| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Whether it was an over-reliance on litigation revenue or a change in corporate culture -- some also say Venture Law Group wasn't a good fit -- that made partners start to defect, the endgame is that 118-year-old Heller Ehrman LLP will be no more on Nov. 28. Three weeks ago Movers & shakers tracked 96 attorneys as they moved on. We've added a slew of them since (see the new moves after the jump). Most of them are partners. ... Forgotten in the mainstream are hundreds of associates and staff (many fired early), who find it harder to land that next gig.
It must have been especially hard for that large number of
employees that were fired early. It happened right after our previous
post that showed the San Francisco-based firm had about 650
attorneys and professionals working in 35 practices across 14 offices.
Management said the layoffs were "forced" by Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc.
A CallLaw blog has one the of the termination letters that says in part: It is with a great deal of regret that we write to inform you that we will not be able to pay you for work performed after today, Friday October 10 and, as a result, that your employment with the firm will be terminated today. We also expect that we will need to inform other employees over the following two weeks that we are unable to pay them any further and will need to terminate their employment.Those early termination letters may be in violation of the WARN Act and could warrant lawsuits. The firm hasn't completely forgotten about its support structure, though. On Heller's Web site, in addition to parting information on retirement plans and health insurance coverage, the firm also includes a long list of job opportunities for various staff and associates. Most of the jobs are located in or near San Francisco and New York. Even in this stormy economic climate, there are a number of firms hiring. Of course, their taking big names and evaluating strategic fits. Just days before Heller gave its lawyers 60-day notice of employment on Sept. 26, Proskauer Rose LLP hired partners Ying Li, who led Heller's China business practice, and Joseph Cha, who led the Beijing office and its Asian private equity and fund formation practice. They opened offices in Hong Kong and Beijing for Proskauer. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP got an early start, too. In the beginning of September, it hired Charles Jaeger as a partner in San Francisco. Jaeger focuses on accountants' liability and securities litigation. He joined Heller in 1993 and had served as co-chair of the securities litigation practice and co-chair of the San Francisco litigation department. In addition to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP hiring 27 partners and one senior counsel from Heller on Oct. 9, including three previous chairmen of that firm: Barry Levin, Robert Rosenfeld and Larry Popofsky, TheLawyer.com reported that the core of Heller Ehrman's London corporate team -- Chris Grew, Richard Eaton and Struan Penwarden -- will join Orrick this week. The three joined Heller's Venture Law Group to launch the London office in Feb. 2007. They were originally with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP and cover European technology companies, and venture capital firms and investment banks in the technology sector. On to the rest of the hires we have covered since Oct. 9. (Note: Dates correspond to publish dates, not necessarily the date of the job switch.) Oct. 30: The latest sighs of relief Sidley Austin LLP grabbed six partners and a number of counsel and associates from Heller. The San Francisco partners are Sara Brody, Marie Fiala, Michael Rugen and Carol Lynn Thompson. Stan Berman joined the firm as a partner in Washington, and Yang Ing Loong joined as a partner in Hong Kong, resident in Singapore. Brody was the chair of Heller's securities litigation practice. Rugen also co-chaired that group and Thompson was co-chair of Heller's San Francisco litigation department. Fiala was managing director of Heller's firmwide litigation department and chair of its compensation committee. Dechert LLP said that senior trial lawyer Matthew Larrabee joined the firm in its San Francisco office. Larrabee was most recently chairman of Heller Ehrman. Oct. 29: Goodwin Procter ventures outside the U.S. Apparently, Goodwin Procter LLP is using the Heller dissolution to open a London office. Seven are joining the real estate investment management and hospitality practices. Notably, Brian Smith, managing partner of Heller's London office and Robert Asher, a member of Heller's real estate and hospitality practice group, will join the firm as partners. In London, they are joined by associates Matthew Pohlman and Lindy Muto. Counsel Teresa Goebel, of counsel Judith Miles and associate Valerie Washburn will arrive in San Francisco. This would be the firm's first venture outside of the U.S. Oct. 28: 4 firms hire from Heller Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC