JD Journal » expansion

K&L Gates Adds On Seven Partners From Parker Poe To Launch In SC

chelsei — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:38:14 +0000

K&L Gates announced last month that it is going to open a twenty-fourth office in the United States–and its fortieth office worldwide–by launching a location in Charleston, South Carolina, with the addition of a seven-partner team from the Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein company.

“South Carolina has one of the most business-friendly public policy climates in the United States…and we expect it to be, increasingly, a destination for national and international business,” according to Peter Kalis, K&L Gates’s chairman and global managing partner.

Joining K&L Gates to open the new office are the former Parker Poe partners Matthew Norton, J. Walker Coleman IV, Joshua Dixon, Theodore Manuel, Bryan Walpole III, Jason Walton, and James Bruce. Norton is going to join the new firm’s global resort and hospitality practice, while Coleman and Dixon will work over in the employment and commercial litigation areas. Manuel, Walpole, and Walton will all join K&L Gate’s banking and tax group; Bruce is a big corporate transactional attorney. All of the seven departures leave Parker Poe, which will maintain the six offices that are scattered throughout the Carolinas, with half as many partners in the Charleston office as before.

Kalis says that he expects an unspecified number of staffers and lower-level attorneys to try and make the move to K&L Gates from Parker Poe, but that there is no specific certain number target for the Charleston offices as of now. Instead, he says that the firm is going to grow ”opportunistically and strategically” over a certain amount of time.

In welcoming in the new additions, Kalis touts their regional and international experience, especially in the resort and hospitality companies. This group is K&L Gates in a perfect position to pick up any additional assignments if, as many of the observers have suggested,the city see some growth of corporations in the manufacturing, aviation and automobile industries.

The widening of the Panama Canal–which is scheduled for completion in 2014–is being viewed as a boon to the various East Coast port cities, also including those over in South Carolina. The Port of Charleston is already the fourth-business port in this entire country, and the city is looking for more ways to secure financing to make itself more accessible to large ships. Back in April, it was noted that the predicted a surge in shipping activity has already attracted one law firm to Charleston: Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, which acquired 44-lawyer firm Buist Moore Smythe McGee over in Charleston. Kalis says that in addition to trying to help the Charleston office attract a new business, and expansion of port activity ”harmonizes nicely with an existing practice of the firm”: it’s maritime practice. While is firm’s maritime group that already exists is based in Washington, D.C., Kalis says that he expects maritime specialists there to work in concert with the ones that are based inside of Charleston.

Big Law Firms Setting Up New Offices in Detroit, Calgary, and Maybe Boston

aostler — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:19:28 +0000

Three big law firms have hired or are soon going to hire attorneys and partners to open new offices in 3 major cities in the US and Canada. Thompson & Knight is opening one in Detroit, Latham & Watkins may also be about to open a new office in Boston, and Torys, a Toronto based firm, has just opened a new office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Thompson & Knight is determined to bounce back after it’s gross revenues went down by 11.2 percent last year, and it announced late on Thursday that it was going to open a new office in Detroit, lead by new litigation hire, Philip Kessler. Kessler was formerly the chairman of Detroit firm Butzel Long, but stepped down last August. Since that time, he had set up a solo practice in Franklin, Michigan. He will now direct operations for Thompson & Knight in both their New York office and Detroit office, which is planned to open in spring.

Latham & Watkins is planning to open an office in Boston soon, according to the Boston Business Journal. No further comment is available from them officially, but according to the Boston Business Journal, they have been looking at Boston since late 2007.

Torys opened a new office in Calgary on March 3^rd, 2011. Torys already has existing offices in New York and Toronto, and this will strengthen their position as one of the leading international law firms. Les Viner, Managing Partner, says “The pace of economic growth in Calgary and its strength in the energy sector have earned the city a reputation as an internationally recognized financial and business hub”.

With so many firms closing or laying off attorneys, it’s good to see several firms doing the opposite and opening new offices and expanding their workforce.

Four Partners from Vinson & Elkins Join Gibson Dunn

marvins — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:08:19 +0000

Four high-profile partners from Vinson & Elkins LLP, a Texas-based international law firm, have joined the growing family of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, a Los Angeles-based firm with over 1,000 lawyers. Gibson Dunn announced that the four newly-hired partners will be based at the firm’s Dallas office, which is now undergoing a major expansion. The four partners who departed from Vinson & Elkins are: Jeffrey Chapman, a former M&A partner and member of the management committee; William Dawson, the former head of litigation and regulatory department; Robert Little, a former corporate partner and Michael Raiff, a former litigation partner who serves is also a media practice leader. Another partner from Vinson & Elkins, Robert Walters, is also reported to joining Gibson Dunn.

