A recent article in IP Law & Business suggested that rumors of the demise of IP specialty law firms have been greatly exaggerated. According to the piece, intellectual property boutiques continue to survive, despite encroachment on their turf by general-practice firms.

This is not to say, however, that everything is peachy in IP land. The article notes that Morgan & Finnegan, one prominent IP shop, "has lost 10 partners in the past year, and its overall head count is down considerably." (We wonder if they included Jeremy Pitcock in the partner losses.)

The firm has been shedding associates and staff, too. Earlier this week, we heard from several tipsters that Morgan & Finnegan was laying off lawyers, technical and scientific advisors, and staff.

We confirmed the news with Pat Bowers, director of administration for Morgan & Finnegan. She acknowledged the layoffs (and even had the courage to use the "L" word, which many other firms shun).

The firm believes in "the importance of communication," explained Bowers. "It's not like we were doing it behind closed doors." Prior to informing the affected employees, administration sent out a firm-wide email explaining that the firm was "scrutinizing our direct and indirect expenses, and looking at our staffing needs in New York and D.C."

The affected employees were notified of the layoffs starting on Friday of last week and ending yesterday by close of business (so if you're at the firm and haven't heard anything, you're in the clear). Bowers declined to provide exact numbers, citing confidentiality concerns, but said that (1) the firm "laid off less than 7 percent of attorneys and staff," and (2) the cuts were centered on staff, not lawyers.

More details, below the fold.

Earlier this year, we wrote about a puzzling situation involving Jeremy Pitcock, a successful young IP litigator in New York. Pitcock left Kasowitz Benson, where he served as head of the intellectual property practice, and joined Morgan & Finnegan. After Morgan's hiring of Pitcock was touted as a coup -- in IP Law360, and in a Morgan press release -- Kasowitz issued a statement claiming they fired him for "extremely inappropriate personal conduct." The following month, Pitcock left Morgan & Finnegan, under unclear circumstances.

Now Jeremy Pitcock is back on the legal scene, this time as a plaintiff. From the American Lawyer:

[Pitcock] filed a defamation lawsuit against the [Kasowitz] firm Thursday seeking more than $90 million for what he calls the "malicious and unwarranted smear campaign" that followed his dismissal.

The lawsuit, Pitcock v. Kasowitz Benson, was filed in the Southern District of New York. It has been assigned to Judge John E. Sprizzo.

So what exactly was the allegedly inappropriate conduct by Pitcock?

Find out, after the jump.

Some of you may recall the strange tale of Jeremy Pitcock, a successful IP litigator in New York. As we previously reported, he recently left Kasowitz Benson, where he headed the intellectual property practice, for Morgan & Finnegan. That's par for the course, in this age of increased lateral partner movement. The weird part was that Kasowitz issued a statement, apparently in response to Morgan's trying to tout Pitcock's move as a hiring coup, in which Kasowitz said they fired Pitcock for "extremely inappropriate personal conduct."

The plot thickens. A source informed us that Jeremy Pitcock is no longer at Morgan & Finnegan, which we have confirmed. His bio is no longer on the firm website, which has also been scrubbed of the press release touting his hire. If you try emailing him at his Morgan & Finnegan email address, which is the one provided in his LinkedIn profile, as we did, your message will bounce back to you.

We tried calling Jeremy Pitcock at the Morgan & Finnegan phone number listed in his profile. The nervous-sounding woman who answered the phone told us that he's no longer with the firm, that she didn't have forwarding information for him, and that his last day in the office was "last week."

Did Morgan & Finnegan get rid of Pitcock after investigating the alleged "inappropriate personal conduct"? One source said it would be surprising. First, Pitcock is a superstar IP lawyer. Rumor has it that "when he left Simpson, he had a $6 million book of business, as a 6th or 7th year associate. He decided he wanted to be a partner [immediately, rather than waiting a few years,] and Kasowitz took him up on that."

Second, some claim Morgan & Finnegan has a reputation for tolerating a certain degree of inappropriate personal conduct. One source tells us that "they aren't known for being friendly to women -- or in some cases, they're known for being too friendly. There were partners who asked female associates on dates repeatedly and others who referred to female associates as 'pretty young girls.' Still others simply refused to work with women."

We contacted the firm's spokesperson to inquire about Pitcock's departure; she wasn't in, so we left a message. We haven't heard back from her yet, but if we do, we'll let you know.

If you have the 411, feel free to email us. Thanks.

Update (2:30 PM): We just heard back from the Morgan & Finnegan spokesperson. She stated that the firm generally does not comment on internal firm matters.

Update (6/6/08): Jeremy Pitcock has filed a $90 million defamation lawsuit against Kasowitz Benson. See here.

Earlier: Musical Chairs: Kasowitz Attributes IP Head's Departure to 'Extremely Inappropriate Personal Conduct'

If we hadn't already named a Lawyer of the Day, the prize might have gone to Jeremy Pitcock of Morgan & Finnegan. From the American Lawyer:

The former head of intellectual property at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman was fired in December for "extremely inappropriate personal conduct," according to the firm.

Not merely "inappropriate" conduct, but "extremely inappropriate" conduct. We're guessing it was strenuously objectionable.

Jeremy Pitcock, 35, joined Kasowitz in March 2006 after being wooed from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he was a senior associate. Kasowitz named him head of IP not long after. But after less than two years, Pitcock left the 200-plus-lawyer firm for 52-lawyer New York IP boutique Morgan & Finnegan.

Morgan touted Pitcock's hiring as "an outstanding addition to our successful litigation practice" when it announced his move on January 8. But the Kasowitz firm says he was forced out following an unspecified incident.

"Mr. Pitcock was terminated for cause by Kasowitz, Benson in December 2007 because of extremely inappropriate personal conduct," name partner Daniel Benson said in a statement.

So what prompted the firm's statement?

Kasowitz's statement followed the publication of an article in trade publication IP Law 360 last week, which reported that Morgan had lured Pitcock from Kasowitz. In his statement, directed toward the publication, Benson said, "It was inaccurate to use 'nab' in your headline, or to use 'jump ship' in your opening paragraph."

"We were not looking to publicize this incident, but because of those incorrect news items, we felt compelled to set the record straight," Benson said in a press release that the firm distributed online.

We're intrigued -- and the full article in the American Lawyer doesn't offer much more. If you have details on the alleged conduct, please email us. Thanks.

Update (6/6/08): Jeremy Pitcock has filed a $90 million defamation lawsuit against Kasowitz Benson. See here.

Kasowitz Fired its ex-IP Chief for Inappropriate Conduct [The American Lawyer via Law.com]
Jeremy S. Pitcock bio [Morgan & Finnegan]