Exciting news reports have been circulating the talks of the Reed Smith law firm looking into collaborating with a law firm in the Lone Star State. Together they hope to extend their legal industry lead and look forward to building a great business together. With both firms coming from big cities, there is no doubt that a new flow of opportunities will come to them once their firms have settled down together. We are excited for them and wish them the best!
Pittsburgh-based Reed Smith, which has 150 lawyers in Philadelphia,
is in early merger discussions with Dallas-based law firm Thompson &
Knight, both firms confirmed Friday to the Pittsburgh Business Times.
"We
are in preliminary merger discussions with Texas-based Thompson &
Knight," said Reed Smith Managing Partner Greg Jordan in an e-mail. “The
discussions are preliminary and no final agreement or partner vote has
been reached or taken.”
Reed Smith has more than 1,500 lawyers,
while Thompson & Knight has about 350 lawyers with a focus on the
energy industry, including oil and gas, Jordan said.
Becky Jackson, chief client services officer at Thompson & Knight, offered the following statement in an e-mail:
“In
today’s legal environment, Thompson & Knight’s historical presence
in Texas and our outstanding energy expertise are sought after by firms.
For several years, we have regularly received inquiries regarding
possible mergers. We have had preliminary conversations with Reed Smith,
and they are obviously a great firm, but it is premature to
characterize these discussions in any detail.”
Under Jordan’s
decade-long tenure, Reed Smith has grown from a Pittsburgh-centric
500-lawyer firm to an international firm three times the size through a
series of major mergers and acquisitions. In 2001, the firm acquired
60-lawyer Warner Cranston of London. In January 2003, it acquired
California’s 220-lawyer Crosby Heafey Roach & May. In 2007, the firm
merged London’s 250-lawyer Richards Butler and 140-lawyer Sachnoff
& Weaver of Chicago. And in January 2008, Reed Smith acquired
110-lawyer Richards Butler Hong Kong and 55 lawyers from New York’s
Anderson Kill & Olick.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Law Firms Orrick and Akin Gump End Merger Talks
The big law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has seen its
share of merger discussions fizzle out in recent years. Add its talks
with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to the list.
Less than a week after confirming that they were in preliminary discussions to merge, Orrick and Akin Gump released a joint statement Monday morning announcing that their brief flirtation has already petered out. The decision to end their talks was described as a mutual one.
“The firms appreciated the opportunity to have the discussions, which confirmed their mutual respect for one another,” the statement said. “However, the firms have determined not to proceed.”
Last week, consultants who specialize in law-firm mergers described the fit between Orrick and Akin Gump as a good one, considering they did not overlap much in terms of offices or strong practice areas. Together, the firms would have employed nearly 1,900 lawyers with combined revenues in excess of $1.5 billion.
But the breakdown in talks is not particularly surprising, given how delicate merger discussions between big law firms tend to be. As The American Lawyer has pointed out, Orrick is something of a model for aborted merger talks, with its unsuccessful deal with what was then Dewey Ballantine in 2007 standing out as the most notable example.
Less than a week after confirming that they were in preliminary discussions to merge, Orrick and Akin Gump released a joint statement Monday morning announcing that their brief flirtation has already petered out. The decision to end their talks was described as a mutual one.
“The firms appreciated the opportunity to have the discussions, which confirmed their mutual respect for one another,” the statement said. “However, the firms have determined not to proceed.”
Last week, consultants who specialize in law-firm mergers described the fit between Orrick and Akin Gump as a good one, considering they did not overlap much in terms of offices or strong practice areas. Together, the firms would have employed nearly 1,900 lawyers with combined revenues in excess of $1.5 billion.
But the breakdown in talks is not particularly surprising, given how delicate merger discussions between big law firms tend to be. As The American Lawyer has pointed out, Orrick is something of a model for aborted merger talks, with its unsuccessful deal with what was then Dewey Ballantine in 2007 standing out as the most notable example.
Jones Day law firm expanding into Brazil
The Jones Day law firm said today it will open an office in Brazil, one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
The office will be Jones Day's 33rd and its second in Latin America after Mexico City.
The Sao Paulo office will support global clients investing in Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as providing counsel to Brazilian companies in their international operations. It will concentrate on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and finance and project finance/infrastructure transactions, as well as energy and capital markets.
The office will launch as a foreign legal consultancy, as required by the Brazilian Bar Association, and open once obtaining regulatory clearance. It will be a standalone Jones Day office, with no association or alliance with any local Brazilian firms.
"Brazil is a dynamic, expanding economy, and one of the world's key emerging markets," Stephen Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day, said in a statement today.
"It is a significant commodity producer, a world leader in energy, and home to some of the most important worldwide infrastructure projects undertaken in recent years."
Brogan also said Brazil has Latin America's largest and deepest stock market, massive inbound investment and soon-to-be-massive outbound investment.
The office will be Jones Day's 33rd and its second in Latin America after Mexico City.
The Sao Paulo office will support global clients investing in Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as providing counsel to Brazilian companies in their international operations. It will concentrate on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and finance and project finance/infrastructure transactions, as well as energy and capital markets.