Joseph Dilg, managing partner at Vinson & Elkins, said that the firm respects the decision of their former partners. He noted that Walters, Chapman, Dawson, Little and Raiff have contributed a lot to the growth of Vinson & Elkins. “Rob Walters was a fine partner with V&E for many years. For the past three years, he has had a close association with the firm in its representation of Energy Future Holdings in various matters. Bill Dawson, Jeff Chapman, Mike Raiff, and Rob Little have been good colleagues and partners, and we wish all of them well in their future endeavors.”

Chapman revealed that he has been approached by several firms over the past few months but he decided to go with Gibson Dunn. He cited that one of the reasons behind his decision is his close relationship with M. Sean Royall, a co-chair of Gibson Dunn antitrust and trade regulation practice in Dallas. “Certainly I evaluated the future of both firms–V&E has an extraordinary bench of fine leaders–but the real key for me was working with this group of lawyers on as good a platform as I could. This was really more about Gibson Dunn than it was about V&E, but I will miss [my colleagues] there. They’ve been great partners of mine for a long time and I will miss them.”

Walters attributed his decision to Gibson Dunn’s litigation and antitrust practices. He added that the presence of leading litigators such as Theodore Olson, Theodore Boutrous, Jr., Orin Snyder and Randy Mastro made him attracted to the firm. “I think this move is a recognition of Texas and the third coast. There’s a vibrant economy [down here] and I think that’s why they’re investing in us and taking this chance.”

King & Spalding Announces Three New Partners to Join its Policy Committee

marvins — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:09:39 +0000

King & Spalding LLP, a Georgia-based international law firm, named three new partners to work under the firm’s policy committee, beginning January 1, 2011. The firm, with over 800 lawyers worldwide, recently elected Sarah R. Borders (Atlanta), Joseph W. Dorn (Washington, D.C.) and Robert F. Perry (New York) to join the King & Spalding’s policy committee, a specialized 10-person committee that is responsible for the policies, strategic initiatives and the overall enhancement of the law firm. Members are chosen by the partnership and will serve a three-year term once elected. The new members are set to replace partners Scott J. Arnold, J. Sedwick Sollers and Christopher A. Wray, whose terms are set to expire at the end of year.

Borders is part of the firm’s financial restructuring practice and deals with some of the largest workouts, restructurings and bankruptcy cases for major industries in US. Dorn is working under the international trade practice of the firm. He concentrates on international trade disputes in the US and other countries and before the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile, Perry serves as the managing partner of the firm’s New York office and part of the intellectual property practice. He deals with intellectual property litigation and counseling.

King & Spalding LLP was established in 1885. The firm has been expanding over the years and has offices worldwide, including Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Houston, London, New York, Paris, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Singapore and Washington, D.C.

Miller Thomson Continues to Expand, Now Merges with Balfour Moss

marvins — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:57:48 +0000

Miller Thompson LLP, with 450 lawyers, announced that its merging with one of the oldest firms in Saskatchewan, the Balfour Moss LLP which has 24 lawyers in Regina and Saskatoon. The latest merger will make Miller Thompson the only national firm to have an office in Saskatchewan province. The national firm has been expanding in the past five years by merging with other firms in Edmonton and Calgary, Vancouver, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Ont., and Montreal. Miller Thomson is the fourth major Canadian law firm to announce a merger in the past month.

Gerald Courage, Miller Thomson Chairman, said that Saskatchewan province has become a competitive market in the recent years, being the largest potash producer in the world. “Saskatchewan has become a significant player in the Canadian economy, and we are eager to take part in the province’s unprecedented economic success story.”

Balfour Moss is a law firm that deals with institutional lenders and real estate developers on transactional and contractual agreements, with strong litigation and environmental law practices. The firm will assume the Miller Thomson name.

Lamb McErlane Reveals its Three New Partners

marvins — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:55:13 +0000

Lamb McErklane PC, a full service law firm located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, revealed its three new partners recently. Lamb McErlane named Stacey Willits McConnell, Mary-Ellen H. Allen and Mark P. Thompson to be the latest addition in their growing firm. Lamb McErlane has over 30 attorneys today and has successfully established a strong reputation for providing the highest caliber of legal service to its clients.

