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Skadden Beefs up Security with Endpoint
Law Firm News |
2007/11/21 09:24
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Endpoint security has given one of the world's largest law firms the ironclad network security it needs to enforce its strict policies while also ensuring that the network and the computers connected to it are safe from attack.
It wasn't always that way at Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom LLP. When the network was put in place in 1992, policies were relatively relaxed. Drives were open to allow end users to write and save to floppy disks and other media. It took only about a week for a virus to get out onto the network.
According to Nancy Lundergan, manager of security and process at Skadden, that one incident led to a re-evaluation of network security.
"We can't have that," she said, adding that by nature the law firm's network is a portal to massive amounts of confidential data, such as case files and other necessary legal information.
But with nearly 5,000 endpoints deployed throughout the network, Lundergan said, Skadden's options for locking things down were somewhat limited. The firm wanted an agentless monitoring and remediation tool to support layered internal security management.
Lundergan said the agentless portion was a must because, with the number of endpoints in use, it would be nearly impossible for Skadden's IT staff to install a client-based software solution on each and every machine.
As it stands, Skadden allows only desktop PCs to access the network. Laptops and notebooks are a no-no. Most of the firm's applications are on Citrix servers, so there are not many applications saved on the actual desktops themselves.
Originally, Skadden looked to network access control (NAC) solutions to make sure that desktops accessing the network were approved and to push devices that were not up to snuff into an Internet-only environment. Lundergan said NAC is currently being implemented in some of Skadden's 22 physical offices and could be in use in many by early next year. But along with NAC, Lundergan wanted an additional layer of endpoint security.
Skadden went with Promisec's Spectator Professional for its clientless endpoint security needs.
"We don't have to worry about deploying it on the machines," Lundergan said. "We can centrally run it. We didn't even look at agent-based solutions."
And with Skadden's "strict" security policy that bars file sharing, Skype, music players and most other types of downloads, being able to scan and monitor the applications that computers are running is a necessity, Lundergan said.
"We want to make sure people aren't using their work machines as jukeboxes," she said. "This is the desktop we have out there, and we make sure machines are doing what they're supposed to do."
Lundergan said she frequently scans the network to see the applications loaded on desktops and what processes they have gone through. She said she can search through registries and follow digital footprints to ensure that security and use policies are followed.
"If I find something, I can isolate it and do a deeper scan," she said.
It's imperative that Skadden be able to identify and fix deviations from its policy without creating a negative impact on the network's performance or integrity, Lundergan added. She can monitor who is on the network and when, ensuring that all software and hardware being used is approved while also making sure that there are no hidden threats inside the network.
Also, she said, since Promisec's solution installs on one server, it offers that agentless, single point of management that the firm's network of Windows-based machines requires.
"It's very important for us to be able to know that our endpoints are secure across the entire enterprise," Lundergan said. |
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Winston & Strawn Settles Claim with GE Rainmaker
Law Firm News |
2007/11/21 09:15
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Winston & Strawn has settled on the eve of trial a lawsuit brought against it by a New York partner who claimed the firm broke a deal to exempt him from "decompression," a policy sharply reducing partners' pay after age 65, writes the New York Law Journal.
Throughout the 1990s, Anthony LoFrisco, 74, was one of the law firm's highest-paid partners, based largely on his close relationship with former General Electric (GE) chairman John "Jack" Welch. According to a 1994 agreement with Chicago-based Winston, LoFrisco was to be paid an amount equal to at least 13% of the firm's GE billings.
That arrangement expired in 2001 but LoFrisco claimed in his 2003 lawsuit that the firm agreed that year to extend the deal and exempt him from decompression. He accused the firm of reneging the following year, with decompression reducing his pay from $2.3m (£1.1m) in 2002 to $350,000 (£170,000) in 2004.
Trial in the matter was scheduled to begin Monday before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Helen Freedman. But the parties said in a joint statement yesterday (20 November) that they reached an “amicable settlement” of the dispute on 10 November. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
As a result of the settlement, the parties stated: "LoFrisco's lawsuit will be dismissed and he will resign from the firm on 26 November, 2007."
Both Winston's lawyer, Philip Forlenza of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, and LoFrisco's lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz of Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason Anello & Bohrer, declined to comment further.
The settlement ends an unusual suit that had drawn much attention to the issue of how firms handle aging rainmakers, many more of whom are now challenging firm policies that envision retirement at age 65 or earlier. In recent years, many firms have shown greater willingness to waive decompression, mandatory retirement or similar policies for older partners still responsible for large amounts of business.
The sensitive issue of how to manage aging partnerships was thrust into the spotlight last month after Sidley Austin agree to pay $27.5m (£13.1m) to settle an age discrimination claim with 32-former partners who were forced to give up equity partner status in 1999. |
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Greenberg Traurig named US Law Firm of the Year
Law Firm News |
2007/11/14 14:43
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Greenberg Traurig, an international law firm with offices in Orlando, was named the USA Law Firm of the Year by Chambers and Partners at a Nov. 8 awards ceremony in London.
