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Several Howrey Partners Moving on to Three More Firms

aostler — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:22:10 +0000

Since Howrey dissolved last week, its partners have been going to many different firms. This Thursday, March 17, three more firms hired several former Howrey partners.

Morgan Lewis is getting Jason White, former IP litigation partner at Howrey, as well as commercial litigation partner, Romeo Quinto, Jr. They will be joining 11 former Howrey lawyers that left to Morgan Lewis in February, including David Clough, in the firms Chicago office. Quinto and White will also be joined by David Patariu, Mansi Shah, and Scott Sherwin, who were also formerly Howrey associates. In all, 19 former Howrey lawyers have now gone to Morgan Lewis. Clough also brought in two others with him to the firm: Scott Schutte, commercial litigator from Howrey and former head of class action practice Kenneth Kliebard.

Yet another four associates formerly from Howrey joined Morgan Lewis in Chicago: Kate Berezutskaya, Christopher Cabral, Gregory Fouts, Jayesh Hines-Shah, and Tedd Warden.

Scott Mendeloff and Gabriel Aizenberg, formerly litigation partners at Howrey, were hired by Greenberg Traurig in Chicago. They had been part of Howrey since June 2008 after leaving Sidley Austin.

Another firm that got in on the action was Arnold & Porter, which hired another former Howrey litigation partner, Paul Alexander, in its Palo Alto office.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:28:51 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Tuesday, August 10th. Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s stories.

Mia Farrow testified in the ‘Blood Diamond’ Trial and contradicted supermodel Naomi Campbell’s testimony…

AmLaw Daily reported 800 legal jobs were cut in July…

Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP hired a new COO…

Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP Hires New COO

joshua — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:10:24 +0000

Michael P. Motyka, a highly skilled law firm manager with experience at three Chicago law firms, has joined the Chicago-based law firm Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP as its Chief Operating Officer.

Motyka is replacing COO Steven W. Smitham.

Motyka will be responsible for a variety of strategic initiatives, day-to-day operations, and management oversight of other firm administrators.

Before joining Butler Rubin, Motyka held positions as Manager of Illinois Offices at Dykema Gossett PLC, as Office Administrator in the Chicago office of Perkins Coie and as Manager of the Legal Assistant Department at Kirkland & Ellis.

Formed in 1980, Chicago based Butler Rubin is a well-known litigation boutique assisting clients nationally and internationally in the core practice areas of reinsurance and commercial litigation, including antitrust, competition law and opt-out antitrust litigation; business reorganization, bankruptcy and insolvency; class action; and products liability and mass tort matters.

Locke Lord Names Chicago Managing Partner

joshua — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:19:30 +0000

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell has promoted partner Jennifer Kenedy to managing partner of its Chicago office. Kenedy replaces former managing partner Larry Gray, who died of a heart attack on July 19.

Kenedy, a nearly 20-year veteran of the firm who also co-chair’s Locke Lord’s board of director’s, is the first woman to lead Locke Lord’s 123-attorney strong Chicago office. She will remain a fulltime practicing trial lawyer in her new role, according to National Law Journal. Kenedy’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, including trade secret misappropriation and other intellectual property litigation, employment and distributorship contractual disputes,

“This is a sad time for all of us at Locke Lord as we lost a valued friend and Partner who was an integral part of our Firm,” said Jerry Clements, Chair of Locke Lord. “No one will be able to replace Larry, but I know Jennifer, who was very close to him, will work tirelessly to carry on his business initiatives and emulate his compassionate style.

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP is a full-service, national law firm with offices in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Clark Hill Reels In Chicago IP Team

eric — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:07:40 +0000

: The Detroit based firm Clark Hill PLC has, through lateral hires at its Chicago office, absorbed the Chicago based, boutique intellectual property firm Trexler, Bushnell, Giangiorgi, Blackstone & Marr. The Trexler firm, which focused its practice on patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark matters, brings all 8 of its attorneys plus staff bringing Clark’s nationwide attorney headcount to 208.Crain’s Detroit Business

Clark CEO John Hern praised the acquisition and the new depth it will bring to the firm’s IP practice, “Extending our practice will allow us to offer greater value to our clients worldwide through a more complete level of service.

