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Otillar joins Baker & McKenzie as Energy partner in Houston

Baker & McKenzie LLP appointed Steven P. Otillar as a partner in the Major Projects Practice Group in its Houston office. Otillar practices in energy and infrastructure development, especially on international and cross-border work. Prior to joining Baker & McKenzie, he served Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP as a transactional lawyer.

A popular figure in the Houston community, Otillar also served as counsel to several global companies. He also represented several energy clients. Otillar took up an advisory role in international oil and gas exploration and production matters. Baker Mackenzie will rely heavily on Otillar's global and cross-border projects to serve the emerging needs of its clients across continents. Gerry Bolkema, Chair of Baker & McKenzie's North American Banking, Finance, and Major Projects practice, said that Otillar will lead a pivotal role in the "advancement of [the firm's] global energy practice."

04-03-2007

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Goodwin Procter enters San Diego market

Boston-based law firm Goodwin Procter LLP is continuing its West Coast expansion process. After setting its presence in California, the firm opened one office in San Diego and another in downtown Los Angeles. The new offices will bring the total to four offices in California region. The new San Diego office will be looked after by Stephen C. Ferruolo and Ryan A. Murr, former partners with Heller Ehrman LLP.

Ferruolo has wide experience in corporate practice and technology licenses for companies dealing in biotechnology and medical devices. He also worked in software and telecommunications areas. Murr specializes in corporate and securities law, focusing on securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters for life sciences and technology industries.

Goodwin till now used real estate and real estate capital markets to support its West Coast expansion. However, apart from aiming to serve clients on the West Coast, the move to open offices in the area also marks a long-term bicoastal strategy of the firm, revealed Regina M. Pisa, Chairman and Managing Partner of the firm in Boston. The law firm hopes to expand its nationally recognized technology and life sciences practice, as well as its real estate and real estate investment management practice to wider dimensions.

Pisa also remarked that the firm will mutually benefit from its offices in Boston and San Diego. Both the areas are huge markets for biotechnology and life sciences, respectively. The San Diego office at present has two attorneys, but "envisions growing to 25" says Pisa.

04-02-2007

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Archer & Greiner teams up with Satori Group, Inc.

New Jersey-based regional law firm Archer & Greiner, P.C. has entered into a technology agreement with Satori Group, Inc. Satori provides enterprise class business intelligence and business performance management. Archer & Greiner will take up the firm's Satori i-Performance Legal Enterprise BI and BPM services. A full service law firm, Archer & Greiner serves both corporate and individual clients.

Earlier, the firm also worked with Satori on the Profitability solution project. This project adopted by the firm last year, helps the management to effectively manage growth value, both for the firm and its clients in terms of rates, staffing, and cost-effective practice management. The Satori i-Performance Enterprise is a complete BI and BPM legal suite. The law firm will implement all the components of the Satori i-Performance Legal suite comprising Enterprise legal data warehouse, Planning, Reporting, proCube Platform, Matter Planning, Dashboard, and Online Inquiry.

Law firms have to operate within the ambit of client-driven and price-sensitive legal industry. Therefore, adoption of such software makes law firms look at the costs from client-level, an angle that provides them with a strategic insight. John Tait, Archer & Greiner Director of Finance, said that the firm was highly impressed with Satori's understanding of the law firm's business.

04-02-2007

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Loeb & Loeb expands IP & entertainment practice with new addition

Multiservice national law firm Loeb & Loeb LLP hired prominent IP & Entertainment lawyer Thomas A. Guida to its practice groups as a partner. Guida, who joins Loeb from Baker & Hostetler LLP, will continue to practice in the new firm's New York office.

Guida is the fourth lateral hire the firm has made in its IP area in the past two months. Earlier, in February, three partners from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal joined Loeb's patent litigation team. The firm plans to add two more to the IP group as partners soon.

With vast experience in structuring commercial and corporate transactions, Guida concentrates his practice on development, licensing, financing, and protection of intellectual property assets. He specializes in digital and interactive media, branded entertainment, entertainment technology, and complex licensing transactions. He also maintains an active online IP enforcement practice, and has litigated complex trademark, copyright, and domain name disputes for domestic and European clients. Guida also actively provides pro bono counsel to charitable groups.

03-30-2007

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Size doesn't matter, mid-sized law firms show in results

Mid-sized law firms in areas like Buffalo are digging in their heels to stick it out in the home turf, and also to make it big. And all this is happening, despite predictions by law firm, veterans that these handfuls of fries would soon be swallowed hook line and sinker by bigger catches. These attorneys are zeroing in on their strong points in the respective practice areas as well as "touting a high quality of life for prospective hires," reports bizjournals.com.

However, the trend augurs well as the recent Business First's Annual Law Firms list found few midsized law firms' names on the top rungs. The reasons aren't too far too seek, opine others. Many attorneys in top-notch firms are now relinquishing their fascination for the big names to catch up with their personal lives. Small leisure pleasures are swaying these lawyers to rethink on the grind attached to big firm. Therefore, managing partners of such midsize firms are finding the recruitment drives smoother than before. Kenneth Krajewski Managing partner at Brown & Kelly lamented that retention of young turks at such law firms often proves most crucial, as better baits from the bigger firms lure them away. Therefore, he stated, this can be combated by allowing such young attorneys to "appear in court and conduct depositions" instead of handling routine work at the law firm offices.

