JD Journal » Lovells

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:00:47 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, June 21st. Here’s a quick recap of Friday’s stories.

U.S.-based Mayer Brown and U.K-based Simmons & Simmons have reportedly reopened talks on a merger…

Sidley Austin’s international arbitration practice was named the best in the U.S. at the International Legal Alliance Summit & Awards…

A large group of attorneys from Nixon Peabody left to join the New York office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP…

Duane Morris picked a new managing partner…

Many big law firms have been brought in to defend Florida oil suits…

Arent Fox LLP added nine attorneys to its NY City Office…

Is Yet Another Merger Forthcoming?

joshua — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:20:03 +0000

Discussions are underway for what would potentially become the third transatlantic merger to take place this year, according to a report from the Lawyer. U.S.-based Mayer Brown and U.K-based Simmons & Simmons have reportedly reopened talks on such a move and both firms are slated to outline the proposal to their partnerships next week.

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.

Lovells Beijing Chief Leaves on Eve of Merger

joshua — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:48:12 +0000

Robert Lewis, managing partner of Lovells’ Beijing office, has left the firm to join China’s AllBright Law Offices. The move comes just prior to Lovells merger with Hogan & Hartson, which is slated to go live May 1.

Lewis will join the firm as a senior international legal consultant because Chinese law does not allow foreign lawyers to be partners in its country’s law firms. He will continue to work with his former colleagues at Lovells through the Sino-Global Legal Alliance (SGLA). Lewis helped establish the referral group, which includes a total of13 Chinese firms, three years ago. Lewis will take over as chief administrative officer of SGLA in conjunction with his new role at AllBright, LegalWeek reports.

Lewis commented on the move in a press release.

“I am very pleased in my new roles to have the opportunity to continue to promote the original objectives of the SGLA to develop a new model for legal practice in China, melding international and domestic legal services resources and capabilities,” he said.

“In my new position with AllBright in Beijing, I will be able to leverage the competitive efficiencies of a leading domestic Chinese law firm through the national and international network of the SGLA, providing additional value for both foreign and domestic clients, particularly in certain key market segments not served by international law firms.”

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.

Morning Roundup

sara — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:43:13 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Wednesday, March 31, and here’s a look back at yesterday’s news…

The illustrious history of the recess appointment is explained after President Obama makes 15 of them…

The law offices of Derek K. Yu go paperless in March…

Lovells plans to close it’s Chicago office later in the year…

McKool Smith wins more than100 top verdicts for the second year in a row….

Willie Shepherd, formerly of Kamlet Shepherd and Reichert LLP, lied about diversity statistics at his firm and receives a $127.50 fine…

Ogletree Deakins opens a new office in Minneapolis….

Carter G. Phillips of Sidley Austin is named one of the decade’s most influential lawyers by The National Law Journal…

Gross revenue and profits per partner drop at Foley & Lardner…

A former Arnold & Porter partner who pleaded guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy charges is sentenced…

Three former and current female employees of Bank of America and it’s Merrill Lynch division sue the bank claiming the company engages in gender biased and discriminatory practices …

Pope Benedict XVI invokes the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act…

Lovells Plans to Close Chicago Office Later This Year

joshua — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:06:15 +0000

Lovells, which is slated to merge with Hogan & Hartson on April 1, will be closing its Chicago office later this year, according to multiple reports.

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.

18 Partners Bolt Hogan Prior to Merger with Lovells

joshua — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:04:43 +0000

Just nine days before the mega transatlantic merger of Hogan & Hartson and Lovells, 18 Hogan partners have pulled up stakes to create their own German firm, dubbed Rau. With 22 other lawyers in the fold, the firm will begin operations on May 1, merger day.

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.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:22:22 +0000

Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, February 9, and here’s your daily round up…

A Senate report says that attorney-client accounts are being used to circumvent money laundering laws…

King & Spalding picked up three litigators from Orrick…

Winston & Strawn added three in New York…

Wilson Sonsini picked up an O’Melveny partner in San Francisco…

Former Michigan Chief Justice joined Miller Canfield…

Thompson Hine gets a lateral from Hogan & Hartson…

Lovells opened its second Saudi Arabia office…

Former California Bar Director sentenced for embezzlement…

Allen & Overy will open in Australia…

A class action against Dell has been reinstated by the Ninth Circuit…

Skadden picked up a pair of partnersfrom Dechert…

Wlikie Farr reported a drop in revenue and profits…

And Littler Mendelson has a new managing shareholder in Philly…

Lovells Opens Second Office in Saudi Arabia

joshua — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:34:47 +0000

Lovells has opened a second office in Saudi Arabia through its associated law firm Al-Yaqtoub Attorneys and Legal Advisers. The new office is located in Jeddah and joins its sister office in Riyadh.

