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Fredrikson & Byron for better litigation support management

Exterro Inc., a provider of advanced technology to law firms, will aid Fredrikson & Byron to manage all its e-discovery and litigation support projects from one centralized platform. Chad Papenfuss, Fredrikson & Byron's Litigation Support Administrator, stated that the firm's attorneys and litigation support staff will leverage on Exterro Fusion to monitor progress, track costs, set and manage schedules, and evaluate vendor performance. The technology helps the staff keep abreast of the entire spectrum of discovery and litigation processes. It also helps to collaborate on the hundreds of pending cases in a variety of fields.

The firm's growing caseloads demand both paper and electronic files, which can now be easily managed through this technology. This also effectively reduces costs in maintaining records. Exterro Fusion's automated, independent, and scalable platform effectively manages and streamlines the firm's discovery process. It enables the firm to set up repeatable processes, facilitate internal and external collaboration, and disseminate information. It also establishes dependable business rules and vendor pricing. Fredrikson & Byron's 200 attorneys in four offices serves clients world over in the areas of litigation, corporate and intellectual property, healthcare, real estate, and banking.

03-23-2007

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DLA Piper 2006 profits scale up 17%, hires new COO

DLA Piper's global revenue for the year ending 31 December 2006 rose by 17% as compared to 2005. The revenue figures now rest at $1.8 billion. The firm's 2005 revenues stood at $1.54 billion. The firm's profits per equity partner also rose simultaneously by 14% from the earlier U.S. $1.2 billion during the same period.

The robust financial well-being also augurs well for the firm. It will help the firm climb the rungs of the annual rankings too, opines observers. On the flip side, lawyers may jump ship, lured away by better offers. Despite the overall rise, the firm's Washington offices saw net compensation drop by 5.8 percent to $34 million. It continued to lose out on attorney headcount post merger to 11.1% from 212 to 188 overall in Washington in 2006.

With 3,200 lawyers in 24 countries across continents, DLA Piper's pro bono participation also increased tremendously. In the U.S. alone, 85% of firm's attorneys offered voluntary services for 20 hours or more as compared to 63% during the previous year. This year, they logged more than 116,000 pro bono hours, representing a 30% increase in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the firm also appointed former Investment Bank Chief, David Crookston, as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Europe, Asia, and the Middle East offices.

David, who comes from JP Morgan, has 20 years of financial services experience besides which will benefit DLA Piper's service areas. This newly created role follows the firm's management review. The new COO will supervise all the service areas including business development, HR, IT, and facilities, knowledge, and risk management.

03-22-2007

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New law firm in Waukesha formed

A new litigation-oriented firm, Grady, Hayes & Neary LLC, opened shop at Waukesha. The firm's debutant group earlier served The Schroeder Group S.C. in the same area. The group comprises four shareholders - Scott Grady, Lance Grady, Stephen Hayes, and Elizabeth Neary, besides litigation associate Daniel Miller. The new firm will concentrate on a wide range of practices. These include business and banking law, civil and commercial trials, appeals, adoption, surrogacy and children's law, municipal law, construction defect litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and complex insurance lawsuits. The attorneys have experience in these areas of practice from their association with The Schroeder Group.

03-22-2007

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Goodwin goes to San Diego, Procopio raids Foley to expand healthcare

Boston-based technology law firm Goodwin Procter LLP opened shop in San Diego. The firm's new office will be chaired by Stephen C. Ferruolo. Beside Ferruolo, another partner-colleague from Heller Ehrman LLP, Ryan A. Murr, will join the new office. Ferruolo is a prominent name in the technology and life sciences industry. Murr focuses on corporate and securities law, especially securities offerings, M&A, and corporate governance matters.

This move marks Goodwin's third California office within a year; the earlier two in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. The firm hopes to broaden its reach in the technology and life sciences, real estate, and real estate investment management practice. Apart from its offices in California, the firm also has offices in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC. Out of its 700+ attorneys, 150 focus on advising life sciences and technology companies.

In another move, San Diego-based firm, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, launched a national healthcare practice. The firm hired nine prominent attorneys from Foley & Lardner LLP to form its new core practice group.