The office will launch as a foreign legal consultancy, as required by the Brazilian Bar Association, and open once obtaining regulatory clearance. It will be a standalone Jones Day office, with no association or alliance with any local Brazilian firms.
"Brazil is a dynamic, expanding economy, and one of the world's key emerging markets," Stephen Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day, said in a statement today.
"It is a significant commodity producer, a world leader in energy, and home to some of the most important worldwide infrastructure projects undertaken in recent years."
Brogan also said Brazil has Latin America's largest and deepest stock market, massive inbound investment and soon-to-be-massive outbound investment.
FIVE ATTORNEYS AT GALLOP, JOHNSON & NEUMAN SELECTED AMONG “SUPER LAWYERS ®”
Four attorneys at law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C.,
have been selected as “Super Lawyers®” and one has been named a “Rising
Star” in a peer nomination and research process conducted by “Super
Lawyers,” a publication of Thompson Reuters. (www.superlawyers.com).
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman attorneys identified as “Super Lawyers” in the poll of active attorneys in Missouri and Kansas for 2010 practice in diverse areas of law. They include:
- Glenn E. Davis - Antitrust litigation, business litigation, securities litigation
- Robert H. Epstein - Real estate, business/corporate, environmental
- Thomas H. Mug - Employee benefits/ERISA, estate planning/probate, tax
- Robert A. Stockenberg - Construction/surety
Gallop attorney Nichole Y. Wren has been named a “Super Lawyers” Rising Star in estate planning/probate and non-profit categories.
Thomas J. Campbell, managing partner at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, said, “We are honored when attorneys at our firm are recognized as ‘Super Lawyers’ by their peers in the legal profession in Missouri and Kansas because it reflects our commitment to render high quality legal services in all of our practice areas.”
The “Super Lawyers” list is designed to identify attorneys who have attained a high degree of professional achievement and peer recognition. One goal of the annual “Super Lawyers” list is to identify the top five percent of attorneys in more than 70 practice areas.
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm also has offices in Washington, D.C. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. Offices are located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri, and at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 850, in Washington D.C.
For more information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDriere at 314.615.6000 or visit the website http://www.gjn.com. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap at 314.993.6925.
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman attorneys identified as “Super Lawyers” in the poll of active attorneys in Missouri and Kansas for 2010 practice in diverse areas of law. They include:
- Glenn E. Davis - Antitrust litigation, business litigation, securities litigation
- Robert H. Epstein - Real estate, business/corporate, environmental
- Thomas H. Mug - Employee benefits/ERISA, estate planning/probate, tax
- Robert A. Stockenberg - Construction/surety
Gallop attorney Nichole Y. Wren has been named a “Super Lawyers” Rising Star in estate planning/probate and non-profit categories.
Thomas J. Campbell, managing partner at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, said, “We are honored when attorneys at our firm are recognized as ‘Super Lawyers’ by their peers in the legal profession in Missouri and Kansas because it reflects our commitment to render high quality legal services in all of our practice areas.”
The “Super Lawyers” list is designed to identify attorneys who have attained a high degree of professional achievement and peer recognition. One goal of the annual “Super Lawyers” list is to identify the top five percent of attorneys in more than 70 practice areas.
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm also has offices in Washington, D.C. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. Offices are located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri, and at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 850, in Washington D.C.
For more information about Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, please contact Lois A. LaDriere at 314.615.6000 or visit the website http://www.gjn.com. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap at 314.993.6925.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
US justice rejects death penalty law he wrote
As a young state senator 30 years ago, Paul Pfeifer helped write Ohio's
death penalty law. Today, as the senior member of the state Supreme
Court, he's trying to eliminate it.
It's not uncommon for sitting judges to change their mind on the death penalty — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun famously said in 1994 he would no longer "tinker with the machinery of death" — but Pfeifer may be the only one to argue so ardently against a capital punishment law he himself created, and yet continue to rule on death penalty cases.
"I have concluded that the death sentence makes no sense to me at this point when you can have life without the possibility of parole," Pfeifer said in his most recent public comments, testifying in December in favor a bill to abolish Ohio's law. "I don't see what society gains from that.
After the U.S. Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional in 1972, states spent several years rewriting their laws. Ohio's first attempt, in 1974, was found unconstitutional, but the second try, when Pfeifer was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was enacted in 1981 and has never been successfully challenged. Lawmakers pledged at the time to draft a law reserved for the most heinous murders.
It's not uncommon for sitting judges to change their mind on the death penalty — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun famously said in 1994 he would no longer "tinker with the machinery of death" — but Pfeifer may be the only one to argue so ardently against a capital punishment law he himself created, and yet continue to rule on death penalty cases.
"I have concluded that the death sentence makes no sense to me at this point when you can have life without the possibility of parole," Pfeifer said in his most recent public comments, testifying in December in favor a bill to abolish Ohio's law. "I don't see what society gains from that.
After the U.S. Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional in 1972, states spent several years rewriting their laws. Ohio's first attempt, in 1974, was found unconstitutional, but the second try, when Pfeifer was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was enacted in 1981 and has never been successfully challenged. Lawmakers pledged at the time to draft a law reserved for the most heinous murders.
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