JD Journal » washington dc law firms

Howrey Dissolution May Be Imminent

joshua — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:41:16 +0000

Several reports have surfaced saying that the remaining partners at Howrey are set to vote on dissolution as early as Wednesday. The firm has not officially confirmed or denied the schedule of a partner wide vote, but most observers assume that it is a matter of when, not if, the firm will officially close its doors.

Large numbers of Howrey partners have moved to other firms in the last few months after merger talks with Winston & Strawn fell through. Winston & Strawn reportedly withdrew from merger negotiations and instead issued direct invitations to three-quarters of Howrey partners, however several prominent attorneys have left for firms other than Winston as well.

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Absorbs Botique Firm in DC

joshua — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:47:54 +0000

added all 12 lawyers from botique firm Fleischman & Harding to its Washington DC office. Fleischman & Harding specialized in issues dealing with communication and their client base includes companies like Time Warner Cable, Mediacom, Cable One, and CW Network.Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge

The 12 new members of EAPD include partners Aaron Fleischman, Art Harding, Seth Davidson, Larry Freedman, and Jeff Hardin along with Craig Gilley, Sharon Monahan and John Wilner, all three of whom join as counsel.

Both firms made enthusiastic statements about the extra benefits their clients will receive as a result of the merger. ”…[media company] clients and others will benefit immediately from Fleischman and Harding’s expertise, particularly in regulatory and legislative issues,” said Walter Reed, the managing partner of EAPD. “In addition, our new colleagues nicely complement our capabilities in a number of other areas, such as intellectual property and litigation.” For its part, Aaron I. Fleischman, the chairman and managing partner of Fleischman and Harding, added “Our clients will benefit from an enhanced range of legal services, and with EAPD’s terrific platform, we will be in an even better position to meet our clients’ needs.”

Former Washington DC Attorney General Joins Covington & Burling

marvins — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:53:32 +0000

Covington & Burling LLP, a leading international law firm, announced that the former District of Columbia Attorney General, Peter Nickles, has joined the firm to chair the new strategic risk and crisis management practice. Nickels will be based in the firm’s Washington DC office as senior counsel. He will lead a powerful team that includes former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Stuart Eizenstat; former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Thomas Williamson, the former U.S. Solicitor of Labor. The strategic risk and crisis management practice was formally added on January 6. This practice will counsel national and international clients on bolstering their marketing strategies, investigations and litigations.

Nickels served as a litigation partner at Covington before he became DC Attorney General. He is an expert on the area of litigations including antitrust, securities fraud, corporate control, and toxic tort claims. Throughout his career, he handled and advised various clients such as theKerr-McGee Corporation, the NFL and British Airways. Nickels is a graduate of Princeton University. He studied law at Harvard Law School.

DC Firms Take a Snow Day

joshua — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:38:08 +0000

Growing up in Los Angeles, I was always jealous of kids living on the east coast because in my 12 years of public education I never once got to take a “snow day”.

Reading about the blizzard that’s hitting the Washington DC area today, I am no longer regretting my days filled with sunshine. The Washington Metro Transit Authority says it will close the above ground portions portions of the metro when the snow reaches 8 inches and that closures are likely to remain in effect at least through Sunday. How do people live in places where 8 inches of snow is simply assumed?!

Firms throughout the DC area are closing early today and many attorneys are opting to work from home rather than brave the commute. Thus far, DLA Piper; Howrey; Crowell & Moring; Dickstein Shapiro; Gibson Dunn; Patton Boggs; and Arent Fox have all announced plans to batten down the hatches in the early afternoon.

Snowpocalypse indeed.

Thor Hearne Joining Arent Fox’s D.C. Office

joshua — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:54:51 +0000

Thor Hearne is joining Arent Fox’s Washington D.C. office. A former national election counsel to President George W. Bush , Hearne will continue his federal litigation practice and advise clients on election, political and campaign finance law.

Prior to joining Arent Fox, Hearne was partner in charge of Lathrop & Gage. Hearne is a nationally recognized authority in election law and contested elections. He has also won a number of Fifth Amendment “takings” cases that have established national precedents, according to a firm press release.

