Weil Management Committee Member Zalka Plans Move to Paul Weiss
Zalka, a member of Weil's management committee, plans to move to Paul Weiss.
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Zalka, a member of Weil's management committee, plans to move to Paul Weiss.
Law.com reports an extraordinary rise in partner departures across Freshfields' global offices. More than half of the departures have occurred in the last two and a half months.
Foley & Lardner LLP announced that partners Marisa White and Rena Andoh have joined its New York office. White joins the Transactions Practice Group from Baker Botts. Andoh joins the Commercial Litigation Practice Group from Benesch.
SourceAttorney at Law Magazine
Sullivan & Cromwell announced that Vivek Ratnam will join its Tax Group as a partner in New York, from Kirkland & Ellis. He advises private equity sponsors and corporations on the tax aspects of complex transactions. The firm cites its September 15 announcement of a private equity practice expansion.
Mintz welcomed Alexander Katznelson as a Partner in its Securities & Capital Markets Practice, based in Toronto. He was most recently a partner at Cozen O'Connor. He advises on cross-border corporate finance, securities and strategic transactions, with experience in digital infrastructure, data centers and natural resources.
Troutman Pepper Locke has expanded its insurance and reinsurance litigation practice group with the addition of partners Jason Gosselin, Kate Villanueva and Christopher Petillo. They join the firm's Philadelphia office.
Mewburn Ellis promoted Andy Newland to the newly created CTO role, covering technology strategy and AI adoption. Leon Johnson, a private equity and growth equity partner at Goodwin in San Francisco, joined Zurich-based AI-native law firm Omnilex as managing partner to lead its US business. The roundup also covers Harvey, Litera and SCOREalytics appointments.
SourceLegal IT Insider
Buchalter announced that Stephanie Nation and Charles Clark joined the firm as partners in its Orange County office. Nation joins the Real Estate Practice Group and Clark joins the Litigation Practice Group. Nation represents real estate developers; Clark handles civil litigation including real estate and commercial disputes.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck announced that Caleb Crosswhite joined its Washington, D.C., office as a shareholder in the Government Relations Department. He most recently served as principal deputy general counsel at USDA and previously was chief counsel on the Senate Agriculture Committee staff.
Jeryl A. Bowers, an M&A lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, joined Crowell & Moring as a partner in Los Angeles. He joins from Sheppard Mullin, where he was a senior partner and former co-chair of the Corporate Practice Group.
Baker Donelson added Kenya Parrish-Dixon, previously director of White House Information Governance for the Executive Office of the President, as a shareholder in its Commercial Litigation Group. Her practice spans commercial litigation, cybersecurity, data privacy, information governance, crisis management and education matters.
Mayer Brown has added A. Joseph Jay III as co-chair of its Global Investigations & White Collar Defense practice. The practice covers government investigations, regulatory enforcement, compliance and white-collar matters.
SourcePulse 2.0 — Law
Snell & Wilmer hired a quartet of partners from Pérez-Llorca for its Mexico City launch. The incoming team is led by Mexico City managing partner José Rivero.
SourceThe Global Legal Post
A four-lawyer commodities and finance team has moved from Hogan Lovells Cadwalader to Blank Rome in New York. The team collectively represents commodity merchants, traders and the institutions that finance them across a range of transactions.
SourcesAttorney at Law MagazineLaw.com — The American LawyerBluesky — Big Law search
Massumi + Consoli, founded in Los Angeles, expands in Dallas and adds a public equity and M&A partner from Sheppard. The firm has been growing nationally, recruiting partners in the second half of the year from firms including Paul Weiss, Gibson Dunn and Goodwin Procter.
SourceLaw.com — Texas Lawyer
Law.com's New York Law Journal roundup of hirings and promotions of New York attorneys. No names or other details are given.
Mayer Brown added Danielle Abada as a partner in its New York office, in the Capital Markets practice. She joins from the CFTC, where she was Senior Special Counsel in the Market Participants Division and previously Senior Counsel to Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson.
SourcePulse 2.0 — Law
Hickey is moving from Weil to S&C. Hickey recently held leadership roles at Weil, including co-managing partner of Weil's corporate department and co-head of its capital markets practice.
Dan O'Shea joins A&O Shearman as a capital markets partner in New York, with 30+ years of experience in securities offerings and public company advisory. Lona Nallengara called New York a priority office for Capital Markets growth. The firm lists 17 other recent U.S. lateral partner hires.
SourceA&O Shearman — news
Ashurst Perkins Coie launched in Houston, hiring two partners from Bracewell. Thomas Tomlinson joins the project, energy, environment and resources group. Tamara McKinzie joins as a real estate partner specialising in energy and infrastructure.
