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  • March 25, 2009 |

    US litigation newcomer set for Lords debut

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges is set to appear before the House of Lords, less than a year after the US firm's launch in the City. The US litigation leader is due to appear in the House of Lords for two days at the beginning of July representing a group of investment funds seeking to retrieve money following the collapse of the $27bn (£17.9bn) structured investment vehicle Sigma Finance.Quinn Emanuel partner Sue Prevezer QC, who joined the firm last May from Bingham McCutchen, is leading the case. She was previously a barrister with top commercial set Essex Court Chambers before spending a year with Bingham.

    1 minute read

  • March 24, 2009 |

    Dechert Frankfurt partner quits for German indie

    Dechert has lost one of the partners central to its plans to reopen in Frankfurt. Andreas Junius, a corporate partner, left last week (16 March) to join German independent P+P Poellath in Frankfurt. Junius had been splitting his time at Dechert between New York and the German finance capital in recent years and had been a key player in the firm's plans to reopen in Frankfurt. Dechert lost the last lawyer in its Frankfurt office in 2005, having originally launched in the city in 2002. Since then the firm's sole German presence has been in Munich, while the firm has pledged to rebuild in Frankfurt.

    1 minute read

  • February 25, 2009 |

    Dechert lays off 10 more lawyers in the US

    Dechert has followed up recent layoffs with 10 further job cuts, reports The Legal Intelligencer. The firm confirmed that 10 staff attorneys have been let go for economic reasons. As of Wednesday afternoon (25 February), there were 76 people listed on the firm's website under the 'staff attorney' category, with some being referred to as senior staff attorneys.These layoffs are the latest in a number of cuts made by the firm. Most recently, Dechert laid off 19 lawyers, including associates and counsel on 12 February. The cuts came on a day that soon came to be known as 'Black Thursday' as several US firms collectively laid off hundreds of staff and lawyers.Dechert also laid off lawyers back in March 2008 when it cut 13 associates from its finance and real estate department. Those lawyers were quickly offered temporary assignments in other practice groups, and some accepted the offer.

    1 minute read

  • February 25, 2009 |

    Black Thursday won't be the end

    Even in the darkest days of the dotcom bust earlier this decade, or in the recession of the early 1990s, there was never a day like 12 February in the world of US law firms, a day swiftly dubbed Black Thursday.In the space of a few hours, some 300 lawyers - the equivalent of a mid-sized firm - were handed pink slips around the country. And by the close of business on Friday the 13th, more than 1,100 lawyers and staff had either been fired or asked to consider buyouts.

    1 minute read

  • February 18, 2009 | International Edition

    That's entertainment

    The halcyon days of unlimited cash to splash on boozy client lunches and blagging the day off to cut up turf at the golf course may have passed for the immediate future, but that doesn't mean clients don't still expect a little love now and again. But in leaner times, how should lawyers strike the balance between rewarding good business and cutting into profits?With every firm out to maximise the work available from existing clients, as well securing work from other people's clients, any cutbacks to marketing and entertainment budgets at this point have to be measured. And while showing clients you appreciate their business is one thing, decorum is required if you don't want them to start questioning whose bill their ostentatious gift was funded by.

    1 minute read

  • February 18, 2009 |

    That's entertainment

    The halcyon days of unlimited cash to splash on boozy client lunches and blagging the day off to cut up turf at the golf course may have passed for the immediate future, but that doesn't mean clients don't still expect a little love now and again. But in leaner times, how should lawyers strike the balance between rewarding good business and cutting into profits?With every firm out to maximise the work available from existing clients, as well securing work from other people's clients, any cutbacks to marketing and entertainment budgets at this point have to be measured. And while showing clients you appreciate their business is one thing, decorum is required if you don't want them to start questioning whose bill their ostentatious gift was funded by.

    1 minute read

  • February 13, 2009 |

    US firms cut 800 jobs in one day; DLA lays off 80

    Almost 800 associates and legal staff were laid off across the US on Thursday (12 February) after eight firms carried out mass job cuts, citing an unprecedented downturn in demand. DLA Piper cut 80 associates, equating to 5% of its US-based lawyers. Aside from 28 associates in New York and Chicago, the reductions are primarily on the West Coast, chairman Francis Burch told Legal Week sister title The National Law Journal. A DLA Piper spokesman declined to say how many lawyers were laid off in California. DLA also let go of 100 staff members across the firm's 26 US offices. Before the cuts, DLA Piper had about 1,500 lawyers in the US and 3,800 lawyers worldwide.

    1 minute read

  • February 5, 2009 |

    Dechert picks London partner for global policy committee

    Dechert has appointed London corporate partner Douglas Getter to sit on the firm's global policy committee. Getter replaces former London finance and real estate chief Ciaran Carvalho, who left the firm last month to join Nabarro.Getter heads Dechert's US corporate practice in Europe. He joined the firm in 2005 from legacy firm Dewey Ballantine where he had led the firm's European M&A group.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2009 |

    Firms hit by snowstorm with staff left stranded

    Many City law firms are experiencing near-gridlock today (2 February) as a result of the snowstorm that has hit the UK, with a large number of lawyers and support staff unable to travel in to work. Clifford Chance (CC) has mobilised its emergency taskforce - a group that comprises the firm's chief operating officer, the head of IT and the head of facilities. The taskforce comes together during times of crisis to co-ordinate home working, ensure all staff members are well informed on travel news, and arrange hotel accommodation for any staff who are unable to travel home from the office.

    1 minute read

  • January 28, 2009 |

    Nabarro signs up new partner for IT/comms team

    Nabarro has bolstered its IT and communications practice with the lateral hire of Boyes Turner partner Geoff Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn joins the firm this month after five years with Boyes Turner, where he headed the IT litigation team. He joins Nabarro's London IT and communications group, taking headcount in the team - which includes technology head Tony Bailes - to four partners and nine associates.Mendelsohn specialises in dispute resolution and has experience working in commercial, industrial and professional sectors including engineering and construction, gas, product liability and information technology. He was involved in leading the team for EDS against National Air Traffic Control.

    1 minute read