JD Journal » Alston & Bird

Four Law Firms Named to Fortune ‘Best Places to Work List’

jim — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:52:20 +0000

Fortune releases its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For each year in the month of January. Just like the past couple of years, law firms have made the list in 2012, which features Google, DreamWorks Animation, and Goldman Sachs to name a few.

Just like 2011, only four law firms made the 2012 list.

The four law firms that made this year’s list include the same four law firms that made last year’s list. This does not come as a surprise to most, but the firms did drop in rank this year compared to last year.

The law firm of Alston & Bird hit the list this year at #24 compared to #13 last year. Bingham McCutchen hit the list at #30 this year compared to #28 last year. Baker Donelson hit the list at #54 this year compared to #50 last year and Perkins Coie hit the list at #58 this year compared to #55 last year.

Even thought the law firms have dropped in rank, here is what Fortune had to say about working at each firm:

The staff at Baker Donelson is so appreciated by the firm that if they “were on the Titanic, managers would have dived in to save [them].” “Employees rave about the caring atmosphere at this Southern law firm.” The law firm made the list of no layoffs gallery and came in at number 24 on the best-paying companies list.

At the law firm of Perkins Coie, there are “happiness committees” that host parties on a regular basis. The firm was ranked at number four on the top-paying company list, as associates average over $189,000 per year. The firm also ranked on a top ten list for employing the most telecommuters. The firm says that 45 percent are relegated as regular telecommuters.

At Bingham, Fortune said that the firm is in short supply of “prima donnas and malicious jerks.” Bingham made it onto a list of 25 top-paying companies, coming it at number two, as associates average over $228,000 per year in salary.

At the law firm of Alston & Bird, Fortune did not even provide an interesting description as to why the firm made the list. The firm also appeared at number three on a list of top-paying companies. Associates at the firm average a salary of $201,233. The firm was also named to an unusual perks list because it offers subsidized Spanish classes.

All four firms on the list offer domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples and employ nondiscrimination policies against sexual orientation.

Quinn Emanuel Will Launch Moscow Office with Pair from Dechert

rebneely — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:00:19 +0000

Quinn Emanuel announced in recent days it will launch an office in Moscow with senior litigation partners Ivan Marisin and Vasily Kuznetsov. Both join from Dechert; both joined Dechert’s Moscow office last year from Clifford Chance. The announcement comes less than two months after announcing plans to open a new office in Washington, D.C.

Marisin is a senior figure in Clifford Chance’s CIS practice; he became head of the firm’s Moscow litigation and arbitration practice in 1992, and was named local managing partner in 2000.

High-profile cases in which he has been involved include representing Bank of New York Mellon on a $22.5bn (£19.7bn) claim brought by the Russian Government, which was settled in 2009.

Kuznetsov, a national partner at Dechert, joined Marisin’s team at Clifford Chance in 2002, and they jointly represented Russian uranium seller Tenex on a $1bn (£633m) arbitration in Stockholm in 2007.

Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th legalweek.com article, “Quinn Emanuel set for Moscow with hire of ex-CC duo from Dechert”: “We see Moscow as a key source of work for both our practices in London and the US and we are very excited that Ivan and Vasily have agreed to help us exploit the opportunities that Russia presents to the west. We are fundamentally a trial firm, and Ivan, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced and toughest advocates in Russia, is a like-minded individual who we are confident will contribute to our brand and practice internationally.”

London co-managing partner Richard East was quoted as saying: “These are very senior, very credible litigators, and we look forward to working with them. We expect there to be a lot of interaction between the London and Moscow offices as there are significant client synergies.”

It opened its first overseas office, in Tokyo, in 2007, followed by the London location in 2008 and an office in Mannheim, Germany in 2010. Most recently, Quinn Emanuel opened its doors in D.C. after landing a trio of Alston & Bird partners who specialize in litigating intellectual property cases before the International Trade Commission.

Quinn Emanuel managing partner John Quinn was quoted as saying in the October 19th amlawdaily.com article, “Quinn Emanuel Taps Dechert Pair to Launch Russian Office”: “Representing Russians and those with Russian interests is a big practice in London. Having an office [in Moscow] will assist us in representing those clients and raising our profile in the business and legal community in Russia.”