The Chambers Global Awards Program honors excellence in legal services in countries around the world. Finalists are determined by independent research carried out during the prior year, with the winning firms selected by a panel that includes international corporate buyers of legal services.
Among the reasons why judges tapped the firm for the honor: Greenberg Traurig's commitment "to providing a broad national and international service to clients," as well as its "track record of working on big-ticket transactions."
Other law firm finalists for this award included: Latham & Watkins LLP, Ropes & Gray LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Hogan & Hartson LLP and Morrison & Foerster LLP. In 2006, Greenberg Traurig and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP were selected as runners-up for the award.
"The award is more than a tribute to the commitment to excellence by every member of our team -- it is a tribute to our clients," says Michael Sullivan, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig's Orlando office.
"On behalf of the Greenberg Traurig team, we thank our clients for this significant accolade," adds Orlando Evora, co-managing shareholder of the Orlando office.
Greenberg Traurig LLP is an international, full-service law firm with more than 1,700 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S. and Europe. Florida offices include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
The law firm has 55 attorneys in Orlando.
Since 1969, Chambers and Partners has published The Chambers Guide, which lists the top lawyers in 175 countries. |
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Pedley Zielke Gordinier & Pence is Dissolving
Law Firm News |
2007/11/14 10:48
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The Louisville law firm of Pedley Zielke Gordinier & Pence is dissolving at the end of the year.
David Pedley, a partner and one of 17 attorneys with the firm, said he and some other staffers will move from their current location in the Meidinger Tower to a new office in the Starks Building. They will create a new firm called Pedley & Gordinier.
Pedley said some other attorneys will stay in the Meidinger Tower and form another full-service legal business called Zielke Law Firm. The split was amicable, Pedley said, and will allow both groups to focus on their own respective growth strategies. |
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South African Law Firms Merge to be Biggest
Law Firm News |
2007/11/14 08:50
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COMMERCIAL law firms Webber Wentzel Bowens and Mallinicks yesterday announced plans to merge in a move that would make the new entity one of SA’s biggest law firms, and rival corporate law advisers Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs.
The new firm, which will be led by Webber Wentzel Bowens senior partner David Lancaster, will have 300 lawyers.
The Ernst & Young Mergers & Acquisitions Review for 2006, which ranks legal advisers on the value of transactions they advised on, ranked Webber Wentzel Bowens as second last year with 29 deals worth R52bn, followed by Edward Nathan with 35 deals worth R46,75bn. Mallinicks was ranked 36th with three deals worth R178m.
Combined, the firms could be a large player in the market and their merger is part of the recent trend which has seen consolidation in the legal services sector.
The merger follows that of Edward Nathan’s recent blockbuster merger with Cape Town based-law firm Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galombik. Prior to that, Cliffe Dekker entered into an alliance with the world’s second-biggest law firm , DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.
Law experts say that the South African legal profession is a marketplace that is undergoing dramatic change. Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs chairman Michael Katz said mergers for large law firms “make good commercial sense. Nowadays law firms require scale.” Law firms must either scale up or become niche practices, he said. “Somewhere in between is problematic.”
However, Werksmans chairman Des Williams said relationships were more important at this stage than size for South African law firms to be world class.
Webber Wentzel Bowens had been looking for a merger partner for some time. “We have been focused on growth for some time now and we believe the new firm will allow us to enhance our delivery service to clients by capitalising on the enhanced quality, scale and scope of the merged firm to the advantage of our clients and staff,” Lancaster said.
The combined firm would start operating from March 1 next year . The merger would take effect when regulatory approvals were granted.
Mallinicks chairman Michael Evans said: “Webber Wentzel Bowens is the major force in corporate law in SA and merging with them will undoubtedly result in a strong, strategic and regional fit as a large part of our business is in corporate law too.”
“We will run the new merged entity as one firm. The new name and branding will underscore this fact,” Lancaster said.
Evans said both firms were committed to transformation. Between them they would have more than 100 black lawyers, of which 30 would be partners. |
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Gibson Dunn Promotes 14 Lawyers to Partner
Law Firm News |
2007/11/13 07:23
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Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that the Firm has elected 14 new partners, effective January 1, 2008. The new partners represent a wide range of practice areas and geographical regions.
"We are proud to recognize the accomplishments of this extraordinarily talented group of attorneys," said Ken Doran, Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. "The new partners are exceptional lawyers, who reflect our firm's values of excellence, personal integrity, collegiality and dedication to providing the highest level of service to our clients. Representing diverse practices across our offices, they bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise that will be a tremendous resource for our clients and our firm."