Hearne has also served as an advisor on the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform and testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Arent Fox has over 300 attorneys with offices in Washington D.C., New York and Los Angeles.

Daniel Gallagher to Join WilmerHale as Partner

sara — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:33:45 +0000

The Deputy Director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Trading and Markets is ending his four year tenure at the agency to return to private practice. Daniel Gallagher Jr. will leave his position at the end of the month and become a partner in the Washington D.C. office of WilmerHale.

Gallagher joined the Division of Trading and Markets in 2008. Gallagher played a key role in the SEC’s response to the financial crisis. He oversaw the issues arising from the bankruptcy of Lehman brothers, rulemaking to address issues regarding credit rating agencies, and efforts to facilitate the central clearing of credit default swaps. He earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from Catholic University of America and graduated from Georgetown with a BA in English.

Cozen O’Connor Picks up Former TARP Official

joshua — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:34:27 +0000

Howard Schweitzer, former Chief Operating Officer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, has joined Cozen O’Connor in the firm’s Washington DC office. Schweitzer spend 12 years prior to working for the Treasury Department with the Export-Import Bank of the United States, serving in several roles including General Counsel. Unsurprisingly, his practice at Cozen O’Connor will involve advising domestic and international clients on issues involving the US government.

Cozen O’Connor was established in 1970 and is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States. The firm’s 550 attorneys practice in 24 offices around the world.

Raymond Mullady Moves to Blank Rome

joshua — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:00:20 +0000

Raymond Mullady, formerly the chair of Orrick’s litigation practice in Washington DC, is moving to Blank Rome. Mullady will handle product liability and mass torts for Blank Rome in Washington. In the past, Mullady has handled clients like the pharmaceutical company Wyeth, and says that Blank Rome’s geographic footprint is better suited to his practice.

Blank Rome LLP is the 84th largest law firm in the US according to the AmLaw 100. It employs about 500 at its eight offices in the US and Hong Kong.

Salary Thaw and Bonuses at Arnold & Porter

joshua — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:15:31 +0000

At the start of 2009 Arnold & Porter announced that it was freezing salaries but held out the hope that some or all of the difference might be paid out later if economic situations warranted. At the end of December a firm wide memo went out in which Arnold & Porter announced that all associates in good standing would be receiving the full difference between their frozen salaries and the salary they would have otherwise earned in one lump payment. Furthermore, salaries have been unfrozen for 2010, with everyone getting bumped up a year. Arnold & Porter will also be paying unspecified bonuses for 2009 based on a combination of billed hours and subjective reviews.

Founded in 1946, Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm based in Washington DC, which is well known for its trial, corporate, and antitrust work; and for its pro bono commitments and support for progressive causes.

Partial Salary Thaw at Fulbright

joshua — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:51:20 +0000

2009 salaries and bonuses at Fulbright have been frozen at the 2008 level. According to tipsters in the Washington DC office, however, Fulbright has decided to advance everyone one level for bonuses, although base salaries will remain frozen. Because Fulbright’s compensation model is heavily weighted toward bonuses, this is good news indeed for Fulbright associates.

For the moment our information is limited to the Washington DC office. If you have information about bonuses in other offices, please slip us an anonymous message here.

Founded in 1919, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP employs over 1,000 lawyers in 16 locations in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Denver, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Munich, New York, Riyadh, San Antonio, St. Louis and Washington, DC.

Loeb & Loeb Starts Washington Office with Laterals from Day Pitney

joshua — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:19:04 +0000

Eight lawyers are moving from Day Pitney to Loeb & Loeb, four of whom will help their new firm get off the ground in Washington, DC. The new office will focus on energy regulation to begin with but the firm plans to grow the office and do work in securities regulation and intellectual property as well.

Partners Richard Lorenzo and Jay Matson, along with of counsel Arthur Adelberg and associate Nicole Travers, have specialized in representing clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Lorenzo said the move to Loeb & Loeb was due to the firm’s west coast presence and the need for a larger national footprint for his clients. All of Day Pitney’s offices are on the east coast.

