Law Firm Merger Mania: Winston and Heller, Sitting in a Tree? M-e-r-g-i-n-g?
You’re already discussing the rumors in the comments to an unrelated post. So we figure we should probably give you a proper forum for such discussion.
In an earlier post, we alluded to merger rumors involving Heller Ehrman. We didn’t name the supposed merger partner at the time, but Legal Pad just did:
Last Friday, wondering about continuing rumors of a Heller Ehrman merger with Chicago’s Winston & Strawn, we decided to check whether anyone had registered any interesting new domain names like, saaaay, www.hellerwinston.com or www.winstonheller.com.Turns out that only the day before, both were registered to Domains by Proxy, a company which allows privacy-seeking customers to register sites using the company’s contact information. A commenter on Above the Law noted the same discovery Saturday, so when we got to work on Monday, we made some calls. A spokesman for Heller said the firm was not involved.
“We did not authorize any Web company or outside third party to purchase any particular domain or register any Web site,” he said.
Not them? Isn’t cyber-squatting so 1998?
Why the interest in domain name registrations? As you may recall, ATL broke the story of the Dewey Ballantine / LeBoeuf Lamb merger based on a domain name registration. They can be a useful clue to possible law firm combinations.
More discussion, after the jump.
More from Legal Pad:
The spokesman would not confirm whether Heller is in talks with Winston, but he did say firms are always talking about mergers. While Heller has been a rumored merger partner for at least five firms, we checked out likely combinations for each (plus four more ideas tossed up at ATL) and found only one other — morganheller.com, for a possible link to Morgan, Lewis & Bockius — was taken. It’s registered to an automotive marketing services company in Seattle. The company assures us it’s not in merger talks with Heller Ehrman.
When we contacted a Heller spokesperson last week, we received a similar response.
So someone’s betting on Winston & Strawn. That merger might make sense — both firms have uncommon insurance policyholders practices that might lead to conflicts in merging with other firms. So which name would win out, we wondered. Winston Heller, said Alan Miles of legal search firm Alan Miles & Associates in Santa Monica.“Winston & Strawn seems to be in a position of strength, and I would think would be the surviving firm, name-wise, of the two entities, or at least have their name first,” Miles said.
“Winston Heller” has a nice ring to it. But if the firms do merge, will Heller get to squeeze its name in? Or will Winston, occupying what Miles describes as a “position of strength,” simply swallow Heller whole, without any name change?
So Who Owns WinstonHeller.com … And Why? [Legal Pad]
Earlier: Musical Chairs: More Heller Departures (and Merger Rumors)
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First.
I am FIRST to say that this merger will change the face of our nation's legal landscape.
big WHO CARES??
If two TTT firms merge isn't the resulting entity a TTTT (truly third tier toilet)??
I think they would drop Winston name completely. Wouldn't you? Heller has had a very rough time recently but it is still a better brand than Winston.
Winston Heller sounds too much like Wilmer Hale
That's one Heller-va merger!
*Rolls on floor laughing*
Two crap firms merge to make mega crap firm. That's the ticket.
Winstonheller.com is still available.
What about a group of kung-fu opera singers beating heads at a night club??
Both domains are available. What kind of crap story is this?
They were both taken last week (4 day reserve via proxy) and then after this story broke the firms publicly denied the merger and let the domains lapse to erase the trail. Now you could reserve every good name combo for about $100 and then charge them big when they come to pay for it. Just a thought.
3:34, it's Wilmer Hale without all of that excess prestige.
Uh, if I had to work at a firm in NY, Chi or DC, it would be Winston over Heller (does it even have offices in those cities?), hands down. At least in Chi, Winston is in the elite tier (Kirkland and Sidley, Mayer Brown, Jenner and Winston). Can Heller say the same in any major city?
If they changed the firm name to Winston Zeddemore I would lateral in a heartbeat.
4.05, you're pretty ill-informed. Heller is definitely in the top tier in SF and SV, and was in SD until the recent departures. It's also the top emerging companies firm in London, and one of the stronger American practices in Asia.
Winston and Strawn I had heard nothing about until recently. I should hope that a Chicago firm is at the top of its game on its home turf. And lawyer-for-lawyer, Heller's got the brains to stand with anybody.
