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Law Firm News

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Kilpatrick Stockton elects new executive committee

Atlanta-based law firm Kilpatrick Stockton elected four partners to serve on the firm's Executive Committee beginning in 2008. These four partners, Charles Calkins, a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property Department in Winston-Salem; Candace Fowler, a partner in the firm's Financial Transactions, Real Estate and Restructuring Department; Phillip Street, who chairs the firm's Healthcare and Life Sciences team in Atlanta; and, David Whelpley, a partner in the firm's Corporate Department in Charlotte, will serve one-year terms. Apart from the four, Miles Alexander, Steve Clay, and Bob Elster were re-elected to the committee as the firm's co-chairs.

The full-service international law firm has more than 500 attorneys in its nine offices across the globe. Its attorneys provide innovative business solutions to blue-chip corporations on financial transactions and securities and IP management.

02-07-2007

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AndersonTuell to focus on Federal Indian Law

AndersonTuell, LLP, opened account as a débutant firm in the nation's capital to address issues focusing strictly on Federal Indian law. The founding partners, Michael J. Anderson and Loretta A. Tuell, were earlier the founding partners at Monteau and Peebles. They, together with five other attorneys and two staff members will represent nationwide clients on American Indian Tribal Government clients' regulatory, legislative and litigation interests before the Congress, federal agencies, and courts.

A former deputy assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior, Anderson will be assisted by Tuell, who served as director of the Office of American Indian Trust and special assistant and counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Detailing the aims of the firm, they said it will look into providing specialized law practice that would work from in-house tribal counseling to helping "tribal governments operate effectively, efficiently, and independently."

A totally Indian-owned law firm with a Native American woman at the helm of affairs, the law firm will practice in areas such as general counseling to tribal governments, environmental law, housing, healthcare, federal recognition, trust land acquisitions, tax law, tribal codes and Indian gaming law. Another partner Derril B. Jordan, former associate solicitor for Indian Affairs at the Department of Interior will also join the firm as partner.

02-07-2007

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Diversity is the latest law firm and corporation mantra

Minority lawyers, particularly those in Charlotte, have much to celebrate. Top gun companies in the region and prominent law firms have committed themselves to promoting a diversely rich legal workforce in the area. To this effect, the influential partners from both sectors have also signed an "action plan" that reinvigorates a five-year minority-thrust plan. The drive takes force from the initiatives by Mecklenburg County Bar who formed a local subcommittee chaired by Felicia Washington Mauney, a partner with Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman. The committee members agree to focus on minority recruiting, mentoring, leadership development, and best practices. As many as 20 Charlotte law firms and law departments have signed the action plan so far, though she expects the roster to fill in further.

The top guns in this issue include huge names like Bank of America Corp., Wachovia Corp., Duke Energy Corp., Goodrich Corp. and are also among the frontrunners along with the law firms who organized a 12-week internship program for the minority students in the city. The students could split their time between the law firms and these corporates' legal departments. Recently, in a bid to plug its own diversity promotion measures as well as to boost up the number of minority lawyers in the area, leading law firm Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus awarded diversity scholarships worth $7,500 to six law students from Missouri and Kansas.

Elsewhere, another countrywide survey, the second of its type done by Altman Weil and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, was conducted on diversity directors and committees. Virginia Grant Essandoh, the key resource person, stated that diversity directors revealed a lot about the average budgets and staff allocations in the survey. Of 196 AmLaw firms, 72 responded, which came to 37 percent participation.

Of the largest 200 AmLaw firms that participated in the survey, nearly 35 of them have a designated diversity manager. This figure sees an increase of 5.4 percent than the previous year's figure. Also, the diversity committees in firms also registered a 3% increase. It stands now at 96 percent. Of them, the diversity managers who now report to their firm's managing partner or chairperson also saw a 20 percent rise from 47 percent last year, registering greater trust, and responsibility. However, on the flip side, of the law firms who are yet to open their diversity accounts, most of them are yet undecided on recruitment for at least another year.

A very recent addition, diversity managers in law firms get involved in various jobs, from lawyer/staff recruitment and professional-development committees to associate and partner review committees. Apart from this, they also often cover other aspects like business development, client relations, and professional-development issues. However, the basic duty of these managers is to build, guide, and implement diversity targets, strategize, and accelerate diversity awareness campaigns within the firm. Essandoh's survey revealed that besides hiring diversity managers, the need to sustain the efforts is to allocate a budget to get things done. The total budget allocation at most firms, including the manager's salary, was an average of $513,500. While managers who are also lawyers earn $255,000, other professionals can earn only about half of the figure. The survey revealed that most of these diversity managers are attorneys in the firms itself. While most handle the role full time, a 29 percent of them are lawyers who have to fulfill the firm's billable-hour requirements.

