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• NY firm pays $574,000 in compensation for age-discrimination

  May 17 2012 New York law firm Kelley Drye & Warren has agreed to pay $574,000 in compensation to former equity partner Eugene T D’Ablemont, who was forced to give up his equity in... more

• Patent transactions increasingly involve antitrust issues

  May 08 2012 Patent transactions of increasing value are attracting the attention of antitrust regulators, necessitating the use of antitrust experts in a field that previously had... more

• US legal services market becomes more segmented

  May 07 2012 The most expensive US lawyers are becoming even more costly, while the cheapest are barely keeping up with inflation, according to this story published in the Wall... more

• Top 100 firms report single digit growth for last year

  May 04 2012 The Am Law Daily has released figures that give a snapshot of the legal services industry over the past year. The top 100 firms saw single digit growth in gross... more

• Dewey continues to lose talent

  May 04 2012 Dewey & LeBoeuf continues to hemorrhage its lawyer base, with the Moscow team jumping ship to open a Russia base for Morgan Lewis & Bockius, while London banking and... more

• Norton Rose sets sights on US and China

  May 02 2012 Norton Rose Group is looking for mergers in the US and China, according to Chief Executive Officer Peter Martyr. Norton Rose now has a headcount of 2,900 lawyers,... more

• Law firm mergers signal growing confidence, says report

  May 01 2012 Fourteen law firm mergers were announced in the US in the first three months of this year, according to a new report from legal consulting firm Altman Weil. “Firms... more

• Law firm mergers signal growing confidence, says report

  May 01 2012 Fourteen law firm mergers were announced in the US in the first three months of this year, according to a new report from legal consulting firm Altman Weil. “Firms... more

• Dewey & LeBoeuf ousts former chairman, while merger negotiations fail

  Apr 30 2012 Troubled US law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf has dumped former chairman Steven H. Davis, who is under criminal investigation for alleged financial improprieties.... more

• US companies to spend less on defending class actions in 2012

  Apr 30 2012 A new survey shows that US companies plan to spend less money on defending themselves against class action claims, despite a predicted increase in the number of suits... more

• Dewey & LeBoeuf has until the end of the month to negotiate debt problem

  Apr 27 2012 Reports are circulating that troubled New York law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf is facing serious debt problems, and has until the end of the month to negotiate extending a... more

• Clifford Chance and DLA Piper lead $11.9bn sale of baby food business to Nestle

  Apr 26 2012 Clifford Chance and DLA Piper have taken leading roles on Pfizer's $11.9 billion cash sale of its baby food business to Nestle. Nestle is advised by US law firm... more

• Dewey & LeBoeuf loses senior London partner to KPMG

  Apr 25 2012 Dewey & LeBoeuf has lost one of the firm’s most senior London partners, Fred Gander. Gander, a taxation specialist who has been with Dewey since 1991, will join KPMG... more

• Dewey's Hong Kong office is unaffected by the firm's troubles, says MP

  Apr 24 2012 Dewey & LeBoeuf has said that its troubles in the US have no bearing upon its operation in Hong Kong. Hong Kong managing partner Heng Loong Cheong said: “The Hong Kong... more

• US SEC hires Matthew Solomon as deputy chief litigation counsel

  Apr 23 2012 The US Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Matthew Solomon as the deputy chief litigation counsel of its enforcement division. The role will see Solomon... more

• US firm Dickinson Dees forms alliance with Macau firm

  Apr 19 2012 US firm Dickinson Wright has formed an alliance with Macau firm MdME, pursuing a strategy of expansion into Asia, and affording MdME the chance to offer their clients... more

• US firm Dickinson Dees forms alliance with Macau firm

  Apr 19 2012 US firm Dickinson Wright has formed an alliance with Macau firm MdME, pursuing a strategy of expansion into Asia, and affording MdME the chance to offer their clients... more

• US Court dismisses suit by retired partners of defunct firm Coudert

  Apr 17 2012 A US District Court has dismissed a claim brought by 24 retired partners from the now-defunct law firm Coudert. The group alleged that Baker & McKenzie, Orrick... more

• German firm Glade Michel Wirtz adds two Shearman & Sterling partners to the team

  Apr 17 2012 German corporate and competition boutique Glade Michel Wirtz has made a couple of high profile lateral hires, bringing two partners across from US firm Shearman &... more

• Three lawyers leave Seattle firm Stafford Frey Cooper to launch defense boutique

