JD Journal » Wolf Block

Revenue, Profits Up at Cozen O’Connor

joshua — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:40:46 +0000

There were apparently few signs of a recession at Cozen O’Connor in 2009. The firm Monday reported signifcant increases in gross revenue, profits per equity partner and revenue per lawyer.

Gross revenue jumped 22 percent to $290 million in ’09, profits per partner were up 19 percent to $650,000 and revenue per lawyer was up 11 percent to $575,000. The jump in revenue was due in large part to the firm adding almost 70 lawyers from Wolf Block, which went out of business.

Cozen O’Connor CEO Tad Decker also told Business Journal the firm earned additional revenue through a one-time contingent fee in a commercial litigation case. He added even without the fee, revenue would have been up close to 10 percent.

The firm currently has about 550 lawyers, which is a 10 percent increase from the beginning of 2009.

“We are obviously very pleased with our results despite this year’s adverse business climate,” Decker told Business Journal. “I credit our success to the balance and diversity of our practice groups and the hiring of some outstanding laterals.”

Cozen O’Connor was founded in 1970 and has offices in 23 cities on two continents.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:09:37 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

John H. Tatlock joins Denver’s The Harris Law Firm as special counsel, handing the firm’s complex litigation and appeals. He was previously with McKenna Long & Aldridge. His JD is from the University of Denver College of Law.

Carl Singley joins Philadelphia’s Ciardi, Ciardi & Astin from Blank Rome; he was previously with the now-defunct Wolf Block. He was also dean of Temple Law School, and head of Singley & Associates. His JD is from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and his LL.M is from Yale.

David Pollak joins McKenna Long & Aldridge in New York, as a senior strategic adviser and independent consultant. He most recently served as the New York State director of Obama for America; and was co-chair of the Democratic Party of New York. Other experience includes managing director at UBS Investment Bank, and vice president at the now-defunct Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

Kutak Rock Founds Phillie Office

Erik Even — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:50:29 +0000

Ohama, Nebraska’s Kutak Rock has launched an office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and brought on a former Wolf Block attorney to run it.

Jeffrey Blumenfeld joins as of counsel. He spent 24 years at Blank Rome, before joining Wolf Block in 2007, where he was chairman of its public finance practice. He represents public entities in the issuance of debt as bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel and counsel to conduit borrowers, credit enhancers and trustees.

He is joined in Philadelphia by Michael T. McDonnell III, who also joins as of counsel. His litigation practice includes risk management, insurance coverage, appeals and construction law.

The Philadelphia office of Kutak Rock also employs an associate and a paralegal.

Founded in 1965, Kutak Rock LLP is a large law firm and lobbying group based in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2007, the firm was ranked by the National Law Journal as the largest law firm in the state of Nebraska, and the 119th largest in the United States by number of attorneys. The firm also ranked 150th in profit per attorney on the 2007 AmLaw 200 survey.

It employs 400 lawyers across 16 offices.

Cozen O’Connor Brings on Lawyers

Erik Even — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:17:37 +0000

Cozen O’Connor added two lawyers to its New York office last week.

Angelo Savino joins from Mound Cotton as a partner in the global insurance group. He handles matters involving directors and officers, professional errors and omissions, and corporate indemnification. Savino earned his JD in 1981 from the Fordham University School of Law.

Robert Fischer joins from the defunct Wolf Block as of counsel in the corporate group. He was a co-founder of Wolf Block’s New York office. He handles corporate law, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. Fischer earned his JD in 1954, from Yale Law School.

Cozen O’Connor PC is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 114th on the AmLaw 200 Survey in 2008, and ranked 89th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 Largest American Law Firms in 2007. It has expanded to 23 offices employing over 500 lawyers.

Pepper Hamilton Brings on Wolf Block Lawyers

Erik Even — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:56:45 +0000

Pepper Hamilton has expanded its labor & employment practice with the hiring of two former Wolf Block attorneys, Richard Reibstein and Russell Adler.

Reibstein joins Pepper Hamilton in New York as a partner. He ran Wolf Block’s labor & employment practice there.

Adler joins as counsel; he defends employers against discrimination and other claims.

