2006 beginning with brisk lateral moves

04/11/06

2006 beginning with brisk lateral moves

So far in the first few months of this year, there has been a major increase in attorneys switching firms, particularly in the fields of real estate, intellectual property, and finance. The most noteworthy departure is of 14 real estate finance attorneys from Dechert's New York office to Atlanta-based Alston & Bird. In another move, four Jones Day attorneys left to open an Atlanta office for intellectual property and litigation firm Fish & Richardson. In addition, nine real estate attorneys left Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld's San Antonio office to join Drenner Stuart Wolff Metcalfe von Kreisler in Texas. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman lost six financial services attorneys to Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw's Washington, DC, and New York offices. Heller Ehrman gained eight labor and employment attorneys from New York's Kelley Drye & Warren.

Jones Day adds two IP partners
Boosting the firm's intellectual property capabilities, Jones Day has added Behrooz Shariati and Jennifer Seraphine in its Northern California offices. Previously a partner in the Silicon Valley office of McDermott Will & Emery , Shariati is a veteran IP lawyer specializing in litigation relating to software, computer hardware, and networking technologies. He will join the firm's Menlo Park office, while Seraphine will join its San Francisco office. Seraphine provides substantial expertise in intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, and copyright infringement matters. Jones Day is an international law firm with 30 offices in centers of business and finance throughout the world.

Eccleston joins McGuireWoods
Lynn E. Eccleston has joined McGuireWoods, LLP's Tysons Corner office as Of Counsel in its Commercial Litigation Department. She is a member of the firm's patent practice and specializes in biotechnology, chemical, and pharmaceutical patent matters, including patent litigation, counseling, and prosecution. Previously a principal with Eccleston Law Firm in Washington, DC, Eccleston is a registered patent attorney with 20 years of experience. McGuireWoods, LLP, is a full-service law firm with about 725 lawyers in 14 offices in the U.S., Europe, and Central Asia providing legal counsel to clients around the world.

Swidler Berlin's bankruptcy team joins Orrick Herrington
The highly rated bankruptcy team from Swidler Berlin has joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. The team was led by one of the nation's leading bankruptcy lawyers, Roger Frankel who was also called "a dean of the bankruptcy practice" by Chambers. The 10-member team includes Frankel, Richard Wyron, Jonathan Guy, Monique Almy, and Mary Wallace along with five associates, including Matthew Cheney, Kathleen Orr, Debra Lessin Felder, Kimberly Neureiter, and Katherine Thomas. The team has built a reputation as a leader in energy sector and asbestos-related cases and will join the Washington, DC, office of Orrick, an international law firm with more than 850 lawyers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Sullivan & Cromwell increases associate salaries to $145,000
Sullivan & Cromwell has increased first-year associate pre-bonus salaries to $145,000, thus beating the recent salary hikes at major Los Angeles firms. This puts pressure on other large firms to offer competitive pay raises. Experts are forecasting that Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Davis Polk & Wardwell will soon follow suit. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz , however, is already ahead of the rest, paying first-years $200,000. Last year, Sullivan & Cromwell's first-year associates received $125,000 plus $35,000 in bonuses.

Reed Smith names new partner in its New York office
Reed Smith, LLP, has added Wendy H. Schwartz as partner in its New York office's Regulatory Litigation Group. Previously a partner with Becker, Glynn, Melamed & Muffly, LLP, Schwartz specializes in complex business and government dispute resolution. She is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut and is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where she serves on the Federal Courts Committee. Founded in Pittsburgh in 1877, Reed Smith represents many of the world's leading companies in multi-jurisdictional litigation and other high-stakes disputes, strategic and cross-border transactions, and crucial regulatory matters.

Raleigh law firm will now be called Hutchison Law Group
The preeminent Raleigh, NC, law firm has changed its name to Hutchison Law Group, PLLC. Following the firm's recent move to expanded office space, the name change builds on the strength of the firm's well-known Hutchison brand and emphasizes its long-standing team approach to client service. Hutchison Law Group, PLLC, founded in 1996, represents many of the premier information technology and life science companies in the Southeast. The firm counsels on venture capital financing, merger and acquisition, licensing, securities law, patent prosecution, and employment law to a wide variety of technology companies.


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