Clark Hill is a full service law firm focused on business legal services, government and public affairs and personal legal services. Since its opening in 1890, Clark Hill has represented a diverse spectrum of clients ranging from individuals and new business entities to Fortune 500 corporations. The firm has offices in Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as offices in Chicago, Phoenix, Washington, D.C. and Birmingham, Alabama.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:25:25 +0000

Good morning! Today is Thursday, February 18, and here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s headlines…

Citizens are nearly united against the Citizens United ruling…

Kilpatrick Stockton picked up a pair of partnersfrom Winston & Strawn…

The DoJ issued indictments in two noteworthy cases…

Another study shows fewer lawyers are making partner during the recession and recovery…

Latham & Watkins saw a decline in revenue in 2010, but per partner profits were up…

A pair of Chicago firms are moving into new digs…

Allen & Overy is opening up in Qatar…

Kaye Scholer has a new co-managing partner…

Gibson Dunn increased revenue and per partner profits last year…

While things remained steady at Greenberg Traurig…

Sidley Austin Salary Thaw and Double Raise

joshua — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:01:20 +0000

After issuing another round of paychecks at 2008 salary levels, Sidley Austin today announced its 2010 compensation plan. Salaries have been thawed and associates will be getting a double bump in salary, putting them back to where they would have been if they had never been frozen in the first place. Unlike some of the firms Sidley considers peers, however, associates will not be getting a “make whole” bonus. Kirkland & Ellis along with Latham & Watkins paid their associates a bonus equal to the amount the salary thaw cost them last year.

Still, there’s plenty to be happy about with today’s announcement. It puts Sidley back among those leading the market for salaries and may put pressure on firms that thawed salaries but didn’t move evenyone up two levels, or firms that cut salaries before thawing them.

Winston & Strawn Keeps Salaries Frozen

joshua — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:00:58 +0000

Winston & Strawn froze salaries last year and now it appears that the freeze is still on. Associates received emails today regarding their compensation and across the board, they are still the same as they were two years ago. Third year associates are still making $160k.

This might seem like a way to increase business at the firm – pay associates less so the firm can advertise lower rates for its clients, but that isn’t the case. Hourly rates for the associates’ time have gone up.

Meanwhile, fellow Chicago denizen Sidley Austin has continued to pay its associates at 2008 levels as well, while they evaluate the market. Is it any surprise that the National Law Journal says the market for Chicago laterals is picking up?

UPDATE: Sidley has just announced a salary thaw and raise. Read about it here.

McDonald Hopkins Continues Expansion in Chicago

joshua — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:20:28 +0000

Charles F. MacKelvie has joined the Chicago office of McDonald Hopkins as a member in its healthcare and healthcare restructuring process. MacKelvie was most recently a principal at Miller Canfield.

MacKelvie has argued more than 300 cases before the U.S. Department of Health in his more than 30 years as a healthcare and business attorney, according to a press release. He is the latest addition to the expanding McDonald Hopkins’ office in Chicago. The firm recently relocated to 300 North La Salle to accommodate the firm’s continuing growth.

McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, and West Palm Beach.

Seyfarth Shaw Signs Schwartz For IP Practice

joshua — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:52:19 +0000

Daniel J. Schwartz has joined Seyfarth Shaw’s Chicago office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group, the firm announced Tuesday. Schwartz was previously with Jenner & Block.

Schwartz focuses on the areas of intellectual property litigation and counseling with a special emphasis on patent, trade secrets and trademark litigation, according to a press release. His most recent experience includes various forms of Markman hearings and intellectual preliminary matters.

Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys in ten offices throughout the United States and Belgium.

Allan Ackerman to Leave Blagojevich Defense Team

sara — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:39:24 +0000

Chicago defense attorney Allan Ackerman filed papers in federal court asking permission to withdraw from former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s defense team on Thursday.