hired Jonathan Zhu as a partner in its tax practice. Zhu was a tax partner at Heller Ehrman in San Francisco. Previously, he was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Co., advising on strategy, operations and organizational matters in enterprise software, networking and wireless communications, as well as pharmaceuticals. Winston & Strawn LLP said environmental attorney Joseph Armao joined its San Francisco office as partner. Previously, Armao was a shareholder with Heller, serving as the chair of the firm's environmental department. He began his career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. August Horvath joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as special counsel in the advertising and antitrust practice groups. He was previously with Heller. Horvath has handled civil and criminal litigation before the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust division; Federal Trade Commission investigations and litigation in conduct and merger and acquisitions; and private litigation. Robert Badal is now a partner in the antitrust and competition and intellectual property litigation practice groups at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in Los Angeles. Badal was a partner at Heller Ehrman. Oct. 23: 17-year vet Hubbell moves on, Glass goes to Wilson and Foley gets 10 In Los Angeles, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP hired Robert Hubbell as a partner. He specializes in accountants' liability, securities litigation and securities enforcement. Hubbell was a partner with Heller, where he spent 17 years and was firmwide managing partner. Separately, Thomas Hungar will return to the firm's Washington office as a partner and co-chair of the appellate and constitutional law practice. He spent five years as deputy solicitor general of the United States. Hungar, who practiced with Gibson Dunn from 1994 to 2003, will continue to focus on appellate and complex trial litigation. Todd Glass, formerly chair of Heller Ehrman's energy practice and co-chair of its energy and clean technology practice, joined Wilson Sonsini as a partner in its clean technology and renewable energy practice. Glass will split his time among Wilson Sonsini's Seattle, San Francisco and Palo Alto, Calif., offices. Foley & Lardner LLP hired 10 Heller attorneys and one patent specialist for its litigation and intellectual property departments. David Kleinfeld, litigator and former co-chair of Heller's complex commercial litigation practice, will lead the group. Former Heller partners Kurt Kjelland, Dan Silverman, Chad Fuller and Barry Tucker will join Kleinfeld. Fuller, Silverman and Tucker join the litigation department, while Kjelland joins Foley's national IP department. Five former Heller associates will join Foley's San Diego and Del Mar, Calif., offices, including Steve Moore, Sam Hellfeld, Richard Thill, Nicole Cunningham and Tammy Boggs. Bob Palmer joins as a patent specialist. Oct. 21: Perkins add a new office Perkins Coie LLP hired 13 Heller Ehrman attorneys in Madison, Wis. David Harth, David Jones and John Skilton join the intellectual property litigation practice as partners. Partner Timothy Burns joins the insurance coverage group. IP litigation associates David Anstaett, Shannon Bloodworth, Melody Glazer, Christopher Hanewiez, Lissa Koop, Autumn Nero, Sarah Walkenhorst and Jeffrey Walker join Perkins Coie along with patent specialist Theresa Gresl. Associate Eric Barber joins the insurance coverage group. Associate Shannon Bloodworth, who works closely with the Madison group, will join the Washington office. Madison will become Perkins Coie's 15th office worldwide. Oct. 20: Faber and Cohen find two firms In New York, Wilson Sonsini added Michael Faber as a partner in its tax practice, covering business transactions. He is the former chair of Heller Ehrman's tax department. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP hired Michael Cohen from Heller as a partner in Washington. Cohen focuses on criminal and civil antitrust litigation, as well as merger clearance and civil conduct investigations before the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Oct. 17: Jones Day, Proskauer, Sheppard Mullin and Luce Forward tack on Jones Day took on 15 partners from Heller Ehrman, with 11 joining in San Francisco. Robert Gibney and David Paulson practice in banking and finance. Nora Gibson and Lora Blum cover capital markets. Gibson was chair of the capital markets group. Peter Benvenutti and Robert Trodella join the business restructuring and reorganization practice. Benvenutti was chair of the restructuring and insolvency practice and a former Heller managing partner. Brett Dick and Teresa Maloney are tax attorneys. Barbara Gregoratos covers real estate. Timothy Hoxie joins the mergers and acquisitions practice. Hoxie was co-chair of Heller's M&A practice and former co-chair of the corporate securities practice. He also served as co-chair of the San Francisco business department. Litigator