Quinn was also quoted as saying in the amlawdaily.com article: “There are a lot of other American and British firms there, but more focused on deal work. We see a real opportunity there.”

Founded in 1986, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP is a 500 plus lawyer business litigation firm – the largest in the United States devoted exclusively to business litigation.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:09:05 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, November 1st. Here’s a quick look back at Friday’s stories.

Law Students at Wake Forest University in North Carolina delved into an investigation regarding a twice-convicted murderer in South Carolina…

Alston & Bird reached an agreement to expand its office in Atlanta’s One Atlantic Center…

Greenberg Traurig was honored at the Chambers of Latin America Awards…

High-profile South Florida attorney Henry “Hank” Adorno is facing disbarment after the Florida Supreme Court suspended him from practicing law Wednesday….

Mario Mancuso, former US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security and senior Pentagon official, has joined Fried Frank as a partner…

Alston & Bird Reshapes Atlanta Office Space

joshua — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:04:26 +0000

Alston & Bird has reached an agreement to expand its office in Atlanta’s One Atlantic Center. The firm will move into an additional 110,000 square feet at the landmark building, which increases its total occupancy to 340,000 square feet on 15 floors.

Alston & Bird will consolidate its 450 attorneys in the city, relocating many from Atlantic Center Plaza, which will make One Atlantic Center its official Atlanta headquarters. The lease term will be reset for 18 years, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Alston & Bird was represented in lease negotiations by Andrew Ghertner, Ian Henderson and John Izard of Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia. Hines, a real estate firm that agreed to the expansion, was self-represented by John Heagy, Mark Ferris and Tori Kerr.

“Hines’ agreement with Alston & Bird marks a significant achievement for this landmark tower,” Heagy, senior vice president for Hines Southeast, said. “The law firm’s consolidation commitment to the property boosts our overall occupancy to 90 percent – an achievement we are all quite proud of in this challenging economic time. Alston & Bird’s long term commitment further establishes One Atlantic Center as one of Atlanta’s premier business addresses.”

Mark Rusche, a partner with Alston & Bird who handles the firm’s space needs nationwide, said, “ We believe this property is one of the iconic buildings in the nation. It is ideally located in the vibrant Midtown area, with great access to MARTA, the I-75/I-85 Connector, hotels, restaurants, Piedmont Park and the Airport. The quality ownership and management team at Hines was also an important factor for us.”

With 800 attorneys, Alston & Bird is a leading national AmLaw 100 firm. The firm’s core practice areas are intellectual property, complex litigation, corporate and tax, with national industry focuses in health care, energy, financial services and public policy.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:59:06 +0000

Good morning everyon! Today is Tuesday, August 24th. Here’s a quick recap of yesterday’s stories.

The “Tax Lady’ Roni Deutch was slapped with a $34 million lawsuit for fraud by California Attorney General Jerry Brown…

Dickstein Shapiro added two partners, previously from Patton Boggs…

The American Lawyer publication Corporate Counsel announced the top coporate law firms…

McCarter & English named a new managing partner…

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati added a partner, and expanded its Asia Practice…

Two principal members of Price Waicukauski & Riley were selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America…

Top Corporate Law Firms Announced

todd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:06:35 +0000

American Lawyer publication Corporate Counsel has come out with its annual list of law firms representing the big shots in corporate America. The survey stuck to Fortune 100 companies as a marker for “corporate America.”

In general corporate law, the mentions were as follows: Cleary represented 12 Fortune 100 corporations, Davis Polk represented 11, Cravath represented 10, as did Simpson Thatcher.

In the field of intellectual property, Alston & Bird were mentioned 8 times, K&L 7 times, Baker Botts 6 times and Fish & Richardson were mentioned 6 times as well.

To aggregate the information for the list, Corporate Counsel used PACER, an electronic public access service of the United States federal court documents, public filings, the Corporate Scorecard, and the Patent and Trademark office.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:42:20 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, July 19th. Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s stories.

White & Case added two partners to its IP practice n Washington…

Shearman & Sterling ranked No. 2 worldwide in global M&A…

White & Case Nabs Two From Alston & Bird

joshua — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:53:30 +0000

A pair of former partners at Alston & Bird has left the firm to join the intellectual property practice of White & Case in Washington.

