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Law Firm News

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Schiff Hardin hires Hideki Akiyama

Chicago-based law firm Schiff Hardin LLP has added Hideki Akiyama as a partner in the firm's New York City office. Akiyama is joining the firm's Corporate and Securities Group and comes from the Tokyo office of Sidley Austin LLP, where he worked as associate. He has experience in mergers and acquisitions transactions and general corporate matters including agreements related to negotiating and drafting joint venture, strategic alliance, distributorship, and license. Established in 1864, Schiff Hardin is a general practice law firm with 400 lawyers working from offices in New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Lake Forest, and San Francisco. A J.D. from Duke University School of Law and LL.B. from Keio University Faculty of Law, Akiyama is licensed to practice law in both New York and Georgia.

02-13-2007

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Hike in salaries spreads to other cities

In response to the recent hike in salaries by New York and California firms, several others firms are feeling the pressure to follow suit. Two Philadelphia firms, Blank Rome and DLA Piper, already raised the salaries and others are weighing their options.

To attract and hold excellent lawyers, Blank Rome has announced to pay an increase of $10,000 to its first-year associates in Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, and of $15,000 to its New York first-years. Despite having raised the salaries recently, considering the market forces, DLA Piper has again announced a raise for its first-year associates. The firm will pay $135,000 to its Philadelphia first years, $160,000 to its New York and Washington, DC, first years, and $ 145,000 to Chicago first years.

Other associate levels in both the firms are also likely to get an increase but not at the same rate. The increase in the salaries is to be implemented retroactive to Jan. 1. Fox Rothschild is not likely to raise the salaries soon as the company is not looking to be the market leader in terms of salary increases. Addressing the concerns in the market that the clients will have to bear the burden arising out of the raise in the associates' salaries, the firm Cozen O'Conner wants to assure its clients that the firm will remain competitive.

Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll is not too concerned about the rise in the salaries, as it doesn't have a New York office. Rather, the firm increases salaries on a continued basis. The raise by New York firms has affected even the Chicago-based firms. Announcing a raise in the salaries of their first years, two of the city's largest firms, Sidley Austin and Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, will pay $160,000 in New York, and $145,000 in Chicago and elsewhere.

02-12-2007

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DLA Piper's major expansion moves

Promotions are happening in DLA Piper offices across the globe in key practice areas. Altogether, 66 lawyers have been promoted to partner in 2007, which includes 27 newly elected partners across Europe and Asia and a further 39 in the U.S.

The London office, which saw 10 promotions in seven practice areas, had the largest increase of new partners. The Birmingham, Leeds, and Liverpool offices had two partners promoted each. The remaining 11 promotions were made in Beijing, Amsterdam, CEE, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Kyiv, Madrid, Milan, St. Petersburg, and Sheffield.

In the U.S., seven promotions were made in Chicago, five in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and four in New York and San Diego. The remaining 14 promotions were made in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Nigel Knowles, joint CEO at DLA Piper stated that the new team of partners' dedication and commitment will strengthen the firm's vows to serve its clients spread all over the world better. In addition to the above, DLA Piper also promoted 21 lawyers the newly created legal directors' posts. 111 lawyers were promoted to associate level across Europe and Asia.

In another move, the firm extended its support to the DirectWomen program, established by the American Bar Association, the ABA Section of Business Law, and Catalyst, Inc. This is an initiative to promote women lawyers to Boards of Directors within the firms. Aimed at fostering greater gender diversity required for best corporate governance practices, the program also envisages identifying, developing, and supporting a select group of such accomplished women attorneys.

Prominent project and Islamic finance specialist, Oliver Agha also joined the firm as a partner in its Dubai office. Oliver, a U.S. attorney, was earlier head of projects at Clifford Chance's Saudi Arabian law firm affiliate, Al-Jadaan. There he established the projects team advising clients on ground-breaking Islamic finance structures and major project finance deals.

02-12-2007

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Reilly joins Greenberg Traurig's Boston office

Thomas F. Reilly, after his unsuccessful stint at the polls will join Miami-based Greenberg Traurig's Boston office. The former Massachusetts attorney general who's march to the governor's post on Democratic nomination ended in defeat will now wield his legal prowess as a partner at the firm. Reilly has wide experience as the state's former top prosecutor and will work on a wide range of client matters, including litigation and healthcare, environmental, and insurance issues, according to the firm.

A top-tier trial attorney, Reilly's entry in to the firm is met with high expectations. Describing him as a "significant asset" to the firm, Gary Greenberg, co-managing partner of the firm's Boston office said that Reilly's decades of experience over wide ranging areas will be a great boost to the firm's practice areas. A man of "unquestionable integrity", Reilly chose Greenberg Traurig because the firm would leverage his practice both on national and international arena.

The seventh-largest law firm in the country, with about 1,600 lawyers in 29 offices across the continents, its Boston office started in 1999 with three lawyers from the law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott and has nearly 80 attorneys now.

02-09-2007

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Bruce Mullins joins DLA Piper in Dubai

Bruce Mullins joined DLA Piper's as a partner in the firm's Dubai office, till it opens a new office in Oman. Mullins will assume office as managing partner in the new office. Bruce earlier served Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP as resident counsel and managing director of the firm's Muscat office. The firm hopes to invest heavily on Mullins' local privatisation and infrastructure expertise to boost its new venture.

Bruce who's experience spans over a decade in the Middle East has developed extensive contacts in Oman. He has worked extensively with major ministries and officials of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman on various national and international deals. Mullins worked on privatisation and infrastructure development on several projects, including ports, shipping, LNG, tourism, and utilities such as electricity, water, environmental waste, and telecommunications.

DLA Piper's Dubai office which saw heavy investing last year, serves as the hub of its Middle Eastern practice. Earlier the firm hired Pinsent Masons partner Al-Harith Sinclair to head up its financial regulation practice in December.

02-09-2007

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Winston & Strawn sees major recruitments

Winston & Strawn LLP appointed eight new lawyers to its New York office. Joining the firm as litigation partners from Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP are Michael S. Elkin, Thomas P. Lane and Shari Markowitz Savitt; H. Joseph Mello who will serve as of counsel; and Daniel C. Neustadt, Allison Schrader Dunn, John J. Burke, and George T. Soterakis, hired as associates.

Elkin, whose expertise as a commercial litigator with special focus on copyright disputes in the music, entertainment, and technology fields is highly reputed in his field. Welcoming Michael and his team to the firm, Tom Frederick, head of the litigation department stated that the firm will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this team of highly skilled lawyers.

An international commercial law firm, Winston & Strawn LLP has 850 attorneys working from nine offices including Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, Geneva and Moscow.

02-08-2007

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Holland & Hart to tackle climate change issues

Denver-based Holland & Hart formed a new practice group which will concentrate on issues pertaining to global climate change. The first of its kind in the region, the firm's team to be led by James Holtkamp, will deal with climate change law and policy. It will cover areas including industrial energy use, renewable energy, and government relations. Holtkamp, who teaches Law of Climate Change at the University of Utah College of Law stated that the firm is capable of addressing climate issues affecting clients in the Rocky Mountain West and globally.

At the threshold of a "legal and policy tsunami" the firm looks ahead to tackling this complex area of law and public policy as climate change is affecting client industries majorly, remarked Lawrence Wolfe, managing partner of Holland & Hart. The firm's 13 offices house 350 lawyers involved in various practice areas.

02-08-2007

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