The new partners include:
-- Dora R. Arash -- Arash's practice focuses on federal income tax
planning for corporations and partnerships, as well as tax controversy
matters. Resident in the Los Angeles office, she graduated magna cum
laude from the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1994.
-- Ron C. Ben-Yehuda -- Ben-Yehuda practices in the areas of transactional
intellectual property, media and technology, focusing extensively on
agreements relating to technology development, marketing and licensing,
as well as e-commerce and other online activities. Prior to joining
the Firm, he was general counsel of a public software company.
Resident in the Los Angeles office, he graduated with distinction from
Stanford Law School in 1987. -- Anne Lee Benedict -- Benedict's practice focuses on corporate finance,
business combination, securities and general corporate matters.
Resident in the Washington, D.C. office, she graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1999. -- Frederick S. Chung -- Chung practices intellectual property litigation,
focusing on patent litigation. Resident in the Palo Alto office, he
graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1995. Following his
graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable
Karen Nelson Moore of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, in
Cleveland, Ohio. -- Rachel Couter -- An English-qualified lawyer, Couter practices
international litigation, arbitration and other dispute resolution,
including contentious regulatory disputes. She is a Solicitor of the
Supreme Court of England and Wales. Resident in the London office, she
obtained a first class honors degree in law from the University of
Cambridge in 1994. -- Michael M. Farhang -- Farhang practices white collar criminal,
securities, and general business litigation. Prior to joining the
Firm, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central
District of California, where he specialized in white collar fraud
prosecutions in the Major Fraud section. Farhang also participated in
legal assignments in Iraq for the Department of Justice in 2003.
Resident in the Los Angeles office, he received his law degree cum
laude from Harvard Law School in 1995. -- Drew C. Flowers -- Flowers focuses his practice on real estate
transactions, with a particular emphasis on representing capital
partners, developers and lenders in complex financing transactions.
Resident in the Los Angeles office, he received his law degree from the
University of Southern California in 1998. -- Eduardo Gallardo -- Gallardo concentrates his practice on mergers and
acquisitions and general corporate transactions. Resident in the New
York office, he graduated from Columbia Law School in 1999, where he
was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. -- Joshua Lipton -- Lipton is a member of the Firm's Antitrust Practice
Group. His practice includes antitrust litigation, merger and
acquisition investigations, antitrust counseling, and antitrust
investigations by federal and state agencies and the European
Commission. Resident in the Washington, D.C. office, he received his
law degree magna cum laude from the University of Michigan School of
Law in 1998, where he graduated first in his class. -- Michael K. Murphy -- Murphy's practice focuses on environmental
litigation and counseling. He also has experience handling various
government contract-related issues. Resident in the Washington, D.C.
office, he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in
1999. -- Julian W. Poon -- Poon is an appellate and general commercial
litigator, with a broad range of experience at both the appellate and
trial court level across the country in antitrust, intellectual
property, class action, labor, energy, media-access, and general
commercial litigation. Prior to joining the Firm, he served as a law
clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United
States during the 2000-2001 Term, and to Judge J. Michael Luttig of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1999-2000. Resident
in the Los Angeles office, he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard
Law School in 1999, receiving the Fay Diploma for placing first in his
class. -- C. William Thomas, Jr. -- Thomas's practice emphasizes the formation
and operation of domestic and international private investment funds,
including hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds and
funds of funds. Resident in the Washington, D.C. office, he received
his law degree magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1998. -- Michael L. Reed -- Reed's practice involves corporate securities,
merger and acquisition, corporate finance, and general business and
contract matters. Resident in the San Francisco office, he received
his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1994. -- Aric H. Wu -- Wu practices complex commercial litigation with a
significant concentration in the area of securities litigation.
Resident in the New York office, he received his law degree, with
distinction as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, from Columbia University
School of Law in 1998.
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Tully law firm adds office in D.C.
Law Firm News |
2007/11/08 08:36
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An Albany law firm will be adding offices in Washington, D.C. early next year, buoyed by a recent contract with the largest union of federal employees in the country.
Tully Rinckey & Associates PLLC plans to open a Washington office with three attorneys in the spring, while later adding a branch office in Utica, N.Y., firm partner Greg Rinckey said today. Before those sites open, the firm is scheduled to move its main office to 441 New Karner Road in Albany, a quarter-mile from its current site. Rinckey said the firm hopes the Washington office will be "a springboard" for landing future contracts with federal agencies. Recently, the firm agreed to take on a backlog of 3,000 cases for the American Federation of Government Employees, Rinckey said. The union represents about 600,000 workers holding jobs with the federal government and the District of Columbia. Steven Herrick, the firm's senior counsel, will move to Washington to head that office. Associate attorney Tracy Dam-Chieco will run the Utica office. |
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