Managing Partner Joel L. Frank expressed his excitement over the news. “We congratulate these outstanding attorneys and are pleased to welcome them to the partnership. They all bring tremendous experience as well as dedication and a focus on successful outcomes to their practice and to the firm as a whole.”

McConnel has been in the legal service for more than 20 years, with a practice covering estate planning, administration of trusts and estates, orphans’ court litigation, charitable giving, and sophisticated wealth preservation and transfer techniques. Allen practices in the area of civil litigation including commercial litigation and employment law. She worked with other lawyers previously who deal with big clients and has handled a large volume of cases involving contract disputes for a Fortune 500 client in all stages of litigation before both state and federal courts. Meanwhile, Thompson concentrates his practice in municipal, land use, environmental law and property tax assessment matters. He worked previously at the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Eversheds Eyes Beijing for China Expansion

joshua — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:26:31 +0000

Eversheds and Italian firm NCTM are set to enter the expanding legal market in China with new offices. Eversheds, which has had an office in Shanghai for three years, is now eligible to open a second office in China and the firm plans to enter Beijing, according to LegalWeek.

Shanghai Managing Director Peter Corne said a second office in China would allow the firm to better cover the country’s distinct regions.

“Beijing and Shanghai are very distinctive,” Corne told LegalWeek.”Shanghai does not have the prominent position of Beijing, but at the moment most of our clients are here so we will probably only start with a small operation when we open.”

Italy’s NCTM is set to launch a Shanghai office this summer after its license application is approved. It will be the firm’s first office outside of Europe.

LegalWeek lists other firms that are looking to move into the potentially lucrative China market. They include overseas firms Ashurst and SJ Berwin and U.S.-based Goodwin Procter, which already has an office in Honk Kong but is looking to enter mainland China.

Hogan and Lovells Set Priorities Prior to Merger

joshua — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:39:17 +0000

Additional details on the pending merger of Lovells and Hogan & Hartson, which launches May 1 as Hogan Lovells, have come to light. LegalWeek is reporting the firms have come up with “investment priorities” that includes expanding the firm’s corporate practices in both London and New York.

The story reveals Hogan’s New York large corporate practice is in line for further expansion in order to broaden its transactional reach to Washington D.C. Firm officials are also banking that Lovells corporate practice in London, which LegalWeek reports as being undersized, will be able to lure more high quality lawyers through the merger. Andrew Skipper, who heads the practice, said the firm is already in discussions with several potential laterals.

Other priorities for the merged firm are to build a bank-led finance practice in the U.S. , given Hogan’s finance practice is currently focused on corporate clients, and increasing the firm’s position in the market with U.S. underwriters in capital markets, deals finance, and structured products, LegalWeek reports.

Additionally, the firm plans to immediately exhibit to its existing client base the positives have having a firm the size of Hogan Lovells.

DLA Piper Places its Flag in Turkey

joshua — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:46:53 +0000

Reports out of Turkey indicate DLA Piper is placing a stake in the Middle East country with a new office. Joint CEO and Managing Partner Nigel Knowles told a group of Turkish journalists that the move is part of the firm’s plan to have a presence in all countries in the G-20.

According to Knowles, 58 of the firm’s top 100 clients currently invest in Turkey and they asked the firm to enter the market. He notes the country’s emergence among the G-20 made the move an easy decision.

“Turkey is 17^th in the G-20, and it has got ambitions to go even beyond that,” Knowles told Today’s Zaman. “I understand that in the time frame of four to five years it is estimated that Turkey will be around 12^th of the G-20. So far as DLA Piper is concerned, we cannot claim to be the leading law firm if we haven’t got a solution for Turkey.

Knowles goes on to touch on a number of subjects. He believes the firm is in perfect position during these tough economic times, noting corporations are cutting their legal budgets and “looking for greater value for money.”

Knowles also believes DLA Piper’s presence in Turkey will be enough to spur investment in the country. Companies “will find it easier now because we are there to support them,” he said.

According to the report, the addition of Turkey gives DLA Piper a presence in 30 countries with 68 offices and more than 8,000 employees.