Freshfields announced the addition of Washington-based regulatory partner Carlo Felizardo to its U.S. Life Sciences platform. His practice focuses on FDA regulatory risk.
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP said it has added a nationally recognized litigator with nearly two decades of experience to its commercial litigation practice. The title identifies the lawyer as coming from Husch Blackwell and places the hire in Dallas. The lawyer's name is not given.
SourceLaw360 — Legal Industry
Honigman LLP announced that Evgeny "Gene" Magidenko joined as a partner in the Private Client Practice Group of its Corporate Department. He comes from ArentFox Schiff, where he spent nearly a decade as a tax attorney. He will advise family offices and estate planning clients on corporate, partnership, estate and trust tax matters.
SourceAttorney at Law Magazine
Redgrave LLP, an e-discovery and information law firm, hired a partner who is a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney and former deputy general counsel and head of government relations at Hopper Inc. The firm announced it Monday.
Weil has recruited Yuni Yan Sobel from Paul Weiss to expand its antitrust bench. Sobel focuses on antitrust work around domestic and cross-border M&A.
Kirkland has recruited a former Susman Executive Committee partner. Andrew Kassof is quoted saying Alex Kaplan has been a star for years at Susman and has an incredible reputation in the Houston market and broadly in Texas.
Law firms flush with cash are increasingly covering partners' forfeited compensation to obtain top talent. Lateral hiring remains fiercely active and competitive in the final months of the year.
Paul Hastings LLP announced the addition of complex litigation lawyers Craig Cardon, Abby Meyer and Jay Ramsey in California, joining from Sheppard Mullin. Global Managing Partner Sherrese Smith said the team strengthens its ability to represent companies in consumer class actions and mass arbitrations.
SourcesPaul Hastings LLP (firm press release)LawdragonLaw.com — The Recorder
Outside General Counsel LLP (Outside GC) announced that seven partners joined, bringing the firm's total to twelve in six months. Several led revenue, audit and operations functions alongside legal, in industries from pharmaceuticals to freight rail. The release is datelined Boston, Oct.
Latham & Watkins LLP announced 36 associates elected to the partnership effective January 1, 2027. With 22 counsel elected earlier this year, total new partners announced in 2026 is 58. Chair and Managing Partner Rich Trobman commented.
SourcesLaw.com — New York Law JournalPR Newswire — Personnel Announcements
White & Case promoted 47 lawyers to partnership effective January 1, 2027. The class spans 13 practices across 21 offices in 13 countries; US-based lawyers are 40 percent, its largest US class since 2022. Middle East new partners: Reem AlBakr (Riyadh) and Yannick Whorms (Dubai).
SourcesThe Oath (Middle East)Pulse 2.0 — LawLe Monde du Droit — Nominations
ArentFox Schiff LLP has moved its 100 Boston employees to renovated office space in the city's Prudential Tower, the firm announced Tuesday.
SourceLaw360 — Legal Industry
Snell & Wilmer, an Am Law 200 firm, has opened a Mexico City office. It hired four partners and three associates from Pérez-Llorca. The expansion targets the market of its largest trade partner.
SourcesLaw.com — The American LawyerBluesky — Big Law search
The recently formed global firm Ashurst Perkins Coie is expanding into Houston with a new office. The office will initially focus on work in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Legal Business reports that partner exits at Weil have snowballed in recent weeks and merger rumours have swirled. Rumours of merger discussions peaked this week. The piece follows an all-partner meeting and draws on market sources and commentators, including a partner at a rival firm.
SourcesBloomberg LawLegal Business
Legal Business understands Weil is set to hold a virtual all-partner meeting on 20 October at 11am Eastern (4pm UK time). The firm is weighing merger options amid a spate of high-profile partner exits. Weil has yet to comment on the merger.
SourcesAmerican Lawyer (Law.com)Legal BusinessLaw.com — The American Lawyer
Weil Gotshal & Manges is pursuing a merger with another law firm and is in discussions to secure the tie-up. Its leaders have told top partners. The other firm is not named.
SourcesBloomberg LawBluesky — Big Law searchLaw.com — The American LawyerLaw.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)Law.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)Bluesky — Big Law searchAbove the LawBluesky — Big Law searchLaw.com — The American LawyerLawFuelAbove the LawLegal CheekCity A.M.
A Legal 500 L500 Future Lawyers survey of more than 1,000 junior lawyers found fewer than half of trainees and newly qualified solicitors rate their salary and benefits positively. Almost 80% of respondents were happy at their firm and would recommend their employer.
