Did someone say work?
 

Now that all of the junior people have been laid off, work is crazy and there are no underlings to take up the slack. But we all worry so much about slow times that no one here wants to hire again. Better to do a lot of hours now than risk overstaffing.

Re: Did someone say work?
 

Man, is that true. I've been getting hammered the last few months, but no calvary of associates is expected. I won't complain, other than to say, more work, less friends/associates = sucks. But better than the alternative, I know.

Flinty

re: did someone say work?
 

Heh, if you can hook me up w/ a job, I'd love to be the cavalry. :D

anyways, is there any substance to the rumor that COOLEY and WILSON are doing due diligence on each other? (its on the GA bd)

Re: re: did someone say work?
 

There's a thread on this board about that subject, but I think you're not going to find any substance to that rumor anywhere.

Re: re: did someone say work?
 

Believe me Acoustic, I'd be glad for your help. But there are a lot of people ahead of you in line, as you can imagine...and the line isn't moving, unfortunately. I can't say that I blame the powers that be, better safe than sorry, although I think a lot of money is being left on the table as current staffing often can't meet the demand...

Flinty

Re: Cooley moving to Death Star?
 

Yeah, the cat's pretty much out of the bag on this one; we're expecting an announcement tomorrow. Apparently, diligence was pretty brief and the conflicts look surmountable. (There will have to be a pretty sizable divestiture/spin-off in one litigation department as a first step.)

Apparently the potential deal-breaker is which agency does the HSR pre-merger clearance. Perception is that the agreement would get by the FTC but probably get a second request from the Antitrust Division. (Based on a combination of recent actions and strength of contacts at the firms.) A second request would probably cause serious defections.

There isn't much history to go on, because there aren't a lot of horizontal mergers among law firms with as much local share as WSGR and Cooley. The FTC has professional services under the 2002 MOA with Justice, but DOJ has been a little restive here. There was a turf skirmish last year when two law firms (Duben, Broma & Witz and Narr MacGuffin, in Charlotte) got cleared by the FTC but the DOJ demanded to review the deal.

CoWs
 

All this talk of Cooley-WSGR merger is interesting, but the cynic in me wonders what other great rumors might be spawned this April 1st. The clincher for me was the notion that anyone (outside of our community) would really care if Cooley-WSGR merged. Hey, maybe I will be proven wrong shortly . . .

SF PD's office
 

The Recorder reports today that Jeff Adachi has hired 11 lawyers since early January. Who knows if he's still hiring?

Re: Cooley moving to Death Star?
 

LOL. Wry sense of humor you got there, wish I worked with you.

Flinty

Davis Polk, Menlo Park (?)
 

Does anyone know anything about the Davis Polk Menlo Park office? Any news would be appreciated.

Pillsbury Settles With Frodo
 

Pillsbury Settles With Frode Jensen

Alexei Oreskovic
The Recorder
04-02-2003


Pillsbury Winthrop has settled a $45 million defamation suit brought against it by former partner Frode Jensen.

According to a statement released Tuesday by Stanley Arkin, a New York attorney representing Jensen, the two sides have agreed to settle litigation pending in Connecticut Superior Court. The terms of the deal, including any financial payments, are confidential.

The announcement also contained a four-sentence statement by Pillsbury Winthrop in which the firm recants its previous public statements regarding Jensen and calls him "one of the firm's most productive corporate partners." The announcement appeared to indicate that Pillsbury's apology was a condition of the settlement.

Ronald Van Buskirk, Pillsbury's general counsel, said the settlement was effective as of two days ago but he was unable to comment on the details. The four sentences by Pillsbury were the only statement that the parties agreed could be released, Van Buskirk said.

The settlement closes one of the most unpleasant chapters in Pillsbury Winthrop's recent history and eliminates the possibility of a public and potentially embarrassing trial.

In September, Pillsbury stunned the legal community when Chair Mary Cranston and managing partner Marina Park issued a press release disparaging Jensen, a corporate partner in the firm's Stamford, Conn., office who had moved to Latham & Watkins.

In the release, Cranston claimed that Jensen's departure came on the heels of sexual harassment allegations that involved him, and "a significant decline in his productivity." The release noted that Jensen had been largely absent from the firm's Stamford office for the past nine months.

"Our firm values respect and integrity above all else," said Cranston in the release. "We investigated the harassment claims, concluded that there was a reasonable likelihood that harassment had occurred and responded with a variety of measures."

Jensen responded the following month with the $45 million defamation suit naming Pillsbury Winthrop, Cranston, Park and John Pritchard, the firm's vice chair. The 24-page complaint accused the defendants of character and commercial assassination, while offering readers a glimpse into the internal affairs of 640-attorney Pillsbury Winthrop. Among other things, the suit claimed that a number of Pillsbury partners had been accused of sexual harassment and had never had the allegations publicly disclosed by the firm.

In February, both sides filed a joint motion asking the court to stay the case while they pursued non-binding meditation. Tuesday's settlement announcement suggests that the mediation proved fruitful.

One managing partner at a large firm in San Francisco said he was not surprised that the case settled. "Pillsbury had to settle the case because of their exposure and because they didn't want to have this case tried," he said. "It's the time that it would take with regard to their personnel; it's the nature of the allegations that were made against Frode; and it's the distraction created by the lawsuit."

It's also unclear whether Pillsbury's insurance would have covered any punitive damages that might have been awarded had the case gone to trial.

The statement released Tuesday was in sharp contrast to the caustic words that characterized Pillsbury's initial release and Jensen's subsequent suit against the firm.

"Pillsbury Winthrop deeply regrets making its public statements regarding Frode Jensen," read the release. "Mr. Jensen was a valued and respected member of the firm and was one of the firm's most productive corporate partners.

"Mr. Jensen is an accomplished corporate transactional lawyer, and he made many important contributions during his tenure at the firm. Pillsbury wishes him well in all his future endeavors and employment opportunities."

Frodo's Quest
 

Damn -- I thought Frodo wasn't supposed to throw the ring into the fire until the return of the King.

Pillsbury Settles With Frodo
 

Oh, to know the secret number so we could know just how deeply PMS regrets their flapping lips.

Jobs
 

For any big law IP types - Piper Rudnick wants to hire associates and agents for the office they are opening in South San Francisco this June. Mainly biotech prosecution, and no doubt they want a few years experience. I don't have a contact (found out from a recruiter) but they should be easy to look up.

New Dean of HLS
 

While not really Bay Area news, I thought HLS's appointment of its first female Dean could be of interest:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/04....ap/index.html


Goes to show that it's not always bad to not get a certain job - better things, relatively speaking, could be around the corner.

C(see, bitter Wilson rejects? Sometimes when a door closes, a window opens... no need to show hate to the Death Star...)deuced