The Blog of the Legal Times reports Trevor Nagel, who was chairman of Alston & Bird’s global sourcing practice, and Lee Van Blerkom joined White & Case on Tuesday. They will serve the firm’s global sourcing and technology transactions group.

In explaining the move, Nagel told BLT the pair do a lot of work in the Asia-Pacific region and White & Case’s global presence provided a better opportunity. Among the clients they’ll be bringing to White & Case are Coca-Cola Enterprises and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

The BLT also reported two IP counsels have joined White & Case from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr’s New York office. They are Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme and Claudia Smith.

White & Case is a global law firm with lawyers in 36 offices in 25 countries.

Lateral Market Heats Up

joshua — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:22:19 +0000

The lateral market for 2010 is expected to be brisk and we’ve already seen some big moves in the first month and a half of the year. This is following a record high for lateral moves in 2009, although some of that can be attributed to mergers or failing firms.

Big moves so far this year include a team of energy lawyers that joined Cooley Godward from Alston & Bird and 13 White & Case lawyers that jumped to Latham & Watkins in London.

As earning statements are released from various firms, partners are able to get a sense of which firms had the best grasp on the economic situation of 2009. This, coupled with a slow rebound of the economy may have some partners casting about for options, and firms are anxious to bring on partners with profitable practices.

Cooley Godward Snags Renewable Energy Team from Alston & Bird

joshua — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:36:21 +0000

Thomas Amis, the chair of Alston & Bird’s renewable energy practice, and Nik Patel, an energy partner, have moved to Cooley Godward, and according to Amis another ten to twelve lawyers will be making the jump in the next two months.

Amis will become the new chair of Cooley’s clean energy and technology practice. Cooley Goodward already has a large practice dealing with energy technology that Amis sees as a vehicle for his team’s strong renewable energy practice.

Specializing in technology, Cooley represent venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in emerging fields. The firm is headquartered in northern California and has offices in technology hubs around the country.

Morning Roundup

sara — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:44:23 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Friday, February 5, and here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s headlines.

Tycko & Zavareei filed a class action suit against Fifth Third Bank…

Pillsbury gave raises (sort of) and bonuses…

Gardere Wynne added four attorneys to their roster…

Morrison & Foerster hired Joe Calve as their Chief Marketing Officer…

Danna McKitrick attorney Ruth Binger was named a Top Small Business Lawyer by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly…

Revenues and profits were up at Bingham McCutchen…

Thor Hearne, a former national election counsel in the Bush administration, joined Arent Fox…

Littler Mendelson welcomed 4 new shareholders to the firm…

Neil Upton joined Greenberg Traurig to head its UK Energy Practice…

The former director of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality joined Foley & Lardner…

Mintz Levin gave incoming associates the option to defer their starting employment date…

Alston & Bird hired a contractor to explore the construction of a new office building…

Alston & Bird Considers New Office Building

sara — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:17:32 +0000

Alston & Bird has hired a developer to explore constructing a potential new office building in Atlanta, Georgia. The Law Firm would be the anchor tenant o the building. Daniel Corporation is the development company investigating the project. Last year Alston & Bird said it wanted to downsize from its current 420,000 square feet to 350,000 square feet. The firm has also considered moving into another building or renewing the lease at the current locations. The firm’s lease expires in October 2013.

Founded in 1893, Alston & Bird is a general practice firm with about 900 attorneys and offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, North Carolina, New York City, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and Ventura County.

Jones Day Expands in California with Four Laterals

joshua — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:55:18 +0000

Jones Day expanded its presence in California today with the addition of four partners.

In San Diego, Patrick Elsevier is moving to Jones Day from Alston & Bird’s Atlanta office, and Ken Funahashi is coming on board from Baker & McKenzie. Elsevier is an IP litigator specializing in biotechnology patent litigation. Funahashi is a transactional lawyer who represents firms in Europe and Asia with investments in the United States. Over the last five years he has handled 35 transactions with an aggregate value of over $5 billion.

In the San Francisco office James Dutro is joining Jones Day from Latham & Watkins. Dutro is a health care lawyer specializing in structuring, negotiating and implementing integrated health care delivery systems and other hospital-physician alignment transactions and arrangements.

