Moves:
UK & Ireland
Kirkland Partner Poised to Launch Paul Weiss UK Funds Practice
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison is expected to launch a funds practice in Europe with the hire of James King a Kirkland & Ellis partner who is based in London.
Gibson Dunn Brings On Linklaters Leveraged Finance London Co-Head
After three years at Linklaters David Irvine is set to join Gibson Dunn in London. During his time at Linklaters, he advised the likes of Blackstone, KKR, SoftBank and Brookfield Capital on a number of financings.
DLA Piper Hires Ex-Paul Hastings, Pinsents Partners in London
After serving as a partner at Paul Hastings for the last three and a half years, Derwin Jenkinson joins the firm’s finance, projects, and restructuring division. He was a partner at Ashurst for more than seven years before that. Steven Bryan, who left Paul Hastings in October of last year to work as a legal consultant, also joins DLA’s corporate unit in London. He oversaw Hogan Lovells’ infrastructure group before Paul Hastings, the company said in a statement.
Millar McCall Wylie expands employment law team
Siân McConnell has joined Millar McCall Wylie, a Northern Ireland-based business, as a solicitor in the employment law department.
EMEA
Cliffe Dekker Hires From Norton Rose in Johannesburg
Sentebale Makara has joined as a director, which is equivalent to partner at the firm. He has spent almost half a decade at Norton Rose as a director. He previously worked as an associate at Webber Wentzel.
Mayer Brown’s UAE Disputes head goes solo
Alain Farhad has made the news this week. He has been the head of Mayer Brown’s disputes practice in the United Arab Emirates and is retiring from the firm to practise as an independent arbitrator.
Willkie Grows New Munich Office With Private Equity Partner From Latham
Nils Röver, a Germany-based private equity partner, is leaving Latham & Watkins’s Frankfurt office to join Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s new Munich branch.
Ashurst boosts corporate offering in Germany with two key hires
In an effort to broaden its offering in public and private M&A in Germany and other foreign markets, international law firm Ashurst has announced the appointment of Stefan Bruder and Marina Arntzen as partners in the corporate practice in Munich.
APAC
South Korea’s Big 6 Firms Make General Counsel, Judicial Hires in Bid to Differentiate Offerings
Shin & Kim has hired the former judges, Hun-tae Doh and Dong-kyu Kim, as partners.
Dechert Asia Arbitration Head Leaves to Launch Disputes Boutique
Mark Mangan joins a substantial list of dispute resolution specialists who have departed from established law firms in recent years to launch contentious practice shops in Singapore.
Morgan Lewis, Baker Botts Add Employment, Technology Partners in Dubai
The number of employment disputes is on the rise as Dubai’s workplace regulatory infrastructure continue to develop.
Dentons Takes Employment Partner Duo from Kennedys in Sydney
Persephone Stuckey-Clarke and Justin Le Blond are expected to start on Monday.
Korea’s Big Six Hires Arbitration Co-Head from Japan’s Big Four
David MacArthur has spent over 20 years practising at Japan’s Big Four and Korea’s Big Six.
The Americas
Paul Hastings Hires Former FDA Policy Director from K&S as New Practice Chair
Eva Temkin, Paul Hastings’ newest partner in D.C. stated that “FDA policy is driving deal size, deal milestones and deal structures. As the FDA shifts policies, it is molding the transactions,”.
Hogan Lovells Hires Shearman Capital Markets Lawyer in São Paulo
Jonathan Lewis has been hired by the global law firm, he was a counsel at Shearman & Sterling, and a partner in the highly competitive Brazil market.
Kaufman Dolowich Hires Del. Partner
Kaufman Dolowich announced the addition of Kristen Swift a partner who is based in Delaware.
Naheem Harris has joined Akerman from Vinson & Elkins and Joo Kim has joined DLA Piper from Cadwalader.
Wilmer, White & Case, Miller & Chevalier Build DC Lawyer Ranks
Wilmer has appointed international trade partner Neena Shenai, and is becoming the latest law firm in D.C. to recruit attorneys focused on export control, CFIUS or trade matters.
