JD Journal » Holme Roberts & Owen

Bryan Cave is Set to Combine with Holme Roberts & Owen

chelsei — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:59:14 +0000

In a Mile High comeback that would even make Tim Tebow, the Denver-based Holme Robets & Owen has reached a merger deal with Bryan Cave, the two Am Law 200 firms have announced early Tuesday morning.

The two firm’s partnerships have approved the move to join the forces as a single firm to be known as Bryan Cave after the tie-up becomes official on January 1. The merger is going to expand Bryan Cave’s reach into the Rocky Mountain region and give it more that 1,100 lawyers in offices in 26 cities.

”Combining with [Holme Roberts] represents a unique opportunity for both firms to expand the resources we can offer to our clients while reinforcing a shared culture dedicated to superior client service,” Bryan Cave, who is the chairman of Don Lents, said in an statement announcing the merger. ”Extending our geographic reach while expanding the range of our services in California are important steps in our firm’s long-term growth.”

Last week, the Am Law Daily reported that the firms were involved in serious merger talks. For Holme Roberts, the possibility of combining with a larger firm emerged during an operational restructuring launched in the wake of a round of staff layoffs and a spate of high-profile partner departures. Randall Mitchell, who took over as the 175-lawyerfirm’s managing partner in the month of May, has been very busy during the past few months talking with potential suitors.

Miller, who became a member of Bryan Cave’s management committee and the head of its three Colorado offices, admitted to The Am Law Daily on Monday that he had felt a touch of sadness at seeing the Holme Robets name disappear. The firm’s Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs offices will operate for the next 18 months as Bryan Cave HRO before dropping the three-letter suffix.

”A changing of the guard at a 118-year-old institution [like Holme Robets] is a big deal,” says Miller. ”But it’s such a good fit with so many parallels that excitement is still the primary emotion.”

A strategic review of the Colorado-based firm’s operations–commissioned by Miller and firm management earlier this year, and handled by its outside legal consultants at Altman Weil–determined that becoming part of a national firm would better help Holme Robets to continue to serve its clients. Miller says that Holme Robets had received interest from a few other firms, which he declined to name, before formal merger talks with Bryan Cave gained some steam over the summer.

Lents, who is the chair of 900-laywer Bryan Cave, confirmed to The Am Law Daily on Monday that his firm had been in discussions with Holme Robets for ”several months.” He has said that Bryan Cave and Holme Robets have a mutual client relationship in the technology, financial services and manufacturing industries, and that there were no major client conflicts between all of the firms.

Lawyers Leaving Holme Roberts have Pushed the Firm to Restructure

EmploymentCrossing — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:38:17 +0000

David Strong left Holme Roberts in June. Many lawyers are departing from the firm. Randall Miller took charge as the new managing partner in May, after the departure of Paul Smith. The firm is focusing on restructuring the Salt Lake Office. Miller hopes to overcome the economic impact. He says that the firm has good lawyers and clients but that the business practices are not meeting their standards. The firm’s California expansion has had an impact on the Salt Lake Office. He adds that currently the firm is not interested in merging with anybody.

Read the full article here:
For Holme Roberts, Mass Departures a ‘Wake-Up Call’

Friday Roundup

joshua — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:36:14 +0000

Good morning everyone and TGIF!

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…

Holme Roberts & Owen is First US Firm in Dublin

joshua — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:44:24 +0000

Salt Lake City’s Holme Roberts & Owen has opened an office in Dublin, their third in the European Union, and the first US firm in Dublin. The office opened with 3 lawyers, 2 partners and an Irish lawyer, and plans to build a practice around corporate and commercial clients.

Holme Roberts & Owen LLP is an international law firm established in 1898. It has 250 lawyers practicing in ten offices, including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and now, Dublin.

Holme Roberts Expands White Collar Team

Erik Even — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:35:38 +0000

Holme Roberts & Owen is expanding its White Collar and Securities Litigation practice.

Cliff Stricklin joins in Denver as practice chair from Holland & Hart. Previously, he was a Special Assistant US Attorney with the Enron Task Force, where he was a key member of the prosecution team that tried and convicted Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay on conspiracy, securities fraud, and insider trading charges.

Stricklin brings along Michael MacPhail, also from Holland & Hart. He is a former Deputy Assistant Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Denver Regional Office.

Holme Roberts & Owen LLP is an international law firm established in 1898. It has 250 lawyers practicing in nine offices, including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:00:39 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

McDonough Holland & Allen: 4 lawyers, 13 staff

Ruden McClosky: 2 lawyers, 18 staff

Thompson & Knight: 17 lawyers, 25 staff

Berwin Leighton Paisner: 30 lawyers, 55 staff

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott: 119 lawyers

Fenwick & West: 15 lawyers, 7 staff

Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy: 49 lawyers, 40 staff

Holme Roberts & Owen: 15 lawyers

Sullivan & Cromwell: 20 lawyers

Simmons & Simmons: 3 lawyers, 2 staff

Matheson Ormsby Prentice: 15 undisclosed

McCann Fitzgerald: 25 undisclosed

Total: 274 lawyers, 160 staff, 40 undisclosed

Previously:

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Tipster: Holme Roberts & Owen Lays Off Up to 15 Associates

Erik Even — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:54:46 +0000

A JDJournal tipster informs us that Holme Roberts & Owen laid off between 10 and 15 associates in mid-April.

According to the tipster:

Several first year and second year associates were cut. This is less than six months after the firm told us our jobs were safe. Both the Denver Post and the ABA Journal ran stories on the firm’s announcement in November that they wouldn’t lay anyone off. I believe most people got 3 months severance.

Also in April, a tipster informed us that HRO deferred its entire incoming associate class for one year.

Holme Roberts & Owen employs employed approximately 265 attorneys. The only international law firm based in Denver, it has several other offices in the United States and worldwide.

Tipster: Holme Roberts & Owen Deferring Incoming Associates

Erik Even — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:36:40 +0000

According to a JDJournal tipster, Denver-based international law firm Holme Roberts & Owen is deferring its entire incoming class of associates for 12 months.

Our tipster reports:

3Ls were informed of this YESTERDAY [4/6], when less than 2 months ago they were told that they would be starting this fall in October. Firm will pay minuscule stipend of $15,000 for the year. Bar fees and cost of study course will not be covered.

A number of strings are attached to the stipend.

We are FUCKED. Sources inside the firm suggest that management was sitting on this information for weeks.

If you know anything about the situation at Holme Roberts & Owen, please — send us a confidential tip!

Holme Roberts & Owen employs approximately 265 attorneys. The only international law firm based in Denver, it has several other offices in the United States and worldwide.