Heller Ehrman

Heller Is Stuck In A Moment

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You’ve got to, get yourself together

You’ve got stuck in a moment,

And now you can’t get out of it

Don’t say that later will be better,

now you’re stuck in a moment

And you can’t get out of it

— U2

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Heller Ehrman is in trouble. They’ve been spurned again and again by merger partners, entire practice groups have defected, and now more rumors are flying fast and furious. Today’s Recorder reports:

In office meetings on Wednesday, partners were told that dissolution is one of several options facing the 119-year-old firm, a Heller partner said. As a result, management said it was understood that partners would begin talking to other firms, and several individuals and groups have already begun talks, sources said.

Despite these talks, Heller continues to show a brave face to the public. In response to reports we had heard declaring that Heller’s D.C. office would be closing, a firm spokesperson said simply:

[T]here are no plans to close the D.C. office.

But the firm’s 2009 summer program seems to be up in the air. The Heller people we talked with had no direct knowledge of what was happening with the summer program, but one tipster sent us an ominous warning:

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I am a 2L at Georgetown. I had a screening interview with Heller Ehrman almost a month ago and heard back earlier this week, within hours after the news about the failed merger. I warily accepted a callback with them. Just got a voicemail from their recruiting coordinator saying that they had to cancel the callback and that she didn’t have any more information about it. My theory is that they’re canceling the summer program

Ours too. But Heller’s associate recruitment department could not be reached for comment.

Employees still at Heller weigh in after the jump.


Some Heller employees have started a “lifeboat” blog — Heller Highwater– for sharing information and helping other Heller colleagues. It’s mainly geared towards helping Heller support staff make sense of the turmoil at the firm:

Heller Highwater is, in essence, a support site for the professional support staff of a global law firm in turmoil: Heller Erhman, LLP.

The name Heller Highwater is a reminder for all who visit to remember the “highwaters” of Heller Ehrman: when a once well-managed and well-respected firm consistently reached the high marks of integrity, efficiency, respect and dignity towards its backbone and foundaton – its professional support staff.

Though it only went up this past Monday, Helller Highwater is getting a ton of traffic and was named the ABA Law Journal’s featured blawg of the week.

The founder of Heller Highwater has this take on the D.C. office closing rumors:

Talk is that NY and DC branch split off into their own firm. As does Anchorage (the Caribou Barbie office), Seattle, SF, SV, LA and whatever the hell is left of the carion called San Diego.

Sounds like how East and West Pakistan became Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Dissolution? An East/West coast split? Heller will figure out what to do with themselves soon enough. They have to.

Heller Ponders Dissolution [Law.Com]

Heller Highwater

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Heller Ehrman

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