02-06-2007

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Compulsory pro bono service at Adams & Reese

New Orleans-based prominent law firm Adams & Reese issued a firmwide notice asking its nearly 300-strong attorney force in its nine offices, including Memphis and Nashville, to contribute 10 hours of free legal work per year in 2007. The firm also struck a deal with Appleseed, a network of 17 public interest law centers across the county to carry forward its mission. Says Brian Faughnan, the driving force behind the move, the 10 hour requirement will double itself in the coming year, i.e., 2008.

The firm opened shop in Memphis last year recruiting 15 of Armstrong Allen's men to the new setup. The head count there now has risen to 17. Pro bono work so far, though popular, was not obligatory. As in most other places, in Tennessee, the Rules of Professional Conduct only encourage the lawyers to offer pro bono service. The firm will work with less privileged people individual charitable organizations which work to protect civil liberties or public rights and some select organizations that cannot afford huge legal bills.

02-06-2007

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Breaking news: Law Firms Battle for Top Pay Hike

Biglaw starting salaries flatlined over the last five years, but recently have begun showing signs of life. Last year, top New York firms raised salaries by roughly $10,000 to $15,000, with many D.C. firms boosting salaries from $125,000 to $135,000 or $140,000. While not a substantial increase, the ripple effect was as far away as Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville, as national and regional firms in those markets nudged up salaries by $5,000 to $10,000.

As law firms held their collective breath and hoped that these increases would satiate associates hawkishly watching their every move, many firms had outstanding fiscal years in 2006 and it quickly became apparent that there was still room in their deep pockets for a second wave of pay hikes. The early battle cries of firms locking horns to best each other in the quest to offer top dollar flamed into full-on war this week as several prominent New York firms announced plans to once again raise first-year associate pay.

New York-based Simpson Thacher & Bartlett announced Jan. 22 that it was raising first-year associate salaries to $160,000. Before the memo even hit associate inboxes, a contingency of top New York firms followed suit, including Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Sullivan & Cromwell ; and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Today, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom said it would also increase salaries to $160,000.

With New York firms leading the charge, D.C. and West Coast firms have had their hand forced—either hike pay or risk losing prestige and the ability to attract top talent. The market standard in Washington for first-years has been $135,000, up from $125,000 in 2005, with some firms such as Skadden and Jones Day topping out salaries at $140,000, with bonuses reaching $15,000. With Skadden’s move to raise salaries in its D.C. office to $160,000 to match its New York rates, salary hikes in the District are as likely as political spats on the Hill. D.C.-based Hogan & Hartson announced that will raise associate salaries in its New York office to $160,000, but has not yet confirmed whether the increase will be extended to its Washington office.

California firms are watching the pay hikes closely. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges is one of the few California firms that had raised associate salaries to $145,000 to match New York rates. So far, it has not announced plans to raise rates again to reflect the most recent salary increases. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s salary increase, however, applied to all its offices, including its Palo Alto and Los Angeles locations. Most major California-based firms, though, have held rates at $135,000.

With the current salary increases steaming up and firms in hot pursuit of salary leaders, industry insiders say that profitable California-based firms will almost certainly match the pay hikes, at least in their New York offices. Regional West Coast firms will have to make tough decisions as they weigh the benefits of boosting pay against their bottom lines. Firms that decide against raising salaries risk becoming merely regional players as they slip away from being able to compete at the national level.

The pay wars have just begun. Check back frequently for the latest news, as we bring you ringside updates on the battle for pay dirt!

02-05-2007

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Mayer Brown expands into Continental Europe

International law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP has expanded its presence in Continental Europe by pairing with prominent Spanish law firm Ramon & Cajal. The firms have agreed to work together on client development and have entered into a referral arrangement. The two-way relationship would help international clients looking to expand their operations in Europe, especially in Spain. The firms' practice areas will include corporate, finance and banking, restructuring, capital markets, real estate, and litigation.

The firm's Chairman Ty Fahner said that the move aims to expand the global footprint further into Continental Europe. Looking into the emergent business activities over the last few decades in Spain, as well as the rise in trade through the top-tier companies Spanish and international companies doing business in or from Spain, the move to develop strategic alliance is a natural progression aimed to tackle the growing legal needs of both the countries' clients. The Spanish firm's attorneys mainly offer advice to corporate and financial clients.

02-05-2007

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Jones Day's Washington DC office has new IP partner

International law firm Jones Day recruited Eric S. Namrow as the firm's new partner in its Washington DC office. An intellectual property litigator and counselor, Namrow has significant experience in jury and non-jury trials. He has handled cases and appeals involving patents, trademark and trade dress, trade secret misappropriation, copyright, and unfair competition in a range of technologies and industries including chemical, pharmaceutical, electrical, and computer science.

Jones Day, which has garnered a reputation as a frontrunner among full service law firms in IP, hopes to boost its practice further with Namrow's experience with ITC Section 337 proceedings. Section 337 is an IP asset protection option which requires very sophisticated planning and execution. Namrow has earlier served as partner of Venable LLC's Washington office. Jones Day has more than 2,200 lawyers in 30 offices spread over important finance hubs throughout the world.

02-05-2007

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