SourceLegal Business
Above the Law link roundup. Items include Robins Kaplan 'raises the bar' on clerkship bonuses, Elena Kagan saying the Supreme Court majority has 'blinded itself', the Supreme Court ending the Hastings law school naming battle, a Florida Bar ethics issue involving Damon Wilson II, and a parody of private equity law firm takeover plans.
SourceAbove the Law
Robins Kaplan LLP announced it increased judicial clerkship bonuses to $150,000 for eligible lawyers completing one qualifying clerkship and $175,000 for those completing two or more. Chair and Managing Partner Anthony Froio commented. Bonuses are subject to the firm's eligibility requirements and applicable guidelines.
SourcesBluesky — Big Law searchLawFuelBluesky — Big Law searchAbove the LawAbove the Law
Above the Law invites readers to make predictions and share thoughts in its annual bonus season survey. The item states no bonus amounts, firms or scales.
SourceAbove the Law
Above the Law reports, citing sources, that Hueston Hennigan will offer $205,000 for all federal clerkships beginning next year (2027). The firm raised its clerkship bonus to $180,000 in March 2025. Susman Godfrey and Munger Tolles & Olson offer $180,000 for one clerkship and $200,000 for multiple.
SourcesAbove the LawLaw360 — Legal IndustryBluesky — Big Law search
Milbank announced raises of $10,000 to $20,000 effective 1 July 2026, setting base pay at $235,000 for first-years and $455,000 for eighth-years. McDermott Will & Schulte, Quinn Emanuel, Katten and Seward & Kissel were reported to have matched. Cravath's careers page still lists $225,000 to $420,000.
SourceLegal Desire
Lawyers and a prospective host community are examining how state siting rules will mesh with federal licensing. They are also looking at how emerging reactor technology could affect local land use authority and tax revenue as New York develops its advanced nuclear master plan.
The Texas Lawbook interviewed Chris Mayo, LSEG head of primary markets for the Americas, and Nick Davis, London-based Haynes Boone capital markets partner. Davis helped on the 1947 Oil & Gas $40 million London IPO and Fermi's Nasdaq and LSE dual listing. They discuss London's fit for smaller-cap Texas companies.
SourceThe Texas Lawbook
Sean Brownridge, partner and chair of Cooley's activism defense group, was quoted in The Deal. He said activist investors increasingly use companies' AI strategies as a basis for campaigns focused on cost reductions, operational improvements and M&A. Companies seen as falling behind may face pressure to pursue strategic transactions.
SourceCooley — media feed
Antony Walsh, international head of corporate for Eversheds, said "the democratization of M&A," resulting from the AI economy, will lead to more deals. He said not all of them will be of the size and scale to interest Big Law lawyers.
Sterne Kessler, an IP firm, and Clarivate, a software and data provider, are developing AI-enabled patent workflows. The workflows are built on Sterne Kessler's internal tech building efforts. Clarivate will bring them to market.
A decade after law firms embraced tech incubators, A&O Shearman, Slaughter and May and Cuatrecasas reflect on their benefits. Slaughters is reassessing its approach amid the AI boom.
SourceThe Global Legal Post
Above the Law's Morning Docket for 10.20.26 links a Business Insider item stating Cooley is ready for AI to upend billable hours. The other bullets cover court, government and tech stories, with no other law firm named.
SourceAbove the Law
Cooley partner Susanne Grooms, who leads the firm's bipartisan congressional investigations practice, was featured in a Wall Street Journal article on preparations for potential congressional investigations after the midterm elections. She said Cooley has seen an influx of corporate clients seeking advice on preparing for investigations and congressional scrutiny.
SourceCooley — media feed
New managing partner Daniel Bresler told Law.com that Seward & Kissel is leaning in on its core practices exclusively and is moving cautiously to expand its offerings.
Legal Business interviewed Justin D'Agostino, global CEO of HSF Kramer. The piece covers his early approach to Herbert Smith at age 17, moving boxes into HSF's building nearly 40 years ago, and sealing a transatlantic union.
SourceLegal Business
McGinnis Lochridge, a Texas business law firm founded in 1927, hired Charles Gillis as COO. He will oversee finance, HR, technology and business growth, working with Managing Partner Carl Galant. He was most recently executive director of Platt Richmond PLLC in Dallas.
Experts say business management expertise and the need for lawyers to bill hours make professional staff worth the overhead increase.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader announced an AI strategy that partners with both Harvey and Legora, continues internal AI development through ELTEMATE, and adds a new AI board. Paul Otto becomes managing partner for legal technology and AI. Oliver Campbell becomes chief transformation officer.
