Skallawwag

That's all, folks!

2005-02-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

We've gotten a job outside the legal world, so this is our last post to Skallawwag. We wish we could have gotten rich off this site, but instead, we're content with the knowledge that we made lame puns about people's last names for a good... what... three, four months?

As Chris Marlowe once said, parting is such sweet sorrow. Take care, everyone!

A keen grasp of the obvious

2005-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Richard Cieri has rejoined Kirkland & Ellis after just under two years at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Cieri had moved from Cleveland to New York to join the latter firm, to which he attributes his success. "This is clearly the center of the restructuring world. Moving my practice to New York was the best decision I ever made." He's right, you know.

Source:
NY Practice Leader Switches Firms
By Anthony Lin
New York Law Journal
As seen in New York Lawyer

Into Chicago like a LeBoeuf Lamb

2005-02-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae is expanding into the Second City. Uh, the city of Chicago, not the comedy institution that launched the careers of most people you see on Saturday Night Live (including much of the audience). Although, who knows: maybe Neal Wolf, who is moving from San Francisco to Chicago to help start the new office, has a secret desire for life upon the wicked stage.

Joining Wolf in the new LeBoeuf location are four attorneys from McGuireWoods, led by partner Michael King.

Source:
Top NY Firm to Open Chicago Office
By Anthony Lin
New York Law Journal
As seen in New York Lawyer

Kirkpatrick &al now fortified with Testa

2005-02-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, speaking of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham (and we were, right here), The offbeatly titled firm has added six Testa Hurwitz lawyers to its Boston office: labor attorney Mark Pomfret and IP attorneys Christine Vito, Thomas Turano, Deborah Peckham, David Byer, and Michael Brodowski.

Source:
Kirkpatrick profits from Testa Hurwitz dissolution
By Steve Hoare
The Lawyer

Mayfair attorneys grace your doorstep

2005-02-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

Forsters is thrilled to snag Carole Cook and Eliza Mellor from Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham. Said senior partner Sophie Hamilton, "We are confident that they will flourish at Forsters." They may even, dare we say it, thrive there as well.

Source:
Forsters bolsters private client team with Kirkpatrick hire
By Husnara Begum
The Lawywer

DLA orders up a Palmberger

2005-02-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Cologne is "often referred to as Germany’s insurance capital?" Well, good for Herbert Palmberger that DLA Piper German head Ulrich Jungst did, because now the ex-CC attorney has a job with the newest megafirm on the block.

Source:
DLA gains German insurance capability with CC hire
By Joanne O’Connor
The Lawyer

Our very first Kaye Scholer item!

2005-02-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

All this hundreds of posts and yet the only time we've mentioned Kaye Scholer before was in our AmLaw 100 post, which hardly counts.

We wish our first Kaye Scholer post was a happy one, but sadly, the firm is losing an associate. Jonnie Strong (the lost member of the Fantastic Four, you know) has joined Schlesinger Gannon & Lazetera as an of counsel.

Source:
NY Lawyers Making Partner, Switching Firms
New York Lawyer

Mandil in at Sony

2005-02-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

Covington & Burling partner Daniel M. Mandil has been named the new global general counsel at Sony BMG Music Entertainment. He has also been named executive veep and secretary. With all those jobs, he may find it hard to find time to squeeze in a jam session with John Mayer.

Source:
NY Partner Named Sony Music Counsel
By Anthony Lin
New York Law Journal
As seen in New York Lawyer

M-m-m-m-my Sfregola

2005-02-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

Michael F. Sfregola. That is his name, and how could you wear it out when it looks so cool. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is with us on this: they hired this real estate lawyer away from Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory.

Source:
Partners Switching Firms
New York Lawyer

Crazy... for a Fox

2005-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

IP attorney Pamela Deese has left Dorsey & Whitney for Arent Fox. We're dying for someone to leave Arent Fox so we can say the attorney Arent Fox anymore. Then we'd laugh for a while, but later feel shame.

Source:
Partners Switching Firms
New York Lawyer

Morgan Lewis COULD lose!

2005-02-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

Dammit, we said we weren't going to do that anymore. Anyway, A judge in Philly okayed a suit against Morgan Lewis by former clients who claims the firm's advice landed them in hot water for violating the US trade embargo on Cuba.

Morgan Lewis argued that because Purolite owner Donald Brodie pleaded guilty to the violations, he "cannot state a claim against [us] for allegedly giving them incorrect legal advice about trading with Cuba." Somehow that makes no sense whatsoever. Judge Albert Sheppard Jr. responded that their claim is "inappropriate and unfair under the facts."

Source:
Judge: Contract Claim Against Morgan Lewis Can Go Forward
By Melissa Nann Burke
The Legal Intelligencer
As seen in Law.com

Tokyo Hirose

2005-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hisao Hirose has gone ecto-house at Citibank to join Latham & Watkins' Tokyo office. He is famous for advising Cable & Wireless' hostile takeover of IDC Corporation, the first such takeover in Japan's history. He also enjoys aircraft finance. (Incidentally, we are well aware that his name is not pronounced high-rohz. Just so you think better of us.)

