All posts by Sako Adajian

Archives, Featured, Lateral Moves, Market News

April 22, 2019 – Recent Attorney Moves

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1.) Aprill 22, 2019 – Norton Rose Fulbright bolsters its Tax Practice in New York. FULL STORY

2.) April 18, 2019 – Greenberg Traurig adds former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Dallas. FULL STORY

3.) April 18, 2019 – Ropes & Gray grows Financial Regulation team in London with female Partner. FULL STORY

4.) April 17, 2019 – Hunton Andrews Kurth adds two lawyers to its National Labor and Employment practice. FULL STORY

5.) April 17, 2019 – DLA Piper adds to its Healthcare sector in Dallas. FULL STORY

6.) April 17, 2019 – BLG adds IP Partner in Toronto office. FULL STORY

7.) April 17, 209 – White & Case in Paris adds female Partner to its Global Commercial Litigation practice. FULL STORY

8.) April 16, 2019 – McDermott improves Litigation practice in Miami with the addition of Partner. FULL STORY

9.) April 16, 2019 –  Hogan Lovells adds prominent lawyer in Philadelphia office as Partner. FULL STORY

10.) April 16, 2019 – Barnes & Thornburg adds to its Corporate and Healthcare department in Columbus. FULL STORY

 

Take Control of Your Career

 

*Register for our May 9 Client Development Webinar HERE

Archives, Featured, Market News

Lateral Link Presents: The Rainmaker Series

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Lateral Link will begin its monthly Webinar series starting May 9, 2019 with host, Cordell Parvin. Cordell is a former Partner and Shareholder who practiced law for 38 years and has coached attorneys in client development for over 15 years. Since 2003, he has taught, helped and guided over 1500 lawyers. Last year, Cordell joined Lateral Link where in addition to recruiting partners, he continues to coach lawyers across the nation.

Our monthly Rainmaker client development webinar series will distill what Cordell has taught lawyers over the last 16 years into hour-long segments. Cordell will also answer specific questions from the registered users. Registering for the webinar can be done so by clicking this LINK

The topics that will be covered during this webinar series will be:

May 2019Introduction Client Development 2019
June 2019How to Prepare Plan and Goals
July 2019Time Management, Hold Yourself Accountable
August 2019How Clients Select Lawyers and Law Firms
September 2019Raising Your Credibility and Visibility
October 2019Writing and Speaking to Get Hired
November 2019Blogging
December 2019Relationship Building
January 2020Social Media
February 2020Client Meetings, Client Pitches, Getting Selected
March 2020Client Service
April 2020What Sets Rainmakers Apart or What Separates Stars from Superstars

Please email Cordell directly if you have any questions at and check out his blog to see more tips and advice from Cordell.

 

Archives, Lateral Moves, Market News

April 15, 2019 – Recent Attorney Moves

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1. April 15, 2019 – Leading in-house litigation and investigations lawyer to join the Global Financial Services Litigation practice at Hogan. FULL STORY

2. April 15, 2019 – Sidley adds International Arbitration lawyers in New York. FULL STORY

3. April 15, 2019 – Husch Blackwell adds to its Kansas City office. FULL STORY

4. April 15, 2019 – Thompson Coburn boosts its Real Estate group with its latest addition. FULL STORY

5. April 15, 2019 – Venable makes an addition to its Commercial Litigation practice in DC. FULL STORY

6. April 15, 2019 – Crescent Real Estate LLC announces the hiring of Vice President, Senior Counsel. FULL STORY

7. April 15, 2019 – Moore & Van Allen adds to its Financial Regulatory Advice and Response practice group. FULL STORY

8. April 15, 2019 – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati expands its practice in China. FULL STORY

9. April 15, 2019 – MinterEllison improves on its Tier 1 Life Sciences practice with the addition of two IP Partners. FULL STORY

10. April 15, 2019 – Willkie Farr & Gallagher bolsters its Tax practice in London. FULL STORY

 

Take Control of Your Career

Archives, Houston, Newsletters

Introducing Andrea SoRelle

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Lateral Link is proud to introduce our newest Principal, Andrea SoRelle, based in our Houston, TX office. Andrea brings to us over 15 years of industry experience, most recently as a Managing Director with another international search firm in Houston.

“Andrea elevates our team’s ability to service our clients and candidates given her proficiency, knowledge, deeper access to decision makers.  We are lucky to have her in our Houston office.” – Michael Allen, Founder and Principal at Lateral Link

Andrea graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and began her recruiting career in 2004.  She will focus on not only Texas based partner and group placements but also national searches for our major Am Law 200 law firm clients.

