Seyfarth Shaw

Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 91 – 100 (2010)

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comparing.jpgHere we are. The end of the Vault 100.
To be on the Vault 100 is to be a well-known firm. Sure, maybe not well-known to law students or junior associates who can’t see past the mountain of doc review boxes in their windowless conference rooms. But known to partners … and clients. Look down your nose at these firms if you wish, but remember the old African proverb: “The smallest elephant can still crush your Lexus.”
Here is the final batch of top law firms for discussion:

91. Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
92. Blank Rome
93. Seyfarth Shaw
94. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
95. Manatt Phelps & Phillips
96. Squire Sanders & Dempsey
97. Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
98. Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
99. Wiley Rein
100. Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo

What say you about these fine firms? Some final thoughts after the jump.

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Seyfarth Lays Off a First-Year Associate — Then Gets Her New Firm Kicked Off a Case

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Sarah Getchell.jpgEd. note: This post has been revised in a number of important respects after it was published. As a result, many reader comments have been superseded, because they refer to parts of the post that have been edited or deleted. Please refresh your browser to read the latest version. Thank you.
Sarah Getchell is having a rough 2009. The University of Michigan grad was a first year at Seyfarth Shaw, until being laid off in May (perhaps as part of this bunch).
She found new employment at a small labor law firm, Lichten & Liss-Riordan. But then Seyfarth used her hiring to get the new firm removed from a case — not very nice.

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Seyfarth Shaw Cancels 2010 Summer Program

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Seyfarth Shaw logo.jpgWhile there seems to be some good news for rising 3Ls, there is more bad news for rising 2Ls. Seyfarth Shaw is the latest firm to cancel its 2010 summer program. Here’s the news from an email that went out to associates earlier today:

[T]he Executive Committee has made the decision to not host a summer associate program in 2010. By taking a break from hosting a summer program in 2010, it will allow us to effectively integrate those associates who already are set to start or participating in this year’s summer program. It also will help us get back on a more typical schedule of first-year hiring. This is not a decision to cease hiring from law schools, nor is it a decision to permanently cease a summer program. It is, however, a decision to pause for a year.

For people who have been paying attention to Seyfarth Shaw, today’s news isn’t all that surprising. More details after the jump.

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Nationwide Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw Cuts 50, Cuts Salaries, Cuts Back on Summer Program

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Seyfarth Shaw logo.jpgSeyfarth Shaw just announced an extensive “hybrid tough love” package. The firm is laying off employees as well as cutting salaries. It is also reducing the length of the summer program and pushing back start dates.

According to a firm wide memo, 50 people will be let go:

Today, we have completed a reduction in attorneys and staff of approximately 50 people out of approximately 1,600 people nationwide. These reductions are spread across all offices and practice groups. We deeply regret the need to take these steps. The people affected are our friends and co-workers who have made contributions to the growth of the Firm. We have reached out to every affected person prior to the distribution of this e-mail.

We cannot predict the future but, as we said above, it is our goal by taking this step to avoid any further reductions in positions for the remainder of the year. We know that we will be asking each of you to take on additional responsibilities. We thank you in advance for your continued efforts on behalf of our clients and the Firm.

Seyfarth laid off 30 people back in December, and another 30 people in January. Hopefully, this is the last time layoff survivors will have to worry about their jobs. At least for this year.

After the jump, we get to the other news.

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Court Karate Chops Seyfarth Shaw Over Billy Blanks Malpractice Suit

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billy blanks tae bo seyfarth shaw above the law.jpgThe 90′s were good to Billy Blanks of Tae Bo fame. His taekwando-boxing hybrid workout routine was all the rage across the land, with Paula Abdul a notable follower.

After his career peaked, the legal troubles started. In 1999, he filed a $10 million suit against his agent, because his agent wasn’t licensed to be an agent. And he hired Seyfarth Shaw to represent him. The case did not go well, and Blanks kick-boxed a malpractice suit Seyfarth’s way. One of Seyfarth’s L.A. partners, William Lancaster, bore the full brunt of Blanks’ aerobic fury, because Blanks alleged that he missed the statute of limitations by four weeks because Lancaster was dilly-dallying in the Superior Court system rather than taking his complaint to the labor commissioner, where it belonged.

The malpractice suit was decided in Blanks’ favor, and he was awarded $30 million. But the Second District Court of Appeals has reversed the judgment and remanded the case to the trial court.

