Is Supreme Court practice profitable?

It's great PR, but I'd expect that the money comes in from the more mind-numbingly boring stuff

Why is a man named Kim??

Sometimes he uses his middle name in his byline, Kim Isaac Eisler:

http://www.washingtonian.com/authorprofiles/75.html

Excellent (but lengthy) comment posted on earlier thread:

http://abovethelaw.com/2008/08/fall_recruiting_open_thread_31-40_2009.php#comment-722406

First to say that Akin is an TTT in disguise of an "elite" law firm.

The answer to No. 2 is no.

Goldstein, especially, is not, and never will be, a rainmaker. He made a career out of taking appellate cases that no one else (important) wanted so that he could get his name on the brief and in the paper, then started a blog so that nerdy gunner law students would think he was some kind of a god. Think Howard Bashman, except with some actual experience outside of Pennsylvania state courts.

All the interviewees should grab up the Cosi gift cards while they last!!!1!!

DC firms/offices want the PPP of the NY firms, but it generally isn't going to happen for most of them. I don't understand why every DC firm wants to be a NY firm. DC-based practices and regulatory work can be interesting and provide a better QOL.

9. Because those NY wages are paid in DC too. In other words, PPP>QOL..

AG DC lost Ken Mehlman too.

#5 = Akin Apologist

Somehow, I was hoping that the song was real.
What a shame.

10, I get that associates are paid the same in their DC and NY offices, but I can't imagine that all DC partners make the same as all NY partners there. It's not a secret that many DC practices can't charge the same billing rates as NY practices.

So what should I ask the Akin interviewers at OCI this week?

#15,

I would suggest the following:

Are you going to no-offer me this summer if I mess around with a college intern?

I am an incoming associate to an Akin Gump office not DC I am hoping things are going to settle down now.... I have heard at least two groups and probably three in my office are hiring so that is a positive sign right?

Hey 17,

Have fun in Dallas. The Dallas office may or may not have enough work, but either way you're stuck living in Dallas.

Yo 18 - aka RETARD, Big D is a sweet-ass place. The COL is much lower than some of the other big cities, weather is much bigger, and work is sophisticated. So go back to your parents' basement, idiot.

Who said anything about Dallas?

All these partner departures after the Akin Escort departure. Coincidence? I think not!

Mehlman left to a client that is still using the firm. That is not the type of situation that firms usually worry about as much as partners leaving to competing firms and taking clients with them.

Quote: "The firm still has several stars, including criminal-defense lawyers John Dowd and Michele Roberts, Supreme Court litigator Tom Goldstein, and lobbying-practice head Joel Jankowsky, and is counting on them to pull Akin Gump out of its tailspin."

It's well known in DC circles that some of these "Akin Pillars" have been actively shopping for a better deal, both individually and as a group.

To 23: While other Akin partners may well be leaving, I would be stunned--stunned--if any other the ones listed did, with the exception of Roberts (I don't know much about her practice). To be sure, if Dowd, Goldstein, or Jankowsky left, that would be an enormous, enormous blow, mostly because of the things folks have been saying internally here since Wyatt et. al. left.

The weather is "bigger" in Dallas?

I agree with 23. I've heard several of these partners are shopping around for other firms, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or more of them left in the next year.

19 = not-so-subtle Dallas troll

The longer I practice law, the more my Gump Aches.

Not only is the weather "bigger" in Dallas, but apparently they have a better "COL." What the f does that mean?

I'll say this for any BIGLAW shop with an office in the state of Texas; your weather blows.

My first visit to ATL -- incredible how many people can comment on issues about which they know nothing...

My first visit to ATL -- incredible how many people can comment on issues about which they know nothing...

So, basically, I should not apply to Akin Gump next summer. I'll let the recruiting coordinator know that my application is not coming.

What should be learned from this is that Akin Gump only values its top producers (the NY office). DC will always be important to the firm, but NY is where the action is and where the respect will be directed. Although the firm started in Texas, for years the Texas offices have felt like second class, which is even more pronounced now. Just look at San Antonio, which is barely hanging on. Austin is shrinking, and Houston and Dallas are too. Not sure I would throw myself into this fire, unless it was in NY.

15 -

I'm in the same boat; I have an interview with them this week as well. Here's what I'm thinking: I write a direct, yet polite ding letter for the firm, explaining that given their current situation (bleeding partners) and mine (needing financial stability), we no longer seem to be a good fit. I'll stand outside the room, and when they come to invite me in, I will hand them the letter and walk away. I just want to be fair to them and fair to myself.

At least the firm has been upfront about this with their summer associates from this summer.