Connect with Andrea: Andrea SoRelle – LinkedIn

Archives, Lateral Moves, Market News

April 8, 2019 – Recent Attorney Moves

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1. April 8, 2019 – McGuireWoods LLP added a Chicago partner to their M&A, Private Equity group. FULL STORY

2. April 8, 2019 – Piper Alderman, last week, was able to acquire a team 5 to enhance their Real Estate practice. FULL STORY

3. April 6, 2019 – Quinn Emanuel acquires former Hughes Hubbard ADR Specialist. FULL STORY

4. April 5, 2019 – Jenner & Block boosts its Energy practice by adding a team of eight in their Chicago office. FULL STORY

5. April 4, 2019 – Group of three-partners make their way to the Energy Transactions team at Morgan Lewis. FULL STORY

6. April 4, 2019 – Alston & Bird improve their IP practice in Los Angeles with acquisition of partner. FULL STORY

7. April 4, 2019 – Baker Botts boosts their Hedge Fund team with a major acquisition. FULL STORY

8. April 4, 2019 – Winston & Strawn adds partner to their corporate practice team. FULL STORY

9. April 4, 2019 – King & Spalding adds partner in its Trial and Global Disputes practice team. FULL STORY

10. April 3, 2019 – Denton bolsters its Tax Team with a key acquisition in their Madrid office. FULL STORY

 

Take Control of Your Career.

Archives, Lateral Moves, Market News

Don’t Swipe Right On Every Recruiter

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From the “Tinder of Lateral Moves” to back-alley brokers promising unattainable results, the legal recruiting market has become flooded with shops working new angles. In the long run, integrity and competence win out, but in the short run, firms and attorneys can hurt their lateral prospects and hiring by indiscriminately talking to anyone and everyone.

We unfortunately hear horror stories about some shops floating bios of attorneys without their consent or playing games with both sides promising lateral opportunities that don’t exist. Recruiters ultimately live and die by their reputation. Some new players come into the market touting non-existent loose connections and candidates in their pipeline – essentially the vaporware of recruiting. They enter with a bang and try to cash out as quickly as they came. That’s not to say that there are not legitimate and solid shops – they enter the market all the time – but the ease of entry often attracts those looking to make a quick buck. In my opinion, there are fewer than twenty legal recruiting firms stateside worth engaging. Most of these are small mom and pop shops and boutiques. There are fewer than a handful who actually control the market.

How about from a recruiter’s perspective? When we know that candidates or law firms are engaging multiple shops, we’re less inclined to work with them because the partnership is broken. It’s a two way street. We do not overpromise and underdeliver. You do not want your employment and livelihood resting on your resume maybe finding its way into a law firm decision maker’s hand.

Similar to how law firms may prioritize their best attorneys and the quickest mobilization to service their best clients, typically those with institutionalized business, the firms that engage us meaningfully are the ones to whom we allot a substantial amount of resources.

Exclusive listings and retainers are one way to build a meaningful relationship with a reputable firm. We only take exclusive retainers when we know we can meet expectations. Many small shops push for them knowing they won’t deliver results. These shops pop up and catch the intrigue of the market, and are gone as quickly as they came.

With the right agent, retainers can be invaluable for crafting a cohesive message. A law firm’s image is largely crafted by our conversations in the market. Searching on an exclusive or retained basis allows you to approach the search from a concerted angle while also avoiding the inefficiencies that result from multiple shops fishing in the same stream.

The lateral market is predicated on trust and accountability. As essentially agents and brokers, we work best with clients who operate transparently and who engage us in a meaningful way. As we approach our fifteenth year in business, we’ve seen countless shops come and go, dragging down with them great attorneys and firms with their less than perfect practices. I pride myself on building a company that is predicated on recruiters who can actually service the needs of our attorney candidates and law firm clients. Our recruiters are not only former Biglaw associates and partners, but more importantly, excellent recruiters who leverage their experience to make meaningful connections between law firms and attorneys. If you are an attorney looking for a new position, or a firm looking to bolster their ranks, feel free to reach out to me or my colleagues at Lateral Link.

Archives, Featured, Market News, Tips

Cannabis Law: A Pot of Gold for Lawyers

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With more states legalizing the recreational use of marijuana every election, the legal world has a new practice area blazing its way to the top of the industry.

More than half the country has lightened up on its marijuana laws and that has brought forth many new business and investors. What is usually needed when new businesses boom? Lawyers. The states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana have begun facing all sorts of legal issues. To be blunt, cannabis laws are ripening for all the growers, dispensaries and occasional smokers. As legal as it is in states like Colorado, California, Massachusetts, just to name a few, it is still illegal on a Federal level. For those trying to cash in and the uncertainty of what the law truly is, lawyers with standard practices – such as employment, corporate, real estate, and insolvency – will find themselves learning more about cannabis to service a growing clientele.

Competition amongst the lawyers who have begun to make a name for themselves in this area is steadily growing. Soon enough some of the major law firms will build teams to fight the battles that the marijuana industry is facing. The benefit for law firms who add cannabis law to their portfolio is how much it will help their corporate, taxation, health, labor and employment and litigation practices.