Not without a cardio-kick to Seyfarth. From the Legal Pad:

[The] Second District Court of Appeal ruling that gave [Seyfarth] that dancing-with-joy moment wasn’t very kind to their law firm: It almost scoffed at their defenses to a celebrity’s claim of legal malpractice….

[Justice Richard Aldrich] had a warning for Seyfarth (and the trial judge) on remand. Aldrich speculated that Seyfarth will argue that Lancaster’s decision to delay filing a TAA petition was “a reasoned choice” or a “prudent trial strategy.” But he indicated that won’t be easy.

“Although attorneys have wide latitude in selecting strategy,” Aldrich wrote, “Seyfarth will have the burden to explain why its choice to delay filing a TAA petition was based upon a rational, professional judgment that would have been made by other reputable attorneys in the community under the same or substantially similar circumstances.”

Billy Blanks is giving Seyfarth quite the work-out.

Seyfarth off Hook for $30 Million Award — for Now [Legal Pad]

Court Throws Out $30 Million Legal Malpractice Award [Metropolitan News-Enterprise]

Second District Court of Appeal Ruling

Nationwide Staff Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw

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Seyfarth Shaw logo.jpgIn December, Seyfarth Shaw laid off 30 attorneys. Today, the wheel came around to a number of staff:

As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce the number of support staff positions in a limited number of offices, including ours. In Chicago, this has affected nine secretaries and five members of local department staff. A total of approximately 25 employees have been affected across the Firm.

A tipster reports:

Old ladies and people with 10+ years experience.

Read the full Seyfarth memo after the jump.

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Nationwide Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw Lays Off 30 Attorneys

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Seyfarth Shaw logo.jpgThe latest layoff news comes from Seyfarth Shaw. The firm’s Executive Committee sent around a firm-wide email this morning:

As part of our planning for 2009, we have reviewed our staffing in light of market conditions and expected client needs — for now and for the coming year. While we continue to anticipate a solid 2008, we believe there is a need to exercise prudent business judgment and respond to what economists predict will be a continued challenging economic climate in the year ahead.

One of the decisions we have made has been to reduce legal headcount by approximately 30 attorneys and other time keepers across our offices. We believe this is the best course of action for the Firm in light the economic downturn. These are very difficult decisions to make and, we know, hard news to learn.

It’s another classy letter that sends a clear signal to the legal community that former-Seyfarth associates were let go only because of the terrible economic climate that is hurting everyone.

As we understand it, the firm cuts hit the New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Boston offices.

We don’t know if this will have any impact on the long standing rumor of a merger between Seyfarth Shaw and Squire Sanders. But Seyfarth’s decision comes just two weeks after Squire Sanders announced layoffs of … 30 attorneys. Make of that what you will.

Read the full Seyfarth Shaw announcement after the jump.

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Law Firm Merger Mania: Seyfarth Shaw + Squire Sanders?

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law firm merger small.jpgHere is yet another rumor — somewhat better sourced than the Thacher Proffitt / King & Spalding rumor, but a rumor nonetheless — about a possible law firm merger.

Word on the street is that Seyfarth Shaw is seeking a merger partner. This should not come as a shock, since Seyfarth has been stumbling a bit due to the downturn. As previously reported, the firm has pushed back start dates and trimmed its lawyer ranks.

The Seyfarth partnership recently returned from its retreat, where strategic opportunities were discussed. The scuttlebutt is that the firm is in “serious” merger talks with another firm of roughly equal size. Upon information and belief, that firm is Squire Sanders.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP logo AboveTheLaw Above the Law legal blog.jpgBoth firms hover around the 800-attorney mark. The product of their merger — nicknamed “S4″ by one tipster, standing for either “Seyfarth Shaw Squire Sanders” or “Squire Sanders Seyfarth Shaw” — would be a 1600-lawyer behemoth. The combination would give Seyfarth a coveted foothold in Bratislava.

squire snaders staff attorney offers.gifAssociate meetings were held in all Seyfarth Shaw offices earlier this afternoon. Associates were briefed on the retreat and told about ongoing merger talks with another firm. Details are scarce; the confidential nature of the merger talks was stressed to the associates “about a dozen times.”

Whether these talks will bear fruit is anyone’s guess. Lately law-firm merger talks have been falling at a high rate.

