Powell Goldstein

1. Law Firm Mergers Accelerate In Early 2009: Survey

Friday, May 29, 2009

U.S. law firm tie-ups have picked up speed this year, with more mergers and acquisitions completed in the first quarter of 2009 than in previous first quarters, according to a legal consulting firm’s survey.

2. Baker Donelson Snags 3 Attys From Bryan Cave

Thursday, Apr 23, 2009

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has added a team of three attorneys from Bryan Cave LLP to boost the firm's securities and transactions practices in Atlanta.

3. Takeovers Of Small Firms Keep Merger Activity Up

Tuesday, Apr 07, 2009

Although the sluggish economy has slowed mergers between major U.S. law firms, acquisitions of small law firms have continued unabated, contributing to the slight rise in law firm mergers reported this year, according to a legal management consulting firm.

4. Lawyer Layoffs Topped 1,000 In February

Thursday, Mar 05, 2009

February marked the most treacherous month so far in a slew of layoffs in the legal industry that began building last fall as the economic crisis set in, but the brutal trend appears to be accelerating as March's numbers continue to rise by the day, Law360's analysis shows.

5. Law Firm Mergers To Accelerate This Year: Survey

Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009

The number of law firm mergers went up just slightly in 2008 compared to the previous year, but many more firm combinations are expected this year due to tough economic times, according to a legal consulting firm’s survey.

6. Year Ends On High Note For Law Firm Tie-Ups

Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008

New Year's Eve has brought rumors of more law firm marriages to come as firms big and small struggle to ride out the economic downturn, though it remains to be seen whether cash-strong outfits will be able to continue to scoop up their financially downtrodden peers at the same pace as 2008.

7. Collective Action OT Suit V. Gwinnett Moves Forward

Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008

The judge overseeing a case in which mechanical contractor Gwinnett Sprinkler Co. is accused of failing to pay the federally mandated premium rate for overtime hours has granted conditional certification to a class of current and former employees that plaintiffs counsel says could include up to 350 members.

8. Cravath's Slashed Bonuses Could Set Trend

Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008

New York powerhouse Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP is drawing heat for slashing associate bonuses in the midst of the economic crisis, but with law firms continuing to engage in public layoffs and stealth firings, others may now feel at liberty to follow the prestigious firm's example.

9. Law Firm Bonuses Might Be Headed For Overhaul

Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008

With the economy continuing to tank and associates increasingly worried about their jobs, law firms may be forced to abandon the lockstep bonus structure that they have traditionally embraced in favor of a more merit-based approach in the future, some experts say.

10. Firms' Slowed Growth Will Extend To '09, Experts Say

Monday, Nov 10, 2008

The nation's 250 largest law firms expanded their lawyer rolls less in 2008 than in 2007, signaling that the legal industry has not been immune to the economic slump and some belt-tightening is already taking place, according to a report published Monday.

11. Leaps & Bounds: Notable Firm News

Friday, Nov 07, 2008

Thelen's lawyers were on the move this week after news broke of the firm's dissolution. Nixon Peabody may score as many as 90 attorneys from the failed firm. O'Melveny & Myers nabbed three Thelen partners, while Goulston & Storrs and WilmerHale each scooped one up.

12. For Firms, This Year May Not End With Lavish Parties

Friday, Nov 07, 2008

With the economic crisis in full swing and people being laid off left and right, one big question remains to be answered: Will law firms still have their over-the-top holiday parties this season?

13. Bryan Cave, PoGo Merger Becomes Official

Monday, Nov 03, 2008

Confirming rumors that had been swirling since last week, Bryan Cave LLP and Powell Goldstein LLP announced Monday that they would combine into one of the 20 largest law firms in the world, with more than 1,200 attorneys spread throughout 25 offices.

14. Merger In The Works For Bryan Cave & PoGo: Report

Friday, Oct 31, 2008

Following months of merger speculation and partner defections, Atlanta-based Powell Goldstein LLP has reportedly agreed to be acquired by Bryan Cave LLP in a move that would create a powerhouse of 1,250 attorneys spread over 15 cities, establishing a considerable presence in Midwestern and Southern litigation corridors.

15. Associate Layoffs Spike In October

Thursday, Oct 23, 2008

October has been the most treacherous month so far this year for associates at top-tier law firms, marked by a whopping 226 pink slips amid Heller Ehrman LLP's implosion and wide-scale layoffs at institutions like Clifford Chance LLP and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Law360's analysis shows.

16. Jenner & Block Lets Go Of 10 Partners

Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008

Jenner & Block LLP has reportedly let go of 10 partners, following closely behind a number of big-name firms that have downsized in response to economic troubles.

17. To Take Or Not To Take A Staff Attorney Job

Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008

As the economy wobbles and law firms lay people off left and right, the demand for staff attorneys is likely to increase, but for out-of-work lawyers this may prove to be a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution to employment problems.

18. Katten Cuts 21 Lawyers As Layoffs List Lengthens

Friday, Oct 17, 2008

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has become the latest in a growing number of high-profile firms to lay off lawyers as the crisis in the financial sector and broader economy takes its toll.

19. Sonnenschein Says Goodbye To 24 Attorneys

Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

While the latest round of cuts at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP is not as deep as the legal blogosphere rumored it to be, the firm's chairman has said that around 24 attorneys and over 80 support staff members have been laid off, just six months after the firm let go of 37 lawyers.

20. Clifford Chance Axes 20 US-Based Associates

Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008

Clifford Chance LLP disclosed Tuesday that it will lay off 20 associates from its litigation and dispute resolution practice group, marking the firm's second round of layoffs in the past year.