Raymond Sheen covers complex insurance coverage disputes. Three partners joined the New York office. Paul Downs joined the M&A practice. He was the former firmwide managing director international at Heller. Steven Koppel and Aviva Yakren handle real estate. At Heller, Koppel was a former co-chair of real estate. Litigator Bernard Bell handles complex insurance coverage matters from Washington. Also in October, Jones Day hired two partners in San Francisco. Martin Myers covers high-tech companies and others on insurance recovery matters. Brent Cohen focuses on real estate transactional matters involving investment banks, opportunity funds and other institutional investors. Proskauer Rose expanded its national insurance coverage group, adding Nancy Cohen and Rene Siemens as partners in Los Angeles. Both arrived from Heller, where Cohen was managing shareholder of the Los Angeles office and Siemens was a shareholder and co-chair of the office's litigation department and the ethnic diversity committee. these guys joined just days before the dissolution announcement: Could mention above. Proskauer is also opening offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. In San Diego, Kirt Shuldberg joined Sheppard Mullin as a partner in the corporate practice group. Shuldberg previously practiced in the San Diego and London offices of Heller. Shuldberg specializes in corporate and securities law. Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP tapped partners Carl Johnson and Dan Titelbaum in San Francisco. Johnson works in real estate, while Titelbaum is a part of Luce Forward's business/corporate practice. Oct. 16: Hogan & Hartson hires 10 Hogan & Hartson LLP added offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Calif. The firm hired 10 lawyers from Heller for those offices and New York. In San Francisco: partner Michael Shepard, who led the white collar criminal defense practice at Heller; of counsel Douglas Schwab, who served as a member of Heller's executive and policy committees, firmwide chair of the litigation department and chair of the San Francisco litigation and securities litigation groups; partner Howard Caro, securities litigation; and partner Megan Dixon, corporate investigations and criminal antitrust matters. Silicon Valley partners are: Norman Blears, former co-chair of the securities litigation practice at Heller; Michael Charlson, a former co-chair of securities litigation and former office managing partner; Robert Hawk, antitrust, commercial and intellectual property litigation; and securities litigator Laurence Weiss. New York partners include Robert Buehler, complex civil and criminal matters; and Kenneth Kirschner, who was chair of the labor and employment practice at Heller Ehrman. Goodwin Procter, which we mentioned is getting London top dogs Bob Asher and Brian Smith, also gained five attorneys from Heller in mid-October. Stephen Davis, Kevin Collins and Wesley Fredericks Jr. joined in New York; Julian Stern, a past chair of Heller Ehrman, joined as of counsel in Silicon Valley; and Steven Feldstein joins the Silicon Valley office as a partner. Davis had served as co-chair of Heller's corporate/venture capital law group and is a former chair of its New York business practice. Collins was a member of VLG and was co-chair of the life-science practice. Fredericks had been chairman of Heller's New York business law practice. Feldstein was the former co-chair of the labor and employment practice nationwide. Stern served as Heller's overall chair and as a member of its executive committee for over 20 years. Oct. 13: Sheppard adds four to the flock Peter Hecker, Neil Popovic, Anna McLean and Joanne Garvey joined the San Francisco office of Sheppard Mullin as partners. Hecker, Popovic and McLean join the firm's business trial practice group, and Garvey joins the tax practice. Hecker joined Heller in 1975 and had been chair of its consumer litigation practice group. That's 86 moves we tracked since out last post, bringing the total to 182 hires. While there's a ton of movin' and shakin' going on, there are a lot of attorneys and staffers left. Keep an eye on our Movers column for more updates. And if you've made it this far in the blog, its worth noting what a truly sad time it is for San Francisco attorneys as 400-attorney Thelen LLP, founded in 1924, is voting to disband the firm by Dec. 1. Richard Gary, who led Thelen from 1992 to 2003 spoke to the Daily Journal about the problems that led Thelen's partnership council to recommend dissolution. He said as partner defections snowballed, the firm lost its center of gravity. - Baz Hiralal Baz Hiralal writes The Daily Deal's Movers & Shakers column. Categories Deal Video
    Community
 Elsewhere on The Deal.comDealwatchThe Deal MagazineCorporate Dealmaker
The Deal VideoCategories
Blog roll
Archives
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
©Copyright 2009, The Deal, LLC. All rights reserved. Please send all technical questions, comments or concerns to the Webmaster.
