Dennis Block to Leap from Cadwalader to Greenberg Traurig, Where He Will Chair Global M&A Practice

A leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer is leaving Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft after 13 years for Greenberg Traurig, where he will chair the global M&A practice group, reports the DealBook blog of the New York Times. Dennis Block, 69, “will help move our team into the ranks of the foremost…

Sep 8, 2011 11:19 PM CDT

2.0 Toolbox: Nithya Das, Goodwin Procter

Gumption (and an innate sense of business development) has propelled Goodwin Procter associate Nithya Das into the spotlight among clients and colleagues and within the venture capital community. Das melds a variety of social media campaigns into new legal marketing models that engage clients and boost her practice. And through…

Sep 6, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

Messin’  with Texas: Major Firms Move in on the Ol’ Boy Network

Sep 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

DOJ Suit Raises Antitrust Objections to AT&T Acquisition of T-Mobile

The U.S. Justice Department is seeking to block AT&T’s $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. In a complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., Justice Department lawyers claim that eliminating T-Mobile as a low-priced alternative will remove “a significant competitive force from the market,” according to the New York Times…

Aug 31, 2011 3:19 PM CDT

Empire Builder: Frank Burch, DLA Piper

Twelve years ago, a two-page memo drafted at a breakfast meeting at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton hotel outlined the visions of two leaders of midsize law firms to build the world’s leading global business-law firm. That memo listed three attributes thought to define the top firms of the future, and it remains…

Aug 29, 2011 7:49 PM CDT

Edwards Angell to Merge with Wildman Harrold; New Firm Will Have 650 Lawyers

Boston-based Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge is merging with Chicago law firm Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. The new firm will be called Edwards Wildman Palmer, according to a press release. It will have 13 offices and 650 lawyers. The merger takes place on Oct. 1. Wildman Harrold had 224…

Aug 15, 2011 4:26 PM CDT

Merger Talks to Create 800-Lawyer Law Firm Are Confirmed

Baker & Daniels and Faegre & Benson are discussing a merger. Thomas Froehle Jr., chair and chief executive partner at Baker & Daniels based in Indianapolis, confirmed the merger talks, the Am Law Daily reports. The combined law firms would have 750 to 800 lawyers and 13 offices. Faegre, the…

Aug 12, 2011 11:18 AM CDT

Kirkland & Ellis on Hiring Spree in Asia

Hoping to further capitalize on growing demand for mergers and acquisitions work in Asia, Kirkland & Ellis announced Wednesday that it is bringing in eight lawyers for its Hong Kong office. The firm plans to expand to 50 lawyers in Asia, most of them fluent in Mandarin Chinese, according to…

Aug 10, 2011 11:06 AM CDT

Stock Market Plunge Is Bad News for M&A Lawyers, Since Deals Are Likely to Slow Down

Updated: Following yesterday’s 634-point plunge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, not to mention the stock market’s 15-percent drop in value in less than three weeks and predictions of further losses today, it isn’t just investors who are worried about the economy. Although clients may need extra counseling from corporate…

Aug 9, 2011 10:48 AM CDT

Fulbright & Jaworski Acquires IP Boutique

Fulbright & Jaworski has acquired the Houston intellectual property boutique Slusser Wilson & Partridge. Slusser Wilson’s name partners—William Slusser, Michael Wilson, and Jayme Partridge—had previously worked at Baker Botts, report the Am Law Daily and a press release. Slusser founded the boutique, previously known as Slusser & Frost, in 1999.…

Jul 28, 2011 1:25 PM CDT

M&A Class Actions Jump 847% in 2 Years; ‘Fee Hungry’ Law Firms Blamed

In the last two years, there has been a huge spike in class action lawsuits claiming investors weren’t fairly compensated in corporate mergers and buyouts. Last year, there were 341 M&A suits filed, a jump of 78.5 percent from 2009 and 847 percent from 2008, Fox News reports, citing statistics…

Jul 13, 2011 1:48 PM CDT

Recent Law Firm Mergers Involve Smaller Acquisitions, Report Says

Acquisitions of smaller law firms dominate a list of law firm mergers and acquisitions compiled by a legal consulting firm. Out of a dozen mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter, 10 involved acquisitions of firms with 20 or fewer lawyers, according to the report by Altman Weil Merger Line.…

Jul 7, 2011 5:52 PM CDT

Thomson Reuters buys Aussie Online Legal Documents Company

Although it shed the legal consultancy Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, Thomson Reuters acquired the Australian online legal document company Cleardocs this week—a move that may signify the information giant’s confidence in the growing market for cost-effective commoditized legal goods. Cleardocs will be aligned with Thomson Reuters’ tax and accounting business in…

Jul 1, 2011 8:15 PM CDT

Small Houston Firm Stands to Get $85M if BofA Settlement Is Approved

Corrected: If the proposed $8.5 billion New York state court settlement between Bank of America Corp. and mortgage bondholders is approved, the small Houston law firm representing the plaintiffs will receive $85 million, the Houston Chronicle reports. Kathy Patrick, a partner with Gibbs & Bruns, represents the 20 bondholders. The…

Jun 30, 2011 4:18 PM CDT

Fastest-Growing Practice Areas? Health Care, Energy, Financial Services, Report Says

Seven different practice areas are showing growth in fees, billable hours, recruiting and hiring, according to the Robert Denney Associates Inc. consultancy. The Wayne, Pa., firm’s semiannual “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession” report released this month identified these seven hot practice areas: health care; energy; financial…

Jun 27, 2011 6:30 PM CDT