Around the Firms

Washington's Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering will combine with Boston's Hale and Dorr creating Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, a new firm with more than 1000 attorneys. Not only is this one of the largest mergers ever between U.S. law firms, but it also may signify the end of a 2-year break in firm merger activity.

Both firms are well known in their own right: Wilmer Cutler for its securities litigation and enforcement practice, with internal investigations having been accomplished both at Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc.; and Hale and Dorr is one of the top U.S. intellectual property firms.

Marketing, Advertising Expert Rovinksy Joins IP Firm

It was announced in mid-April that Lisa Rovinsky has joined the Atlanta and New York offices of Alston & Bird LLP. Rovinsky, who is now a partner at the firm, previously served as The Coca-Cola Company's chief marketing counsel. In addition to serving as part of the firm's intellectual property practice, which is nationally ranked, Rovinsky helps to head up Alston's integrated marketing and advertising practice. Both Alston & Bird and Rovinsky were very excited in anticipation of her joining the firm. Rovinksy was thrilled to be joining a firm with a strong reputation and resources in the areas of litigation, transaction and intellectual property, while Martin Elgison, co-coordinator of Alston & Bird's intellectual property group, was confident that Rovinsky's expertise will greatly aid the firm in the areas of marketing and advertising.

Several Firms Have Undergone or Will Be Facing Significant Changes

• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is establishing an office in Paris, with the aim of becoming comparable to its American-based adversaries concerning European presence and potential. The firm is awaiting approval from the Paris bar in order to make the acquisition official. Leading this office will be corporate lawyer Jean Leygonie; the attorney's antitrust practice is active. Fifteen attorneys from a popular French firm, De Pardieu Brocas Maffei & Leygonie, are anticipated to join the locale.
• To the astonishment of the Washington legal community, Kenneth Starr, who is a former judge, solicitor, and independent counsel, is turning to academia after close to a quarter-century in the legal field. Beginning August 1, he will join Pepperdine University School of Law as dean. Starr will continue to serve the Chicago-based Kirkland & Ellis' Washington, DC office as an architect and a leader of the appellate practice.
• Atlanta-based King & Spaulding has welcomed Michael J. O'Brien to its New York office, where he serves as a managing partner and works in the firm's private equity and investment funds practice group. His areas of concentration are client associations, office expansion, and strategic issues.
• The home office of Los Angels-based Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker now has Elena Baca as chairwoman. Baca, an employment law partner who also handles employment and wage and hour litigation, and management training, is in the company of Norman Futami.
• Susan Kohlmann has been appointed managing partner of the new four-member committee at the New York office of Pillsbury Winthrop, the firm where she has worked for more than 20 years. Previously she was the global intellectual property section's chairwoman. Along with several of the firm's partners, she is now in charge of operation and growth. The appointment makes Kohlmann the first woman to become a managing partner in the New York office ' and this dates back to 1868.

Wilmer Cutler/Hale Dorr Merge