Former Mississippi House of Representatives Speaker Philip Gunn has joined Balch Policy Advisors in its Jackson, Mississippi, office, according to Balch & Bingham; Pryor Cashman announced the addition of attorney Praveena Nallainathan to the firm’s Immigration Group in New York.
Sidley Continues Recruiting From Weil, Adding NY Firm’s Privacy Chair
The latest development in Sidley and Weil’s talent competition is the move made by Randi Singer. In the past year, Sidley has enticed at least four more Weil partners.
Seasoned Commercial Litigator Joins McCarthy Tétrault From Dentons in Toronto
Canadian National Railway and Amazon are two of Marina Sampson’s clients.
Big Law Finds Growth Opportunities Through IP Hires
The lateral market has shown optimism thus far this year. This week, Sidley Austin, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, and Squire Patton Boggs all revealed their new intellectual property lateral partners.
Norton Rose Fulbright adds Orrick public finance duo in New York
Alison Radecki, accompanied by senior counsel Helen Pennock, joins the UK firm as its third New York partner lateral this year.
In-House
Walgreens Goes Outside Retailing to Hire New Legal Chief
With the addition of Lanesha Minnix, CEO Tim Wentworth, who came out of retirement in October to fill the position, completes the executive committee.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Hires Successor to Longtime GC
The nonprofit organization, which distributes half a billion dollars in government grants every year, looked outside the media sector for the departing General Counsel Westwood Smithers Jr.’s replacement. Smithers Jr. has served in that capacity since 2005.
Music Streaming Nonprofit Hires First GC as AI Risks Loom
Newly hired General Counsel Colin Rushing stated, “Over the past ten years, DiMA’s members have created enormous value for music creators and fans alike, driving rapid growth for the entire music industry in the process.”
US public broadcasting company CPB names first new GC in nearly 20 years
Westwood Smithers, who is retiring this month, will be replaced by Evan Slavitt.
Team Moves
Paul Hastings Adds 8-Partner Global Finance Team From Vinson & Elkins in Texas
Sources have reported that the team moving to Paul Hastings may reach two dozen lawyers, once associates are added.
Blank Rome Adds 4 From Akerman in Second 2024 White Collar Group Hire
Partners Kathleen Shannon and Bradley Henry lead the team, which is split between New York and Washington.
DLA Piper adds trio of energy partners in London
While finance partner Derwin Jenkinson joined straight out of the US company, M&A partner Steven Bryan joined after leaving Paul Hastings late last year. Early next month, Paul Doris, an advisor on M&A, private equity, and private capital transactions, will leave Brown Rudnick.
Fox Rothschild adds transactions team to open third Florida office in Sarasota
The office will be led by partner Robert Stroud, who will also chair the firm’s healthcare transactions practice group within the corporate department. He has moved over from Florida firm Blalock Walters alongside counsel Yazen Dides and associate Mark Clare.
Promotions & Appointments:
Newsmakers: Foley Promotes 4 To Partner
The individuals in question are Katherine M. Harrington, Jill M. Hale, Mark C. Moore and Kinal M. Patel of Foley and Lardner.
Eying Continued Canadian Growth, Cozen O’Connor Appoints New Office Managing Partners
Steve Weisz will helm the Toronto team and Kathy Tang will lead the firm’s Vancouver office.
People in the News—March 1, 2024—Feldman Shepherd, McAndrews Mehalick
Peter M. Newman, a partner at Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig, was elected to the Homeless Advocacy Project’s (HAP) board of directors.
On the Move and After Hours: Tucker Ellis; Gebhardt & Kiefer; Stevens & Lee; Riker Danzig
Tucker Ellis welcomes two partners, Riker Danzig promotes twelve attorneys, and other changes.
Leadership announced for A&O Shearman
Khalid Garousha, the interim global managing partner at Allen & Overy, has been promoted to senior partner at the new company.
Mergers & Alliances:
African Firm Bowmans Expands into Namibia
With its merger in the Namibia Bowmans will now operate across six African nations.
