Baker & McKenzie’s Mumbai Scare
Though law firms can’t practice in India, several firms have opened offices there to do support work and handle back-office functions. (Howrey got attention for this earlier this year.) Baker & McKenzie has had its eye on India for some time now (which scares Indian law firms); Baker’s India Focus Group has more than 200 lawyers working in over 70 offices.
Last week, a number of those attorneys were meeting in Mumbai, and found themselves in the middle of the terror attacks that killed at least 172 people. COO Greg Walters sent a firm-wide e-mail out on Thanksgiving. Here’s an excerpt:
We have now accounted for all of our Baker & McKenzie people who were visiting Mumbai. The majority of those are now together in a safe house in Mumbai. However the remaining two members of our group are still in one of the hotels.They are both in their hotel rooms and are not being held hostage (you may be hearing reports of people inside the hotel being directly held hostage). We are continuing to do everything possible to get them out of the hotel as soon as it is safe to do so. We are in constant contact with both of those individuals and their immediate families and are providing support and advice.
One of the Baker attorneys trapped in a hotel was Australian partner David Jacobs, who was staying at the Oberoi/Trident Hotel. He was meeting 10 other Baker attorneys there, but they were out to dinner when he arrived at the hotel Wednesday night. His bad luck— they got to a safehouse, while he spent the next two days surrounded by explosions and gunfire.
According to the Sunday Mail, his Blackberry was his savior, as were two security experts hired by the firm to advise him:
Mr Jacobs spent the next 46 hours, desperately keeping the lines of communication open with his family and two security advisers, hired by his firm, who were in contact with Indian authorities….The security advisers from a private firm in the US maintained contact throughout the ordeal, telling him about the progress of the rescue team and what to do if there was a fire or if he came face to face with the terrorists.
They told him the best escape routes and passed on advice according to the latest intelligence.
“Should an unlikely scenario play out where you are located by a terrorist first, you are best suited to comply at the initial contact,” one email said.
“If you are taken by terrorists, you need to plan escape.”
How much do security advisers get paid to come up with that one?
Jacobs’ son reports that his father kept his spirits up by making unfunny dad jokes, like, “I’m getting pretty hungry but the room service in this hotel is terrible.” Full Baker e-mail from Greg Walters, and more from “Indiana Jacobs,” after the jump.
David Jacobs was among 172 people trapped in the Oberoi; 148 survived the ordeal. From an interview with Jacobs in Time Magazine:
I decided to give up and wait. But first, I left messages for my wife and four children to say goodbye. Then I checked my mail and found this outpouring of support and affection, especially from my colleagues at my firm. I got myself something to eat from the mini-bar — in all I had water, soft drinks, three plums, two biscuits and two small Toblerones in two days. I wasn’t scared, really, though I was anxious.
Good plugging of the firm there. Baker could add this to their recruiting page.
Jacobs says the security firm’s advice was actually quite valuable:
“I didn’t sleep much… there was still gunfire and explosions every now and then. By midday on Thursday, there was no internet, and no water. I still had my Blackberry, and all the time it took to answer e-mails kept me busy and emotionally stable. I didn’t break down or anything. For some reason, I always knew I’d be fine if I wasn’t burnt to death. On the second night there was another fire. There was also a phone call, and I didn’t answer as my security agency had warned against it. They said it could be the terrorists trying to find out which rooms were occupied and who was in them, so they could come after us.
Ah, the sweet, sweet Blackberry. Jacobs was rescued Friday afternoon. No word as to the identity of the second member of the group that Walters refers to in the e-mail below.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
BAKER & McKENZIE FIRM-WIDE E-MAIL
From: Walters, Greg C
Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 3:28 PM
Cc: Conroy, John J
Subject: An update from Mumbai
Dear all,
I wanted to provide an update to the note I sent earlier:
We have now accounted for all of our Baker & McKenzie people who were visiting Mumbai. The majority of those are now together in a safe house in Mumbai.
However the remaining two members of our group are still in one of the hotels.They are both in their hotel rooms and are not being held hostage (you may be hearing reports of people inside the hotel being directly held hostage). We are continuing to do everything possible to get them out of the hotel as soon as it is safe to do so. We are in constant contact with both of those individuals and their immediate families and are providing support and advice.
