Law firm Jenner & Block LLP announced the addition of six partners to its commercial entertainment and media litigation group in its Los Angeles office. The attorneys join from the Los Angeles office of Hogan Lovells US LLP.

According to the November 10^th businessweek.com article, “Jenner & Block Hires Partners From Hogan Lovells in Los Angeles”, Jenner & Block said in a statement the partners included Richard L. Stone, an antitrust and copyright lawyer in the media and entertainment industries; Kenneth D. Klein, a contract and antitrust attorney; Carissa C.W. Coze, a corporate transactions specialist; Amy M. Gallegos, who specializes in entertainment and media industry commercial litigation; intellectual property and entertainment litigator Julie Ann Shepard; and David R. Singer, an entertainment and media litigator. All will work in the Los Angeles office.

Stone was quoted as saying in the businessweek.com article: “We have been working together as a team for many years and the opportunity to move together to work at Jenner & Block to help build upon its existing group of leading media and entertainment clients was ideal. This was the perfect fit for us and where we see our practice expanding well into the future.”

The addition of this group will increase the total number of attorneys in the Los Angeles office to 26.

Clients the group has represented recently include News Corp. as well as many of its current and former subsidiaries, such as Fox Broadcasting Co., Dow Jones & Co., Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., and MySpace Inc.

Rick Richmond, a managing partner in Los Angeles was quoted as having said in a phone interview the businessweek.com article: “We expect them to fit right in with what they’ve been doing, which is high-octane commercial litigation.”

Stephen Kay, Hogan Lovells’s managing partner of its Los Angeles office, was quoted as having said in a phone interview of the attorneys that were leaving: “Some of them have relationships (with clients) that I imagine they will seek to continue. This is, in the scheme of things, not going to have a significant impact on our West Coast practice.”

Jenner & Block was founded in 1914, and has approximately 450 attorneys who are located in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. The firm has established transactional and corporate practices, which focus on mergers and acquisitions, securities, finance, private equity, real estate, tax, environmental, insurance, commercial law, technology, intellectual property, bankruptcy and reorganization, labor and employment, executive compensation, government contracts, health care and associations.

Jenner & Block is widely known as a leader in public service and pro bono advocacy. The firm has been consistently ranked as one of the top ten pro bono firms in the country by The American Lawyer magazine, and in 2010, The American Lawyer recognized Jenner & Block as the number one law firm in the country for pro bono service for the third year in a row. In addition, the firm has received the Pro Bono Institute’s John H. Pickering Award, Public Interest Law Initiative’s Pro Bono Initiative Award,  DC Bar’s Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award, the prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award from the American Bar Association, and many more.

International law firm Hogan Lovells is co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Washington, D.C., United States. It was formed on May 1, 2010 as a product of the merger of Washington-based Hogan & Hartson and London-based Lovells. Together, the two firms employ an estimated 2,500 attorneys in 40 offices.

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Former Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration Ralph S. Tyler and former insurance Commissioner of the State of Maryland, has joined Venable. He will work out of both the Baltimore and Washington, DC offices.

Tyler’s career spans over thirty five years in the practice of law. He will join the firm’s Litigation and Regulatory Divisions. He was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “I look forward to the opportunity of practicing law with the lawyers at Venable, many of whom I have known and admired for years.”

Before holding the position of Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner, Tyler served as Chief Legal Counsel to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and as Baltimore City Solicitor. He also served as a partner in the international law firm Hogan & Hartson LLP; the firm is now known as Hogan Lovells. Prior to that, he served in the Maryland Attorney General’s office holding the titles of Deputy Attorney General, Chief of Litigation and Assistant Attorney General.

Mr. Tyler holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois, a juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, and a LL.M. from Harvard University.

Jim Shea was quoted as saying: “We are delighted that Ralph has chosen to join Venable. For years, we have admired both his skills and his commitment to the State of Maryland.  Ralph will be an enormous asset to our firm and for our clients. He brings cutting edge knowledge of the regulatory climate in Washington and a superb resume as both a litigator and a thought leader.  Welcome to Venable, Ralph.”