  Apr 15 2012 Three leading lawyers from Seattle law firm Stafford Frey Cooper have announced that they will be leaving to set up their own boutique defense firm. Attorneys Ted... more

• US Law firms stealing limelight from UK rivals in Hong Kong

  Apr 13 2012 Over the past two years, numerous US law firms have entered the market in Hong Kong and recruited top talent from their UK rivals, and now they are starting to see... more

• Alcoa Inc hires senior litigation partner from Fried Frank

  Apr 12 2012 Pittsburgh-based aluminum company Alcoa Inc has hired Audrey Strauss, a senior litigation partner at Fried Frank, as its chief legal officer, chief compliance officer... more

• US firms boost China presence

  Apr 12 2012 International law firms have significantly increased their presence in China over the past year, with the top 250 US firms bumping their headcount in China by 10 per... more

• More partners walk away from Dewey & LeBoeuf

  Apr 11 2012 US firm Dewey & LeBoeuf has not yet managed to stem the flow of departing partners, with another two announcing their intention to leave the firm’s London office.... more

• US legal services sector shed 1,300 jobs in March

  Apr 09 2012 The US legal services sector lost 1,300 jobs last month, according to the latest figures released by the Labor Department. The figures neutralise the modest gains... more

• Court orders lawyers from Eaton Peabody and Baker & Hostetler to reduce fees

  Apr 06 2012 A US court has ruled that that lawyers from Eaton Peabody and Baker & Hostetler overcharged for legal work, inflating their charges with overstaffing and redundant... more

• NZ law firms unlikely to follow Australian firms down merger path

  Mar 30 2012 New Zealand law firms are unlikely to follow the lead of their neighbour Australia when it comes to forming alliances with large British or American law firms,... more

• Korean legal market valued

  Mar 30 2012 As the Korean legal services market opens up to foreign law firms – a result of free trade agreements recently concluded with the US and the UK – attempts are being... more

• Perkins Coie launches national healthcare group in Seattle after Bennett Bigelow hires

  Mar 29 2012 Perkins Coie has launched a national Healthcare Industry Group in Seattle after the hire of partners Renee Howard, Anne Redman and David Robbins, Of Counsel Brian... more

• U.S. News publishes list of law schools that increased their admissions in 2011

  Mar 29 2012 While law school admissions in the US have, on average, been decreasing, there are a few schools that saw enrollments increase in 2011. U.S. News & World Report has... more

• The law schools that bestow the largest debt burden

  Mar 27 2012 As high-paying graduate jobs become ever more scarce in the US, the debt burden carried by law students is becoming a point of considerable controversy. US News... more

• Akin Gump hires energy and global transactions expert from Vinson & Elkins

  Mar 21 2012 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has boosted its energy and global transactions team in Houston with the hire of partner Stephen Davis from Vinson & Elkins. Davis is... more

• DLA Piper to adopt all equity partnership model

  Mar 20 2012 DLA Piper’s international partnership is set to adopt an all-equity partnership model on 1 May 2012, following the lead of its US partnership, which moved to an all... more

• Law school class action to add 20 more schools to target list

  Mar 16 2012 The class action lawsuit suing multiple US schools over false data provided to prospective students has seen a win this week, when Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s... more

• US firms grow London partnerships by nearly 10%

  Mar 16 2012 US law firms grew their partner count in London by nearly 10% during 2011, evidence that they are gaining a larger slice of the European legal services market.... more

• Nixon Peabody forms alliance with Chinese firm Hyland Law Firm

  Mar 15 2012 US firm Nixon Peabody has formed a strategic alliance with the Beijing-based Hylands Law Firm. The alliance affords Nixon Peabody a significant anchor in China, with... more

• Revenue, profits and productivity up at US firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed

  Mar 15 2012 US firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed has posted increases in gross revenue, profits per partner, and revenue per lawyer for the 2010-11 period. The firm's gross revenue... more

• Clifford Chance announces formation of US financial services regulatory group

  Mar 14 2012 Clifford Chance has announced the formation of a US Financial Services Regulatory Group, calling on the talents of eight partners from three practice groups. The group... more

• Paul Campos proposes 30% cut to Stanford Law School's fees

  Mar 13 2012 The debate over law school fees is a controversy that seems to continue without precipitating a whole lot of change for the better. Now, Paul Campos has proposed an... more

• 'NO SALE' on NY suit for non-lawyer ownership of firms

  Mar 13 2012 A federal judge in New York has dismissed the suit brought by plaintiff firm Jacoby & Meyers which challenged a state rule prohibiting nonlawyer investment in law... more

