In Fact, Dechert Raided Only 3 of Our 5 Moscow Partners, Chadbourne Says
A Dechert press release last week announcing the acquisition of all five partners from the Moscow office of Chadbourne & Parke apparently was premature.
In fact, only three of the five partners are moving to Dechert’s new Moscow office, according to a Chadbourne statement provided to the ABA Journal by Andrew Blum, a spokesman for the New York-based international firm.
Partners “Mikhail Rozenberg and Jennifer Handz are staying with the firm, both in Moscow. In addition, counsels Julia Romanova, Dmitry Gubarev and Olga Koniuhova will remain with Chadbourne. Discussions with other senior lawyers in Chadborne’s Moscow office continue,” the statement recounts.
Dechert announced in a press release last week that Rozenberg, Handz and three other Chadbourne partners would join the Moscow office that the Philadelphia-based international firm plans to open in June.
And Chadbourne’s Moscow office, which also has an unspecified number of associates, remains on a solid footing, according to another Chadbourne statement to the ABA Journal. It apparently responds to speculation last week in the Am Law Daily that the Dechert raid could force the office to close.
“The future of the Moscow office was never in doubt; we’ve been in Moscow for 20 years, and we are committed to the region,” the firm writes. “We have a leading reputation and an active practice in Moscow. Since we have been in Moscow, other firms have come and gone, but we have remained committed to Moscow.”
An ABA Journal e-mail seeking further comment from Dechert did not receive an immediate response.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Dechert Claims Chadbourne Raid; Rival Firms Fight for 5 Moscow Partners”