Founded in Philadelphia in 1890, Pepper Hamilton LLP has 11 offices and more than 500 attorneys. The firm is ranked among the 100 largest firms by revenue in the US. The firm’s largest practices include defense of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in product liability litigation and related matters, corporate transactions and commercial litigation.

Blank Rome Brings on New Partners

Erik Even — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:20:18 +0000

Blank Rome hired former Hodgson Russ partner Jeffrey Rinde, and former Wolf Block partner Bruce Lesser, last month.

Rinde advises Chinese and US companies financial and corporate law.

Lesser co-chaired Wolf Block’s banking & financial services group.

A group of three Wolf Block refugees also landed at Blank Rome in April.

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 Kong Kong.

Former WolfBlock Attorneys Join Friedman Schuman

Erik Even — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:56:20 +0000

Three key partners of the financial services group of the former WolfBlock have joined the Jenkintown, Pennsylvania firm of Friedman Schuman.

Lawrence R. Lesser, David E. Stern and Elizabeth A. Grzywacz have joined Friedman Schuman, which now employs 21 attorneys.

Lesser was co-chair of WolfBlock’s financial service department. He was previously a founding partner of Lesser & Kaplin.

Stern worked with Lesser for more than 25 years at WolfBlock and Lesser & Kaplin.

Grzywacz and Stern come to Friedman Schuman as shareholders, and Lesser will serve as of counsel on a full-time basis.

Friedman Schuman PC, founded in 1988, concentrates primarily in financial services; real estate law and transactions; corporate law; municipal law; personal injury and commercial litigation; business law; banking and estate administration; wealth management and estate administration; and trademark and copyright registration.

WARN Filing: Wolf Block Dissolution Affected 428

Erik Even — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:45:36 +0000

Wolf Block laid off 428 workers when it dissolved — and no, this isn’t a repeat from March.

The law firm has released its WARN Act filings, which show that 235 people were laid off from Wolf Block’s Philadelphia headquarters; 15 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 121 in New Jersey; and 57 in New York.

At the time of the dissolution, Wolf Block said it had 300 attorneys and 250 staff.

Founded in 1903, WolfBlock LLP was a law firm and lobbying group based in Philadelphia. The National Law Journal had ranked WolfBlock the 149th largest firm in the United States, and the 10th largest in Philadelphia, by number of attorneys.

Wolf Block Group Joins Weber Gallagher

Erik Even — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:05:21 +0000

The five-lawyer Norristown, Pennsylvania office of dissolving Wolf Block will join Weber Gallagher.

The office’s two partners, Lynne Gold-Bikin and Daniel Clifford, three other lawyers, and seven staff will stay in the old Wolf Block offices. The office specializes in family law.

Wolf Block’s partnership dissolved the 106-year-old firm on March 23th.

With more than 90 lawyers and 16 specialized civil practice areas, Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP employs more than 90 lawyers in 10 offices: Cherry Hill, Harrisburg, London, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Washington (Pennsylvania), and Wilmington.

Update: Duane Morris Hires 50 Total From Wolf Block

Erik Even — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:19:16 +0000

We’ve reported here and here about hires of former Wolf Block attorneys by Philadelphia’s Duane Morris.

Now Duane Morris has released complete information about the hires.

The firm picked up a total of 50 former Wolf Block lawyers from the dissolving firm’s litigation, employment, corporate, real estate, bankruptcy and government affairs practice groups. The lawyers will join Duane Morris in Philadelphia, New York, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The 22 members of the Trial Practice Group are led by Wolf Block executive committee members Hersh Kozlov at Cherry Hill and Alan Kessler in Philadelphia,.

The 17 member Employment & Immigration Practice Group is led by partners Jonathan Segal, James Redeker and John Nixon.

The 7-member Business Reorganization & Financial Restructuring Practice Group is led by partners Gerard Catalanello and James Vincequerra, both of WolfBlock’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice Group.

In addition, two partners are joining the firm’s Corporate Practice Group, and two others the Real Estate Practice Group.

Founded in 1904 as Duane, Morris, Heckscher & Roberts, Duane Morris LLP employs more than 700 lawyers in 24 offices in the United States, London, Singapore and Vietnam. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines.

Wolf Block Groups Join Nelson Mullins

Erik Even — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:15:24 +0000

Lawyers from the Washington, DC and Boston offices of now-defunct Wolf Block will join the Columbia, South Carolina office of Nelson Mullins.