• US firm Quinn Emmanuel set to follow ambitious expansion strategy

  Mar 09 2012 US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has released the details of an ambitious new expansion strategy. The firm wishes to add to its existing German... more

• UK firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain boosts SIngapore office with relocation

  Mar 09 2012 UK insurance specialist firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain has boosted its Singapore office by relocating legal director Jeremy Hewitt from London. Mark Errington,... more

• Ropes & Gray applies for entry into South Korea

  Mar 08 2012 US firm Ropes & Gray is the latest international firms to announce plans to open an office in Seoul, after a free trade deal between the US and South Korea opened the... more

• NY firm Kasowitz Benson sees profits and revenue drop

  Mar 07 2012 New York firm Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman has reported a decline in both revenue and profits per partner in 2011. The firm’s revenue dropped 2 per cent from... more

• US firm Edwards Wildman Palmer posts strong post-merger revenue growth

  Mar 06 2012 US firm Edwards Wildman Palmer has posted an 18 per cent increase in revenue, from $297.9 million to $352.7 million in its first post-merger financial results. The... more

• Canadian securities class actions on an upward swing

  Mar 06 2012 According to this report, securities class actions have flat-lined in the US, but there is a significant upward trend in this kind of litigation in Canada, and US... more

• Richard Daley boosts US firm Katten Muchin Rosenman's China launch

  Mar 02 2012 US firm Katten Muchin Rosenman has entered the Chinese legal services market with an office in Shanghai. The firm’s entry into China has been given a boost with the... more

• US firm Holland & Knight to launch in Columbia

  Mar 02 2012 Miami-based law firm Holland & Knight has announced further expansion in Latin America with the imminent launch of new office in Bogotá, Colombia. The firm will... more

• 85% of law schools give grads less than 10% chance of a biglaw job

  Mar 02 2012 The National Law Journal’s ranking of US law schools placing the highest percentage of their 2011 graduates in large law firms shows that graduates of Penn and... more

• University of Pennsylvania tops law school ranking

  Feb 29 2012 The National Law Journal has ranked the top 50 US law schools based on the percentage of graduates who took jobs in the country’s biggest 250 firms by headcount.... more

• 20 more US law schools to be added to class action

  Feb 28 2012 David Anziska and Jesse Strauss' crusade against law schools that provide misleading information to potential students continues apace. This year, the duo have... more

• Two lawyers go after Westlaw and LexisNexis for copyright infringment

  Feb 27 2012 Two US lawyers are suing Westlaw and LexisNexis, with the audacious claim that the legal database providers have breached copyright by copying publicly filed briefs,... more

• Indian law firms face leadership challenges

  Feb 24 2012 Livemint has published this interesting article on the leadership challenges faced by Indian law firms. While most law firms around the world are run as pure... more

• Covington & Burling posts increase in revenue and average profits per partner

  Feb 24 2012 US firm Covington & Burling has reported a 5.1 per cent increase in total revenue, going from $581.5 million in 2010 to $611 million in 2011. Average profit per equity... more

• US firms have an official date for entry into Korean legal services market

  Feb 23 2012 US firms may legally enter and operate in South Korea from 15 March under the new free trade agreement. Last week McDermott Will & Emery was the latest firm to... more

• DLA Piper launches in Mexico

  Feb 15 2012 DLA Piper has launched a new office in Mexico City. The new base will be staffed with a team of 16 lawyers from the Texas law firm Thompson & Knight, and will focus on... more

• Lawyers from Steven J. Baum launch new firm in Buffalo

  Feb 14 2012 Two lawyers from the disgraced New York foreclosure firm Steven J. Baum PC have opened their own firm in Buffalo with 18 attorneys and counting, with plans for another... more

• Winston & Strawn boost Moscow office with Norton Rose hire

  Feb 13 2012 US firm Winston & Strawn has boosted its Moscow practice with the hire of Norton Rose finance partner Andrei Yakovlev. Yakovlev will divide his time between... more

• US firms in Hong Kong attract top talent with big money

  Feb 08 2012 The legal services market in Hong Kong has long been dominated by British firms, but US law firms are now a potent force, attracting top talent by offer larger... more

• Non-lawyer appointed as CEO for US firm Pepper Hamilton

  Feb 08 2012 Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton has appointed a non-lawyer as its chief executive, hiring Scott Green, the former executive director of WilmerHale, to lead the... more

