Large Firm

Dentons and McKenna Long reportedly resume merger talks

Dentons and McKenna Long & Aldridge have reportedly resumed merger discussions after a vote on a proposed combination was called off in 2013. Multiple anonymous sources told Bloomberg BNA’s Big Law Business and the Am Law Daily about the new talks. Neither firm commented on the report, though they offered…

Mar 5, 2015 1:44 PM CST

Bloomberg BNA unveils new business of law website

Bloomberg BNA has launched a new website dedicated to covering important issues and news relating to the business of law. Bloomberg BNA’s Big Law Business site, which went live on Thursday morning, will focus on the Am Law 200 law firms and the companies that they represent. The site, which…

Mar 5, 2015 9:00 AM CST

A 24/7 job? It’s reality when you chair a global law firm; Ambien, exercise and Zen may help

The job of a global law firm leader has always been demanding, but never so much as today. That’s the conclusion of the American Lawyer (sub. req.), which talked to lawyers running global law firms for insights into the workload. “While a previous generation of firm leaders had to juggle…

Mar 5, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Troutman Sanders adds 4 more K&L Gates lawyers to growing Charlotte office

A four-lawyer team led by two partners has exited K&L Gates for the growing Charlotte, North Carolina, office of Troutman Sanders. Established last May with a five-partner team of corporate and real estate lawyers from K&L Gates, the 19-attorney office is now welcoming a corporate team led by Chad Warpula…

Mar 4, 2015 4:20 PM CST

This law school charges more than $60K; tuition is up 13% in 3 years at top BigLaw feeder schools

Ten elite law schools charge more than $55,000 in tuition, but one stands out for breaking the $60,000 mark. That law school is Columbia, which charged $60,274 in tuition last year, the National Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. The school is also No. 1 on the National Law Journal’s list…

Mar 2, 2015 8:12 AM CST

DLA Piper and Canadian law firm vote to merge

DLA Piper and Canadian law firm Davis have agreed to a merger. The Vancouver Sun and the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) have news of the deal, approved by Davis last Wednesday and by DLA Piper the prior week. Davis has about 260 lawyers, including about 112 partners, in six…

Mar 2, 2015 7:11 AM CST

Should law firms seeking a base in Asia set up shop in Singapore or Hong Kong?

Last fall, as the Occupy Central political protests began to snarl traffic in Hong Kong, some commentators began voicing the opinion that the unrest would only have one clear winner: Singapore. The two cities have long competed with each other as expat-friendly hubs for business and finance in Asia. Along…

Mar 1, 2015 2:40 AM CST

Annual gross tops $1B at Paul Hastings, a law firm first

For the first time, annual gross revenue at Paul Hastings has topped $1 billion, even as the firm’s attorney head count dipped a bit. The 873-attorney firm said it made $1,000,500,000 in 2014, up a little over 6 percent from $941,000,000 in 2013, reports the Am Law Daily (sub. req.).…

Feb 27, 2015 1:30 PM CST

Fast-growing Shook Hardy to open new office by acquiring 25-attorney Chicago firm

A rapidly expanding Kansas City-based law firm known for its litigation work is opening a new office, as of March 1, by acquiring a 25-attorney Chicago litigation boutique. The nearly 475-attorney Shook Hardy & Bacon announced on Tuesday that it is acquiring Grippo & Elden. The Chicago outpost will be…

Feb 25, 2015 3:55 PM CST

Columbia is No. 1 on list of law schools with highest BigLaw placement; Yale isn’t among top 10

For those who hope earning a juris doctor degree will be a ticket to a high paid job as a BigLaw associate, a new National Law Journal survey points to 10 well-known law schools that send the highest percentage of their graduates to the nation’s elite law firms. Columbia Law…

Feb 24, 2015 11:10 AM CST

Banks and law firms are collaborating on project to share info about cybersecurity threats

A number of Wall Street banks are collaborating with BigLaw firms on a project that would potentially allow the legal industry to share information, anonymously, about cybersecurity threats they may be experiencing. “A lot of this started because the banks were individually talking to the law firms about security information…

Feb 24, 2015 9:00 AM CST

Stoel Rives lawyer blasts ‘misguided effort’ after Oregon supremes toss ethics complaint

The Oregon Supreme Court has found two Stoel Rives lawyers did not violate ethics rules when they represented a company and some of its employees in a securities fraud investigation. The court said the lawyers, Barnes Ellis and Lois Rosenbaum, did not violate the ethical ban on representing multiple clients…

Feb 23, 2015 11:40 AM CST

Steamy novel writer will have to get psych exam in wrongful firing suit against BigLaw firm

The self-published author of an erotic novel will have to submit to a psychiatric examination in her suit claiming Allen & Overy used the book as a pretext to fire her. Plaintiff Deidre Clark, who had worked as a senior lawyer in the firm’s Moscow office, must have the exam…

Feb 23, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Police found credit cards strewn throughout hotel room of slain DLA Piper associate, affidavit says

Police who entered a Washington, D.C., hotel room in search of a missing lawyer on Feb. 10 found his apparently lifeless body face down on the floor, with several stab wounds in his back, according to a search warrant affidavit. Police had gone to the Donovan Hotel in search of…

Feb 19, 2015 7:48 AM CST

LeClairRyan opens Atlanta office with 2 partners from Troutman Sanders

A rapidly growing law firm with longstanding roots in Richmond, Virginia, is expanding its footprint in the Southeast. LeClairRyan announced this week that it is opening an Atlanta office with two partners from Troutman Sanders. The 380-attorney LeClairRyan also recently opened offices in Sacramento, California, and Houston, Texas, notes the…

Feb 13, 2015 2:30 PM CST