Those resurfacing at Nelson Mullins include five Boston partners, including Wolf Block Public Strategies CEO Robert Crow; two associates and two lobbyists from Boston; and a lobbyist from Washington.

Crowe was co-chairperson for finance for the Democratic National Committee during the 2004 presidential campaign, and is co-chairperson of Senator John Kerry’s finance committee and political action committee.

Wolf Block’s partnership dissolved the 106-year-old firm on March 23th.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is a large US law firm and lobbying group based in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2007, the National Law Journal ranked the firm the the largest in South Carolina and 111th largest in the United States. The firm also ranked 127th in profit per attorney on the 2007 Am Law 200 survey.

Eckert Seamans Picks Up a Dozen Wolf Block Lawyers

Erik Even — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:28:26 +0000

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania office of Pittsburgh’s Eckert Seamans has hired 12 lawyers from the defunct Wolf Block’s Harrisburg office.

The combined Harrisburg office will house 36 attorneys. Eckert and Wolf Block are located in the same building, and Eckert will take over the dissolving firm’s offices.

Eckert says it may pick up more Wolf Block refugees.

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC is a national full-service law firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with two offices located in the Pittsburgh area and eight other offices located throughout the eastern United States.

The firm employs crazy far-right ex-Senator nutjob Rick Santorum.

Update: Wolf Block Chairman to Follow Group to Cozen O’Connor

Erik Even — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:30:12 +0000

Former chairperson Mark Alderman will follow 65 fellow Wolf Block refugees to Cozen O’Connor. Apparently you can run your firm into the ground and still get a new job — but not a management job.

Alderman will serve as a partner in the government affairs practice. He will have no role in firm management. He will split his time between DC and Philadelphia.

Alderman will no longer have any formal role in the dissolution of Wolf Block. He joined Wolf Block in 1977, and was sole chairperson of the firm from 2001.

Wolf Block’s partners voted to dissolve the 106-year-old law firm in March.

Jersey Wolf Block Office to Become Brach Eichler

Erik Even — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:37:40 +0000

Last month we reported that Wolf Block’s 67-lawyer Roseland, New Jersey location would try to keep the office intact, as a separate firm or by merging with another firm.

Today we learn the office has decided to become a new firm called Brach Eichler.

The office, Wolf Block’s second-largest, was created when Wolf Block merged with Brach Eichler Rosenberg Silver Bernstein Hammer & Gladstone in 2003.

John Fanburg will serve as managing partner and CEO of the new firm.

Wolf Block’s partners voted to dissolve the 106-year-old law firm in March.

Update: Duane Morris Hires More From Wolf Block

Erik Even — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:57:48 +0000

Philadelphia’s Duane Morris, which hired 24 lawyers from dissolving Wolf Block on Tuesday, has also hired the former firm’s 17-lawyer labor & employment practice.

The labor & employment group includes co-chairmen Jonathan Segal and James Redeker, and partners Caroline Austin, Jennifer Blum Feldman, Valentine Brown, Michael Cohen, Philip Garber, Linda Hollinshead and John Nixon.

The group was able to bring over all of its lawyers, save for its two most junior associates, as well as two paralegals, a business manager and at least four secretaries.

More than half of Wolf Block’s 290 lawyers have found new firms, only two weeks after partners voted to dissolve the 106-year-old law firm.

Founded in 1904 as Duane, Morris, Heckscher & Roberts, Duane Morris LLP employs more than 650 lawyers in 23 offices in the United States, London, Singapore and Vietnam. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines.

Duane Morris Rescues 24 from Wolf Block

Erik Even — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:50:31 +0000

Philadelphia’s Duane Morris has hired 24 lawyers, including 12 partners, from dissolving Wolf Block.

Wolf Block’s partners voted to dissolve the 106-year-old law firm on March 23rd. So far, more than half of Wolf Block’s 290 lawyers have found new firms. Wolf Block Chairman Mark Alderman has yet to join with a new firm.

Most of the lawyers joining Duane Morris are litigators, but the group also includes real estate and corporate lawyers.

Confirmed: Cozen O’Connor Hires 30 from Wolf Block

Erik Even — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:03:53 +0000

The rumors were confirmed today: Cozen O’Connor announced it will bring on 30 attorneys from dissolving Wolf Block.