- Akin Gump Summer

35-- what does that mean? Upfront? They told you that they were losing rainmakers?

34,

Good luck with that move, douchebag.

Lat,

You killed Heller, and you helped kill that guy at University of Iowa. When are you going to stop with this stuff?

Akin has been a strong firm for a long time, and I think that will continue despite this. Some temporary turbulence at a firm isn't anything to get too worked up about.

Dude, maybe the problem is their name. Isn't a gump like a dweeb or a nerd? Why would they name themselves after a loser?

Greedy lawyer fight!!!

Yeah--This is from dictionary.com:

gump –noun Dialect. a foolish or stupid person.

That's just bad karma to name your firm after the word for a stupid person. No wonder the firm is so unsuccessful.

wait, wasn't forrest gump one of the guys who started this firm? damn - i need to see the movie again. wasn't there some long-winded list of the services the firm provided?

23 - If you knew anything, you'd realize how ridiculous it is to assert that those people would be leaving as a group.

34 What planet are you on? Firms are cutting back their SA class anywhere from 10-50%. You will be lucky to get any offer you get. It might not be great to go to Akin, but if that is the only summer offer you get, what do you care? Take it, save yout money, hope you get an offer and things take a turn for the better. Something is better than nothing. .

35: What exactly did Akin Gump tell its summers?

welcome to hell.

Oh, my akin' gump.

Oh, my akin' gump.

Goldstein is a "star" only in his dreams and on this site. In truth, Goldstein does a very good job of securing unprofitable appellate work, and has the reputation of being a weak "regular" before the S.Ct. (just ask any former S.Ct. clerk).

To be clear, Akin's cash cow is private equity. The firm represents, among others, three of the six largest PE firms in the world and a major sovereign wealth fund. If the partners managing those clients left, the firm would be fucked, without a doubt. But dying because a few litigation and labor partners left? Please.

Also, while the Beijing office did lose a lot of money last year, there's no chance the firm will close it. In ten years, it will be impossible to be a top tier corporate firm without a Chinese presence. As explained in the previous thread, the firm shut the Taipei office when it kicked out the one partner whose work made it necessary. It was never intended to be foothold for continued growth, as the Beijing office is.

How sad that Eisler didn't get his facts straight before churning out this garbage. He obviously didn't even so much as reach out to the firm for comment (or it would have been noted). Even Lat does a far better job than this when writing about firm happenings. There's a lot of shit going on at Akin, but this article is a complete fucking joke.

Hey 19. No one respects people from Texas. To quote a great movie -

Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down. Do you suck dicks?

Lat, you should do some digging on this one. Dig far enough and you'll uncover a most amusing story about how close a few of these big names were to leaving for greener pastures.

Some of Akin's big rainmakers have jumped to Hunton & Williams. It's not just low producers being pushed out--there are big producers who are leaving.

54. Did you read the article and preceding posts at all before posting your comment? No one has said it was only low producing people leaving.

Also 53, why don't you just tell us what you know instead of suggesting that Lat do more digging.

53-- Tell us the story!

Weird - this article must have had some source. I can't imagine who that source might be....wonder if that source had a self-serving purpose in providing the author with the information:

"The loss of Wyatt, who took nine other lawyers with him, was not part of Akin Gump’s “restructuring.” He was one of the firm’s top business generators. His departure to Richmond-based Hunton & Williams came after a bitter intrafirm battle over how to allocate proceeds from Wyatt’s gigantic settlements. Along with Texas-based partner Larry Macon, Wyatt had been a leader in suing companies on contingency rather than defending them at a limiting hourly rate. But riches have not brought happiness. After collecting one-third of a $487-million antitrust judgment in a 2006 dispute between two manufacturers of hospital beds, partners began fighting over the money. Wyatt believes he will get a bigger share of future big-dollar plaintiffs’ cases with the Richmond firm."

Well, at least we know this Mr. Wyatt was a very important lawyer, so the Source made clear. We also know that he was not pushed out, which also must have come from Source. So apparently, he left completely on his own (thanks again Source) because he did not get his fair share of all the money he brought in (credit, Source). Odd that Source did not mention that $100 million+ fee was a very unusual contingency that the firm allowed the team to take on. I wonder how many lawyers were on that team? And how many hours they spent on that case? And I wonder how much it would have cost the firm to carry those lawyers if they lost and the contingency did not come through and they had done little other billable work. Strange how those pieces of information didn't make the article.

57 is a great post.

Also, Akin's share of the Spartanburg contingency was $58 million, not over $100 million.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/17/AR2006091700507.html

Blah blah blah Source Source Source.