Ackerman said he is “No longer able to stridently participate in the defense of the accused.” In an interview with WLS-TV in Chicago Ackerman said that he had differences with others on the legal team, mainly concerning the “means and methods” of preparing for a “complex, multi-count trial”. Ackerman joined the legal team last November.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to trying to sell then President Elect Barack Obama’s U.S. senate seat in late 2008 among other offenses. Blagojevich is set to go to trial on June 3, 2010.

Layoffs at Seyfarth Shaw

joshua — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:20:19 +0000

Seyfarth Shaw is letting go of approximately 40 people, 20 lawyers and 20 staff. It’s been rough over at Seyfarth over the past year and they’ve taken several steps to keep costs down. In December, the firm cut salaries as part of a move toward merit based compensation. In November, it re-deferred half of its already deferred first years for an entire additional year, while cutting the salaries of the first years lucky enough to actually start working. In August, the firm announced that it would not have a summer program in 2010 and in May, Seyfarth laid off 50 people and cut some salaries.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has ten offices, nine of which are in the United States. The firm is well known for its labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation and business services.

Butler Rubin Adds Partner

joshua — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:45:52 +0000

Butler Rubin Salatarelli & Boyd has named Andrew D. Shapiro a new partner in the Chicago-based boutique firm.

Shapiro, who was named a 2010 Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers, had previously been an associate in the firm’s business litigation department. He joined Butler Rubin from Winston & Strawn in 2006.

Butler Rubin Salatarelli & Boyd was founded in 1980. It assists both national and international clients in the practices of reinsurance and commercial litigation.

Brinks Hofer Opens DC Office

joshua — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:03:53 +0000

Brinks Hofer has closed it’s office in Arlington, Va, which was staffed by three paralegals and no lawyers, and opened its doors in Washington DC. The new office will be led by Thomas Holt, an IP lawyer from Brinks Hofer’s Chicago office. Holt will be joined in Washington by associates Scott Brim and Michelle Miller, both of whom are also making the move from the Chicago office. According to Holt, Brinks Hofer has been looking for an opportunity to expand its IP practice to the Washington area for some time, and “the pieces didn’t fall into place until now”.

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione was founded in 1917 as the two-man patent law firm of Wilkinson & Huxley. Today Brinks has approximately 180 attorneys in six US offices.

New Leadership at Skadden Arps Chicago Office

joshua — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:39:10 +0000

Wayne Whalen has stepped down as head of Skadden‘s Chicago office. Whalen has been with Skadden since leaving Mayer Brown in 1984 to help set up the Chicago office, which quickly became the busiest office in the Skadden network. His hand picked successor, Brian Duwe, was still three year away from his degree at the University of Chicago Law School when Whalen joined Skadden.

Whalen plans to maintain his existing corporate practice but said the time was right to pass the torch after 25 years.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, LLP is a global firm headquartered in New York City with offices in twenty-four cities around the world. Core areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, litigation, bankruptcy, tax, and securities law.

Changing of the Guard at Kirkland & Ellis

joshua — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:36:14 +0000

Kirkland & Ellis built its reputation on the backs of trial attorneys Thomas Yannucci, who has headed the firm’s worldwide management committee since 2001. He is being replaced by Jeffrey Hammes, a corporate attorney from the private equities practice who has been with the firm since 1985 and has helped Kirkland & Ellis expand their private equity practice beyond Chicago. He was also instrumental in establishing the firm’s foothold in northern California.

Kirkland & Ellis has 9 offices total, with 6 in the United States. They are best known for their litigation, bankruptcy, and intellectual property departments. They have a track record of high revenues and profits, topping $1.3 billion in revenues in 2007.

Sidley Austin Opens in Silicon Valley

joshua — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:07:15 +0000

Sidley Austin is opening an office in Silicon Valley and picking up four laterals in the process. Thomas DeFilipps is joining the firm from Wilson Sonsini and will be the managing partner. Three attorneys are moving from Howard Rice. They will be joined by eight more from Sidley Austin’s San Francisco office. The firm is expecting the office to grow to 15 soon, with three more laterals expected, but the details are being kept quiet for the moment.