The Wolf Block attorneys will add to the more than 60 lawyers Cozen O’Connor already has in the Big Apple.

Cozen O’Connor PC is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 114th on the AmLaw 200 Survey in 2008; and ranked 89th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 Largest American Law Firms in 2007. The firm has expanded to 23 offices, employing over 500 lawyers.

Cozen O’Connor is one of many large law firms providing counsel to the detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Wolf Block Finance Group Headed to Blank Rome

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:00:11 +0000

David Gitlin, finance partner and chairman of dissolving Wolf Block’s corporate and securities practice, is leading a group to the New York office of Blank Rome.

Gitlin will join the firm as a partner in its mergers & acquisitions and private equity group. He brings with him associates Ephraim Schmeidler and Shaun Snitman.

Gitlin’s practice is focused on corporate acquisitions and divestitures, venture capital and technology development and corporate finance work.

All three attorneys received their law degrees in Israel and are licensed to practice in that country. Blank Rome has an Israel client services group, led by partner Paul Schieber.

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 Kong Kong.

Wolf Block Group Jumps Ship to Drinker Biddle

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:50:42 +0000

Drinker Biddle & Reath, which recruited 10 attorneys out of the Delaware office of dissolving Wolf Block, today announced it is forming a wholly-owned subsidiary out of a group from Wolf Block Public Strategies.

Robert L. Byrd, president and chief executive officer of Wolf Block Public Strategies, will found The Byrd Group, along with Kimberly Gomes and Rebecca Byrd.

Jennifer Ranji, one of the 10 people to join Drinker Biddle in Delaware, will work with The Byrd Group.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP was founded in Philadelphia in 1849. The firm has more than 650 attorneys in 12 offices in the US. Its largest offices are in Philadelphia; Chicago; Florham Park, New Jersey; and Washington, DC.

Wolf Block’s Jersey Office Hopes to Stay Together

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:37:59 +0000

Wolf Block’s 67-lawyer Roseland, New Jersey location will try to keep the office intact, as a separate firm or by merging with another firm.

The day after partners at Wolf Block voted to dissolve the 290-lawyer firm, lawyers in the Roseland office met about their future and fielded inquiries from other firms.

Most of the partners were in Brach, Eichler, Rosenberg, Silver, Bernstein, Hammer & Gladstone, which Wolf Block acquired in 2003. If the office becomes a stand-alone firm, there is a good chance it will revert to the Brach Eichler name.

The Roseland office was the most profitable of Wolf Block’s branches in the fiscal year that ended January 31st, and that revenue per lawyer increased from the 2007 fiscal year.

Update: No Cozen Deal Before Wolf Block Dissolved

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:03:23 +0000

Last week we reported that Cozen O’Connor was picking up about 30 attorneys from the now-defunct Wolf Block.

But it seems that rumors spread throughout Wolf Block that the deal between Cozen and the Wolf Block attorneys was made before the vote top dissolve. The message many Wolf Block lawyers thought they heard was “we’re merging with another firm, but you can’t come along.”

Wolf Block was in merger talks with Cozen O’Connor in late 2006, early 2007

But the leaders of both firms have now publicly denied there was a deal in place — in fact they say there was an agreement by Cozen O’Connor not to poach any attorneys before a dissolution vote.

Both Cozen O’Connor President Thomas A. “Tad” Decker and Wolf Block Chairman Mark Alderman, who is part of the group joining Cozen O’Connor, adamantly deny that any deal was in place prior to the dissolution vote.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:12:52 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher: 36 staff

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: undisclosed lawyers, 50 staff

Bose McKinney & Evans: 10 lawyers, 15 staff

Clifford Chance: 24 lawyers

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge: 25 lawyers, 35 staff

Dechert LLP: 63 lawyers, 62 staff

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges LLP: undisclosed

Saul Ewing: 7 lawyers, 7 staff

Goldberg Kohn: 9 lawyers, 14 staff

Wolf Block: 317 lawyers, undisclosed staff

Total this week: 455 lawyers, 219 staff.

Last week: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

The week before: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Littler Mendelson Hires Two from Wolf Block

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:44:39 +0000

Wolf Block has exploded, sending lawyer shrapnel everywhere — and Littler Mendelson has caught two pieces.