While everyone from B&M (those in the safe house and those in the hotel) is unharmed, and in remarkably good spirits, clearly our two people inside the hotel remain in harms way.
Please continue to refrain from making any comment to the media and/or refer inquiries to Mark Bain, our global director of Communications.
I will, of course, update you as soon as we have further news
Best regards
Greg Walters
Chief Operating Officer
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Trapped in Mumbai: A Survivor’s Tale [Time]
BlackBerry a lifeline for lawyer trapped in Mumbai terror [Sunday Mail]
Howrey Opens Office in India, Gives Clients Lower-Cost Option [American Lawyer]
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Comments
FIRST
FIRST!!!!!!
firsTTT.
FIRST!!!!!!
That's not an unfunny dad joke in this context. That's fucking hilarious.
second
You first posters are truly asses.
A terror attack that killed so many people, and you still post that crap?
So sad.
Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington is now Michael Maurer School of Law. $70 million gift.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20081204/LOCAL/81204041
"Should an unlikely scenario play out where you are located by a terrorist first, you are best suited to comply at the initial contact," one email said.
No shit. "initial contact" would have meant bullet to the head just like with the other poor souls. i'm sure as hell his body would have complied.
"I'm getting pretty hungry but the room service in this hotel is terrible."
LOL. thats awesome.
Excellent post - something Elie could never pull off.
Mumbai, InTTTia
Could you folks just shut off the comments for some of your posts? Seriously, if there aren't people who are going to contribute something valuable to a situation that was horrific and sad, why even allow people to disrespect it?
Hmm...how does this impact the risk reward analysis of outsourcing? Come on global economy freepers, does your cold calculus account for this, or just pennies on the dollar labor cots?
I don't see how this story helps to answer the burning question: will Baker be matching Skadden bonuses???
13-bfd. these are comments on a legal gossip blog. who cares what they say. are you really that offended by them? besides, i'm sure if you were able to ask them face to face, all of the commenters here are upset with the attacks and feel badly for the families of the victims.
no point in getting your panties in bunch over it!
"By midday on Thursday, there was no internet, and no water. I still had my Blackberry, and all the time it took to answer e-mails kept me busy and emotionally stable."
Fucking clients. You're barricaded in your hotel room during a terrorist siege and ther're all "Ok, but I really need to run these comments I sent you today on the document I've been sitting on for a month. I'm going on vacation!"
Later, Elie will cite this post as evidence that Chicago firms are in trouble--think of all the lost billable hours!
I think the room service joke is awesome. I would have said the same thing if I was in that situation and I am awesome.
Forgive my ignorance:
"Though law firms can't practice in India..."
Is it true that US firms can't open an overseas office in India? Why? India doesn't let us in?
Answering that many emails on the BB, while the power was presumably out so he couldn't get a charge, is a testament to the BB battery. I would not have responded to any individual emails from co-workers, etc., other than one firm "i'm still here, more later" msg.
For real, this story brings the attacks a bit more home, doesn't it? I'm not embarassed to say I was emotional reading it.
Take that, you 'first' tools.
20 - Yes, India doesn't let us in. But the ABA thinks it's peachy to ship US work to India to save large corporate clients money. Thanks ABA! You shitbags.
Do you get to bill for all those hours?
21 = blackberry TTTroll
22 = recently fired discovery attorney
24 is an idiot. i believe you meant 21 & 22.
20 - Many Asian countries (including the PRC and South Korea) prohibit foreign firms from employing domestic lawyers or advising on local laws.
#25 was mistaken about 24 meaning 21 & 22, it was supposed to say 26.
Thank god I live in Texas where people are decent and act civil towards each other. This is just ghastly business.
28 - Unless you're an Asian trick-or-treater, then you just get shot in the back.
20- India wants reciprocity with America. The Indian Bar Council has asked the ABA to let Indian law firms open offices here in the United States. I think these firms see Indian expats as potential clients. (Well atleast themif not more) The ABA is not willing to do that.