Morning Roundup

sara — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:56:26 +0000

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

Polsinelli Shughart announces plans to acquire Hendren Andrae…

Fox Rothschild expands their West Palm Beach office…

Fish & Richardson pick up five lawyers from Darby…

Former Apple general counsel Daniel Cooperman returns to Bingham McCutchen…

Former Homeland Security deputy general counsel Jason Klitenic joins Holland & Knight…

Hawaiian officials consider a bill to ignore repeated and “vexatious” requests for President Obama’s birth certificate…

Morning Roundup

sara — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:53:12 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Wednesday, March 3, and here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s news…

Revenue is down at Winston & Strawn…

DLA Piper forms an alliance with a Brazilian law firm…

Former Arnold & Porter chairman Michael Sohn joins Davis Polk…

A former secretary sues Drinker Biddle over a pay dispute…

Ex Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo hires prominent D.C. lawyer Brendan Sullivan…

New research finds that U.S. News and World Report Law School rankings have an adverse impact on diversity efforts…

Irell & Manella wins an unanimous decision on behalf of Novellus Systems…

Fulbright & Jaworski names James K. Dixon their new executive director…

Wilkinson Barker Knauer scoops up Morrison & Foerster’s communication law group…

Patton Boggs partner Rodney E. Slater will advise Toyota on quality and safety issues…

Morning Roundup

sara — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:06:02 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Tuesday, March 2, and here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s news…

Revenue and profits are down, while PPP is up at Dickstein Shapiro…

Steptoe & Johnson open a new office in Beijing…

According to Am Law Daily’s “Diversity Scorecard” diversity at major law firms declined in 2009…

The NALP settles on a heavily scaled back recruitment plan…

Kaye Scholer opens a new office in Silicon Valley…

Hogan & Hartson’s Warsaw office moves to K&L Gates…

Adams & Reese Opens Tampa Office

joshua — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:54:22 +0000

Adams & Reese, a regional law firm based out of New Orleans, is opening its third Florida office in Tampa. In December, the firm broadened its south eastern base by taking over offices in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. The Tampa office will open with eight attorneys and a certified land planner. For now, the nine will work out of the St Petersburg office while the firm looks for office space in Tampa.

Adams & Reese is a multidisciplinary, regional law firm with offices in Baton Rouge, LA; Birmingham, AL; Houston, TX; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; Mobile, AL; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; Sarasota, FL; St. Petersburg, FL; Tampa, FL: and Washington, D.C.

Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith Expand New York City Office

sara — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:33:21 +0000

Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith have expanded their offices in New York City. The Los Angeles based firm signed a lease at 77 Water Street for 75,716 square feet of space. This new space is two times as large as their old location at 199 Water Street. The firm signed a 10 year deal with Goldman Sachs, which subleases the entire building. The lease covers at least three floors.

Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is a full service firm with 19 offices across the nation including Atlanta, Charleston, Houston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and its headquarters in Los Angeles. The firm has over 700 attorneys and was founded in 1979.

Chartwell Adds To New York City Office

joshua — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:50:47 +0000

Chartwell Law Offices continues to expand its New York City office as it has acquired law firm Kenneth Goldberg and Associates.

Chartwell, a full-service law firm formed in 2002 by four lawyers, is now comprised of 57 lawyers with offices in five states along the eastern seaboard.

“While many firms are contracting and a few have collapsed, Chartwell has continued its strategy of aggressive growth into primarily litigation-related practice areas” Chuck Barreras, a founding partner of the firm, said in a press release. “In addition to handling virtually every type of commercial, business, employment, insurance, property and casualty litigation, the firm is growing its bankruptcy, foreclosure, and government contractor sections.”

Latham & Watkins Bounce Back In 2010; Open Houston Office

todd — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:18:09 +0000

After major layoffs in 2009, Latham and Watkins are reportedly expanding their operation to Houston. Bloomberg is reporting that lawyers recruited from Akin Gump and Baker Botts will head Latham’s new Houston outfit.

Coming from Akin Gump is Michael Dillard, who headed Akin’s energy and global transactions practice, and Sean Wheeler, who focused on representing investors and banks in energy-related equity and debt offerings.

The firm’s 2009 financial troubles took them from Vault’s 7^th most prestigious law firm in 2009 to the 17^th most prestigious law firm in 2010.

Latham and Watkins LLP is one of the largest law firms in the world, with a staff of around 2,000 attorneys, it has offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. While they were founded in Los Angeles in 1934, their largest office is currently located in New York City.

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.

Another One for Ropes & Gray in London

joshua — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:57:13 +0000

We told you last week that Ropes & Gray is opening a new office in London. The office is being setup with two partners who moved from White & Case and two partners from the US. Now Ropes & Gray has a fifth partner in London. Jonathan Bloom, also formerly of White & Case, will join his former colleagues in Ropes & Gray’s new office.