Warren Fusfeld, former head of Wolf Block’s employee benefits practice, and former employment partner Melissa Kurtzman are joining Littler Mendelson’s Philadelphia office.

Fusfeld advises clients in finance, insurance, home building, and gaming.

Kurtzman works on employee benefits and taxation matters, advising clients on tax-qualified retirement plans.

With more than 750 attorneys and 46 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest US law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.

Stradley Ronon Hires Two Wolf Block Partners

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:48:26 +0000

Stradley Ronon has hired two finance partners from dissolving Wolf Block.

Richard Zucker, chairperson of Wolf Block’s financial services practice and the head of its commercial lending group, is joining Stradley Ronon’s finance and restructuring practice group.

Gretchen M. Santamour, chairperson of Wolf Block’s bankruptcy and creditor’s rights practice, is joining Stradley Ronon bankruptcy group.

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young has offices in Philadelphia, Malvern and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; and Washington, DC.

Cozen O’Connor Snags 28 Wolf Block Laywers

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:22:22 +0000

Cozen O’Connor is picking up at least 28 attorneys from the now-defunct Wolf Block.

Wolf Block voted this week to dissolve, and the firm’s nearly 300 attorneys are scrambling to find new positions.

Wolf Block executive committee member Robert Silverman has joined Cozen O’Connor, along with 11 attorneys from the private client group and 14 from real estate, and at least three from the tax practice.

Barry Klayman, the one partner from Wolf Block’s Wilmington, Delaware office who didn’t move to Drinker Biddle & Reath, will also join Cozen O’Connor.

Cozen O’Connor PC is a large US law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 114th on the Am Law 200 Survey in 2008, and ranked 89th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 Largest American Law Firms in 2007.

Breaking: Wolf Block Dissolves

Erik Even — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:04:03 +0000

The partners of Philadelphia’s Wolf Block voted today to dissolve the 106-year-old law firm.

The firm will remain in business for several months, to protect the interests of its clients, employees and creditors.

Wolf Block has hired the Hildebrandt consulting firm and Leslie D. Corwin, a partner with Greenberg Traurig, to work with firm leadership “to relocate as many people as possible, as promptly as possible, while liquidating the firm’s obligations.”

A large group of Wolf Block lawyers are in talks with Cozen O’Connor about joining the Philadelphia-based firm.

The 300-lawyer Wolf Block was formed in 1903 by Morris Wolf and Horace Stern, two Jewish lawyers who could not get work at Philadelphia’s elite law firms. The firm rose in prominence during the first half of the 20th Century along with the local Jewish business community. It was able to attract some of the nation’s top Jewish law school graduates until other firms changed their hiring practices in the late 1960s.

Last fall, Wolf Block announced it was delaying the start dates for its first-year associates from September to November. And in December, the firm laid off 15 lawyers and staff and then made more cuts earlier this year.

Wolf Block May Dissolve

Erik Even — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:04:08 +0000

Philadelphia-based Wolf Block’s partners will meet today to discuss dissolving the 106-year-old law firm.

A large group of Wolf Block lawyers are talking to Cozen O’Connor about joining the firm. Wolf Block and Cozen held merger talks two years ago.

A proposed merger with Florida’s Akerman Senterfitt in 2008 also fell through after lengthy negotiations.

Drinker Biddle to Poach Wolf Block Attorneys

Erik Even — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:43:12 +0000

Ten out of 11 attorneys in Wolf Block’s Wilmington, Delaware office are in talks to jump ship to a local office of Drinker Biddle.

The group, including office managing partner Shawn Tucker, is made up of six partners and four associates. It includes the five attorneys who merged their practice, Oberly Jennings & Rhodunda, into Wolf Block in May 2008.

Wolf Block partner Barry M. Klayman, a founder of the firm’s Wilmington office, is not involved.

The move would increase Drinker Biddle’s Wilmington headcount to 15 attorneys.

More Firms Adopting Merit-Based Pay for Associates

Erik Even — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:33:24 +0000

Many law firms are using the economic meltdown as an excuse to end seniority-based pay for associates, adopting “merit-based” systems similar to those used outside the legal profession.