Easy, 4:17. Your point's well-taken, but you're guilty of the charge you make against 4:05. Winston and Heller are both solid firms; neither are genuinly elite. Whether you live in California, NY, DC, or Chi, you should probably be familiar with both.
4:17, you're spot on.
I would say these firms are pretty well matched. Both are at the top of their game in their home market: Heller in SF and Winston in Chicago. However, neither have a commanding reputation outside of their home markets, in NY for instance. Maybe if they combine, they will be able to compete better nationally.
4:17, agreed there's never been any issue with attorney brains at Heller. Only the managerial variety.
Guys in my high school used to swallow firms whole all the time, it was no big deal.
Should be noted that ATL was quick to pounce on four attorneys leaving Heller, but has yet to mention the firm's addition of another four:
http://hewm.com/en/news/press/press_3374.html
Wasn't Heller one of the firms that recently had attorneys sanctioned and referred to the California Bar for disciplinary action due to "monumental" discovery violations?
That doesn't seem very prestigious at all. . .
Winston folks I talked to in OCI last fall said they had a real interest in setting up shop in China...surprise?
Lat I know you are desperate to break this story but this seems a little premature; any jerkoff can register a domain name.
And as 4:42 mentioned, you don't even mention Heller adding 4 very senior lawyers in DC...
chicago elite firms include jones day and skadden, no?
Heller would be in the second tier of firms in San Francisco Bay Area. It's just not at the same level as Morrison & Foerster in SF or Wilson Sonsini in SV.
3:37 made me laugh out loud.
3:56 haven't you heard of ACPA under the Lanham Act - no more big paydays from cybersquatting
8:32, Heller is second tier in SF? Does that mean that MoFo is the only firm in the first tier in SF?
Sorry buddy, that's just wrong. Everybody who works in SF knows that Heller is on par with MoFo and Orrick. Those three firms make up the top tier in SF (not taking into account all the NY and LA firms that have satellite offices in SF).
As for SV, I would say that Wilson is part of the top tier, but certainly not the only top tier firm. I went to Stanford, and most people I know who chose to work in SV went to Quinn, Heller, MoFo, Orrick, or Wilson (in no particular order).
Wow, good call, 10:11. That's what I get for living in a cave since 1999. I guess you'd have to trademark Winston Heller first, too, then, and start selling something with it (rubber bands by the dozen or something) through the website.
So, does anyone want to order a rubber band?
www.winstonheller.com
Wow, I was the one who made the comment about the registration of the domain name in the last post about Heller. Surprised to see that someone picked it up and ran some story about it. I feel like I should get some kind of royalty. I guess I'll just settle for my quasi fame.
Good luck to the associates -- this has been a rough year for Dewey LeBoeuf associates. Still a ton of adjustment going on.
7:11 (4/22), yes, Skadden and Jones Day (I suppose), not to mention Latham (and I guess Paul Hastings), count as "elite." The "elite tier" comment referred to the elite Chi-based firms. (Whether it's harder to land a job at Kirkland or Sidley in Chi than, say, Jones Day...I'll leave that to you jackals to fight out.) Rumor has it Ropes is setting up shop in the city of big shoulders and big pizza, so it too would have to be counted among the non-Chi "elite" offices in the city.
7:45
Ropes and Gray opened last month with 3 partners from Mayer Brown - private equity types - offices are in the Sidley building - 21st floor
at least 8 other AmLaw 100 firms are circling the windy city and evaluating opening offices - trolling for partners with business - roster includes some major players from NY DC LA and SF
More offices in Chicago = Bonanza for Midwest schools?
Depending on the sizes of the offices, could be. Maybe Iowa can stop crying now. Or at least, in a few years.
little organic growth in the chicago market these days - it is more of same people being moved to other buildings.
8:53,
Care to speculate on who the targets and acquirers might be? I have a pretty good idea of the likely targets are.
I was supposed to start in the new york office this fall.
Heller was a phenomenal firm when I accepted my offer. turned down top ten firms because the people i knew who worked there were brilliant and fucking great. it sucks to lose a job, but i'll get a new one. sucks even more that such a great firm went under
everyone i've talked to from my class is beat up about all this but all are taking advantage of the free time - probably half are committed to working in swing states for obama, some volunteering, others traveling, all of us waiting for the right time to apply to the right firms.
thanks to those who offered condolences, we'll do you proud