Weekly Update - 15th January 2024
Fides Search
Partner Search for Professional Services & In-House Legal, Co-Sec and Compliance, Financial Crime and Privacy Search
Moves:
UK & Ireland
The firm’s triumph this year was ‘boosted by a material one-off success fee’, claims Richard East, Senior Partner at Quinn Emanuel’s London office.
This potential IPO is set to be the primary market float in months as London grapples with a decline in its appeal as a destination for companies seeking to go public.
Senior government lawyers Natalie Cohen and Lord Carter join Kingsley Napley, strengthening the firm’s public law litigation presence.
William Darmody joins Browne Jacobson as partner and head of their Irish corporate team at the UK&I firm.
Taylor Wessing’s Dublin office welcomes senior litigator Ryan Ferry as partner.
Chris Phillips joins Millar McCall Wylie as director of the Northern Irish firm.
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EMEA
Paul Hasting’s move could signal a potential increase activity for Paris’ growingly competitive PE market.
Simultaneously, Clifford Chance’s head of disputes for the Middle East has been acquired by CMS.
Perez-Llorca is ahead of schedule, having originally planned to launch their Lisbon office in Q1 2024, the Spanish law firm claims to already have 11 partners on the ground.
This practice head and partner acquisition is set to strengthen the firm’s commercial disputes, cross-border litigation, and criminal investigations offering in Paris.
Kennedys lands in Warsaw, making them the latest international law firm to expand their European presence to Poland.
Lauren Livingston leaves the European PE heavyweight following a 17-year tenure at the firm.
Bowmans team’s client portfolio includes liquidators, corporate entities, financial institutions and business rescue practitioners.
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APAC
Two Shin & Kim new hires join the group of three experienced advisers leading their latest offering.
With these latest appointments in Singapore, the firm welcomes its first aviation finance partners in the city-state. Meanwhile, Herbert Smith Freehills restructures their aviation offering, saying goodbye to their dedicated Singapore-based partners.
Karen Ingram, a disputes and litigation lawyer, joins IAG as interim general counsel.
Having joined Kirkland along with six partners in 2011, forming one of the most significant moves in Hong Kong’s legal market, David Zhang and Nicholas Norris are due to exit the practice.
Shortly after the closure of Akin’s Beijing office, Ing Loong Yang departs the firm.
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The Americas
Allen & Overy leaders set to take charge of the firm as George Casey’s team of six depart ahead of merger.
Charles McFarland is reunited with Vinson & Elkins partner and ex-colleague Billy Coe Dyer, at the condemnation boutique established by the former in 2015.
David Kelley, ex-SDNY U.S. attorney and former co-head of Dechert’s white-collar practice joins O’Melveny & Myers, while chair of their tech committee, Benjamin Barnet was welcomed by Seeger Weiss.
Established by two ex-SDNY assistant U.S attorneys 17 years ago, Spears & Imes terminated operations in Q4 of 2023.
Duane Morris welcomes William McSwain, ex-federal prosecutor into a new role as the co-chair of their white-collar practice as they set their sights on national growth for the upcoming year.
Locke Lord welcome Corporate and M&A partner Katy Spillers from L.A firm Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger as she hopes to benefit her clients with the firm’s wider resources and national coverage.
Previously, Alison Moe was deputy chief of the U.S Attorney Office’s criminal division.
With previous tenures at Cozen O’Connor and Greenberg Traurig, Jeffrey Gilbert approaches almost forty years of experience in the sector.
Previously, Leslie served Gordon Rees’ as managing partner of its offices in Birmingham, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi as well as co-managing partner of their Atlanta office.
Isaac Greaney, a well-known Securities litigator, has left Sidley to expand the types of work available to him as a result of more flexible rates.
Following the rapid expansion of the Am Law 200 firm, in Florida, Dinsmore & Shohl has stated that it is applying a similar "blueprint" for Texas. This news is in accordance with the statement of their Chair, Josh Lorentz.
The U.S.-based firm's Canadian office is anticipating the arrival of a full team of lawyers and support staff from Minden Gross.