Tim Curry is an M&A lawyer moving to the Silicon Valley office from O’Melveny & Myers. Curry was the Transactional Department Head of O’Melveny’s Silicon Valley office, with a practice focusing on the representation of emerging growth and public technology companies in public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings, and licensing and partnering transactions.

Along with the lateral moves, one existing Jones Day partner, Mike McFalls, has moved from the Washington office to the Silicon Valley office, and four associates have moved up the ranks to join the partnership. They are Jayne Froyd and Peggy Ward (Silicon Valley), and Eric Swanhold and Erica Reilly (Los Angeles).

With nine new California based partners, Jones Day has grown to 127 partners in the Golden State.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:11:21 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Thursday, January 28, and here’s a look back at yesterday’s headlines…

President Obama took on the Supreme Court in last night’s State of the Union…

James O’Keefe’s lawyer says his client was not trying to bug Senator Landrieu’s phones…

Reed Smith picked up two corporate partners in New York…

Four partners jumped from Paul Hastings to Haynes & Boone…

Tipsters report staff layoffsat Brown McCarroll…

Read our pregame analysis of the State of the Union and see what we got right… and wrong…

Sidley Austin added an IP lawyer in San Francisco…

Gregory Craig returned to private practiceand has landed at Skadden…

Four Alston & Bird partners have jumped ship to open their own firm…

Baker & Daniels picked up a senior insurance lawyer….

A Hatian law firm has reopened amid the chaos…

Northwestern Law dovetails on a student loan program mentioned by the President in the SotU…

Scott Rothstein appeared in court and plead guilty yesterday…

McDonough ranks top in the nation on percentage of female partners…

and Boeing has a new chief counsel…

Former Partners in Alston Bird Launch New Firm

joshua — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:46:30 +0000

Four former partners in Alston & Bird have launched Mowrey Meezan Coddington Cloud. The new firm, with offices in Atlanta and Washington D.C. will focus on environmental, climate change and energy issues.

Bob Mowrey, Dave Meezan, Kipp Coddington and Doug Cloud bring over 60 years of BigLaw experience to the new firm. Mowrey chaired two practice groups while at Alston & Bird and helped build that firm’s reputation for environmental services; Meezan is a former chair of the Georgia State Bar Environmental Section; Coddington is considered a leading climate and energy lawyer, while Cloud brings experience defending clients in federal and state enforcement proceedings.

“We formed this venture to provide clients with focused entrepreneurial legal services on cutting-edge environmental, climate change, and energy issues,” Bob Mowrey said in a news release. “The legal market has changed significantly over the past several years, and we took this step to maximize our ability to meet and exceed our clients’ needs and expectations.”

Six Law Firms on Fortune’s List of Top 100 Places to Work

sara — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:28:06 +0000

On February 8 Fortune Magazine will release its list of top 100 places to work. Six law firms have made the list this year. Fortune surveyed a random sample of employees to learn attitudes about management credibility, job satisfaction and camaraderie. Two-thirds of each company’s score is based on employee response. The other third is based upon company’s responses to inquiries about pay, benefits, diversity and communication.

Bingham McCutchen is ranked number 12 on Fortune’s list. It was cited for its commitment to diversity. Retreats are held to bring together lawyers of color and openly gay and lesbian lawyers. Health insurance was amended in 2009 to cover additional benefits for transgender employees.

Alston & Bird, ranked at number 30, was noted for inviting all employees, from receptionists to legal secretaries, to attend monthly firm meetings marked by a review of a project.

Arnold & Porter at number 65 is noted for awarding bonuses between $450 and $15,000 to employees who make successful referrals.

At number 75 Perkins Coie represented both Obama for America, with 59 lawyers working on the campaign, and the Al Franken campaign, with 48 lawyers. It is one of 8 companies on the list to pay 100% of their employee’s health-care premiums.

Baker Donelson at number 77 is recognized for their commitment to diversity. 180 out of 540 lawyers are women and the number of minority lawyers has risen from 12 to 40.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe comes in at number 95. The firm asked incoming associates to defer their entry until the fall of 2010. In return these associates were placed in legal positions at non profit and government agencies and paid an honorarium of $60,000 and a $15,000 bar stipend. 56% of incoming lawyers agreed to this deferment.