Examples in the US include Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Shearman & Sterling and WolfBlock.

Firms are also cutting salaries for starting associates, just two years after top firms raised pay to compete for talent.

“In the current economic crisis, we see the final demise of the Medieval guild in the American legal profession,” consultant Joel Henning tells Bloomberg.

Orrick will introduce new tiers of associates, replacing the traditional single-track system where some become partners who share in the firm’s profits after about eight years. Under the new structure, associates will be able to stay at the firm permanently, drawing salaries; and will not have to leave the firm if they are unwilling to work long hours.

Clients typically pay much less for work done by a law firm associate than that performed by a partner.

Howrey introduced a similar plan in January, and McGuireWoods started one two years ago.

Wolf Block Slashes Associate Salaries

Erik Even — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:45:09 +0000

Wolf Block is cutting associate pay by 10%, which will go into effect at once.

Other firms have frozen salaries for 2009, but Wolf Block appears to be the first US law firm to cut salaries in response to the economic meltdown.

WolfBlock LLP, formerly Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen, is a law firm and lobbying group based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National Law Journal ranked WolfBlock the 143rd largest firm in the US, and the 10th largest in Philadelphia, by number of attorneys. The firm is best known for its lobbying and government relations practice, as well as for being one of the oldest law firms in Philadelphia.

In 2008, WolfBlock had planned a merger with the Miami, Florida’s Akerman Senterfitt, to create a single 800-lawyer firm. But in August, the two firms released a joint statement explaining that the merger had been put on hold due to “a client conflict that cannot be discussed publicly.”

Akerman Lawyers Found Florida Office for Novak Druce

Erik Even — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:30:26 +0000

Intellectual property boutique Novak Druce & Quigg is opening a new office in West Palm Beach, Florida with six attorneys it poached from Miami-based Akerman Senterfitt’s intellectual property practice.

The 60-attorney Novak Druce has locations in San Francisco, Washington and Houston.

The six attorneys leaving Akerman made up the core of the firm’s IP practice. J. Rodman Steele, Gregory Nelson, Jerold Schneider and Joseph Bain are joining Novak as senior partners, while John Vetter is joining as a partner and Gregory Lefkowitz is joining as a senior associate. All six worked in Akerman’s West Palm Beach office.

Steele founded Akerman’s IP practice more than 20 years ago, and Schneider is currently the co-chairman of its IP litigation practice. Bain and Nelson also have held leadership positions.

The departure of its IP group is the latest problem for Akerman, which had a difficult 2008. Merger talks with Phillie’s Wolf Block broke down in September. Several attorneys were laid off from the firm in November.

It did, however, serve as lead counsel for the $11 billion merger of two waste management companies at the end of 2008.

Novak’s West Palm Beach office will open on February 2nd.

Three Philadelphia Law Firms Cut Staff

Erik Even — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:50:22 +0000

Three law firms in The City of Brotherly Love have laid off lawyers or support staff in recent days.

A spokesperson of Philadelphia’s Dechert LLP confirmed it has laid off 72 of its 570 administrative staff across its 11 US offices. The firm, which has about 1,000 lawyers, said it does not have plans to lay off associates.

Wolf Block announced this week it has laid off 15 lawyers and staff. It is also delaying the start dates of its first-year associates by two months. Wolf Block has about 180 of its 300 lawyers in three offices in the Philadelphia region.

Drinker Biddle & Reath has laid off as many as 20 lawyers. Drinker Biddle has roughly 210 of its 680 lawyers in two offices in Philadelphia.

Via Philadelphia Business Journal.

Blog: Drinker Biddle and Wolf Block To Have Xmas Layoffs

Erik Even — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:18:04 +0000

Above the Law claims that Philadelphia’s Drinker Biddle & Reath will let 20 people go on Friday, one week before Christmas.

Yes it’s true about DBR – on Friday afternoon. No stealth – they came around to every office – told everyone it was economy based. … Other tipsters confirmed that the dismissals were based on the economy and not associate performance. The firm would not confirm or deny the reports, as a matter of policy.

They also report that Phillie’s Wolf Block is shedding staff:

We were able to get a spokesperson from WOLF BLOCK to confirm the news and views:

The numbers you note … are accurate.

If you have any inside information about these or other layoffs, please — let us know!