Sidley Austin is one of the countries oldest law firms and includes Mary Todd Lincoln among its list of early clients. Formed in 1866 in Chicago, its practice groups cover a broad range of areas and it has a long history with transactional matters and litigation.

Greenberg Traurig Adds 3

joshua — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:46:28 +0000

Arthur Don and Nancy Schimmel have joined Greeberg Traurig as partners in the firm’s Chicago office. Don and Schimmel are both part of the coporate and securities practice group. In Atlanta, Cindy J.K. Davis is a new partner in the financial institutions and business reorganization & bankruptcy practices.

Arthur Don comes to Greeberg from Seyfarth Shaw where he was a partner for more than 30 years. Over that time he has built a large investment management practice and has experience in a broad array of corporate and securities law.

Nancy Schimmel was most recently a partner at Latham & Watkins. Her experience covers the negotiation and documentation of trade, health care, loan and lease receivables securitizations and structured financings.

Cindy Davis, who comes to Greenberg from Paul Hastings, has a financial restructuring practices. She specializes in complex credit transactions involving multi-currency facilities and cross-border lending arrangements.

Greenberg Traurig is expanding its investment management practice and anticipates this trio of partners will increase the firms ability to advise clients on complex corporate transactions.

Greenberg Traurig LLP is an international, full-service law firm with more than 1,800 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the US, Europe and Asia.

Wildman Harrold Rescinds Offers

joshua — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:28:33 +0000

Wildman rescinded the offers it had made to 10 of its 14 incoming associates yesterday. Unlike other firms that we’ve reported on, Wildman Harrold is not offering a stipend to these suddenly unemployed attorneys. Harrold

Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon was founded in 1967 by Max Wildman, Bernard Harrold, Thomas D. Allen, and Stewart S. Dixon. It employs 200 attorneys at its locations in Chicago, Illinois and Beverly Hills, California.

6 Lawyers Move to K&L Gates from Kelley Drye

joshua — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:59:09 +0000

Kelley, Drye & Warren lost about 25 percent of its Chicago office to Chicago newcomer K&L Gatesthis week. Partners David Rammelt and Susan Greenspon, along with one of counsel and three associates made the jump. Greenspon will join the corporate practice group, while the other five will all be part of the commercial dispute practice group.

K&L Gates LLP is a US law firm with over 1700 attorneys worldwide, and is ranked as the 10th largest law firm in the world.

More Storm Clouds at Sonnenschein

joshua — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:24:05 +0000

One week ago we reported on an unknown number of layoffs at Sonnenschein. Today we get word that the firm, whose name is German for “sunshine”, has let go of 10 income partners and as many as 20 other attorneys. No details yet on severance packages.

The cuts came mostly in the real estate and corporate practice areas, which have been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn.

Sonnenschein is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago with 13 offices and 800 attorneys around the world.

Layoffs at Sonnenschein

joshua — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:16:13 +0000

A spokesman for Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal confirmed today that the firm has laid off some associates but has not verified a number. This comes on top of the companies decision back in May to reduce base salaries for associates and move toward a performance based compensation plan.

Sonnenschein is meeting with its staff later today but there are no staff layoffs anticipated.

Sonnenschein is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago with 13 offices and 800 attorneys around the world. They have a general practice covering most areas of law.

Chicago Firms to Merge

Erik Even — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:06:31 +0000

Chicago law firms Schuyler Roche and Crisham & Kubes are merging as of April 1st, 2009.

The combined firm will be called Schuyler, Roche & Crisham.

James L. Komie, president of Schuyler Roche, will continue to serve as president of the new firm. Tom Crisham and Jeff Kubes will be members of the Board of Directors.

Crisham & Kubes is a Chicago-based group of trial and appellate lawyers practicing commercial and insurance litigation. Presently, Crisham & Kubes is comprised of ten attorneys, all of whom will be practicing at Schuyler, Roche & Crisham.

Schuyler Roche, one of the oldest law firms in Chicago with roots dating back to 1863, is a full-service law firm of 40 attorneys.

The firm will operate from Schuyler Roche’s current offices in the Prudential Building, where it is one of the building’s original tenants.