DLA Piper Targeting Makeover of Brand Image, Shortens Name

08/23/06

DLA Piper targeting makeover of brand image, shortens name

In order to strengthen its international brand image, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, is expected to change to a new, shorter name this September. The firm has consolidated its operations through a series of mergers in past seven years in U.S., Europe, and Asia. DLA Piper is working on its marketing strategy to evolve a unique identity of its own which rests on traditional values.

Lynne Marek of The National Law Journal reports that DLA Piper intends to build on the firms' strengths in five practice areas — litigation, corporate and finance, real estate, government affairs, and intellectual property to attract large corporate clients to generate additional business. In January 2005, London-based DLA merged operations with U.S.-based Piper Rudnick and Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, which now has 3,100 lawyers in 22 countries and 59 offices.

Lowrie, Lando & Anastasi adds partners for IP practice
Lowrie, Lando and Anastasi have stepped up efforts to strengthen the firm's IP practice by adding five new partners. Kevin M. Littman, Thomas P. McNulty, Mark A. Miller, Thomas J. McGinnis, and Sandra Szela Congdon will be a part of the team that offers expertise in all areas of intellectual property litigation, counseling and transactions, patent and trademark prosecution, counseling, drafting infringement, patentability opinions. The Massachusetts-based law firm has worked extensively in the areas of litigation, electrical and computer software, chemical patent procurement, and counseling, and is now expanding its capability to meet the requirements of clients in the region.

The law firm specializes in intellectual property and related litigation and specializes in providing its client base with the protection they need to grow their business and protect their intellectual property assets.

Baker & McKenzie increasing global tax practice
In an attempt to increase their global tax practice, U.S.-based Baker & McKenzie has hired the services of three senior attorneys: one partner, Brendan Kelly, and two tax associates at its Shanghai office. The initiative is expected to boost the firm's presence in the Asia Pacific region, especially China, where the current tax system is under review. The Chinese government is actively considering doing away with the special tax holidays for foreign investors and replacing it with a single tax rate for both foreign-owned and domestic organizations. This development will have a significant impact on the firm's client base in the region.

Baker & McKenzie already has a significant presence in the region, with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai which offer legal services, with particular emphasis on: Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, China Trade and Investment, Construction, Corporate and Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Insurance and other financial services, Intellectual Property, Major Projects & Project Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Property, Securities, Taxation, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Venture Capital, and WTO & Trade. The firm's team of more than 550 tax lawyers comprises economists and financial analysts and is considered one of the largest tax practices in the world.

Cooley Godward to merge operations with Kronish Lieb
California-based Cooley Godward has finalized plans to merge its operations with New York-based litigation boutique Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman, reports the New York Law Journal. The new entity will be called Cooley Godward Kronish, with an overall lawyer strength of 550. It will be operational from October 1 and is aimed at allowing Cooley Godward to establish its presence in New York.

With technology and biotechnology transactional groups, Cooley Godward also brings expertise in litigation and intellectual property whereas Kronish Lieb will add litigation practice, bankruptcy practice, tax, real estate, and white-collar criminal defense practice that will significantly add to the specialization of the new merged firm. The combined firm will have a litigation group of almost 250 lawyers, and intends to target private equity and mergers and acquisition for growth in New York. The 110-lawyer firm Kronish Lieb was looking for a bigger partner to sustain the competition in New York, the center of big law firms.

Bryan Cave now powered by Recommind
Law firm Bryan Cave has joined forces with Recommind, and implemented MindServer Legal Enterprise Search and MindServer Legal Matters & Expertise to power its internal search functions. The launch of the new IT platform will allow common access to 15 offices across the United States, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Asia.

MindServer Legal Enterprise Search enables a one-point contact with all knowledge significant to the firm - records, document search, e-mail systems - related to all cases within the entire firm.

The MindServer Legal product suite facilitates time and cost management while maintaining quality of output. Data gathering becomes less tedious and more precise. Bryan Cave hopes with this change to improve the firm's efficiency in serving clients, including multinational corporations, large and mid-sized privately held companies, partnerships, and emerging companies.
 

• See Top 10 Reasons Most Law Firms Have No Idea How to Hire and Evaluate Patent Attorneys for more information.