Archives, Partner Market, Uncategorized

Law Firm Madness Results!

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The two finalists went down to the wire, but only one came out on top. The 2019 Law Firm Madness National Champion is…

With over 250 partners worldwide, Proskauer showed success in a wide range of practice areas. Proskauer shined in sports, asset management, private equity, technology, media and telecommunications, lodging and gaming, entertainment, and life sciences.

Every law firm that was a part of this tournament had a marvellous season and should hold their head up high going into next season. In 2019, only one team can call themselves National Champions. Congratulations to everyone at Proskauer Rose LLP.

Archives, Partner Market

March Madness: Law Firm Edition

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This time of year brings forth the buzzer-beaters, Cinderella stories and high-anxiety excitement to college basketball fans throughout the nation. So, why not extend the fun to the legal world? Many law firms made a strong case to qualify for the tournament, but our selection committee of one presents the Sweet 16:

Corporate Law (M&A)

1 – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP vs. 4 – Simpson Thacher & Barlett LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Cravath represented Yahoo! in a $4.48 billion sale of the Yahoo! operating business to Verizon and led Johnson & Johnson to a $30 billion acquisition of Actelion. While Simpson Thacher guided Invitation Homes in a merger with Starwood Waypoint Homes worth $20 billion and lifted Avantor to its $6.4 billion acquisition of VWR.

Lateral Link Odds: Cravath comes in as a -180 favorite.

2 – Davis Polk & Wardell LLP vs. 3 – Latham & Watkins LLP

Matchup Breakdown: 2-seed Davis Polk had a strong year by guiding Baker Hughes on its $25 billion combination deal with the oil and gas businesses of GE and the acquisition of Pentairs’ Valves and Controls business by Emerson Electric worth $3.1 billion. The 3-seed Latham squad also made massive gains this year by representing FMC Technologies in a $13 billion cross-border merger of equals with Technip and led Siemens on its acquisition of Mentor Graphics worth $4.5 billion.

Lateral Link Odds: Even.

Employment & Labor Law

1 – Jones Day vs. 4 – Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Jones Day stayed dominate this season by defending McDonald’s in a litigation battle with NLRB Manhattan in a landmark labor case all while claiming victory for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in a nationwide putative class collective action lawsuit in the Supreme Court. The 4-seed Seyfarth took on the challenges of a discrimination lawsuit against Sterling Jewelers brought forth by 77,000 female retail sales employees and defended Epic Systems in connections with a class and collective action alleging that technical writers were incorrectly classified as exempt from their overtime requirement.

Lateral Link Odds: Jones Day is the overwhelming favorite at -300 in this one.

2 – Morgan Lewis Bockius LLP vs. 3 – Proskauer Rose LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Morgan Lewis led Amazon in a major lawsuit, Busk v. Integrity Staffing Systems and guided Aramark to successfully avoid class certification in a wage and hour putative class action matter. Proskauer made some noise this season by leading Major League Baseball and 29 clubs in a wage and hour putative class action against the minor leagues and protected home-court for Hermes in a class action brought forth by sales associates in regard to pay.

Lateral Link Odds: Likely upset. Proskauer comes in as a -150 favorite.

Banking & Finance

1 – Cahill Gordon & Reindell LLP vs. 4 – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Always consistent Cahill led JPMorgan Chase as the administrative agent and lead arranger in connection with an amended revolving credit facility and new loan facilities for Mondelez International values at $6 billion but did not slow down there. Cahill also took control on advised Wells Fargo and Deutche Bank with regards to a new asset-based revolving credit facility and Term B loan, valued at $4.3 billion, in connection with Envision Healthcare’s merger with AmSung.  Weil did not disappoint. They led Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in a $13.7 billion committed unsecured bridge facility to finance Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market. Additionally, they aided Morgan Stanley as sole lead arranger and bookrunner for Tyson Foods, to finance its merger with AdvancedPierre Foods Holdings, worth $4.2 billion.

Lateral Link Odds: Even.

2 – Kirkland & Ellis LLP vs. 3 – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates

Matchup Breakdown: Globally recognized veteran, Kirkland, was a key figure for Blackstone with multiple financings, including the $6.1 billion LBO of TeamHealth Holdings and led KKR in a $2 billion acquisition of Optiv. Financing. Skadden guided Morgan Stanley and Bank of America in a $7.1 billion unsecured bridge facility to Crown Castle International for its attainment of LTS Group Holdings and, additionally, directed Becton, Dickinson and Company in the financing aspects of its $24 billion purchase of C R Bard.

Lateral Link Odds: Lower seeded Skadden is the favorite here at -125.