In-House
According to Western Digital, Michael Ray is stepping aside "to pursue another opportunity," this news follows the revelation that Western Digital is preparing to split itself into two.
Grezlak joined Furia Rubel last week after an extensive career working at ALM, parent company of The Legal, for 30 years. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of legal themes, regional brands and Law.com , overseeing ALM's U.S.-based legal newsroom.
During her time at Sony, Leah Weil assisted the media giant in acquiring IP rights to Spiderman for a mere $7 million, obtaining MGM for $2.9 billion and recovering from a crippling 2014 cyberattack as well as much more.
After a 16-year run as legal chief of Brown-Forman, which owns the Jack Daniel's and Woodford Reserve brands, Matt Hammel is retiring.
Rishi Varma, who has been part of the team at HP Enterprise since it was borne of the computing giant in 2015, will take the legal reins over at Cargill.
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Promotions & Appointments:
Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller is delighted to have elected Colleen Norcross as a shareholder.
Since Robert Hays took up the mantle of chairman of the firm in 2006, they have more than tripled its revenues and profitability and multiplied the number of offices they operates worldwide by four times.
领英推荐
The 100-lawyer firm, which is well known for its antitrust and litigation expertise, has represented numerous firms such Google, Tyson Foods, Ball Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific and VMware. They have named Jeny Maier as their next managing partner.
Capehart Scatchard has announced that, Brian P. Berkoff; Daniel W. Klementowski; Vivian Marmaras; and Nicholas D. Stephens, who are from the firm's workers' compensation department have been admitted as shareholders:
Dana Hrelic, Michael Marafito and Zachary Zeid have ascended to the position of members from the professional liability, property tax and employment law practices.
Klehr Harrison managing partner Brad Krouse stated that "These are three leaders with separate skillsets that really complement each other," he also said that "They're leaders in their respective practice areas, which ultimately gives us a much broader reach at the leadership level."
Pittsburgh-based shareholder James Newell will take over from Philadelphia-based Joe Dougherty in May.
Walied Soliman has previously served as global chair in 2019 and has been chair of the firm's Canadian arm since 2017.
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Mergers & Alliances:
Kyle Ferguson, CEO of Ferguson Braswell has stated the firm’s goals, which are to establish a full-service office in Costa Mesa, where there is a "strong middle-market industry" and "a lot of wealth and opportunity."
This Pro Bono Manager has highlighted Paladin's first-ever acquisition and will provide the company with the opportunity to expand its network and access more pro bono data and insights.
Barclay Damon has been keen on the idea of expanding its footprint in the D.C. market for a considerable amount of time in an effort to advance the firm's regulatory experience at the federal level.
Henry Walker, CEO of Kilpatrick said that HMB's expertise in mergers and acquisitions and private equity "enhances the depth and breadth of Kilpatrick's corporate department," Henry is ranked No. 90 in the Am Law 100.
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Office Openings & Closing:
Paul Weiss and King & Spalding are among the latest firms to secure new, larger spaces in New York.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner decreased its space by 73% by shedding two full floors, after acquiring a new office lease in D.C.
Group leader Simeon Brier has been reported as saying, "One of the fundamental things that we receive are clients who have solely relied on a law firm or solely relied on a consultant," Simon Brier is based in South Florida and followed up his previous statement saying, "It's hard to operate with the left arm not knowing what the right arm is doing."
This change is occurring after co-founder Robert Frenchman has departed and Torrey Young has been elevated to a name partner.
Financials:
According to a new industry report, "Many law firms have seen their ability to collect on those increasing rates falter, and clients have become more aggressive about trying to tier work to lower-cost firms".
According to recent bankruptcy court filings, Dechert has been reported as increasing rates for top partners by 20%, while McDermott is charging top partners out at $2,590 hourly.
Workplace strategies in many law firms have been shifting; flexibility, balance, space efficiency, and attorneys/staff that work remotely more than pre-pandemic are gaining relative normality.
A non-transparent pay system has been adopted as firm leaders seek to decrease internal tensions as the spread of compensation develops.