Small Payroll Changes at Alston & Bird

joshua — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:41:25 +0000

Alston & Bird is changing the way it computes overtime for its secretaries. Up until now, Alston & Bird has paid overtime starting at 37.5 hours per week, slightly more generous than is required by law. Now the firm is revising its overtime policy to match what is required by state and federal laws. Overtime will begin at 40 hours per week (or after 8 hours per day in California).

To be clear, this is a relatively minor change. At most, secretaries will lose 1.25 hours of pay per week. As cost cutting measures go, this one is relatively minor.

Alston & Bird LLP is the second largest law firm in Atlanta, Georgia and the 43rd largest in the United States. Founded in 1893, the firm has offices in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; New York City; Washington, DC; Dallas; Los Angeles, the Silicon Valley and Ventura County.

Tuesday Roundup

joshua — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:05:46 +0000

Good morning! Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s news…

LA Mayor Villaregosa’s deputy chief of staff moves to the private sector…

Alston & Bird has deferred its deferrals….

Dewey & LeBoeuf picked up a pair of partners from Stroock…

and the government is investigatinginsurance company Humana over some political advertisements…

Alston Bird Defers its Deferrals, Indefinitely

joshua — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:05:46 +0000

Back in March, we told you that Alston Bird was deferring its incoming class of new associates. With so many firms doing this, it hardly seems like news anymore. Now, however, the same group of new associates have been deferred again, and this time the deferral is indefinite.

This does not bode well for this years group of summer associates who are still waiting for offers.

End of Week Roundup

joshua — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:42:48 +0000

Good morning and TGIF. To paraphrase Jerry Garcia, what a long strange week it’s been….

Here’s a look back at the highlights…

The two man firm of Singer & Deutsch opened a third office…

Marks & Clerk become the 2nd UK firm to grace our pages in August with some downsizing…

The Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party joined Barnes & Thornburg…

K&L Gates picked up 1/4 of Kelley Drye’s Chicago office…

The Dallas DA is leaving 4 vacancies unfilled…

Alston & Bird is keeping its summers on tenterhooks….

And we were pranked by an anonymous tipster… our apologies to King & Spaulding for what appears now to have been a false rumor.

No Offers… Yet… for Alston & Bird Summers

joshua — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:04:55 +0000

The ides of September are nearly upon us, and Alston & Bird still haven’t decided who they want to keep. Not to worry, says the firm, offers are forthcoming, just as soon as they get it all figured out. The firm has decided to coordinate offers as a firm this year, but decision are being made office by office and not every office has finalized its decision. I sure hope someone at Alston & Bird gave the summers an explanation that needs a little less parsing than that…

Alston & Bird is an Atlanta based firm with 900 attorneys in 9 domestic offices.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:24:48 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

Stuart Levy joins Sughrue Mion as of counsel in the firm’s electrical/mechanical practice group in Washington, DC. Levy spent 37 years at the Patent & Trademark Office. Most recently, he was an administrative patent judge with the Board of Patent Appeals & Interferences. His JD is from from the George Mason University School.

Conard Metcalf joins Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd as of counsel. He specializes in asbestos and mesothelioma cases. His JD is from the University of Colorado Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review.

Lloyd Winans joins Alston & Bird as a partner in New York, in the financial services group. Previously, he was general counsel at Lehman Brothers. His JD is from The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

50 Best Law Firms for Women Announced

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:33:38 +0000

Working Mother Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers have announced their 2009 Best Law Firms for Women.

The accolade is awarded based on attention to work-life and women’s issues, and the increased use of part-time and other family-friendly policies.

Firms with at least 50 lawyers were eligible to apply, and the application included detailed questions about issues that are important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers. The winning firms were selected based on their workforce profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation, advancement and retention of women, among other criteria utilizing 2008 data.