Consolidation and Competition: The Law Firm Merger Market and What It Means for Midsize Law Firms
The term “merger mania” is known to be greatly circulated at the beginning of each year.
A&O Shearman Announces Global Leadership
The merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling is set to come in full force in May.
Office Openings & Closing:
King & Spalding Opens Dallas Office, Hires Gibson Dunn Trial Lawyer
King & Spalding has grown to the point that it can open its third Texas office, having hired over a dozen associates and three prominent partners in Dallas in recent months.
Fox Rothschild Opens Third Florida Office
Fox Rothschild announced the opening of a new office headed by Robert Stroud, an executive committee member and recently appointed chair of the practice of health care transactions, continuing Big Law’s flight to Florida.
Wilson Sonsini Triples London Space with Baseball-Themed Office
Thanks to Wilson Sonsini’s cooperation with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the firm’s new headquarters contains photos of iconic baseball locations and players.
Chinese Law Firms Announced 40 New Offices in 12 Months. Will the Investment Pay Off?
Chinese law firms are expanding rapidly within China, however top-tier Chinese firms have focused outward, to international markets. With the Chinese cross-border deal market growing increasingly quiet, questions arise as to whether these firms pivot toward mainland expansion?
Financials:
Adams and Reese Sees Revenue, Profits Rise Sharply
The firm increased its realization rate. It went from 105% in 2022 to 109% last year.
Greenspoon Marder’s Revenue Growth Slowed, Profits Dropped As Headcount Grew During a Slow Year
The firm, which is based in Fort Lauderdale, saw revenue increase for the fourth straight year, but the 1.7% bump was far less than 2022’s 16% rise.
Nelson Mullins’ Litigation Demand Helps Grow Revenues, Profits by 9%
Managing Partner Jim Lehman stated that “Our clients are asking us to open up other offices [in the U.S.], but they’re not asking us to open foreign offices,”.
Holland & Hart Posts 22% PEP Bump Thanks to Strong Demand, Cost Management
Colorado’s largest law firm made an additional increase in gross revenue of 11.3% in 2023 as all major practice areas saw growth.
While Jackson Walker, the state’s largest Texas-only firm, only increased its revenue by 3.8% in 2023, its lawyer head count expanded by 8.4% with substantial lateral hiring.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s receipts reveal that whereas rises in other practices were more subdued, labour and employment attorneys saw a sharp rise in rates. Greenberg Traurig, Baker Hostelter, and Ford Harrison are among the companies that charge the company.
Greenberg Traurig Sees 6% Growth in Revenue Amid Nonequity Tier Expansion
The moderate growth came after two years of faster pace in revenue growth, however Brian Duffy, the CEO, argued that the slowdown is only apparent because 2021 and 2022 were such extraordinary years for the firm.
Focused on Long-Term Profit Growth, Blank Rome Sees Strong 2023
This is the fifth consecutive year in which net income growth exceeded 8.5%, this corresponds with the course of the firm’s five-year strategic plan.
While Touting 10% Revenue Spike, NY Law Firm Announces Departure of 9 Partners
Morrison Cohen, a midsize law firm which is based in New York, has announced that nine partners are departing, with seven expected to join Am Law 200 firm Loeb & Loeb.
Middle-Market M&A, Litigation Helped Nixon Peabody Break Revenue Record in 2023
Despite the challenges posed by high interest rates in the real estate and public finance sectors, gross income grew by about 3%.
With Robust Demand Across Practices, Revenue Jumped 16.5%, PEP Up 11.4% at Haynes and Boone
Haynes and Boone concentrated on expansion in busy practices, such as middle-market capital markets and M&A, finance, corporate, litigation, bankruptcy, and energy, in yet another record-breaking year.
Technology & Innovation:
Addressing AI Legal Difficulties With Existing Legal Options
an examination of AI’s ethical and legal ramifications.
The Artificial Intelligence Glossary
A guide explaining terminology that is essential to know and comprehend when talking about AI.