Lovells is one of a few international law firms to have offices in both Saudi cities. Crispin Rapinet, regional managing partner for Asia and the Middle East, said its presence in both cities gives the firm “a very competitive position in the Saudi market.

“Jeddah has historically been the commercial center – many of Saudi’s largest corporations are headquartered there – and Riyadh capital and banking hub. As one of the few international firms to have offices in both, we are significantly well-placed to take advantage of the key economic activity in both eastern and western Saudi Arabia.”

Lovells also has an office in Dubai, which opened in May 2007. Lovells operates in Saudi Arabia in association with the local law firm AYALA, according to a press release. It is led by Montasir Al-Mohammed, a Saudi-qualified lawyer who previously worked for Andersen Legal and Ernst & Young in Saudi Arabia.

There are also two Lovell lawyers based in the Saudi offices – Mustafa Kamal in Jeddah and Imran Mufti in Riyadh.

Robins Kaplan Opens N.Y Office With Three From Lovells

joshua — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:14:05 +0000

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi is opening a New York office in Manhattan that will be led by new partners David Leichtman and Hillel Parness, both of whom were previously partners with Lovells. Also joining the New York office as a partner is Bryan Vogel, who most recently was of counsel in the New York office of Lovells.

Chairman Martin Lueck said Robin Kaplan’s presence in New York “is central to our future, our competitive standing in the marketplace and our growth strategy.” The firm also has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Naples (FL).

Leichtman practices commercial and intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark litigation. Parness manages a wide variety of copyright, trademark and trade secret litigation matters, including music, software, new media, and Internet law infringement and licensing cases. The pending merger between Lovells and Hogan & Hartson would have caused difficult conflict of interest problems for Leichtman, which may have been one impetus for the move. Vogel focuses on intellectual property litigation, arbitration, and counseling, with a particular emphasis on patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark matters.

Hogan Lovells Names Board

joshua — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:39:20 +0000

The merger between US firm Hogan & Hartson and the UK’s Lovells will take effect on May 1 of this year, and the two firms are making final preparations. Today, the firms released the names of the 12 partners who will sit on the board, with each firm nominating six lawyers based on geographic location, practice area and previous management experience.

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.

Hogan Lovells Merger is on Track

joshua — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:35:08 +0000

Last night the partnerships of both Hogan & Hartson and Lovells finished voting on the proposed merger and it has been approved on both sides of the Atlantic. As of May 1, 2010, the two firms will become one mega trans Atlantic entity called Hogan Lovells. Although the new name wasn’t announced until mid November, Lovells snagged the hoganlovells.com address back on October 2nd.

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.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:52:17 +0000

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, November 17, and here’s a look back at yesterday’s news.

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…

Hogan & Hartson and Lovells to Become Hogan Lovells

joshua — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:50:03 +0000

Merger talks are still underway between US firm Hogan & Hartson and the UK’s Lovells, but one importnat hurdle has now been cleared. The partners of both firms have agreed on a name. If the merger goes through, the firm will be known as Hogan Lovells, leaving Nelson Hartson out in the cold. Hartson and Hogan met in Los Angeles in the ’20′s and by 1938 Hartson was a named partner in the firm.

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

Merger Update, As Promised

joshua — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:56:09 +0000

A scant few hours ago I promised to bring you any updates on the Hogan & Hartson/Lovells merger talks, and so here it is…

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.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:25:41 +0000

Good morning everyone! It’s Thursday, October 29th and here in Las Vegas it feels like winter has already arrived. As I write this, my house is being buffeted by gusts of wind up to 50mph.

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.

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…

Hogan & Hartson in Merger Talks with Lovells

joshua — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:51:42 +0000

Hogan & Hartson has begun negotiating a merger with UK firm Lovells. Talks are still in the early stages and obviously when two firms of this size merge, there are a large number of issues to discuss. In particular, US and UK firms use very different account methods and different partnership distribution schemes, which will have to be reconciled before a merger can go forward.

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.

Lovells Adds Four Lawyers in Italy

Erik Even — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:15:23 +0000

Lovells has brought on two partners from Simmons & Simmons for its Milan office.

