Partners

Fewer Lawyers Making Partner in Big Calif. Firms

Eight out of 13 large California law firms announcing new partners are promoting fewer lawyers than last year. Law firm consultants say they aren’t surprised. “I would be amazed if there wasn’t a reduction in the admission of new partners this year,” Brad Hildebrandt of Hildebrandt International told the Recorder…

Dec 8, 2008 1:58 PM CST

Dreier Law Firm Could Collapse Following Founder’s Arrest

The Dreier law firm is in turmoil after the arrest of its founder last week and reports of a separate federal investigation into firm finances. Several nonequity partners told the Wall Street Journal they believe the 238-lawyer firm could collapse, spurred by the legal troubles and the departure of several…

Dec 8, 2008 12:19 PM CST

Canadian Police Arrest Founder of Dreier Law Firm

The founder and managing partner of the Dreier law firm has been arrested in Toronto on a charge of criminal impersonation, according to published reports. Marc Dreier was arrested earlier this week, according to Above the Law, which broke the story. An anonymous person who works with Dreier told the…

Dec 5, 2008 2:38 PM CST

Ex-Brobeck Leader Seeks Legal Comeback

The former leader of the dissolved law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison is seeking a return to law practice after a 3½ year hiatus. Tower Snow Jr. tells the Recorder that he misses San Francisco and law practice and is looking for a job as a securities litigator. The financial…

Dec 5, 2008 1:12 PM CST

Ex-DOJ Official on Leave from Hunton as US Attorney Probe Progresses

The former chief of staff for ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has taken a leave of absence from Hunton & Williams as an investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys progresses. A Hunton spokesman told the Washington Post that the former Justice official, D. Kyle Sampson, is on leave “pending…

Dec 3, 2008 5:10 PM CST

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