Clifford Chance Rolls Out Microsoft-Partnered AI Strategy Across Whole Firm
Generative AI-powered tools will now be made available to the 7,000 people that work for the firm in order to assist them with tasks such as summarising documents.
Contract Technology Provider LegalOn Launches GPT-4-Powered Legal Assistant
LegalOn Assistant influences an OpenAI-powered generative AI model to answer questions about documents, draft new clauses, and revisions, and summarize parts of, or changes to, a contract.
Don’t Wait Up: Lack of Expertise, Talent Holding Back Generative AI in Legal Industry
A survey from Consilio determined that a lot of legal professionals don’t feel prepared to use generative AI technology. But adequate generative AI training may not be readily available.
Before and during adoption, attorneys will be better able to find that elusive balance between prudence and acceleration by taking both risk and opportunity into account.
The Increasing AI Disruption of Cybersecurity
Security incident management, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity prevention have all been impacted by artificial intelligence. Cathy Mulrow-Peattie explores in this article how businesses might effectively address these growing AI disruptions.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Workplace Gender Equality Agency relays information regarding pay gap data for first time.
When Is Unequal Pay Not OK? Comparing Federal and State Equal Pay Laws
This article will aid employers, attorneys, and investigators in their quest to understand some of the basic differences between California and federal law in this area, including recent developments to be aware of.
Seyfarth’s New Chief D&I Officer Aims to Maximize Benefits of Diverse Workforce
Mira Dewji will use her background in behavioural science to accelerate creativity and introduce new perspectives.
Market Commentary:
Global dealmakers expect M&A disputes to increase on economic, geopolitical woes
According to a Berkeley Research Group (BRG) survey, most worldwide M&A dealmakers anticipate disagreements to escalate this year as recent transactions have underperformed due to military and trade confrontations and global economic instability.
The Litigators Among Am Law’s Top Lateral Hires of 2023
According to our assessment, roughly one-third of The American Lawyer’s annual list of the top developments in Big Law that year involved litigation partners.
Vereins: A Means for Law Firms to Dodge Responsibility?
The Global Lawyer: Swiss verein law firms, which are composed of several different legal entities, want to present themselves as a single, cohesive company, but do they change to fit their needs when things go tough?
Linklaters Veers Towards 3-Gate Lockstep System in Latest Talent Push
Prominent UK-based companies aim to maintain their compensation schemes appealing to partners who might leave for well-paying positions at U.S. law firms.
‘Detached’: Why Big Law May Rethink Its Focus on Productivity
Not merely hours spent working, but also a practice’s profitability may now be given considerably more weight.
Despite Economic Challenges, California Leads in Law Firm Merger Activity, Office Openings
California had the most law firm mergers and office openings of any U.S. state last year. One Consultant said “It’s the revival of the Southern California economy, particularly Los Angeles. And you have life sciences and biotech in San Diego that’s been very interesting, and some of that leading out to Orange County”.
OK, Boomer! Tackling the Attorney Generation Gap
The NJLJ Young Lawyers Advisory Board are saying that “Leaders of law firms and legal organizations face a significant challenge when it comes to getting these vastly different groups of people to work well together in order to foster success and promote growth”.
Asia Marks First Specialized Mediation Framework for Aviation in Singapore
The action furthers Singapore’s goal of becoming Asia’s preferred hub for dispute resolution.
As Big Law Moves in, Native Firms Have Advantages in Battle for Clients and Talent
Consultant Joshua Peck stated that “You demonstrate to prospective clients that your geographic and cultural knowledge in cities that the big (firm) has moved into … gives you an advantage that they will not be able to duplicate”.
What Must Lawyers Do to Protect the Rule of Law?
The nation’s confidence in these establishments, encompassing our elections and civil and criminal justice systems, has diminished. How far along is that faith-eroding process? Is there a way to stop it? What part do attorneys play in upholding the rule of law?
6 Questions to Get the Most From Your Finance and Accounting Department
CPA Derek Barto writes that “Following are six questions that managing partners, executive committees and the like should ask themselves to ensure they can get the most from their team to help successfully run the business”.