The 50 firms chosen are not ranked in any order, but include:

Alston & Bird
Andrews Kurth
Arent Fox
Bass Berry Sims
Chapman and Cutler
Covington & Burling
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dorsey & Whitney
Drinker Biddle
Foley Hoag
Folger Levin & Kahn
Fox Rothschild
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
Frost Brown Todd
Gibbons PC
Goodwin Procter
Gray Plant Mooty
Hanson Bridgett
Hardy & Bacon
Holland and Hart
Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn
Ice Miller
Jenner & Block
Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish LLP
Latham & Watkins
Lindquist & Vennum
Littler Mendelson
Lowenstein Sandler
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McGuireWoods
Miller & Chevalier
Morrison & Foerster
Munger Tolles & Olson
Neal Gerber & Eisenberg
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Perkins Coie
Pillsbury Winthrop
Quarles & Brady
Shook
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Smith Moore Leatherwood
Steptoe & Johnson
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox
Vinson & Elkins
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Huh. The list of firms not included might be shorter.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:00:16 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

Greg L. Berk joins Orange County, California’s Carlton DiSante & Freudenberger as a partner, to chair the new Immigration Practice Group. He joins from Atkinson Andelson in Irvine. Berk is a past Chair of the Orange County Bar Association Immigration Section, and currently serves on their Lawyer Referral Advisory Committee.

Roger D. Winston has been named chair of the real property, trust and estate law section of the American Bar Association. Winston is co-leader of the Planned Communities and Condominiums Group at Ballard Spahr’s Bethesda, Maryland office. His JD is from the University of Maryland School of Law, and his LL.M is from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Mark Costley joins Drinker Biddle as a partner in Washington DC. He was previously a partner with Alston & Bird, where he represented broker-dealers and investment advisers. His JD is from George Mason University.

Seyfarth Shaw Hires for Atlanta Office

Erik Even — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:45:03 +0000

Seyfarth Shaw, which last week brought on a new team of corporate and technology partners from Alston & Bird, is expanding its Atlanta office with lawyers poached from Troutman Sanders.

Robert C. Stevens joins as a partner in Seyfarth Shaw’s Labor & Employment Department. He concentrates his practice on litigation and counseling matters involving employment discrimination, restrictive covenant, trade secret, and wage & hour issues. Stevens earned his JD magna cum laude from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for the Alabama Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

Benjamin D. Briggs also joins the labor group as partner. He focuses on a wide-variety of labor and employment matters arising under state and federal law. Briggs received JD with honors from Georgia State University, where he was a member of the Georgia State Law Review.

Seyfarth Shaw’s Labor & Employment Department consists of 350 employment attorneys nationally at all levels of experience.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has nine offices in the US and one in Belgium.

Seyfarth Shaw Brings on Team from Alston & Bird

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:14:20 +0000

Chicago-based Seyfarth Shaw, which in May laid off 50 people and reduced salaries, has brought on a new team of corporate and technology partners from Alston & Bird.

Robert C. Reynolds, Jr. is an outsourcing lawyer who co-founded Alston & Bird’s energy infrastructure team. He received his JD from the Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was an editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He will work from both Atlanta and Seyfarth’s Washington DC office.

Shawn K. Baldwin, who joins in Atlanta, focuses on strategic corporate transactions. He got his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is admitted to the Georgia Bar.

S. Joel Cartee, who also joins in Atlanta, handles complex global transactions and matters relayed to the Kyoto Protocol. He is a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia. He received his JD from the University of Alabama School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has ten offices.

Alston & Bird Reduces Associate Pay By $5K

Erik Even — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:57:28 +0000

Today Atlanta’s Alston & Bird informed its associates that the firm is reducing all associate salaries by $5,000.

At this time, the firm expects to reverse the salary cut at the end of the year.

In April, Alston & Bird laid off 14 lawyers and 38 staff, but offered the lawyers affected what amounts to a public interest fellowship, and the possibly of being rehired at a future date.

Morrison & Foerster Expands Outsourcing Team

Erik Even — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:20:37 +0000

Morrison & Foerster has hired two outsourcing experts from Alston & Bird.

Christopher Ford and Scott Stevenson advised the state of Georgia in a $1.7 billion contract to outsource information technology services for various state agencies.

The two join Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, DC office. Ford joins as a partner, and Stevenson as of counsel.

In May, the firm deferred incoming associates; and in February slashed bonuses and froze salaries.

Morrison & Foerster LLP has more than 1,000 lawyers in 19 offices. The firm was founded in San Francisco in 1883.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:28:06 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

DLA Piper: 8 lawyers

Alston & Bird: 14 lawyers, 38 staff

Lovells: 18 lawyers, 61 staff

Honigman: 15 lawyers, 30 staff

Hogan & Hartson: 93 staff

Mayer Brown: 45 lawyers, 90 staff

Locke Lord: undisclosed lawyers & staff

Allen Matkins: 6 lawyers, 4 staff

Robinson & Cole: 11 lawyers, 19 staff

Reed Smith: 26 lawyers, 74 staff

Stroock: undisclosed lawyers & staff

Manatt Phelps: 17 lawyers, 8 staff

Fried Frank: 41 lawyers, 58 staff

Total: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Last week: 455 lawyers, 219 staff.