Raymond Fink, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP's Buffalo office partner says less billable hours also favors these firms. Associates here put in nearly 600-700 hours less a year than their New York peers who bill 2500 hours. Another firm Harris Beach PLLC, whose Buffalo office grew by four attorneys, climbed up three slots and was placed at No. 9. Harris Beach expanded its public finance group and trusts and estates practice. Prominent litigator Richard Sullivan, who joined the firm last year, is trying to divert public funds into community projects in Niagara County.

Placed at the third position, Damon & Morey LLP hopes to raise its attorney headcount with the addition of five new names. It will then have 90 attorneys. The firm retained its former position with the addition of eight new lawyers to its various practice areas. The firm also annexed seven partners from other firms to fortify its immigration practice group. After identification of potentially viable target markets in fields like healthcare, cross-border practice, and litigation, the firm embarked on a strategic expansion bid by luring in partners and experts from other firms to join theirs, said Peter Marlette, Managing Partner.

However, M&A deals with big law firms can never be erased, opines Raymond Stapell, Harris Beach Managing Partner. This is truer especially in view of Western New York's "chronic economic woes." This, he thinks, is more the case as mid-sized firms do not have all the resources to go it alone while trying to serve its clientele in all their needs.

03-30-2007

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Diversity is a mixed bag in the law firm world

'Diversity' has always been the in-thing in all law firms, size notwithstanding. The trend, unabashedly profiteering, seems to have, of late, taken law circles by storm.

From putting up promotional websites that promise minority attorneys the moon to forming committees, groups, partners, mentors, and other programs, large law firms have revealed their designs on the minority and women lawyers in its true hues to please the Fortune 500 or similar clientele. History reveals that lack of diversity costs one law firm a top-notch client like Wal-Mart.

However, despite all that brow sweat and ink, a meager five percent of partners at firms are minorities, revealed Minority Law Journal (yet-to-be-released) 2006 survey. The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) figures isn't too promising either. Besides this five percent, women lawyers make 18 percent at these law firms. While only 13 percent constitute minorities among the total workforce in the 20 highest-grossing firms in Washington, DC, partners make a measly six percent. Law firms Howrey and Latham & Watkins have the highest percentage of minority attorneys at 18.3 percent of all ranks. However, the percent of minority attorneys at law firm Wiley Rein decreased to seven percent last year. In the partner-level, Howrey leads with 10.3 percent followed by Akin Gump with 9.3 percent.

There are firms like Allen & Overy which recruited nearly 50 percent women, 17 percent ethnic minority, and students from 34 different universities in 2005-2006. Diversity may augur disunity, which the firm fears, and hence it strives to maintain a cohesive atmosphere within the firm as well as its work force. It gives everybody, irrespective of personal standing, an opportunity to prosper and also fulfill their potential.

Firms also adopt various strategies to achieve their targets. These strategies can be classified into three broad categories. Firstly, firms need to increase awareness levels regarding diversity within the firm as well as its impact on the working environment. Secondly, partners have to be committed to adopt the mentors' roles for encouragement and sustaining of the firm's diversity drive. Finally, individual endeavors to remove personal prejudices should be encouraged to create an all-inclusive working environment where everybody prospers together.

Meanwhile, on the flip side, some others have different views, too. Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice, in his paper titled "The Legal Implications of Complying with Race and Gender-based Client Preferences" questioned whether corporates can legally pressurize law firms to hire on their diktat. He presented the paper at an American Enterprise Institute program held in Washington recently. Levey supported his contention with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits the use of race, creed, or color when considering candidates for a job. He argued that owing to clientele pressures, law firms form legal teams of a particular racial composition which can expose them to discrimination lawsuits. The Committee for Justice promotes the appointment of "constitutionalist" judges. Levey maintained that his paper was "independent of his current position."

Finally, none of these would work in isolation. Each of these factors adds to the law firms' success in bringing together a team diverse in nature and united in efforts.

03-29-2007

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Sullivan & Cromwell numero uno among M&A deal advisors

With 33 deals worth a combined $162.9 billion, New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell is number one among top global deal advisors. The firm beats Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom to annex the global M&A crown. This was revealed in Mergermarket's global mergers and acquisitions league table declared for the first quarter of 2007.

The firm achieved the coveted target within the first three months of this year which also includes two of the quarter's five largest M&A transactions. Skadden, last year's top M&A firm finished seventh this year with $85.8 billion deals. Sullivan's victory march was also aided by the advisory credits on deals such as the $44.2 billion private equity takeover of TXU. Sullivan was followed by Davis Polk & Wardwell with $149.4 billion of global deals on the second spot and Hunton & Williams with $106.8 billion in the third.

On the other hand, volume-wise Latham & Watkins took the top spot with its 67 deals globally. The firm's overall volume of transactions was equal to Jones Day (67 deals), though value-wise Latham amassed $56.8bn to Jones Day's $17.5bn. Sullivan is placed at the 12th rung with 33 deals on record.

The global M&A activity, according to Mergermarket report, for 2007 and till March 22, stands at 2,200 deals and worth $690bn. A vast majority of this amount comes from North America where "activity is up 13% over the same period last year." Mergermarket expects more activity in the next quarter with private equity investors becoming more active this year.

Mergermarket is an independent Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) intelligence service. It publishes regional league tables of top financial, legal, and PR advisors at every quarter of a year.

03-29-2007

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