Source:
Latham Tokyo hires ex-Citibank local law chief
By Sarah Gill
Legal Week

Choate gets in on the Testa fire sale

2005-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

Choate, Hall & Stewart have added nine former Testa Hurwitz attorneys: David Rickerby (IP); John Pitfield and Andrew Taylor Jr. (private equity); Louis Marett (tax); and William Asher Jr., Barbara Johnson, John Meltaus, William Simmons Jr., and Stephen A. Hurwitz (corporate & securities).

Source:
Movers
By George Szamuely
National Law Journal

Burns Kraft: a fun woodworking hobby!

2005-02-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Two of the three new attorneys to join Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg are Jenner & Block's Timothy W. Burns and Sidley's Jeffrey G. Kraft. The third lawyer is Stephen S. Berkeley, who worked for Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Shaheen, one of the most bad-assed firm names we've ever come across.

Source:
Movers
By George Szamuely
National Law Journal

Start spreading the news

2005-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Rick Antonoff has left Greenberg Traurig for Pillsbury Winthrop. He will work his insolvency and restructuring magic in the firm's New York office.

Source:
Movers
By George Szamuely
National Law Journal

When a Drinker Biddles a Reath...

2005-02-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

We know it's not nice to make fun of anyone's name, but we can't help ourselves whenever we get a chance to mention Drinker Biddle & Reath. We promise to stop. Anyway, they've hired Kathryn R. Doyle away from Morgan Lewis, proving it can lose! (Yeah, we can't help ourselves on Morgan Lewis bits, too.)

Source:
Movers
By George Szamuely
National Law Journal

Griffin lands at King & Spalding

2005-02-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

King & Spalding has added James M. Griffin to its antitrust team in Washington, D.C. He used to be a deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ's Antitrust Division, but a title like that could give a guy a complex. Now he's a partner, which is much more awesome sounding.

Source:
Movers
By George Szamuely
National Law Journal

The legal aspects of spore-laden tubas

2005-01-31T08:08:00.000-08:00

Stanley Sprager has accepted a veep/general counsel job at Levine School of Music. He had practiced environmental law at Weil Gotshal & Manges, but apparently decided he wanted to work in a more musical environment.

Source:
On the Move
By Bethany Broida
Legal Week

P.L.A.S.L.S.O.T.E.A.N.R.D.O.T.D.O.J.

2005-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

Ethan Schenkman has joined Wlmer Cutler Pickering Hale AND Door from the Policy, Legislation, and Special Litigation Section of the Environmental and National Resources Division of the Department of Justice. Try saying that each time you answer the phone!

Source:
On the Move
By Bethany Broida
Legal Times

Civil litigation that's like a fine wine

2005-01-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

Venable. Venable. Venable has added Paul Kemp to its Rockville, MD office to do that complex civil litigation thing. He also practices white collar litigation.

Source:
On the Move
By Bethany Broida
Legal Times

Maher makes MoFo move! Boffo!

2005-01-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

William Maher Jr. has joined Morrison & Foerster from the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau, which sounds like an agency governing a very difficult gymnastics discipline.

Source:
On the Move
By Bethany Broida
Legal Times

The Talented Mr. Ripley

2005-01-31T07:55:00.000-08:00

Richard Ripley has left Howrey for Bingham McCutchen. He specializes in antitrust litigation. He got his J.D. at George Washington. He has never been portrayed in a movie by Matt Damon or by John Malkovich.

Source:
On the Move
By Bethany Broida
Legal Times

I'm Thomas McCormick and you're not

2005-01-31T07:48:00.000-08:00

Thomas McCormick has become the latest Shaw Pittman partner to leave the firm since the Pillsbury Winthrop merger story was leaked. He is going in-house at Chevy Chase Bank after he gets back from his vacation in Spain.

Source:
Inadmissible: Bank Vault
by Emma Schwartz
Legal Times

Gatti go to Greenberg

2005-01-31T07:45:00.000-08:00

John Gatti has heard enough jokes about the similiarity of his name to a certain Teflon Don, thank you. The ex-Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan partner is now co-chair of Greenberg Traurig entertainment and media lit team.

Source:
Lawyers Switching Firms, Making Partner
The Recorder
As seen in New York Lawyer

France finally invades England!

2005-01-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

Usually, the French are repelled by all things English. But not Gide Loyrette Nouel: the Parisian firm opened an office in London back in 2003, becoming the first French firm to do so. Gide's Ingerland expansion continues as tax guru Anthony Davis joins the firm from Cadwalader.

Source:
Cadwalader City tax head quits for Gide
By Tim Newbold
Legal Week