That is the main reason why Asian countries are not willing to open up their legal markets. Ofocurse, individual lawyers who think that they may lose their practice also oppose this. The Indian Law Minister announce a year ago that he wanted to open the legal market (with some restrictions on practice) and that is why Howrey and Clifford went in. No progress has been made since then, though.
The firm asked for it. The real "scare" is that they're moving our jobs away to Mumbai.
Would nervous T10 1L accept a SA in Mumbai?
Baker to 190.... rupees!
"Baker's India Focus Group has more than 200 lawyers working in over 70 offices."
Really?
What an incredible story. I like the First guys and the TTT brigade but in the context of this story you come off like f-tarded herpes warts on the ass of life.
35 - nailed...wait, what?
A homeless guy poops in a cup. Why?
The replies here sicken me. This is a really horrific story, I was so hoping it would have a happy ending with one less outsourcing scumbag around.
34 - Yes, really.
http://www.bakernet.com/NR/rdonlyres/35FF7BA1-C1D6-440B-8136-E2762B216886/0/chicago_doing_business_in_india_sep08.pdf
I worked for David Jacobs in Oz. He's a complete wanker. Glad he wasn't killed, though (Man I never thought I'd say that when I worked for him...)
Three cheers for the room service joke. That's was awesome!
Wachtell would have hired me.
"12 - Mumbai, InTTTia"
You people sicken me with your immaturity. I'm a 2L at a T1, but reading the comments on Above the Law sometimes makes me worry that I've chosen the wrong profession. I can't believe that you idiots are going to be my colleagues.
Yet another reason why jobs should remain in America.
Wow 43, you're like so mature. And so impressive listing your credentials.
Refer to 16.
It's about time this showed up here. Its been all over the rest of the world for a week now. Way to scoop 'em, Kashmir!
And for all those boo-hooing about direspecting the tragedy: Jacobs spent his time in Mumbai working on getting a book out of it. So nice of him to take pics of everything and making himself ever so available for press quotes. Disgusting.
something about elephant poop and indian food. That's all I remember about Mumbai.
46 - I cannot believe this comment. You, nor many of the other ppl making comments, have any idea what it was like during this siege in mumbai. He was lucky to get out, and has actually been trying to avoid the media since in order to not seem to be using the situation.
It's easy to make such a negative comment when no one knows who you are, isn't it. But unfortunately your anonymity doesn't hide your ignorance or your insensitivty over the situation.
For a law firm, B&M is a real class act. So glad I chose to work there next summer.
I'm in the India Focus Group at B&M. It's really just 20 active members and 180 other attorneys on a listserv.
Actually, I'm with 43. 16 misses the point, and the reply to 43 (wherein 16's post is cited) also misses the point.
Yes, no doubt, the forum doesn't suggest 'serious' commentary is going to occur. But that doesn't matter. It's the fact that people - regardless of the forum - post this garbage day in and day out. To say 'oh, it's an internet comment board' doesn't cut it: there are plenty of us out here in real life who don't decide to take a moral holiday / act like jackasses simply because we're on an internet forum.
Who are these fucking tools? Honestly and genuinely, I'm mystified: who are the people who come here on a daily basis and post the racist garbage, the neverending series of blatant lies, the annoying 'schticks' (high school guy, nervous 1L, the grammar nazis, etc.)? What is wrong with everyone? Is this representative of the fucking legal profession, or just a minority with a too loud voice and, unfortunately, an open forum for expression?
100% representative of the moral pygmies that make up the legal profession. Now imagine spending 80+ hours a week with them and their demands always taking precedence over your friends, family, etc. Rinse, repeat for 52 weeks x 30 years, and you have a 1 in 40 chance of making partner (assuming that you can develop some people skills while sitting in front of the computer 99.999% of your life, and bring in some big clients)...after which your workload will increase threefold.
P.S. Loving every second of it!
100% representative of the moral pygmies that make up the legal profession. Now imagine spending 80+ hours a week with them and their demands always taking precedence over your friends, family, etc. Rinse, repeat for 52 weeks x 30 years, and you have a 1 in 40 chance of making partner (assuming that you can develop some people skills while sitting in front of the computer 99.999% of your life, and bring in some big clients)...after which your workload will increase threefold.
P.S. Loving every second of it!