According to information at fda.gov, litigators at the Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), which is the Food and Drug Division of the HHS Office of the General Counsel, handle both civil and criminal enforcement cases, and defend challenges to provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the implementing regulations, and FDA policies, initiatives, and decisions.

The litigators work closely with agency compliance personnel to ensure an adequate evidentiary foundation for enforcement matters, prepare referrals to the Department of Justice, draft memoranda setting out the agency’s interpretation of the law, develop case strategy, conduct negotiations, prepare and respond to discovery, and are key participants in hearings, trials, and appellate proceedings. The litigators act as the liaison to the Department of Justice during active litigation, and in many criminal prosecutions have been asked to work as Special Assistant United States Attorneys, assuming primary responsibility for prosecuting violations of the FDCA or related statutes. The litigators frequently work closely with senior officials at the Department of Justice and play an active role in all of FDA’s cases, including matters before the United States District Courts, the Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.

Venable was founded in Baltimore in 1900, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. With over 500 attorneys practicing in over 70 practice and industry areas covering corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and regulatory and government affairs, the firm has seven offices throughout the country.

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The law firm of WilmerHale recently announced that Thomas Strickland, former Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks for the United States Department of the Interior, has joined the firm as a partner in its Washington D.C. office. In this role, he will be responsible for matters dealing with law, business, and government policy, including governmental enforcement cases, Congressional and internal investigations, corporate governance, and high-stakes crisis management matters.

Strickland served as a senior member of the Obama Administration. Prior to this role, he served as chief legal officer for UnitedHealth Group, United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, and Policy Director for Colorado Governor Richard Lamm. In addition, he also was a successful leader in private practice.

Mr. Strickland joined the Interior Department in 2009, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He held both the Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary positions. As Chief of Staff to Secretary Ken Salazar, he managed press, legislative and intergovernmental affairs for the department. This included coordination with the White House and external constituencies. He was also responsible for managing nearly 80,000 employees, as well as a $12 billion budget. As Assistant Secretary, he was responsible for managing the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as for enforcing the Endangered Species Act.

WilmerHale Co-Managing Partner William Perlstein was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “Tom has a rare combination of public and private sector experience and substantive expertise that enables him to assist clients in successfully navigating the most challenging matters involving government oversight, regulation and enforcement. He has a strong reputation and track record as a problem solver in high-stakes cases.”

Before his service with the Department of the Interior, Strickland was executive vice president and chief legal officer at UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation’s leading managed health care companies. There, he managed an in-house group of 200 attorneys, as well as a nationwide team of outside counsel. Responsible for all legal, regulatory and compliance matters, he also implemented various corporate governance initiatives.

He also has significant experience in private practice. As a partner at Hogan & Hartson, he participated in building and leading the firm’s practice in Colorado. Prior to this, he served as U.S. Attorney for Colorado. In this role, he was in charge of the federal investigation of the Columbine shootings. His expertise lies in the areas of natural resources and environmental, health care regulation, and securities laws.

Strickland was quoted as saying in the press release: “WilmerHale is the perfect fit for me because it has the full range of top policy, regulatory and litigation practices necessary to assist clients with high-stakes matters involving government oversight and policy. I had the privilege of working with a multi-disciplinary team at WilmerHale when I was with UnitedHealth, and was greatly impressed with the firm’s quality and depth, collaborative approach, and sophisticated understanding of how government works.”

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr has over 1,000 lawyers in twelve offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.

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More details emerged in proposed Squire Sanders, Hammonds Merger…

Nixon Peabody elected four new members to its partnership…

Lathrop & Gage merged with Denver Based Kamlet Reichert…

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According to a report in Legal Week, Squire Sanders Chairman Jim Maiwurm would become the new firm’s global chairman, while Hammonds Managing Partner Peter Crossley would likely take the role of European chair.

The firms would also “retain separate profit pools,” according to the report, which is similar to the business model adopted when Lovells merged with Hogan & Hartson and Denton Wilde Sapte combined with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal earlier this year.

Additionally, Squire Sanders London office would be relocated to the Hammonds facility.

The merger could go live as soon as Jan. 1, as the firms partners are expected to vote in the coming months.  Hammonds would need 75 percent approval from its partners while Squire Sanders would require a two-thirds majority, Legal Week reports.