SourceLegal Cheek
Womble Bond Dickinson announced that partner Jamie Chou has been named office managing partner of its San Francisco and Walnut Creek offices, effective immediately. Chou joined the firm in 2022 through its combination with Cooper, White & Cooper LLP. She is a corporate and real estate attorney.
SourceAttorney at Law Magazine
Alston & Bird, King & Spalding and Nelson Mullins are among Southeast firms reporting over $1M from D.C. lobbying in Q3. Most firms in the region reported a drop of up to double digits in the final months before the midterms.
Pérez-Llorca has hired investment bank Alantra to raise 100 million in debt. The credit would let the firm repay its current debt and fund growth in Iberoamerica, after it arrived in Mexico, Colombia and Peru from 2024.
SourceExpansión — Jurídico
Ben Mathis, managing partner of Freeman Mathis & Gary, an Am Law Second Hundred firm, said the firm's advisers believe private equity investment is increasingly likely. He said it could meaningfully disrupt the traditional capital structure of law firms.
With the midterm elections two weeks away, some law and lobbying firms in the nation's capital reported record-breaking revenue in the third quarter, while others' federal lobbying earnings declined.
SourceLaw360 — Legal Industry
Holland & Knight, K&L Gates and Hogan Lovells Cadwalader saw lobbying revenue decline in Q3 compared to Q2. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Squire Patton Boggs saw revenue pick up.
SourcesLaw.com — National Law JournalLaw.com — National Law Journal
The National Law Journal named Jenner & Block its Washington, D.C. Law Firm of the Year winner. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Brittany Amadi of WilmerHale winner in the Washington, D.C. Winning Litigators, Defense category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Williams & Connolly winner of the Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Intellectual Property category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
SourcesLaw.com — National Law JournalLaw.com — National Law Journal
The National Law Journal named Gibson Dunn winner of the Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Labor and Employment category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Covington & Burling winner of the Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Products Liability category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named WilmerHale winner of the Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty: White Collar category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Covington & Burling winner in the Washington, D.C. Community Impact Leader category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Kirkland & Ellis winner in the Washington, D.C. Crisis Management and Government Oversight category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Akin Gump winner in the Washington, D.C. Government Relations/Lobbying category. The DC Legal Awards ceremony was held last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The National Law Journal named Adam Unikowsky of Jenner & Block its Washington, D.C. Appellate Attorney of the Year winner. The NLJ awards ceremony is set for Oct.
SourcesLaw.com — National Law JournalLaw.com — National Law Journal
US firms have taken lead roles as London Stock Exchange Group agrees to acquire credit market data provider Octus from Permira. The all-cash deal is valued at more than $3.5bn and was announced 22 October. It is Permira's sixth strategic exit this year.
SourceLegal Business
Per the headline, Linklaters reports that 80% of its partners are using Legora. The firm said it is also seeing a change in the way junior lawyers are assigned work.
An ex-Paul Weiss client can't pause a malpractice suit against the firm. More than half a dozen firms are involved in multiple layers of Fairstead Capital Management litigation across New York and Delaware.
Kirkland & Ellis advised Dallas-based Arctos in adding the Atlanta Falcons to its portfolio of NFL-approved minority investments. Arctos is KKR-backed and also holds ownership positions in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Buffalo. League rules limit private equity ownership to 10 percent or less.
SourceThe Texas Lawbook
Law.com reports that midsize firms are embracing outside hires for C-suite roles. Experts say business management expertise and lawyers' need to bill hours make professional staff worth the increase in overhead.
Nicole Saharsky of Mayer Brown said the number one lesson is to put yourself in the judges' position. She said judges and their clerks lack the case background, will come with questions, and advocates should not assume too much information.
A Texas bankruptcy court concluded the U.S. Trustee's Office has standing to pursue millions of dollars in fees paid to Jackson Walker LLP. The fees relate to cases assigned to a judge who was in an undisclosed romantic relationship with one of the firm's ex-partners.
SourcesBluesky — Big Law searchLaw360 — Legal EthicsLaw360 — Legal IndustryBluesky — Big Law searchBluesky — Big Law searchBluesky — Big Law searchBluesky — Big Law search
Weil has launched an AI-focused 1L summer program. Chief AI and innovation officer Andrew Simon said anyone who wants to learn enough to be an advanced AI builder as a lawyer can do so.
Former Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen testified. Questioning focused on his involvement in deciding which stores, and how many, would be in the divestiture package aimed at gaining FTC approval of Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons.
Polsinelli PC asked a Tennessee federal judge to sanction a medical device company for advancing what it says were "knowingly false and materially incomplete" positions in a suit accusing the firm of pursuing bad faith patent infringement claims on behalf of a client.