The new group at Procopio includes George L. Root, Jr. and Gregory V. Moser, who join as partners. Previously, Root chaired Foley's health law and regulated industries departments and the healthcare industry team. Moser was managing partner of Foley's San Diego and Sacramento offices. The other seven are Diane M. Racicot, Celia A. Brewer, Mary K. Norvell, and Wendy L. Tucker who joined as senior counsels; and Sahyeh S. Fattahi, John C. Lemmo, and Alyssa A. Osugi, who joined as associates.

The group has expertise in a wide range of matters including medical and health insurance, and those related to regulatory and governmental compliance. Thomas W. Turner, Jr., managing partner at Foley said that the new additions and the creation of the new healthcare practice group is a "pivotal event for the firm that will establish its regional and national presence in the industry."

03-21-2007

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Law firm and legal dept. budgets support technology: Survey

A survey conducted by Edge Legal Marketing reveals that there is a strong and sustained support for technology in law firm and legal department budgets. Edge Legal Marketing provides marketing and public relations services to companies targeting the legal market. The survey named `Technology Budgeting and Spending' was conducted at the end of the three-day conference, LegalTech New York.

Edge Legal's 2007 survey reported 67 percent respondents saying that their firm or department's technology budget is on the rise in 2007. Only three percent reported a decrease. The survey also stated data storage and imaging equipment as the most researched hardware. About 56 percent of the respondents reported electronic discovery and related services to be the most sought after at LegalTech NY. The conference witnessed 12,000 attendees including lawyers, their support staff, IT professionals, and vendors catering to the needs of legal professionals.

03-21-2007

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Law firms look to better pastures without state caps

Medical malpractice seems to have become a net practice target for law makers. What started in 2002 and 2003 by the Pennsylvania State Legislature and the State Supreme Court's mandates, med-malpractice has since seen a sharp decline. Dallas too has caught on the virus. From downing shutters to heads rolling on the chopping block, firms have seen it all.

The State Legislature passed the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act and the State Supreme Court introduced rules for change of venue. This moved a number of cases out of Philadelphia and into the suburbs and made lawyers secure a certificate of merit for their cases. Philadelphia juries have a reputation for awarding large judgments against healthcare providers. According to the Supreme Court statistics med-mal filings in Philadelphia were down by 54%. Most firms in the area at that time had their major chunk of revenue accrued from its med-mal cases.

However, some lawyers still stuck on. They have since shifted vision, says bizjournal.com.

Mike Sawicki, a Dallas-based and once-upon-a-time flourishing med-mal lawyer has seen his business take a nose dive in 2003. The state law put a cap to non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits at $250,000 per claimant. This was when lawyers were at the prime of their careers and attorneys like Sawicki earned $606 million jury award in a Dallas County case. The fizz fizzled.

He looked towards the product liability and general negligence practice for the greens. He found many others follow suit. And many offices tallying the books again, augmenting serious changes in work force, work areas, and focus, besides logistical dynamics.

The latest in the line is the shunting off of 160 attorney and staffers from Baron & Budd PC. Vial, Hamilton, Koch & Knox LLP closed shop. Godwin Pappas Ronquillo LLP lost its named partners Keith Langley and Gregory Weinstein, plus five associates and two secretaries who moved to form an independent firm. Though Jenkens & Gilchrist PC is on the verge of dissolution, the reasons aren't solely the legal shifts.

03-20-2007

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Biotech Beach Law Group expands practice area, adds FDA Practice

Leading patent and trademark law firm Biotech Beach Law Group added FDA practice to its patent and trademark services. The move is a bid by the San Diego-based firm to help inventors advance technology. The firm intends helping the inventors obtain FDA clearance for life science, medical device, and biotechnology inventions. This intellectual property law firm, located in La Jolla, CA, helps biotechnology and life science companies in the area manufacturing medical device and pharmaceutical inventions attain patents and FDA clearance. Raymond Wagenknecht, the managing patent attorney, said that the firm's FDA services will concentrate on providing these life sciences clients with affordable and personalized representation.

03-20-2007

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