Federico Del Monte and Corrado Fiscale specialize in structured finance and securities work, and will co-head Lovell’s Italian capital markets practice. They bring with them two associates.

Del Monte and Fiscale came to Simmons in 2004 from Clifford Chance.

Phoenix Legal Not in Formal Deal with Lovells

Erik Even — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:15:51 +0000

Phoenix Legal says recent press reports that the Indian commercial law firm has penned a formal agreement with the UK’s Lovells are not true.

Partner Abhishek Saxena, who co-founded the firm with fellow Trilegal partners Saket Shukla and Sawant Singh in 2008, says Phoenix works with Lovells, but has no special relationship with them.

Saxena says that Phoenix is in favor of legal sector liberalization in India, and does rule out closer ties with an international firm in the future.

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

Lovells Cuts 79 London Jobs, Freezes Pay

Erik Even — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:31:45 +0000

In February we reported that Lovells had launched a redundancy consultation that could see up to 94 London staff lose their jobs.

Well, the numbers are in. The London-based firm’s redundancy consultation ended today with 79 legal and support staff being laid off.

Also, the firm announced that all salaries will be frozen at 2008 levels.

Eighteen lawyers have been laid off all in transactional practice areas. The salary freeze will affect all legal and support staff.

Freshfields Delays Start Dates

Erik Even — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:49:13 +0000

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is asking some of its trainees to push back their start dates with the firm.

A number of trainees set to join the firm in August 2010 are being asked to defer the start date of their training contract to February 2011.

Freshfields has 64 trainees due to start in August next year and only 32 set to join the following February. The firm said the decision was prompted by a desire to balance the size of the intakes and was not related to economic conditions.

The August 2009 and February 2010 intakes will not be changed.

Lovells and Simmons & Simmons both approached their March 2009 intake to ask for volunteers to start in 2010.

London’s Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is an international law firm with offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the US. In 2006 it was the world’s fourth largest law firm by revenues.

DLA Piper to Cut 140 in New Round of Layoffs

Erik Even — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:02:24 +0000

DLA Piper has launched its second layoff consultation in just three months, with up to 140 jobs under threat.

The review, which could see as many as 30 fee earners and more than 100 members of support staff made redundant, will affect staff at all of the firm’s eight UK offices. The consultation will not include partners.

The firm carried out a similar consultation in December last year, which resulted in 15 fee earners and 16 support staff being laid off.

The firm also laid off five fee earners in its technology, media & commercial group in August 2008.

News of the consultation comes just days after Lovells launched a review that could see 94 London staff made redundant.

DLA Piper was formed as a result of the 2005 merger of San Diego’s Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, Britain’s DLA LLP, and Piper Rudnick. In 2007, the firm had more than $2.1 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest grossing law firms in the world.

Lovells to Lay Off Up to 94 Staffers

Erik Even — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:10:04 +0000

Lovells has launched a redundancy consultation that could see up to 94 London staff lose their jobs.

The month-long consultation, which kicked off yesterday, includes 18 fee earners and six professional support lawyers.

The remaining cuts come from the firm’s support staff, with 43 business support and 27 secretaries facing the ax.

The layoffs cover the majority of the firm’s practice areas, although no fee earners will lose their jobs in the dispute resolution, business restructuring and insolvency, intellectual property, media & technology or pensions practices. Trainees will not be affected.

Lovells’ half-year results outperformed many of its London rivals, with the firm recording a 15% increase in turnover, with litigation and IP cited as strong performers.

Income jumped from £225 million ($334.5 million) in the first half of 2007-08, to £260 million ($386.5 million) for the first half of 2008-09.

Lovells is a London-based 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.

British Law Firm Lovells to Aid in Madoff Securities Liquidation

todd — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:31:44 +0000

British law firm Lovells LLP has been brought on to help in the search for missing investor assets from recently charged Bernard Madoff’s New York brokerage, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

Madoff was arrested by FBI on December 11, 2008 on charges of securities fraud. He had admitted that his business was “a giant Ponzi scheme,” a scam that pays early investors returns from the investments of later investors.

Irving Picard, a New York lawyer, is the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Madoff’s brokerage. It is his job to identify any remaining assets that could be returned to investors who believe they were defrauded by the accused swindler.

Picard’s request that Lovells be brought on to help in the liquidation must be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Burton Lifland in Manhattan. Lovells will be brought on to sort through legal issues in Europe which are related to the brokerage.

A spokesman for Lovells declined to comment any further than what was issued in the court filing.