• Skadden set to launch German capital markets practice after double hire

  Feb 08 2012 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is set to launch a capital markets practice in Germany after the hire a two-partner team from Shearman & Sterling. Shearman's... more

• US legal services sector adds 1000 jobs in January

  Feb 06 2012 The legal services sector in the US added about 1000 jobs in January, regaining at least some of the ground lost in January, when the sector lost 1,800 jobs.... more

• Four associates leave London office of Quinn Emanuel

  Feb 04 2012 Four litigation lawyers have departed from the London office of US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel, punching a largeish hole in the team of 13. The firm’s London has... more

• Lateral hiring is the growth strategy of choice at US law firms

  Feb 03 2012 The lateral market is heating up, as law firms reduce their graduate recruitment and seek to expand by hiring partners with established client lists from other law... more

• Civil suits allege US law schools inflated graduate employment data

  Feb 03 2012 Twelve more law suits have been initated against US law schools, with the team of lawyers behind proposed class actions against the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and... more

• NY court system suffers from budget cuts

  Feb 02 2012 The New York court system is suffering the effects of the $170 million in budget cuts made in the 2011-12 period, with widespread court delays, shortages of... more

• Skadden tops list of strongest law firm brands

  Jan 31 2012 Brand research company Acritas has compiled a list of the strongest brands in the US and global legal services market. Their study, which surveyed 902 clients, of... more

• Fried Frank boosts Hong Kong corporate practice with hire from Herbert Smith

  Jan 28 2012 U.S. firm Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson has boosted its Hong Kong corporate practice with the hire of partner Carolyn Sng of Herbert Smith. Sng’s practice... more

• Davis Polk and Dewey take leading roles on $5.7 bn hostile takeover bid

  Jan 28 2012 Davis Polk & Wardwell and Dewey & Boeuf 40] have taken lead roles in the leadup to a $5.7 hostile takeover bud for San Diego–based gene-mapping equipment-maker... more

• US Legal Aid to take another funding cut

  Jan 27 2012 Legal Aid in the US is set to take yet another hit, as a bill passed last November to slash federal funding for civil legal assistance to the poor by about 14% — from... more

• Freshfields launches global financial investment practice group

  Jan 25 2012 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has launched a global financial investors group to handle private equity, infrastructure funds, sovereign wealth funds and alternative... more

• Hogan Lovells litigator pulls out of the Megaupload litigation due to conflict

  Jan 25 2012 Hogan Lovells Robert Bennett has said that due to client conflict he is unable to defend the operators of file-sharing Web site Megaupload against charges that they... more

• Kirkland & Ellis managing partner departs for private equity firm

  Jan 23 2012 The managing partner of US firm Kirkland & Ellis has surprised the firm by handing in his resignation for 'personal reasons'. James "Jim" Learner has quit the role and... more

• Jacoby & Myers challenges US law prohibiting non-lawyer ownership of law firms

  Jan 21 2012 Plaintiff firm Jacoby & Meyers has sued New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, claiming that state laws prohibiting nonlawyers from owning a stake in law firms are... more

• US firms McKenna Long and Luce Forward announce merger

  Jan 20 2012 McKenna Long & Aldridge and Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps have announced a merger, forming a combined firm under the McKenna banner, with a headcount of over 600... more

• Majority of US and Canadian law students are satisfied with law schools, says survey

  Jan 18 2012 A new survey has found that the vast majority of US and Canadian law students are satisfied with their educational experience. The 2011 Law School Survey of Student... more

• DLA Piper and Dechert settle dispute over lateral hire

  Jan 18 2012 A long running dispute between DLA Piper and Dechert over Dechert’s hire of former DLA litigation co-head Neil Gerrard has been settled after going through arbitration... more

• Dechert bonuses based on performance requirement

  Jan 16 2012 Dechert announced its 2011 end-of-year bonuses for US associates just after Christmas, with a schedule of bonuses that broadly matches the standard set by Cleary... more

• US legal publication starts benchmarking female partner promotions

  Jan 15 2012 The AM Law Daily has taken a look at the number of women promoted to partner in leading US firms over the past four years, in order to set a benchmark against which... more

• Merger activity signals growing confidence in US legal services market

  Jan 15 2012 There were 60 mergers between US law firms last year – an increase of 53 per cent – according to a new report by legal consulting firm Altman Weil. The growth in... more

• Parabellum Capital joins the litigation funding game

  Jan 13 2012 New York-based Parabellum Capital LLC launched last week to enter the field of litigation finance. The firm is a spinoff of the 5-year-old legal finance group from... more

• Kirkland & Ellis increases pay for all associates in London

  Jan 13 2012 Kirkland & Ellis has increased the salaries of all associates in London, with newly qualified lawyers now £7000 better off on £97,000. The increases put the firm... more

• Sheriff Baca — Fix the L.A. County Jails!

