Mergers for Hogan Lovells in Mexico and Patton Boggs in Japan... Fieldfishers smashes record barrier... expansion for HSF Germany... a new partner for Orrick... and good news and bad news for law graduates...
Hogan Lovells combines with Mexican firm
Hogan Lovells today announced that it has agreed to combine with prominent Mexican firm Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres Landa, giving the firm expanded capabilities in Mexico City and Monterrey. The combined firm will be called Hogan Lovells BSTL and is expected to be effective from the 1
st August. An expanded physical presence in Mexico has become increasingly important for Hogan Lovells, with a majority of leading clients having operations there. As foreign investors continue to increase their investments in Mexico, there are a growing number of complex financial transactions in the area.
Squire Patton Boggs strengthens Japanese practice
The merged firm may still be in its infancy but that hasn’t stopped Squire Patton Boggs strengthening its operations in Japan, by acquiring local firm Mamiya Law Offices. The firms have worked together previously; the Squires part of the business and Mamiya having 20 years of history. The stronger practice will seek to grow with the increase in multijurisdictional deals in the Asian-Pacific region.
Fieldfisher smashes £100m barrier
Fieldfisher has hit a new milestone; breaking through the £100m turnover barrier for the first time. The increase of 9.5 per cent takes the firms revenue to £104m (NZD$203.3m), helped by rent savings on its London practice, which moved two offices in one saving overall floor space. The firm’s offices in Belgium, Silicon Valley and Hamburg also produced good results and the tax and banking sectors of the business saw particular growth.
Expansion in German practice for HSF
Herbert Smith Freehills has expanded its German practice with the hire of competition partner Michael Dietrich from Taylor Wessing. A specialist in German and EU competition law, Michael's areas of expertise include merger control, investigations, litigation and compliance programmes. He’s the firm’s sixth partner hire in Germany since opening for business in April 2013, joining corporate and M&A lawyers Ralf Thaeter and Nico Abel, real estate specialist Hans Thomas Kessler, disputes expert Mathias Wittinghofer and finance partner Kai Liebrich who joined the firm last month.
New hire for Orrick
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced today that William B. Jacobson will join the firm on 2nd September, as a partner in its White Collar & Corporate Investigations Practice Group in Washington. He has a wealth of experience in multinationals, having served as general counsel and also has extensive government experience. In private practice he has been a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and Fulbright & Jaworski.
Mixed news for law graduates
A report due next month from the National Association for Law Placement in the US, will deliver good news and bad for upcoming legal professionals. The good news is that starting salaries for newly qualified lawyers has increased, up to US$95,000. That’s a six per cent increase on the previous year, but still way below starting figures before the recession. The bad news is that getting hired is tougher than ever. Employment for graduates is at a 22-year low, at 84.5 per cent. The last time rates were that low we had just come out of the big recession of the early 90s.
