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Midwest - the new arena for associate salary wars

The competitive increase in first-year associate salaries by the biggest East Coast and West Coast firms is old news now. The ripple effect however is now being felt in the mid-west law firms. Following suit are Denver-based Holme Roberts & Owen, Phoenix-based Snell & Wilmer, Cleveland-based Ulmer & Berne, and Kansas City-based Lathrop & Gage. They have all hiked salaries to stay competitive.

According to American Lawyer, an affiliate of The National Law Journal, Holme Roberts has increased its salaries from $90,000 to $105,000, a 17 percent hike. Expecting nearly 15 to 20 fresh associates this fall, the 219-attorney firm's bonus structure will lie within the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

Snell & Wilmer has announced $10,000 increase in first-year associates' salaries to peak at $110,000, effective fall 2006. The firm anticipates 19 new associates in its Phoenix office this year. While fresh associates at Ulmer & Berne will be entitled to $95,000 as salary, the 274-attorney Lathrop & Gage is raising first-year salaries by 14 percent to also rest at $95,000.

While the new salary figures are nowhere near the salaries offered by firms on both coasts, the move reflects an increase proportionate to firm size. As Hildebrandt International points out, the firms have to contend with mergers creating bigger firms, which can consequently afford to offer more, and the fewer number of law school entrants. It is no wonder that law graduates with top performances are having a field day.

The salary war witnessed recently began on the West Coast and came after a five-year plateau period. The initial shot was fired by Irell & Manella and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, this time. Gibson Dunn followed and the East Coast firms gave in like nine pins. The rest is history.

The fact that the trend caught fire so fast reflects the phenomenal growth in the legal market. According to The American Lawyer, 2005 revenues for the nation's 100 highest-grossing law firms rose to $51 billion, a 10.6 percent increase compared with 2004. Revenues per partner among those 100 firms climbed to $725,626, up 7.4 percent compared with 2004. On the other hand, admissions to law schools fell and campus recruitments went up. The ensuing scramble to bag the best legal talents available, sometimes even before students graduated was there for all to see.

An apprehension expressed by Hildebrandt International is that these events will result in escalated demands from first-year lawyers causing early burnouts due to less people doing more work. If that happens, it would only underline the sentiment that too much of a good thing does no good. Only time will tell.

06-19-2006

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Law firms increasing diversity

The predominance of white males, rigid work schedules, class-based promotions, and glass ceilings are much debated issues in the legal world as we have known it traditionally. Many firms are working towards a better 'social' order, legally-speaking.

Quarles & Brady Streich Lang's appointment of Nancy Philippi as the new diversity manager is a case in point. Her mandate will be to add minority attorneys as well as encourage interaction with women associates and minority service providers and contractors. This reflects the emphasis on increasing the number of women and minorities within the firm. The appointment of diversity directors is a common practice at large multinational corporations but not at law firms. This firm also has an associated Native American summer internship program for first and second year law students.

Another large and prominent law firm with a strong concentration of Hispanic attorneys is Greenberg Traurig based in Miami which has as its Chief Executive, Cesar Alvarez himself a Latino. The firm's partners also opine that diversity helps their firm to compete in global markets.

Among others, Perkins Coie Brown & Bain adds its two bit by aiding minority and nontraditional law students prepare for the first year of law school at University of Arizona. In addition, it contributes to Arizona State University's minority legal writing program and also provides associated internships and scholarships under the stewardship of Diversity Committee Chair Jodi Feuerheim.

Likewise, Bryan Cave and Fennemore, Snell & Wilmer also contribute by offering flexible work schedules, extended leave, and other leeway for parents and attorneys with families.

06-19-2006

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Business development spending

A recent survey conducted by ALM and The Brand Research Company reports that law firms are recruiting more business development executives and investment in such matters is on the increase. Called the 2006 "Law Firm Business Development Practices Survey," it is the second in a series and analyses various aspects related to law firm business development and sales structures programs and spending. As many as 157 of the largest law firms in the U.S and abroad provided responses on topics including strategies for business development, staffing and resources, feedback from client, areas of practice, and targets for industry growth.

Survey results revealed that business development budgets had exceeded $ 1M per year, as reported by a third of the firms surveyed. More than half reported an increase in these budgets by an average of roughly 6.6 percent from 2004 to 2005. The firms surveyed also reported that more than half their budget for business development was geared towards existing clients, and that half of their lawyers were directly compensated for bringing in new customers.

Washington DC-based The Brand Research Company is known for its expertise in researching factors that make for client loyalty and contribute to successful marketing. ALM Research, on the other hand, has made a name in providing researched information on leading law firms both U.S.-based and global.

06-19-2006

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Australasian law firm merges with DLA Piper

The Australasian law firm Phillips Fox has merged with DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, which is the second largest law firm in the world. It thus becomes the first Australian law firm to form an exclusive alliance with the giant international law firm. The move reflects the increasing globalization of business in today's world.

The new firm will be called DLA Phillips Fox, effective September 4, and will have 1400 personnel spread over Vietnam, New Zealand, and Australia. The combined expertise of its associates will provide a fillip to the joint foray into the emerging Asian and Middle Eastern markets as well as provide an entry point for DLA Phillips into the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Both partner firms are expected to benefit from this deal. DLA shall receive increased access to the Australasian market while extra work generated by this alliance is likely to lift revenues at Phillips Fox.

Phillips Fox is a law firm dating back more than a hundred years and today considered one of the largest in Australia with 185 partners in 10 offices across 3 countries. DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary is the pioneer of an alliance forming the DLA Piper Group which works towards servicing clients all over the world in a broad all-inclusive manner. It comprises more than 3,000 lawyers in 59 offices in 22 countries.

06-19-2006

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Further growth for DLA Piper

DLA Piper hasn't paused to catch its breath after its recent merger activity. The firm continues to move into new markets, such as Atlanta, and build its presence in target cities, including Washington and New York.

Four new partners have joined the Atlanta office of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. Transitioning from Smith, Gambrell & Russell, they plan to expand the firm's franchise, corporate, and securities practices in the Southeast.

The firm opened their Atlanta office in May of this year to compete with Holland & Knight. The firm has added 16 lawyers in Atlanta since then and plans to add more by the end of the year.

06-16-2006

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Rikers in London

New Jersey-based Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti is making its mark on the international legal market. The firm has opened an office in the heart of London's financial district and plans to practice insurance, reinsurance, commercial litigation, and banking law. For now, a skeleton staff of two lawyers will work in the leased space, which is adequate for a half-dozen lawyers.

The move is based on assurances from longtime client Castlewoods EU Ltd., which together with its subsidiaries makes up 80% of Riker Danzig's London insurance business. Castlewoods reported having 300 open cases for insurance clients in Britain, with total policies valued at more than $100 million.

The London office will be managed by both English solicitors and U.S. attorneys, and it is fully integrated with the firm's New Jersey and New York offices. Castlewoods' former general counsel, Eleni Iacovides, a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales has been named resident partner.

06-16-2006

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Xerox looks to carve a piece of the e-discovery services market

Amici LLC, a leading provider of e-discovery services for litigation and regulatory compliance, has been taken over by Xerox, in an effort to expand the corporation's document management services business. The $174 million deal is expected to close by the end of the month. Upon completion of the acquisition, the vast majority of Amici employees are expected to join the Xerox Corporation, including Amici's current president and CEO. Amici's staff of 125 is mostly in Albany but also in New York City, Denver, and Washington, DC.

Xerox is new to the e-discovery game, which involves the identification, filtering, production, and storage of relevant data from paper or electronic documents. Their business is projected to grow at an annual compounded rate of nearly 40%.

06-16-2006

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