We’ll keep you posted. If you have any info to share, please email us. Thanks.

Nationwide Start Date Watch: Sonnenschein

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calendar Above the Law blog.jpgWe’re a little late in passing along this news, which is from last month. But when it comes to coverage of certain topics, like start dates and layoffs, we aim for completeness.
An article in Crain’s Chicago Business focuses on delayed start dates at major law firms in the Windy City. Most of the news in the piece was previously broken by ATL. See, e.g., Seyfarth Shaw; DLA Piper.
But there’s one nugget of news:

With starting attorney salaries reaching $160,000 a year, delaying new-hire dates is one way to trim expenses. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, which has 186 attorneys in Chicago and a substantial real estate practice, pushed back starting dates for seven lawyers by two months, to mid-November, a spokeswoman says.

So add Sonnenschein to the list of firms that have delayed start dates for incoming associates. Just like no-offering summer associates, pushing back starting dates is less than ideal. But as we wondered on Friday, such measures may be the lesser of multiple evils (with lawyer layoffs as a greater evil — although some firms have done both).
P.S. Lee Miller might want to coordinate better with his public-relations team. The DLA Piper PR folks previously explained that the change in start dates was made “to provide a uniform start date across all our offices… [and] to have a uniform orientation process.” But Miller tells Crain’s that it’s the economy, stupid:

“Any firm that isn’t careful in this economy is nuts,” says Lee Miller, joint CEO of DLA, Chicago’s eighth-biggest law firm. Mr. Miller says the firm also plans to cut next summer’s recruiting class by as much as one-fifth. “The transactional practices are slower, mirroring the economy, and the capital markets are in turbulent times,” he says.

P.P.S. Today, of course, is Labor Day. Is anyone reading?
Update / Correction: The Sonnenschein start date news was first reported by Bloomberg News on August 5, in a very interesting article on partner pay. As Lindsay Fortado reported, the firm pushed back start dates for 20 of its 24 incoming first-year associates from September to November 15. (The seven lawyers referenced in the Crain’s article appear to be Chicago associates; the firm-wide number appears to be 20.)
Tougher times on the docket [Crain's Chicago Business]
Wall Street Lawyers Ask Bank, Can You Spare $250,000? [Bloomberg News]

Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 91-100 (2009)

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comparing.jpgThis marks the end of our review of the firms in the Vault 100. This is the final bunch up for discussion (with prestige scores in parentheses):

91. Lovells (4.494)
92. Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP (4.489)
93. Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP (4.478)
94. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP (4.459)
95. Kilpatrick Stockton LLP (4.452)
96. Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP (4.439)
97. Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (4.421)
98. Seyfarth Shaw (4.399)
99. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC (4.394)
100. Fenwick & West LLP (4.373)

Discuss. Dissect. Compare. Contrast. Most of all, enjoy.
Earlier: Vault 100 Open Threads – 2009

Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: A Little More on Seyfarth Shaw

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Seyfarth Shaw LLP logo AboveTheLaw Above the Law legal blog.jpgA quick update on yesterday’s post about Seyfarth Shaw. A source there tells us:

Here are the “official” numbers for Seyfarth NYC and “Others,” excluding Atlanta (no idea where they are — presumably lower). Great for the mid/upper classes, but no so great for 1st-2nd years. Some grumbling also from income partners since they don’t get paid a whole lot more than a senior associate and have to deal with all the administrative headaches associated with income partner status.

For those of you who are interested, the salary ranges appear after the jump.

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Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: The Latest on Seyfarth Shaw

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Seyfarth Shaw LLP logo AboveTheLaw Above the Law legal blog.jpgWe’ve confirmed the news, which surfaced previously in the comments, about the pay raise announcement by Seyfarth Shaw. Here’s what one source told us:

The Chicago office had an all-associate meeting [yesterday]. First- and second-year associates will stay lockstep — $145K for first years, $155K for second years — while third- through eighth-years will get “market” base salary ranges. Not clear where anyone will fall in the ranges yet, since we don’t find out until the week of March 3.

The bonus pool remains the same as last year, which means no “extraordinary” bonuses. (But there seems to be room to reward top performers one way or another.)

The managing partner of the office made a crack about sending him anonymous questions by posting them “on Wikipedia,” so perhaps it’s time for a higher profile for you.

Additional information, including ranges for selected classes, after the jump.

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