Real Estate

1 – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP vs. 4 – Sidley Austin LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Gibson helped The Related Companies in obtaining a $1.5 billion loan from a group comprising of HSBC, Deutche Bank, Bank of China and other lender banks. The loan led to financing of 50 Hudson Yards, the project’s flagship property. Additionally, they provided legal guidance to a three-party joint venture consisting of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the Scion Group and Singapore-based GIC. The JV sought to purchase three portfolios of student housing assets in the United States. Sidley showed some resolve in assisting Forest City Ratner Companies in the $1 billion sale of its 51% in a portfolio of 12 shopping centers to Madison International Realty and served Board of Directors of Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I in their agreement for the acquisition of the third-party asset management company and real estate portfolio of Phillips Edison, LP, valued at approximately $1 billion.

Lateral Link Odds: Gibson with the slight edge as a -150 favorite.

2 – Greenberg, Traurig LLP vs. 3 – Paul Hastings LLP

Matchup Breakdown: Greenberg had an impressive season in assisting a joint venture of Kushner Companies and RFR Holding to buy out four properties located in Dumbo Heights, Brooklyn, from Invesco worth $600 million all while representing Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisers through a definitive merger agreement, entailing its affiliates’ acquisition of Sentio Healthcare Properties. Sentio brought with it a 16-state portfolio of 34 assets, such as medical offices and senior living. Perennial juggernaut, Paul Hastings, assisted SoftLayer Technologies with the legal aspects of the development and leasing of several data centers located globally and led Nordstrom in the purchase, improvement and physical integration of several congruent properties, to begin creating its flagship store in New York City.

Lateral Link Odds: Paul Hastings opens as a -175 favorite.

After a few nail-biters, a couple of major upsets and some incredible game-winners, our final for next week is set. Click here to see who will be battling it out next week for the National Championship.

 

 

 

Archives, Partner Tips

Making Partner: Focus, Dedication & Determination

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Making partner has become increasingly difficult over the past fifteen years.

For many young associates, it may take years to make partner, if at all, but the mountain is not insurmountable. Although there is no one “right” path, generally there are five cornerstones that every associate should follow to grow their practice.

Hone Down. You should focus on dominating a specific practice field. Typically, it takes an associate 3-5 years to perfect their legal expertise after law school and your career can either accelerate in that time frame or leave you in lawyer purgatory. It is important to focus in on a specific practice area that interests you and develop your skills so that you can one day dominate the market in your particular field. Your odds of making partner improves if you become an expert in your practice, mostly because your reputation will drive new business and referrals, and we all know, new business and referrals will set you apart.  Attend seminars, communicate with everyone, whether you agree with them or not, in that industry and become a sponge right from the launch of your legal career.

Connections, Connections, Connection. Shake as many hands as it takes, participate in every golf tournament, wine mixers and conferences as physically possible. The people you mingle with, in authentic ways, should become friends, and friends make the difference from turning a “no” into a “yes”, and if that means generating more business from your relationships, you will certainly reap the rewards from your networks. Who you know is as important as anything in climbing the legal ladder.

Mom and Pop. When I think of “mom and pop” my mind immediately drifts to the local pizza shop that my grandpa took me to since the age of 5. Explore the option of working for a boutique firm, building a reputation and establishing yourself as a household name in the area of your expertise. This option does not suit everyone, but it could prove a beneficial direction to those who wish to gain the confidence and knowledge it takes to stand out of the pack. Find a smaller firm that can provide you with a mentor in the early stages of your legal career and build a reputation with that firm.  Propelling your career forward in incremental, measurable steps, is your goal. If your goal is from 1 to 100 without identifying the 99 steps between then you will get lost without a path.

Jump On. Firms are always looking to add practice areas that are trending upward. It is your responsibility, as a young associate, to see what those trends are and begin applying to firms that are looking to build teams of lawyers in that practice.   Simply put – study the trends or talk to us.   These firms are moving targets.   Partners come and go, practices vanish from one firm and establish in another.   If you aren’t proactive yourself, and not relying on recruiters who know the market, then you are relying on just luck.

Don’t Just Rely on Big Name Cases. Unless your mother is the managing partner, most associates out of law school have to “pay their due” before they are ever given the opportunity to move up in the ranks. Now with the recent news about the academic scandal, I imagine nepotism will continue to lose its benefits.  Associates that are assigned cases where the law firm they work for represents the Apple, Samsung and Facebooks of the world seemingly get forgotten during the litigation process. Offer to take on more personal cases, cases that can allow you to stand out and cases where the client deals with you directly praise you. On the other hand, you can’t hide if that’s your goal, so do your best work.  Building a reputation with clients can go a long way for your career.

Becoming a partner is a strenuous but not insurmountable goal. To achieve it, associates must plan for it from the very start. If you are an associate and need advice on how to make partner, feel free to contact my fellow recruiters at Lateral Link.