Lori Kalani Joins Orrick

joshua — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:02:36 +0000

Lori Kalani is leaving DISH Network, where she is currently senior counsel and director of government affairs, and joining Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Kalani will be part of Orrick’s government and strategic affairs practice group in the Washington, DC office.

Through her work for DISH Network, Kalani has had the opportunity to get to know and work with nearly every attorney general in the country and will bring that familiarity along with her knowledge and experience with multi jurisdiction tax law, consumer protection laws and other related areas to her practice at Orrick.

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, founded in 1863, has over 1,100 lawyers worldwide in 21 offices. The firm’s day-to-day administrative operations are centralized at a Global Operations Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.

DLA Piper Has a New Partner: Jeffrey Hare

aostler — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:34:10 +0000

Jeffrey L. Hare has decided to join DLA Piper as a partner in the Government Affairs group. He will be working in the Washington, DC office and will be the chair of the Financial Services subgroup. He is planning on focusing on bank law and representing banks and credit unions, as well as companies associated with them.

Hare graduated with his Jurist Doctorate at West Virginia University College of Law and a received a B.S.B.A. in finance from West Virginia University College of Business and Economics, with honors.

DLA Piper has 67 Offices in 29 Countries with 3,500 lawyers spread throughout the UK, US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Former FERC Enforcement Director Joins Hogan & Hartson Energy Practice in Washington, D.C.

aostler — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:51:35 +0000

Today Hogan & Hartson LLP publicly stated that Susan J. Court has become part of their Washington, D.C. office. She will join the energy practice group as a partner.

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.”

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.

Kenneth Glazer Joins K&L Gates

joshua — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:17:14 +0000

Kenneth Glazer, the former deputy director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission, has taken a partnership at K&L Gates’ Washington DC office. While at the FTC, Glazer was responsible for merger and antitrust investigations in a broad range of areas including, among others, technology and medical industries. K&L Gates is trying to beef up its antitrust package, according to David Case, the administrative partner of the DC office.

K&L Gates LLP employs over 1900 attorneys worldwide. It was formed in January 2007 by the merger of Pittsburgh-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham with Seattle-based Preston Gates & Ellis, co-founded by William H. Gates, Sr.

John Elwood Joins Vinson & Elkins

joshua — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:12:13 +0000

John Elwood will be joining the appellate practice of Vinson & Elkins in Washington DC starting on Monday. Elwood was a clerk for Justice Kennedy in the 90′s and went on to work for the Solicitor General’s office. While with the SG, he argued five cases before the Supreme Court. He’s also known for his work in the blawgosphere, writing for the Volokh Conspiracy in recent years.

Vinson & Elkins LLP is an international law firm with offices in 13 major cities, including Houston, Dallas, Austin, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Tokyo, New York City, Washington DC, Moscow, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong. With approximately 700 attorneys, Vinson & Elkins is the largest law firm in Houston and one of the largest in Texas.

Arent Fox Revokes Offers to New Associates

joshua — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +0000

On Monday we reported that Alston Bird was deferring its deferrals again, indefinitely. Arent Fox has taken a different approach. Rather than indefinitely extend deferrals, the firm has chosen to revoke the offers of several new associates. Those whose offers have been revoked have been paid $20,000 in compensation.

Arent Fox is a Washington, DC, based firm with three offices and 350 attorneys. It has a strong lobbying practice along with a broad array of practice groups.

Arnold & Porter Begins Staff Layoffs

Aine Ford — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:07:41 +0000

2009 marks the seventh consecutive year that Arnold & Porter LLP has been among the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. However, in these trying economic times the bottom line is survival, and even “the best” need to make sacrifices. We received a tip today that Arnold & Porter has been forced to begin staff layoffs at both its DC and Denver offices.

The firm has eight offices spread across the U.S. and Europe, and has practice groups in more than 25 distinct areas of law. The DC office is its oldest and largest office. At this time we do not have information as to what practices will be most heavily affected by the cuts, nor do we have information on if or when cuts will be made in its remaining six offices.

Update: Arnold & Porter has confirmed that 44 staff positions were cut in its domestic offices but says no attorneys have been let go.