The U.S. legal services sector continued to add jobs in May, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Legal sector jobs totaled 1,180,400 last month, up 700 jobs from April, even as the industry grapples with scattered layoffs at some of the highest-grossing law firms in the country.
At least 10 large law firms have publicly confirmed laying off lawyers, staff or both since November, including Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Cooley, Davis Wright Tremaine, Dechert, Goodwin Procter, Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, Lowenstein Sandler, Perkins Coie, Shearman & Sterling, and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.
More from the legal industry …
A California appeals court rejected efforts from the former University of California Hastings College of the Law to block a lawsuit brought by descendants of Serranus Hastings over a change to the school’s name. A former attorney at DLA Piper sued the firm, alleging she was fired for seeking maternity leave. Texas billionaire Harlan Crow’s lawyer has offered to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee staff to discuss the businessman’s ties to conservative SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas. The SEC’s Coinbase and Binance cases have drawn big-name defense lawyers – Coinbase hired Sullivan & Cromwell and Wachtell lawyers, and Binance turned to Gibson Dunn, WilmerHale and Latham. Plus, columnist Alison Frankel writes that with FTX cases headed to Miami, Boies and Moskowitz law firms seem poised to grab lead roles.
Moves:
- In Los Angeles …
A former 9th Circuit judge, who was once considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, joined Wilson Sonsini. Latham’s entertainment and media practice leader Kenneth Deutsch joined rival Paul Hastings.
- In Washington, D.C. …
Morgan Lewis strengthened its healthcare practice with the addition of a former FDA official.
- In New York …
Freshfields tapped former Weil partner Damian Ridealgh for its finance practice. McDermott hired structured finance partner Jonathan Ching from Linklaters. BakerHostetler added litigation partner David Fertig from Morrison Foerster. Armstrong Teasdale expanded its financial and real estate services practice with the addition of associate Paige Guarino.
- In New Jersey …
Gibbons rehired partner Ricardo Solano to co-chair its newly re-established white-collar and investigations practice group.
- In Boston …
Day Pitney welcomed four lateral partners from Burns & Levinson to its private client department.
- In Houston …
Shook Hardy hired corporate and M&A partner James Mayor from Dallas-based Culhane Meadows.
- In San Francisco …
Shearman & Sterling intellectual property partner L. Kieran Kieckhefer left the firm for Gibson Dunn. Covington hired a former White House environmental official under President Biden to co-chair a new climate practice.
- In San Diego …
Cooley hired three intellectual property partners from Fish & Richardson. Mintz welcomed patent and trade secret litigator Reza Dokhanchy from Kirkland & Ellis.
- In London …
K&L Gates added Fieldfisher partner Ron Feldman to its asset management and investment funds practice.
- And finally …
Mayer Brown appointed partner Hannah Ha as the chair of the firm’s Asia board. London-founded Clifford Chance is opening its third U.S. office in Houston with a team of 10 partners. Reed Smith hired a partner-counsel duo from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips to join its life sciences health industry practice.