The week before: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

The week before the week before: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Alston & Bird Lays Off 14 Lawyers, 38 Staff – Kind of…

Erik Even — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:34:30 +0000

A few days ago, Atlanta-based Alston & Bird deferred start dates for incoming associates. The associates were offered the opportunity to participate in one-year public service or pro bono fellowships. This is common practice this year when biglaw firms defer associates.

Alston & Bird announced today it is laying off 14 lawyers and 38 staff. But the lawyers are being offered an opportunity very much like the pro bono fellowships for deferred associates; and they may even be able to get their jobs back.

From the memo:

Today, we have notified 14 associates in our transactional practice areas that the demand for legal services is not sufficient to support their full-time positions. In addition, we are reducing our support personnel by 38 staff members across several of our offices…

…we have established a program to place our lawyers in legal positions with public interest initiatives, pro bono and nonprofit groups, and clients through the end of the year… [T]hese opportunities have already been identified and will include continuing benefits, reduced pay from the firm, administrative support, and the possibility that, should demand pick up by year end, we will ask them to return to Alston & Bird.

Alston & Bird LLP is the second largest law firm in Atlanta and the forty-third largest in the United States. Founded in 1893, the firm has local offices in Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; New York City; Washington, DC; Dallas; Los Angeles, the Silicon Valley and Ventura County.

Alston & Bird Defers Start Dates

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:09:50 +0000

Atlanta-based Alston & Bird is deferring start dates for incoming associates.

Summer programs are being reduced to nine weeks. Entering associates will be deferred to January, 2010. There will be a $10,000 stipend offered.

Those interested in a one-year public service or pro bono fellowship will get payments of $500 per month. Alston & Bird will be provide salary advances, as well as covering bar exam and study course fees and moving expenses.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Here are the law firm layoffs reported this week:

Troutman Sanders: undisclosed

Dunlap & Seeger: 2 attorneys, 3 staff

Mayer Brown: 55 lawyers and staff

Hood Vores & Allwood: 2 lawyers, 4 staff

Katten Muchin Rosenman: 23 lawyers, 46 staff

Jenner & Block: 34 staff

Polsinelli Shughart: 9 attorneys, 16 staff

Morris, Manning & Martin: 6 incoming first-year associates

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips: 12 attorneys, 35 staff

Denton Wilde Sapte: 37 lawyers, 39 staff

Sughrue Mion: undisclosed number of incoming first year associates

Alston & Bird: undisclosed

Blake Lapthorn: 20 lawyers & staff

Total : 91 lawyers, 177 staff, 75 unidentified; 343 in all.

That’s way better than last week’ s 574 lawyers, 812 staff!

Rumor: Stealth Layoffs at Alston & Bird

Erik Even — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:47:37 +0000

Various blawgs report that stealth layoffs are underway at Atlanta’s Alston & Bird.

The firings seem to be taking place across all practices, but are hitting real estate especially hard.

Laid off lawyers are being given three months to find new positions.

First year associates have been laid off as well.

If you know anything about layoffs at Alston & Bird, please send us a confidential tip!

Alston & Bird Freezes Salaries

Erik Even — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:25:49 +0000

Alston & Bird is the latest firm to freeze associate salaries at 2008 levels.

The Atlanta firm has informed associates that raises planned for 2009 have been cancelled.

Throughout 2008, firm management implemented a variety of measures to address the financial situation. As the Partners Committee has engaged in the budgeting process for 2009, it has become apparent that additional expense savings are mandated for sound financial stewardship of the firm.

To that end, associates will be paid the same base compensation in 2009 as they were paid in 2008.

Bonuses for 2009 are not affected, and the firm promised to revisit the salary situation later in the year.

Last year the firm offered early retirement packages to all staff that had been at the firm for more than 10 years and were over age 55.

Alston & Bird consistently ranks on Fortune’s list of the 100 best companies for which to work, placing #31 in 2008.