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LegalWeek reports the firm is entering the country through a formal alliance with Mongolian firm GT’s Advocates. According to LegalWeek, Hogan Lovells is the first transatlantic firm to enter Mongolia.

Partner Michael Aldrich, formerly of Lovells’ Beijing office, will head up the practice in the East Asian country. He will continue to work with his clients in China in addition to his new role.

According to LegalWeek, Mongolia’s economy has been on the rise during the last 10 years because of its expanding trade partnership with China.  Major industry in the country includes mining, natural resources and agriculture.

Hogan Lovells was launched May 1.

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The two firms had been discussing a potential transatlantic merger over the last several weeks, but a joint statement from the firms released Tuesday said those plans have been scrapped, at least for the time being.

“Simmons & Simmons and Mayer Brown have held preliminary discussions with regard to the potential for a merger.,” the statement reads. “Mergers are complex and present a number of issues which need to be resolved before discussions can proceed. We have concluded that a combination between our firms is not the right option. There is, however, considerable goodwill and continuing respect on both sides.”

The merger would have followed the transatlantic unions forged earlier this year between Hogan & Hartson and Lovells and Sonnenschein and Denton Wilde.

According to previous reports, the merger between Mayer Brown and Simmons & Simmons would have potentially given Mayer Brown a significant boost in the United Kingdom while Simmons & Simmons would substantially bolster its presence in Asia.

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The merger would follow the transatlantic unions forged earlier this year between Hogan & Hartson and Lovells and Sonnenschein and Denton Wilde. According to the report, the merger between Mayer Brown and Simmons & Simmons would potentially give Mayer Brown a significant presence in the United Kingdom while Simmons & Simmons would substantially bolster its presence in Asia.

The firms reportedly reopened merger talks after partners at Simmons “demanded” from management details on a potential merger.

Mayer Brown, which is based in Chicago, is coming off a tough 2009 that saw significant declines in revenue and profits. Earlier this year the firm, which has 22 offices in 10 countries, axed 28 associates and 47 staffers.

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Joining Pegg are partner Hywel Jones, counsel Nina Howell and associates Leon Sosnowski and Susanna Marshall. Pegg was the co-chair of the global energy and natural resources practice at Hogan Lovells as well as the London office managing partner of its predecessor firm, Hogan & Hartson.

Jones practices in the corporate and commercial area, with a particular emphasis on the energy and natural resources sector, international project development and finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and corporate finance.

“This significant addition to our London office and our global energy team is yet another demonstration of our unwavering focus on building in our areas of strength and of our adding new capabilities and the best lawyers in their respective areas of expertise,” said Robert D. Hays, Jr., King & Spalding’s chairman, in a press release.

King & Spalding is an international firm with more than 800 lawyers and offices in Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Houston, London, New York, Paris, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

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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.

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Among that group is Charles C. Adams Jr., who will head the new office. He will be joined in Geneva by partners Jonathan Ivinson and Michael J. Stepek as well as four other lawyers.

R. Bruce McLean, chairman of Akin Gump, said in a press release that “market conditions and client demand have created significant opportunities for our international arbitration and tax practices in Europe.”

The firm said the office has extensive experience in the prosecution and defense of major claims brought in international arbitrations, international civil litigation before various national and international courts and institutions, corporate and commercial law, and tax optimization for multinational corporations and high net-worth individuals.

Adams has more than 35 years experience in international law to the position. His practice focuses on complex, high-value international disputes involving major infrastructure construction projects, joint ventures, insurance coverage, manufacturing, telecommunications and transportation.

Akin Gum was founded in 1945 and has more than 800 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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The 50 highest-grossing lobbying practices took in more than $1.1 billion in fees in 2009, according to the study. Overall revenue for the firms on the list was up 5.5 percent, which followed an increase of just 2.3 percent in 2008. No fewer than 33 of the firms on the list posted an increase in gross revenue in 2009.

“Clearly, this was a great year to be a Democratic lobbying firm,” said David Brown, editor in chief of The National Law Journal. “In the decade that we’ve been producing this survey, I can’t recall a time when so many firms saw such significant increases in revenue over the prior year. There’s no recession on K Street.”

