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Merger of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus and Szold & Brandwen

Norris McLaughlin & Marcus of Somerville, New Jersey, has announced a merger with New York City law firm Szold & Brandwen. The merger was announced in early May, and the merged entity will continue to do business under the name Norris McLaughlin & Marcus.

Former Szold & Brandwen attorneys will work out of their current office and later move to Norris McLaughlin & Marcus's existing New York City office.

Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, serving the business community of the New Jersey and New York metropolitan area since 1953, has become the largest firm in Somerset County and one of the top 20 firms in the state.

05-16-2006

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Cozen O'Connor in Miami

Am Law 100 firm Cozen O'Connor is opening an office in Miami. Seeing the growing needs of Florida market, the Philadelphia-based law firm with 23 existing offices, is eyeing expansion. Starting with three attorneys, the firm plans to grow the new office fast.

Cozen O'Connor has been serving business, insurance and private clients since 1968. The firm reported revenues of $220.5 million last year, an increase from 2005. The firm ranked 99 on this year's Am Law list.

05-16-2006

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New bankruptcy law disputed

A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Hartford by organizations representing thousands of attorneys claims that the new bankruptcy law puts legal restrictions on the advice lawyers can give and makes it more difficult for clients to navigate the bankruptcy system.

According to the lawsuit, the new regulations interfere with attorney-client relations and may even prevent commerce for attorneys. The Justice Department is reviewing the lawsuit. So far no ruling has been made and no hearings have been scheduled.

05-16-2006

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New bankruptcy law disputed

A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Hartford by organizations representing thousands of attorneys claims that the new bankruptcy law puts legal restrictions on the advice lawyers can give and makes it more difficult for clients to navigate the bankruptcy system.

According to the lawsuit, the new regulations interfere with attorney-client relations and may even prevent commerce for attorneys. The Justice Department is reviewing the lawsuit. So far no ruling has been made and no hearings have been scheduled.

05-15-2006

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Analyzing the associate salary wars

Competition amongst law firms to recruit and retain the best talent has kept associate salaries steadily rising all this year. Following Philadelphia and New York firms, New Jersey firms have followed the trend of hiking associate salaries. New Jersey law firms have shown an overall increase in salaries of 7.2%. It may not stop there because many firms surveyed have not yet made a decision on modifying their existing pay structure for associates.

According to a new survey from American Lawyer Media, the associate salary wars began in January with DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary increasing first-year pay to $125,000. Several firms followed suit. Drinker Biddle did it on the same day and Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen and Duane Morris caught up two weeks later. Two months later, firms like Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Blank Rome, Pepper Hamilton and Saul Ewing raised their starting salaries to $125,000.

New York firms played a key role in this increase. When New York's Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher increased salaries to $135,000, West Coast firms soon followed. New York's Sullivan & Cromwell announced a salary hike of $20,000 for all levels. Other New York firms including Davis Polk & Wardwell; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; and Cahill Gordon & Reindel also hiked associate salaries.

2006 has seen a 6.8% increase nationwide in 2006, and the trend showing no signs of stopping.

05-15-2006

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Burton Award for Best Publication

The Fisher & Phillips 2005-2006 Employment Law Reference Guide was judged the best by the 2006 Burton Awards. The Burton Awards are given annually to law firm publications in a number of categories. The best publication is selected on the basis of writing style and technique, research, analysis and content. Law school professors representing Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, as well as leading legal professionals and members of the judiciary, played a lead role in the judging process.

In order to encourage plain, clear and effective legal writing, the Burton Award, a unique national awards program, was established in 1999. The program honors law firms and law school students who use clear and concise language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese. The Burton Foundation is a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization.

The 2005-2006 Fisher & Phillips LLP Employment Law Reference Guide is available both in the traditional printed format and as an interactive CD-ROM. It provides guidance and direction to senior management, legal counsel and human resources professionals involved in employment-related matters

05-15-2006

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Mergers & acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions do not only help a company grow, they bring added benefits to law firms. The volume of global mergers and acquisitions has increased by 40% according to The American Lawyer magazine. Subsequently the 100 biggest U.S. law firms increased their gross revenues by more than 10% to almost $51 billion.

Some of the most powerful law firms have been busy on two of the biggest deals of the year. Sullivan & Cromwell is representing fourth largest bank in the world, Wachovia Corp., which this week announced an agreement to buy Oakland, California-based Golden West Financial Corp. for approximately $25.5 billion. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is legal counsel for the transaction.

Skadden, Arps is advising French communications-equipment maker Alcatel in its $14 billion acquisition of U.S. rival Lucent Technologies Inc., which is also being advised by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

05-15-2006

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