Both Alston & Bird and King & Spalding are increasing associate pay to the top market scale, however other Atlanta-based law firms have not been confirmed to be doing the same.
Quinn Emanuel’s average London partner profit has increased to ￡5.3m in 2023. This increase is congruent with the standout year the US litigation law firm have had.
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Technology & Innovation:
Advanced legal technology means little if attorneys don't know how to use it. Whilst some key law schools are impacting change in efforts to mitigate that issue, others are falling behind in this particular area.
Pierson Ferdinand, a new law firm which has been launched by the managing partners from FisherBroyles recently, has sought to build legacy systems that can stay flexible enough to accommodate future needs, and automate as much non-billable work as efficiently possible.
The EU AI Act sets in writing one of the world's first comprehensive attempts to provide governance to unlock innovation in AI. But this beckons a question that has been in the forefront of the mind of many US firms and practices, what exactly does this development mean for their businesses?
Legislative bodies across the world have exercised their authority to harness GenAI's transformative power and mitigate potential risks. This divergence is exceedingly clear when we compare the GenAI laws enacted in the People's Republic of China with the growing efforts of President Biden and Congress to react to these new challenges.
Generative AI tools are becoming more and more popular, subsequently they should be researched, studied, and ultimately embraced if proven for their ability to assist lawyers with legal tasks, however, they first must be properly and accurately trained, tested, and verified.
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Diversity & Inclusion:
Minorities have been stated to account for 8% of state court or higher judicial appointments made by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2023. This figure is a sharp drop from 30% in 2022.
"The legal academy was not built for anyone other than white males," this was a statement made by Nicola Boothe, dean of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, during the AALS session. She followed that statement up by saying that "there are always going to be opportunities for us to feel that we do not belong in this space."
A new study by Littler Mendelson found that companies are determined to press on with their DEI initiatives, however it also found that companies are avoiding "legally thorny" practices, for example providing incentives to executives to advance diversity.
The incumbent dean Jelani Jefferson Exum said in a statement. "I'm honored to serve as the next dean of St. John's Law".
Based on figures which have been broken down in accordance to geographical location, Miami holds one of the highest percentages of female associates, their numbers constitute 55% of the associate population, Phoenix comes in at a close second, with 54% women associates, while St. Louis trailed behind in last place.
The chair of the LGBTQ+ Law Section, Samuel W. Buchbauer, stated that “Providing a state-wide community for LGBTQ+ identified legal professionals and allies through CLE programming, live events and advocacy work strengthens our Section's purpose to promote equality in the law for LGBTQ+ people”.
The co-chairs of the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Asian Hate, Brian S. Cohen and Vince Chang have been reported as saying that their “task force has focused on statutory changes to address the hate crimes crisis and the problem of Internet hate speech, responses to the underreporting of hate crimes and an educational initiative to combat racial harassment and discrimination in schools”.
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Market Commentary:
Local firms are joining independent networks in order to remain competitive in the face of international competition, however many experts disagree on the usefulness of these legal networks.
This article discusses the balancing of two key areas of importance namely that Law firm leaders must keep in mind the concept of engagement to create a healthy, high-achieving work environment. It discusses how “wellness and engagement are not interchangeable terms”.
In a new report that has been published, Morrison & Foerster have been reported as saying that “Savvy companies ... are expected to look for ways to effect strategies for growth, including by expanding product lines, and to enhance performance, including by divestitures, in the face of technological and other disruptions,".
The firm is New York-based but also ranked high in the Caribbean despite last year being a slow year globally for cross-border transactions.
The anticipated change is projected to help it to retain its strongest performers in an increasingly monied hiring market, many might suggest that this is an important move for them as recently, star talent has been exiting the firm.
According to Mergermarket's league tables, DLA Piper is the highest-ranked legal advisor in the world for M&A deal volume they have received this accolade for the 14th consecutive year. Despite a down market for global M&A in 2023, DLA Piper continued to gain market share and completed more deals than any other firm.
Legal Executive Search Consultant @ Fides Search
10 个月Huge week for moves and office openings ??