53, give us the scoop.

Would love to hear what 53 knows.

An ex-Akin lit associate told me that the white collar group was signed and delivered to a West Coast firm (no name given), before a last minute blow-up, which was more than just conflicts.

Anyone know the full story?

All these teasers, but no story!

As a former attorney at the Gump, I must comment that is a truly second rate shop.

I work in the same building as the above-mentioned west coast firm. The Akin group was definitely herded through after-hours to view the facilities and break-bread, including an absolutely stunning female litigator who would have been a fantastic addition to the building gym. We were waiting for the announcement, but it never came. I guess 53 knows why.

I'm an Akin Gump DC associate and I'm really scared. The vending machines have been empty for over a week; I'm down to my last hoarded roll of Donettes. Everyone walks around looking at the floor and people have stopped talking to each other. The old teams, now having nothing better to do, are plotting against each another and the divisions among them have become sharp and hostile. Just yesterday, an income partner was found dead his office, the smell of bitter almonds on his lips and the rim of his Diet Coke.

I'm telling you I don't know what's going to happen and it frightens me.

Dude, it's August. Nobody is in the office who isn't in the middle of due diligence. Or dead of cyanide poisoning.... ;-)

(Akin associate)

What makes me sad is that some of the best people are still left in Akin Gump DC. The Antitrust group there is very good both personally and professionally. They are a fine group, and I wish them the best!

Why don't we see how this plays out at Hunton. Given that money was the apparent driver of the move, you have to assume Hunton paid up big. Historically, it has not been a terribly profitable firm. So they are making a big bet here - one that could pay off or one that could really sink them. Give it a year or two and let's look at PPP then.

67, didn't Akin lose their head of antitrust a year or two ago? Though I think he was in New York.

Wasn't Akin a finalist for litigation department of the year? And don't they have one of the top practices in hedge funds, tax, bankruptcy, private equity, sovereign wealth, public policy, appellate work? Maybe they're not big in capital markets, banking, non-fund M&A but I'd say they're doing just fine. The people who left are gone for a reason - they wanted more than they were worth. It is really best for everyone that they are gone - they're making more than they would at Akin, Akin allows its young stars to shine, and these niche firms get guys who were once big names which may gave them more credibility.

Wasn't Akin a finalist for litigation department of the year? And don't they have one of the top practices in hedge funds, tax, bankruptcy, private equity, sovereign wealth, public policy, appellate work? Maybe they're not big in capital markets, banking, non-fund M&A but I'd say they're doing just fine. The people who left are gone for a reason - they wanted more than they were worth. It is really best for everyone that they are gone - they're making more than they would at Akin, Akin allows its young stars to shine, and these niche firms get guys who were once big names which may gave them more credibility.

70/71--you forgot to add the standard disclaimer at the end of your post: "I'm from Akin Gump, and I approved this message."

Litigation department -- what litigation department???
There is virtually no litigation department remaining in Akin Gump's DC office. In Houston, there is only one litigation associate left, and no female partners left in Houston litigation.
Frankly, there's not much going on in Akin Gump's litigation group -- it's dying on the vine.

Litigation department -- what litigation department???
There is virtually no litigation department remaining in Akin Gump's DC office. In Houston, there is only one litigation associate left, and no female partners left in Houston litigation.
Frankly, there's not much going on in Akin Gump's litigation group -- it's dying on the vine.

73/74 - a quick look at Akin's website indicates that there are three or four litigation associates in Akin's Houston office. There are also 3 counsel and 6 partners.

Thanks for playing.

73/74 - a little more searching on the Akin website shows 266 lawyers remaining in the firm's litigation department, including 82 in DC.

Several well-known people remain, but then you wouldn't care to look.

There is only one litigation associate left in Akin Gump's Houston office. One of those on the website announced last week that she is leaving. The other is actually in the IP group. Counsel are not associates. There are five Houston litigation partners -- one of your six is an IP partner and he's moving to NY. Try convincing clients to use a litigation group that has only partners.
Also, Akin Gump lost all three of its female partners in its Texas labor & employment law group during 2008 (two of whom joined Hunton with Wyatt) and lost the female head of its San Francisco labor & employment law group in San Francisco (the rest of the Akin Gump San Francisco labor & employment law group joined Hunton with Wyatt). It has only two partners in its Texas labor & employment law group and those two gentlemen are in Dallas. It lost all of its labor and employment lawyers in Houston to Hunton.