  Jan 09 2012 Everyone recognizes that the L.A. County’s jail system is broken. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has been on the job for 13 years. Enough time to right a sinking... more

• California firm Irell & Manella doubles the Cravath bonus award

  Jan 06 2012 California firm Irell & Manella has once again topped the bonuses awarded by standard setter Cravath Swaine & Moore. The firm released a memo saying that it would give... more

• US law firms line up to enter South Korean legal market

  Dec 29 2011 Law firms looking to expand into South Korea – after a trade deal with the US opened the country’s legal market to foreign firms – will be on the lookout for signs of... more

• US firm Reed Smith boost London structured finance practice with BLP hire

  Dec 29 2011 US firm Reed Smith has boosted its structured finance practice in London, with the hire of UK firm Berwin Leighton Paisner's structured finance chief Tamara Box.... more

• Pillsbury associate leaves to become general counsel in Chinese security firm

  Dec 28 2011 A senior associate in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Washington DC office has been hired as the general counsel at client company China Security & Surveillance... more

• US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges promotes 11 to partnership

  Dec 28 2011 US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges has elevated eleven lawyers to the partnership in its annual promotions round. The promotions take place across the New York,... more

• Irish firm A&L Goodbody set to launch in California

  Dec 22 2011 Irish firm A&L Goodbody is set to launch a new office in Palo Alto, California, relocating the firm’s IP and technology head John Whelan and tax partner Paul Fahy to... more

• US firms Bingham McHale and Greenebaum Doll & McDonald to merge

  Dec 22 2011 US firms Bingham McHale and Greenebaum Doll & McDonald have announced plans to merge. The combined firm will maintain offices in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, and have a... more

• Littler Mendelson set to launch 2 offices in Mexico after gaining 24 local lawyers

  Dec 22 2011 Labor and employment boutique Littler Mendelson is set to open two new offices in Mexico after gaining 24 lawyers from full-service Mexican firm Basham, Ringe &... more

• US discrimination laws apply to some partners, says NY Supreme Court

  Dec 19 2011 US workplace anti-discrimination laws generally apply to employees, while leaving partners to fend for themselves. But a new decision handed down by the New York... more

• US firm Davis Polk follows the leader on bonuses

  Dec 19 2011 US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell has announced its annual bonuses for associates, matching the rates set by Cravath Swaine & Moore last month The Cravath bonus scale... more

• Five partners to depart from Mayer Brown's London office

  Dec 18 2011 US firm Mayer Brown is set to lose five partners from its London office in the coming weeks. Mayer Brown's London co-head of capital markets Stephanie Bates is... more

• US firm Brown Drew & Massey set to shut down

  Dec 17 2011 Brown Drew & Massey, a US law firm that specialized in oil, gas and corporate practice, is set to shut down at the end of this calendar year, after being in business... more

• University of Chicago Law School publishes employment data

  Dec 17 2011 US law schools have come under fire for a failure to provide sufficient graduate employment data to prospective students. While students continue to enroll in law... more

• US firm Shearman & Sterling promotes 9 to global partnership

  Dec 14 2011 US firm Shearman & Sterling has promoted nine lawyers to the global partnership in its annual promotions round. The details of the promotions are as follows:... more

• Clifford Chance explores alliance with fast moving Chinese firm

  Dec 08 2011 Clifford Chance is exploring an alliance with Chinese firm Broad & Bright. Broad & Bright has 20 partners, 40 associates, and is one of China’s fastest growing firms,... more

• Greenberg Traurig to launch office in Tel Aviv

  Dec 08 2011 Miami-based law firm Greenberg Traurig has announced that it will open an office in Tel Aviv in January. The office will not practice Israeli law, but will provide... more

• International firm Bryan Cave acquires Denver firm Holme Roberts

  Dec 07 2011 The 113-year-old Denver firm Holme Roberts & Owen is set to merge with St. Louis-based Bryan Cave. Holme Roberts will bring its 150 lawyers under the banner of... more