Law firms took in about 66 percent of all lobbying revenue, which is about the same percentage as 2008. A major catalyst for the increase in lobbying revenue was the overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Big winners included the Podesta Group, which publicly reported $8.2 million in fees from clients lobbying on health issues in 2009; Alston & Bird with $3.9 million; Holland & Knight with $4.2 million; and Capitol Tax Partners with $3.6 million.

The top ten firms on the “Influence 50” were:

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A spokesman for the firm told TheLawyer.com the closure is not related to the upcoming merger, but the fact the seven-partner office had underperformed in recent years.

“For many years since its opening in 1995 the Chicago office produced strong results, focusing on major disputes and arbitrations, primarily in the reinsurance market,” Managing Partner David Harris said in a statement provided to TheLawyer.com

“This is an area which has seen changes in work patterns and the office has been affected by a number of significant conflict situations.  Despite the best efforts of partners in Chicago and elsewhere, this has had an impact on the office’s overall performance in recent years and the position is not expected to change.

“This is a Lovells decision, taken following consultation with the Chicago partners who support it.  Hogan & Hartson are aware of and understand the reasons behind it.”

The plan still must be approved by the firm’s partners, but if given the go-ahead, the firm plans to shutter its Chicago office Oct. 31. The office, which focuses on reinsurance litigation and arbitration, has a total staff of 47 people.

According to TheLawyer.com, Lovells is attempting to see if the seven Chicago partners can be relocated to another office, though there is no guarantee it will be possible.

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According to LegalWeek, Rau practice areas will include energy, real estate, media and telecommunications, life sciences and health care, and arts and entertainment sectors.

Energy and regulatory partner Christian von Hammerstein will manage the firm.  He cited the desire of clients to work with a “focused, medium-sized firm” as the reason for the split.

“Over the last weeks and months we have received the clear message from the market that our clients would like to work in close partnership with a focused, medium-sized firm,” von Hammerstein told LegalWeek.

“It was not an easy decision – in the end the key factor was to keep together our excellent team and to continue our successful collaboration with each other and our clients in an independent, entrepreneurial group.”

The pending merger of Hogan and Lovells will instantly make that firm one of the world’s largest with over 2,500 attorneys around the globe and revenues in the range of $2 billion. The departures will leave Hogan Lovells with more than 350 lawyers in five cities in Germany, according to LegalWeek.

Christopher Wagner will be the managing partner of the firm’s Berlin office. He replaces Gernod Meinel, who is leaving for Rau.

Said Wagner:  ”We wish every success to our long-term friends and partners who are now choosing another professional future. Our close friendships will not be affected by this professional separation.”

This move follows news earlier this month that Hogan’s Warsaw office would not take part in the merger and instead would join K & L Gates.

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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…

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K&L Gates opened a Moscow office in January and is represented in Western Europe with offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, London and Paris.

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Smith’s practice focuses on companies in several fields, including telecommunications and media and entertainment. He also has extensive experience in copyright, trademark, trade secret and privacy issues, according to a firm press release.

Thompson Hine was founded in 1911 and has approximately 400 lawyers. It has offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, New York and Washington D.C.

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The Hogan & Hartson contingent is led by CEO Warren Gorrell, who will be the co-CEO of the combined firm. Also from Hogan are Claudette Christian, David Dunn, Gernod Meinel, Michael Silver and Jun Wei. Christian will co-chair the board along with her counterpart from Lovells.

Lovells will be represented it its CEO and the other co-CEO of the combined firm, David Harris. Harris is joined by Marc Gottridge, Jose Maria Balana, Nicholas Cheffings, Andreas Meyer, and John Young. Young will serve as the other co-chair of the board.

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Stephanie Finley was nominated for the Western District of Louisiana. She has been assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District since 1995. Donald Washington, the current U.S. attorney, stepped down this week to join Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevant, Carrere & Denegre.

R. Booth Goodwin was nominated for the Southern District of West Virginia. He has been assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District since 2001 and would succeed U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller.