The National Law Journal named Kristin Graham Koehler of Sidley Austin its Washington, D.C. Managing Partner of the Year winner. The honorees' awards ceremony is set for Oct.
SourcesLaw.com — National Law JournalLaw.com — National Law Journal
Louis Lehot is a Big Law partner at Foley & Lardner's Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto, California. He joined Foley in February 2021 from L2 Counsel. Earlier he worked at Shearman & Sterling, Simpson Thacher, Sheppard Mullin, Cooley and DLA Piper.
SourceLawdragon
Fewer than 10% of applicants were accepted to this week's Jones Day fintech startup accelerator event. Jones Day partners and institutional clients will bolster the next generation of fintech players.
SourcesLaw.com — The RecorderLaw.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)
Law.com Corporate Counsel reports that the AI boom compounds law firm general counsels' risk-assessment workloads. David Roth, GC of Bradley Arant, said he is not sure he has lived through as seismic a change in the nature of the practice as the one he is living through now.
Ogborn Mihm LLP partner Megan Matthews was named CTLA President for 2026–2027, succeeding partner Jason Wesoky. Managing Partner Nicole Quintana is slated to succeed Matthews for 2027–2028. The firm says seven of its attorneys will have served as CTLA President.
Womble has established the Womble AI Lab. It begins with a focus on tasks like regulatory monitoring and legal analysis. The engineer-backed team hopes to build its own AI model in the near future.
SourceLaw.com — The Recorder
Sixty-three Sidley lawyers are working on a $3.4 billion packaging M&A deal. Simpson Thacher, Weil, Paul Weiss and Jenner & Block are also involved. The deal creates a $7.3 billion business.
Los Angeles-based US insurance defence firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman (WSHB) created a management services organisation to allow Boston-headquartered PE house Charlesbank Capital Partners to invest. The investment is reportedly valued at $700m. Kirkland and Weil advised.
SourceLegal Business
Proskauer Rose LLP and Perplexity AI are urging a New York federal judge to let the firm represent Perplexity in Reddit's suit over alleged data scraping. They are responding to Reddit's argument that its one-time law firm cannot represent its current opponent.
The Judicial Notice column dated 10.18.26 is titled 'Forced Out'. It mentions a 'lawyer' turned spokesperson's speedy exit, a judge's alleged 'abandon[ment]' of her job, two big Second Amendment rulings, and more moves in the mass-torts bar. No names or firms are given.
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP asked a New Jersey state judge for summary judgment in a malpractice suit. The firm argues a former client cannot provide proof that its actions prevented him from collecting on a judgment of more than $1 million.
SourceLaw360 — Legal Ethics
The U.S. Trustee's office told the court it is unnecessary to expand the claw-back litigation against Jackson Walker beyond the 33 bankruptcy cases already proceeding. These cases involve former U.S.
Japan's top firms are expanding overseas. Mori Hamada is pursuing the ambition of becoming a leading Asian regional firm, with New York and London as gateways to the region.
Freshfields has expressed regret in a statement published by the FT.
SourcesLaw.com — International EditionAbove the LawLegal CheekConfilegal
Two insurers urged a Connecticut state judge on Monday to order McCarter & English LLP to file a substituted post-trial brief in a malpractice case of more than $20 million over commercial loan transactions. They argue the firm improperly quoted a report that was never admitted into evidence at trial this summer.
SourceLaw360 — Legal Ethics
Law.com's 'How I Made Partner' feature quotes Claudia Tobler of Selendy Gay. She advises self-reflection, working out what you want and why you want partnership, and pursuing it with confidence. No promotion date, class or firm announcement is stated.
A federal judge rejected the Justice Department's bid to remove Susman Godfrey as lead counsel for the American Bar Association's lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of illegally intimidating law firms. The judge ruled the firm's lawyers are unlikely to be called as witnesses. The case could force discovery into White House communications with some of the country's largest firms.
SourcesBluesky — Big Law searchBluesky — Big Law searchThe Texas LawbookLaw360 — Legal EthicsLaw360 — Legal IndustryLaw.com — The American Lawyer
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali denied DOJ's motion to disqualify Susman Godfrey from representing the ABA in its suit over the Biglaw executive orders. The six-page opinion found the government identified no lawyer likely to be a necessary witness, and that D.C.
SourcesBluesky — Big Law searchLaw.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)Above the Law
Confirmed items are announced by the firm or reported as fact by the cited outlets. Unconfirmed items are reports the firms have not confirmed. Every item links to its sources; we add nothing the sources do not say.
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