19, 2008 8:49 PM CST