There is only one litigation associate left in Akin Gump's Houston office. One of those on the website announced last week that she is leaving. The other is actually in the IP group. Counsel are not associates. There are five Houston litigation partners -- one of your six is an IP partner and he's moving to NY. Try convincing clients to use a litigation group that has only partners.
Also, Akin Gump lost all three of its female partners in its Texas labor & employment law group during 2008 (two of whom joined Hunton with Wyatt) and lost the female head of its San Francisco labor & employment law group in San Francisco (the rest of the Akin Gump San Francisco labor & employment law group joined Hunton with Wyatt). It has only two partners in its Texas labor & employment law group and those two gentlemen are in Dallas. It lost all of its labor and employment lawyers in Houston to Hunton.

Having worked there, counsel are associates, just those between their 6th and 8th years. It's just a title for senior associate. Also, who is the ranting female so concerned about the lack of female partners? Do a broader search outside of the fringe offices and you will see several prominent women partners. And the labor people were part of the restructuring - it's not a profitable practice. That's why they go to places like Hunton - commodity shops happy for the work. Also, Lat - can you pull some Wyatt stories? I hear he's a Dennis Block type.

What bitter former houston litigation associate is filling this comment board with useless facts about one of its smaller offices?

AG upheaval continues-- New Yorker Koopersmith just named managing partner at Akin Gump. Not a consensus pick and no pretence at election. The Washington, Texas, and California AG offices are not happy.

According to cached firm website (compared to present day) 75 PARTNERS have departed Akin Gump since last year at this time including John Cogan, Eric Dreiband, Jeff Goldfarb, Tonya Johannsen, Kevin Keenan, Greg Keever, Karen Kubin, Edward Koppman, Timothy LaFrey, Fraser McAlpine, Jack Langlois, Michael Madigan, William Malley, Edward Mannino, Michael O'Shea, Michael Mueller, Todd Stenerson, Phil Eskenazi, Franz Rassman, Perry Rosen, Richard Rosenfeld, Randall Sarosdy, Cecil Shenker, Shannon Schmoyer, Jeffry Sherwood, Julien Smythe, Ann Stephens, Richard Wyatt, Steve Patterson, Demetrius McDaniel, Tom Bond, Barry Senterfitt, Todd Stenerson.

The associates who left are too numerous to count.

WOW! Thanks for that. It is amazing. What percentage of partner turn-over in the past year? I would really be interested in that complete partner list.

AG is trying to put a brave face on the mass exodus by claiming a restructuring. The facts are otherwise. The attorneys who can leave are leaving. Expect more in January, the best time to leave financially.

The story no one has touched: the number of partners who have left mid year despite the financial disincentives to do so. No partner would leave so much money on the table unless he or she felt the firm was about to fail.

The firm website claims 950 attorneys. If we assume approximately 1/3 of them are partners and that post 82 is correct on the 75 partner departures, the turnover in one year is in excess of 20%. That seems astonishing to me at the partner level.

any news?

I don't know about Dennis Block, but it isn't fair to imply that Wyatt was some sort of problem at Akin Gump. At least no more than any high profile and prolific rainmaker is a "problem."

It is no secret that Wyatt is considered a brilliant lawyer and a fabulous mentor. Lawyers at AG regularly competed for the opportunity to work with him. Was poster 79 a casualty in that competition?

Wyatt must have done something right--what with 14 (and counting) partners from five AG offices leaving with him. More than a dozen AG associates and counsel have followed so far.

AG Chair Bruce McLean indicated that the firm did not want any of the Wyatt group to leave. And 79, he ALSO said that the firm did not want to lose the labor group that went to Hunton and that this group was NOT part of any intentional “restructuring."

Akin Gump Chairman: Stream of Departures isn't all Welcome
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/siteLogin.asp?origin=NewsFile7%2F31%2F2008%4025090

Any one else find it interesting timing that Akin Gump chooses NOW to shift center of firm power to NY and private equity rep?

"Wyatt must have done something right--what with 14 (and counting) partners from five AG offices leaving with him. More than a dozen AG associates and counsel have followed so far. "

Do you have the names?

Tom Goldstein is a popular lawyer at Akin Gump and a very nice person. That being said, Tom’s case load-- mostly pro bono, does not contribute in any significant way to the firm’s bottom-line. It’s crazy to put him in same category with rainmakers Dowd, Sherwood, Jankowski or Wyatt.

Another rainmaker who left Akin Gump recently: Yitai Hu. Yitai's departure was the reason the firm had to close the Silicon Valley office.

Didn't Wyatt recruit Goldstein to Akin Gump?

bump

Any news here? How is Akin doing? Updates?

Akin is withdrawing summer associate offers.