Large Firm

Report: Calif. Offices of Dewey & LeBoeuf to Close on May 15; Group of 11 Lawyers Forms IP Boutique

The California offices of Dewey & LeBoeuf will be closing by May 15, a local legal news publication is reporting. The Recorder (sub. req.), is also reporting that an 11-lawyer intellectual property group will be leaving the firm’s San Francisco office to form an IP boutique. It will be headed…

May 10, 2012 7:28 PM CDT

As Top Leaders Join Winston & Strawn and O’Melveny, the Collapse of Dewey & LeBoeuf Appears Imminent

Two of the four remaining members of the new management committee at Dewey & LeBoeuf are leaving to join other major law firms. Litigation chief Jeffrey Kessler is to start next week at Winston & Strawn, where chairman Dan Webb says the firm has hired about 60 Dewey refugees including…

May 9, 2012 9:27 PM CDT

From ‘Drip Torture’ to Closure: Dewey Begins Laying Off Associates, Gives 1 Week Notice, WSJ Reports

Even as a once-mighty law firm was disintegrating around them, many associates of Dewey & LeBoeuf heard nothing official about their own fate. But that changed Tuesday as the law firm began laying off associates with one week of notice in a conference room meeting, reports the Wall Street Journal…

May 8, 2012 10:27 PM CDT

Former Perkins Coie Attorney Sues Firm Over Paycheck Deductions, Seeks Class Action Status

Updated: A corporate attorney who formerly worked in the Menlo Park, Calif., office of Perkins Coie has sued the law firm in federal court in California, contending that it improperly made deductions from his pay and did not provide an accurate, itemized statement of his wages as required by state…

May 8, 2012 5:16 PM CDT

Don’t Underestimate Lawyers’ Resistance to Change, Seyfarth Shaw Chairman Says

Seyfarth Shaw has learned a lot about lawyers and their resistance to change as the firm embraced Lean Six Sigma, a management approach emphasizing process improvement and efficiency in legal work. Seyfarth Shaw chairman J. Stephen Poor outlines the lessons learned in an article for the New York Times DealBook…

May 8, 2012 12:52 PM CDT

Ex-Dewey Vice Chair Says Firm Owes Him $61M; Secretaries Told of Layoffs; Departures Pick Up

A half-dozen moving trucks lined up at the loading dock for troubled law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf in New York on Monday, while an artist out front asked employees to write comments on his impressionistic painting of ousted chairman Steven Davis. The Am Law Daily (reg. req.) described the mood…

May 8, 2012 11:49 AM CDT

At Dewey, One of the Powerful ‘Steves’ Wasn’t a Practicing Lawyer; Did He Make $2M?

Professional managers are increasingly taking on more powerful roles at law firms, and Exhibit A is Dewey & LeBoeuf. At Dewey, the executive director, Stephen DiCarmine, was a lawyer by training who became a legal administrator working closely with former chairman Steven Davis, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.…

May 7, 2012 1:48 PM CDT

After Hectic Week at Dewey, Focus Turns to Unpaid $9.6M Bill of Partner’s Brother

Former Dewey & LeBoeuf chairman Steven Davis isn’t the only partner at the troubled law firm subject to some finger-pointing. Some Davis supporters are telling the Am Law Daily (reg. req.) about an unpaid legal bill racked up by the late brother of former Dewey vice chairman Morton Pierce. Pierce’s…

May 7, 2012 12:44 PM CDT

Dewey Sends WARN Notice to US Workers, Says Law Firm Could Close

Citing “a period of extraordinary difficulties in the last few days,” Dewey & LeBoeuf has warned all United States personnel in an internal memo “it is possible that adverse developments could ultimately result in the closure of the firm, which would result in the termination of your employment.” The notice…

May 4, 2012 10:41 PM CDT

At Least 12 More Partners Exit Dewey & LeBoeuf for McDermott, Morgan Lewis and Pillsbury Winthrop

Updated: There is news Friday that at least 12 more partners are exiting from the troubled Dewey & LeBoeuf, which has already lost about one-third of its partners in 2012. The exiting partners include four hired by McDermott Will & Emery in Germany; two practice leaders headed to Pillsbury Winthrop…

May 4, 2012 7:18 PM CDT

Recruiting Agencies Will Be at Dewey Today; Partners Relieved to Get $25K Draws

Dewey & LeBoeuf is bringing two recruiting agencies to its New York offices today as the struggling law firm deals with more departures and a preliminary criminal investigation. An email sent to New York employees says the recruiters will help staffers think through their options, the New York Times DealBook…

May 4, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

Top M&A Partner Exits Dewey & LeBoeuf for White & Case as Tally of 2012 Departed Partners Nears 100

Updated: As additional partners announce their departures from Dewey & LeBoeuf, the total of those leaving the approximately 1,000-attorney and 300-partner firm in 2012 is moving toward 100. Among the latest to announce a planned exit is mergers and acquisitions ace Morton A. Pierce, a former chairman of Dewey Ballantine…

May 3, 2012 6:26 PM CDT

Lawyers Describe ‘Chaos’ at Dewey, Where Some Partners Had Pay Packages Worth $5M a Year

The mood at troubled law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf is grim, as lawyers spent the day Tuesday boxing up papers and backing up emails and contacts. Lawyers described the situation as “chaos,” employees as “shellshocked” and the mood as “unbelievably difficult and stressful” in interviews with the New York Times,…

May 2, 2012 1:01 PM CDT

‘Very Short’ Health Insurance Suspension Is Latest Bump in Road at Struggling Dewey & LeBoeuf

Two unidentified junior attorneys at Dewey & LeBoeuf discovered Tuesday that employees of their struggling law firm are facing another financial issue—their medical insurance was suspended April 1 due to nonpayment. “It’s unbelievable,” an associate told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). “It’s one thing not to pay Westlaw or…

May 1, 2012 11:01 PM CDT

Quinn Emanuel Opens 2nd Office in Germany with 11-Lawyer A&O Team; More Euro, Asia Growth Planned

For the second time in a year or so, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has raided Allen & Overy to set up a new office in Germany. This time, Nadine Herrmann, formerly A&O’s local intellectual property practice group chief, led an 11-attorney group to Quinn, where they are now resident,…

May 1, 2012 5:46 PM CDT