David Hale was nominated for the Western District of Kentucky. He has been with the firm Reed Weitkamp Schell & Vice since 1999. He previously was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District. He would replace David Huber, who resigned in January 2009.

Kerry Harvey was nominated for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He has been the general counsel and acting inspector general of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services since 2008. Earlier he was a partner at Owen, Harvey and Carter.

Loretta Lynch was nominated for the Eastern District of New York. She served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District previously from 1999 to 2001 preceded by 9 year of service as an Assistant U.S. attorney. She is a partner at Hogan & Hartson.

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There were 53 mergers last year that involved law firms with 20 or fewer employees, according to a report by Altman Weil MergerLine. The report said law firms’ “cautious approach” in 2009 came as a direct result of the ailing economy.

“Most firms spent 2009 focused on internal issues of cost cutting, layoffs, and compensation adjustments in response to the Great Recession,” Altman Weil consultant Ward Bower said in a statement. “We expect to see an uptick in 2010 as deals currently on hold pending 2009 year-end results are finalized.”

London-based Lovells LLP and Washington-based Hogan & Harston LLP provided the biggest merger of 2009 with regards to number of lawyers involved. The two organizations have a combined 2,532 lawyers, according to the study. The firms’ partners voted to approve the merger last month. The new firm will be known as Hogan Lovells starting May 1.

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UC Irvine students who start next year will get a 50% scholarship for all three years…

Quinn Emanuel announced bonuses…

So did Wachtel Lipton…

HBJ Gateley Wareing bought out a small Scottish firm…

A new law prohibits mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts of defense contractors…

Hogan & Hartson is paying a bonus and partially thawing compensation…

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Today Hogan & Hartson passed out three nice bits of news. First, salaries are being unfrozen and all associates will advance one year in 2010, although the frozen year will not be restored. Second, anyone that was bumped down a track who meets the billable hour requirement for the upper track will receive the difference in a lump sum payment. They will also be returned to the higher track, even if they didn’t meet the hourly total for this year. Finally, bonuses have been announced. The bonuses are discretionary and require that the associate meet a billable hour target. Non billable hours above and beyond the call of duty may be credited to meet the total at the firm’s discretion.

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Kahn has a mergers and acquisitions practice focusing on cross border mergers for both US and Foreign companies. He says the move is unreleated to the pending Hogan Lovells merger. He was attracted to Seyfarth Shaw because the firm offers “more transparency and predictability” in billing rates and cost predictability is important to his clients.

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.

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The combined firm will instantly become one of the world’s largest with over 2,500 attorneys around the globe and revenues in the range of $2 billion.

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• Hogan Lovells Names Board
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The Chicago school district has been ordered to allow students immediate transfers in the wake of the killing of a student…

Proskauer Rose has a new class of partners…

Jackson Lewis opened a new office in Cincinnati…

Merger talks continue, but partners at Hogan & Hartson and Lovells have settled on a name….

and Reed Smith is asking non equity partners to cough up…

• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was secretly hoping for Hogan Lovells Hartson.

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Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan opened its 13th office…

Goodwin Procter laid off 21 of its second year associates…

Hogan & Hartson picked up a former government regulator…

Dickstein Shapiro laid off more attorneys and staff…

and same sex marriage has been defeated at the polls in Maine…

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Court was formerly the Director of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Enforcement, or FERC. While at FERC, she was in charge of 170 lawyers, accountants, auditors, economists, and other staff in charge of keeping to the Federal energy laws and rules. She was also key in helping set up NERC guidelines and rules.

Court also served on FERC’s natural gas counsel in a senior position during its restructuring of the regulation of natural gas. She is also involved continually in international energy issues; she recently spoke in Argentina at the 24th World Gas Conference and will be attending the 25th World Gas Conference in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia in 2012.

Director of the firm, Kevin Lipson, voiced that she will be well received by Hogan & Hartson. He stated, “We are very fortunate to have Susan join us. Her knowledge of the industry and regulatory environment in which our clients operate is unparalleled. She will be a great asset to our firm and the firm’s clients.”

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The two firms issued a joint press release this morning announcing that the management of both firms unanimously supports the merger. If the partner vote scheduled for mid December goes as expected, the merger could be finalized as early as May of next year.

