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Ogletree Deakins on an expansion spree

Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Steward is geared up for expansion. The firm annexed two small-sized law firms, Pittsburgh-based six-attorney firm Polito & Smock, and four-attorney firm Simon Moran in Philadelphia.

Thomas A. Smock, Polito & Smock’s managing shareholder said, that the firm began negotiating with Ogletree Deakins in September. The move by Polito stems from the small firm’s need to serve its clients in the cities that the latter has offices in. The new firm will concentrate in union representation campaigns, labor negotiations, employment discrimination litigation, and other workplace-related issues. Besides Thomas Smock, Michael D. Glass, John C. Artz and Jack Owen III will join the firm as founding shareholders. Another named partner, Polito retired last year. Pittsburgh's legal arena seems to heating up with numerous and notable M&As dominating the local scene this year. Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Reed Smith, Buchanan Ingersoll are a few of the hot picks among top drawer firms that paved the way for smaller firms to follow suit.

In another move, Ogletree Deakins included Simon Moran into its fold. The firm, which will retain its name Ogletree Deakins, will have Barry Simon and Christopher J. Moran serving as shareholders in the new setup. Dara Penn Newman will serve the new firm as associate, and Susan O'Neill as of counsel.

Simon, of the new firm, who will also serve as managing shareholder of the Philadelphia office, refuted charges that the merger on part of the small firm is an altruistic attempt to gain a higher platform. He views it to be an open agreement based on working experiences between the firms and therefore a natural transition. To get themselves a space in Philadelphia, the big firm took the first step on negotiating with them, he added. Moran will join the firm next year.

Besides the firm’s traditional practice areas, Oglketree Deakins will also include healthcare, education, and consumer products in its list in Philadelphia.

Greenville-based Ogletree Deakins' Pennsylvania clients, mainly in the service and manufacturing industries, necessitated the firm’s immediate attention towards transition to the area for better service. The firm, primarily concentrated in the South and Southwest, has offices in most of the U.S. cities and employs nearly 350 attorneys. Founded in 1977, the firm prides itself in being the nation's third largest labor and employment law firm. It boasts of a gross of more than $119 million in revenue.

12-28-2006

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Starting salaries frog leap to attract better catches

The salary forecast for the New Year seems pretty encouraging for the new associates who can hope to rake in more money than their peers who joined firms in 2006.

Reports based on a national survey confirm that the salaries for beginner attorneys and new hirings will see an increase in 2007, almost to the tune of 6.2 percent more than the previous year. The rise in salaries for the older hands sees an increase of nearly 1.2 percent.

The survey conducted among law firms having 75 or more attorneys on its roster revealed that first year associates’ salaries will hover between $99,000 and $129,000, while for lawyers with average four to nine years of experience, it will fall in between $120,000 and $185,500.

However, experience and specialization play a large role in the salary increases, sources opine. Law firms are on the hunt for specialized attorneys, even if it costs them a little extra, to cope up with newer mandates and emergent rules being formulated and revised nearly every day.

12-28-2006

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Fenwick dangles diversity carrot before partners

These days, all law firms are being subjected to severe pressures to become more diversity friendly. Law firms run the risk of being sidelined during business for want of adequate diversity in their rosters.

However, technology-focused law firm Fenwick & West LLP shows how individual efforts towards minority issues can bring major returns. Diversity-related criteria are a part of many corporate strategies for calculating partner bonuses at year end. However, Fenwick’s diversity bonus policy ensures that partners totally focus on diversity if they want to be rewarded at year end. By using this innovative approach, partners earn massive packages depending on their active efforts towards supporting diversity at the firm. Fenwick & West created a program of 12 activities designed to support minority recruiting and associate mentorship and each partner in the firm has to participate in at least three of them. The partners get to choose from a range of diversity efforts, including recruitment, mentoring or involving minority colleagues on big cases.

Fenwick’s diversity bonus policy is a voluntary affair. However, nearly all of the firm’s 81 partners are involved in it. The firm would not divulge their success, but lawyers involved in it say that the focus never wavers. Ten percent of partners in the firm and almost one-third of associates belong to an ethnic minority, are homosexual, or have a physical disability, states a report in bizjournals.com.

Summing it up, Gordon Davidson, Fenwick & West Chairman said, “It’s the right thing to do.” Very true, since the Minority Law Journal’s 2005 survey of 240 law firms saw the firm in the sixth place.

