New Developments in the Legal Field

On Monday, the same day the Morgan & Finnegan LLP boutique folded, five IP litigators at Keker & Van Nest LLP broke off from the San Francisco-based firm and started a fledgling boutique of their own. The new firm, Durie Tangri Lemley Roberts & Kent LLP, began operations Monday, partner Daralyn Durie said.
Intellectual property boutique Morgan & Finnegan LLP is shutting its doors and folding into Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, which just scored more than 30 new lawyers for its offices in New York and Washington, in addition to a lawyer who will staff a new San Francisco office for the firm. Thirteen of the lateral lawyers join Locke Lord as partners, including John F. Sweeney, who had practiced at Morgan & Finnegan since 1973.

January saw about 20 top firms lay off lawyers and other employees, and February has gotten off to an equally grim start with Tuesday's announcement that McDermott Will & Emery is cutting 60 attorneys and 89 staff members. In a firmwide memo, Chairman Harvey W. Freishtat said a slowdown in the business of clients had caused a reduction in the firm's work, especially in transactions.