Ropes & Gray LLP is an international law firm with offices located in Boston, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Hong Kong,Tokyo and soon in London. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers worldwide.

Ropes & Gray Opening London Office

joshua — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:15:34 +0000

Ropes & Gray is launching a new office in London, slated to open in January of next year. The office will be led by Maurice Allen and Michael Goetz who are moving over from White & Case. Two senior partners from the US, Newcomb Stillwell and David Chapin, will also join the London office.

Barnes & Thornburg Expands (Again), into Ohio

Erik Even — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:30:24 +0000

Last week we reported that Indianapolis’ Barnes & Thornburg had opened an eighth office, in Atlanta, Georgia.

This week the 500-attorney firm announced a ninth office in Columbus, Ohio, with a focus on labor and employment.

William A. Nolan, formerly of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Columbus, joins the new office as a partner.

Barnes & Thornburg has offices in Elkhart, Fort Wayne and South Bend, Indiana; Atlanta, Chicago; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Washington, DC.

Revenue Up at Employment Law Firm Jackson Lewis

Erik Even — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:03:43 +0000

Jackson Lewis, a national workplace law firm with 541 attorneys in 40 offices, grew in 2008.

Head count grew by 20% in 2008, through August 31; it has grown by another 12% since.

Gross revenue rose 20% in 2008, to just over $233 million, and profits per partner rose 2.6% to $517,000. Revenue per lawyer was flat at $495,000.

The firm says it succeeded in the rough economy by focusing on its employment practice.

“We’re doing fine,” says Patrick Vaccaro, the firm’s managing partner. “A lot of the business we’re doing now is recession-related, but to me, that’s not the kind of business that makes me happy. I’d rather have our employer clients healthy. In the long-term, that’s best for us.”

The firm opened eight new offices in 2008, inclusding Memphis, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Detroit, Michigan and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The firm expects to open two or three new offices in 2009.

Nixon Peabody Gets $1 Million for Rochester Expansion

Erik Even — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:55:24 +0000

Nixon Peabody LLP, one of the largest law firms in the US, told the County of Monroe, New York Industrial Development Agency board that it will expand into existing space at the Clinton Square Building in Rochester.

The Am Law 100 firm, founded in 1875, occupies the fourth floor, and floors nine through 14. Nixon Peabody plans to renovate the space, eliminating some legal libraries and allowing for 20 new employees over three years.

The building will also be the site for the law firm’s global operations center. The firm has 825 employees in 19 locations worldwide. In Rochester, the firm employs 373 people.

On Tuesday, the COMIDA board approved about $1 million in property-tax and sales-tax abatements for the project. Contingent upon lease negotiations and closing on COMIDA incentives, the law firm could sign a new deal with Broadstone Real Estate possibly in February, said Scott Turner, managing partner.

The project had the backing of Rochester city government, which is supporting its own payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program.

Judy Seil, COMIDA executive director, said she expects the abatements will produce $5 million in taxpayer benefits, including the new jobs. Seil said the average job could pay at least $40,000 annually.

Ropes & Gray Expands NYC Offices

Erik Even — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:16:29 +0000

Boston’s Ropes & Gray, which gave their associates bonuses and raises for 2008, is expanding its New York footprint.

The New York Observer reports the firm is stretching out its legs in New York, taking a new floor in its 1211 Avenue of the Americas building.

The law firm activated a provision of its 2005 lease of 250,000 square feet that allows it to take an additional floor in the tower. The lease gives Ropes & Gray the 32nd floor, which the Royal Bank of Scotland recently gave up, in addition to the space it occupies on floors 35 through 40 in the 45-story skyscraper.

Ropes has a diversified client base in New York, including debt financing, IP litigation, government enforcement, and private equity.

Ropes & Gray LLP is a national law firm with offices located in Boston, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and conference centers in London and Providence, Rhode Island. The firm has over 850 lawyers worldwide. It was founded in 1865 by John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray.

Via ATL.

Seyfarth Shaw Significantly Expands Its Business Immigration Practice [Video]

Erik Even — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:33:21 +0000

From LawCrossing.com:

A leading full-service law firm in America, Seyfarth Shaw has announced it is expanding its business immigration practice.

The expansion comes from the addition of eight business immigration lawyers and nine additional team members, including para-professionals and staff, according to a firm press release.

The additions all come from Paparelli & Partners LLP, an immigration specialty law firm with offices in Southern California and New York. The firm has both national and international clients.