New Polsinelli shareholder Jason Weber and Haven Diagnostics medical director Dr. Michael Gao look at the most recent scientific news and the impact of the approved vaccines and share their thinking about various practical and legal considerations that employers need to weigh when devising and implementing their office reopening plans.
Kirkland & Ellis Bets on the Texas Trifecta
Kirkland & Ellis, the world’s most profitable law firm, is expanding its footprint in Texas again. Since it opened its first office in Houston seven years ago, Kirkland has been the fastest growing corporate legal operation in Texas. Now, the Chicago-founded law firm is tripling down on its bet on the Lone Star State with plans to open in Austin.
Polsinelli Dallas MP Brian Bullard, One Year on the Job
As Polsinelli nears its 10-year anniversary in Dallas, The Texas Lawbook caught up with Dallas office managing partner Brian Bullard to reflect on his first year leading the office in what was a truly historic and turbulent first 12 months.
Duane Morris Opens in Dallas with Four Partners
Four Barnes & Thornburg litigators have left the firm to launch Duane Morris’ new Dallas office, which the Philadelphia firm says solidifies its presence in the state’s high-technology and energy sectors.
Pandemic Finances – From Fear to Confidence (Part 3)Lawyers Plan to Put New Skills to Work
How would the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the legal business before laptops and the internet – an era within the living memory of some lawyers still practicing, when secretary-typed documents, wall-wired telephones and telexes or faxes were the main alternatives to face-to-face engagement. Would lawyers have taken foolish risks with their health – just to make a living? Would communications obstacles shut down legal practices and squeeze revenues enough to cause some firms to fail? The Texas Lawbook takes a look.
Pandemic Finances – From Fear to Confidence (Part 2)The Saving Grace: Technology and Firm Culture
Texas corporate law firms salvaged their 2020 revenues because of strong demand from clients trying to navigate a perplexing business environment and a surprising capacity, heretofore hidden or rarely called upon, to supply those services remotely. Even though firms leapt into it literally overnight with no time to plan and prepare, remote working proved effective and efficient last year.
“The pandemic impacted how we did business much more than the business we did,” said King & Spalding’s Houston office leader Tracie Renfroe.
Pandemic Finances: The Charts
2020 Revenues v. 2019 Chart 1 More or Less Than Expected? Chart 2 Pandemic or Oil? Chart 3 Revenues per Lawyer Above $1 Million Chart 4 Revenues per Lawyer Below
Pandemic Finances — From Fear to Confidence (Part 1) In 2020, Texas Firms Dodge Worst Fears
Eleven months ago, law firm leaders looked into the abyss. Covid-19 had shuttered offices. Oil prices had plunged. Unprecedented disruptions loomed for corporate clients. The law firms feared drastic declines in revenues, wiped-out profits and painful layoffs.
The Texas Lawbook surveyed 26 law firms on what really happened during the pandemic. In the first of a three-part series, The Lawbook provides an advanced look at 2020 Texas law firm finances and operations. “All of us should be on bended knee, giving thanks,” said Jackson Walker’s Wade Cooper.
In the Push for Diversity at the Top, Norton Rose Fulbright Finds Sponsorship vs. Mentorship is Key
All corporate law firms struggle with racial and gender diversity, but Norton Rose Fulbright appears to have figured out the formula for inclusion among its highest ranks. Four of its U.S. management committee are women – three are women of color. The firm’s new global chair is an African American woman. Six of the 11 associates promoted to partner this week are ethnic minorities or women. The data begs the question: How did a century old global law firm achieve so much diversity in its leadership ranks?
DBJ: Dallas Law Executive ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ for 2021
The Dallas Business Journal recently spoke with Mike Taten, managing partner of Jackson Walker’s Dallas office, about navigating the varied challenges of 2020 and his projections for the new year.