12-27-2006

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Lanier Law Group expands towards East

North Carolina-based Lanier Law Group, a personal injury firm, expanded to three new locations in the east — Wilmington, Greenville and Fayetteville, taking the total to eight locations in the region. The Group is among the largest and fastest-growing North Carolina personal injury law firms, consisting of 45 professionals who specialize in assisting clients with issues such as health insurance problems, property damage, and total loss evaluations. The firm made the move because of their belief that a localized presence will help it to serve the community.

With more than 40 legal heavyweights on board, the firm enjoys a strong reputation for handling personal injury cases, from traffic accidents to medical malpractice, hoping to change the lives of all of its clients. Lanier approaches its clients’ problems in an individualized manner. An attorney, an insurance adjuster, and a paralegal provide a complete personalized service, which is often not found at larger firms. Lisa Lanier, founder, attributes this personal touch to be the stepping stone on which the firm is gaining tremendous foothold among its happy clients.

12-27-2006

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Arent Fox buys West Coast law firm

Full-service law firm Arent Fox has announced its acquisition of O'Brien Abeles, a West Coast litigation boutique. The move to acquire the Los Angeles boutique firm was spurred by Arent Fox's desire to establish an office in California. The search for a match in California who shared the firm's professional ethics and ideals was a lengthy one. California-based O’Brien Abeles' outstanding commitment to its clients, as well as the firm’s culture, fulfilled Arent Fox’s requirements for an able partner. Both firms are celebrating the emergent win-win situation and are highly expectant of benefiting from the acquisition.

O'Brien Abeles has nine attorneys working in its LA office and is on the verge of hiring two more. Arent Fox will send two of its lawyers to relocate to the LA office, thus increasing the number of lawyers in the West Coast office to 13.

The latest entrants to the new firm are Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper, a former U.S. ambassador-at-large. He will concentrate on the firm’s international practice in areas such as trade regulation, intellectual property protection, and arbitration. He will also counsel corporate clients on internal investigations and compliance issues. The other new face is Steven Bledsoe, former share partner with Kirkland & Ellis’s LA office. Bledsoe will join the new firm’s litigation team and will serve clients from a variety of industries in high-stakes litigation matters. Two current Arent Fox partners, Wayne Matelski, a senior pharmaceutical and medical device attorney in Arent Fox’s food and drug practice and a partner and co-chair in the firm’s regulatory department in its Washington office and Michael Cryan, a litigator whose practice focuses on intellectual property and general business, are relocating from the New York office to join the new firm in California.

A diversified law firm with 26 practice groups, Arent Fox has more than 300 lawyers, and serves clients including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and start-up companies. O’Brien Abeles concentrates on litigation and counseling for a variety of industries, including media and entertainment.

12-26-2006

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Latham Watkins’ Spanish Armada

Aiming to consolidate its position in the European market, Global law firm Latham & Watkins opened shop on the Spanish shores under the stewardship of José Luis Blanco, M&A partner in the firm. The firm will set up two offices there, the principal one in Madrid and an additional office in Barcelona.

Well known in the Spanish legal arena as a transactional expert, Blanco represents strategic buyers and private equity clients. Blanco, who will serve as the Office Managing Partner for Spain, will concentrate his practice on M&A and private equity transactions, complemented by acquisition finance and competition law. Prior to joining Latham, Blanco served Cuatrecasas as its global head of M&A. Latham hopes to build a strong and focused M&A practice in the region, pursuant of its vision to be the leading corporate team in Spain.

Latham & Watkins has more than 1,900 attorneys serving an impressive list of clientele from its 22 offices worldwide.

12-26-2006

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Thelen Reid's London calling

U.S. law firm Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP will be opening a four-lawyer London office by the year's end. This office is the first step the new firm has taken, in entering the European market, and is their ninth office globally. The firm intends to offer its services to existing investment banking clients through the London office, and to support immediate client needs in the area of real estate finance. The firm's new office will initially have two partners and two mid-level associates. These two will be relocating from the U.S. office to look after the Business and Finance Department in the new London office.

Jeffrey Steiner, who partners the firm's real estate finance practice, said that the new office marks the growth of the real estate finance practice of the firm. Steiner represents Wall Street investment banks and institutional lenders in complex finance transactions, and is an expert in investment banking and real estate practice. Pressure from the growing number of clients needing representation in this practice area motivated the firm open an office in the European market.

12-22-2006

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