Mergers between US and UK law firms are rare, in part because of different accounting systems used. The firms have not yet released details of how those differences will be resolved, but the partners in each firm will be receiving documents next week setting out the terms of the deal. If finalized, this will be the first transatlantic merger between between two top tier firms, and may trigger other US/UK merger negotiations.

The combined firm would instantly become one of the world’s largest with over 2,500 attorneys around the globe and revenues in the range of $2 billion. No report yet on what the new name would be.

• Is Yet Another Merger Forthcoming?
• 18 Partners Bolt Hogan Prior to Merger with Lovells
• Morning Roundup
• Hogan & Hartson in Merger Talks with Lovells
• Hammonds Hong Kong Office Rejects Merger of Hammonds and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey

Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s stories…

Foley & Lardner has struck a deal with the NIH…

McGuire Woods gets around to making some of its offers to its summer class…

Ropes & Gray adds another attorney to its new office in London…

A beauraucratic snafu may cost Pepsi $1.2 billion…

and our condolences go out to the family and friends of Texas lawyer Sidney Davis, who died this week from complications due to the swine flu…

Also of note – several sites yesterday were carrying stories about a possible merger between Hogan & Harston and the UK firm Lovells. We reported on this story a few weeks ago, and there isn’t really anything new to report yet. For our original story, look here. We will of course bring you any updates as they arise.

• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
• Morning Roundup
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The blawgosphere was rocked yesterday by the newsthat Hogan & Hartson has entered merger talks with Lovells…

But somewhere around the edges, some other news snuck in. The DOJ has begun investigating IBM for antitrust violations…

and Holme Roberts & Owen opened a new office in Dublin…

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Founded in 1904, Hogan & Hartson is the oldest major law firm headquartered in Washington, DC. It is a global firm with more than 1,100 lawyers in 27 offices worldwide, including offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Lovells is an international law firm with over 300 partners and around 3,200 employees operating from 26 offices in Europe, Asia and the United States. It is one of the largest international legal business practices in the world.

• Hogan & Hartson and Lovells to Become Hogan Lovells
• More Mergers Expected After Slow ’09
• Is Yet Another Merger Forthcoming?
• Hogan and Lovells Set Priorities Prior to Merger
• Lovells Plans to Close Chicago Office Later This Year

A Federal Court in New York rejected Standard and Poor’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them in a sub-prime mortgage case…

Bryan Cave is paying new associates to look elsewhere for employment…

Lawyers in South Korea are struggling with the new economy…

Pepper Hamilton makes offers to half its summers….

The Chief Justice of Hong Kong is retiring early…

and legendary litigator Bob Bennett leaves Skadden for Hogan & Hartson

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Bennett is a renowned litigator and a former federal prosecutor. Among his many other accomplishments, he has also served as legal consultant to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. At Skadden, he was co-leader of the firm’s Government Enforcement Litigation group.

Rauh’s career mirrors much of Bennett’s. He is a former chief federal prosecutor, also co-chair of the firm’s Government Enforcement Litigation group and worked with Bennett in representing Clark Clifford and Caspar Weinberger, among others.

Apparently Skadden no longer gladdens their heart…

• Friday Morning News Roundup
• An Autopsy Can’t Say What Caused Skadden Associate’s Death Puts Rumors to Rest
• Six Partners Jump from Hogan Lovells to Jenner & Block in LA
• Former Chief Counsel of FDA Joins Venable
• Former Linklaters Managing Partner Tony Angel to Join DLA Piper as Co-Global Chairman?

Hogan & Hartson

Summer associates in Washington DC and Virginia have been informed of the deferrals. Other offices have not yet decided about deferrals.

No other details have been released. If you know anything about deferrals at Hogan & Hartson, please send us a confidential tip!

Founded in 1904, Hogan & Hartson is the oldest major law firm headquartered in Washington, DC. It is a global firm with more than 1,100 lawyers in 27 offices worldwide, including offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

• Former Chief Counsel of FDA Joins Venable
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• PCT Law Launches Virginia Office
• The Week in Law Firm Layoffs
• Hogan & Hartson Lays Off 30 Senior Associates