Since February, five shareholders have left the Florida offfices of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. These partners have raised issues about the firm’s centralized control and what they see as lack of support for their practices. The Cleveland-based firm merged with South Florida’s Steel Hector & Davis in 2005, despite that firm’s financial troubles and partner defections. The attorneys who left the firm claimed that they had wanted to continue work with the newly merged firm, but after a year and a half dealing with unresolved cultural and integration issues, they decided to part ways. Former Steel Hector managing partner Joseph P. Klock, corporate attorney Barry A. Weiss, and lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez are among those who left. Squire Sanders is recognized for its bond work on behalf of government entities; it was ranked 54 on the AmLaw 100 listing of the nation’s top-grossing firms.
Source: www.law.com

Greenberg Traurig has increased salaries in its South Florida offices. The starting base salary in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale was raised from $120,000 to $135,000, while the total compensation is actually more than $150,000. That extra $15,000 comes in the form of a signing bonus, year-end bonus, Bar costs, and a discretionary bonus. More senior associates in those offices will also receive raises of about the same amount. Greenberg’s starting salary now matches that of White & Case; Holland & Knight, Hogan & Hartson and Akerman Senterfitt recently raised salaries for first years to $130,000 in South Florida. Greenberg also made a change in its pro bono policy. After a 15 percent firmwide drop in pro bono hours in 2006, the firm now allows lawyers to count 20 pro bono hours toward their billable hours target.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin was hired to head Akerman Senterfitt’s 27-lawyer land-use practice group in Miami. Joining Kasdin, who was formerly a shareholder with Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, are associates T. Spencer Crowley and Andrew W. Frey. Kasdin plans to have his practice group work closely with the environmental law group. He served as mayor of Miami Beach from 1997 until 2001 and as a Miami Beach city commissioner from 1991 until 1997. Many credit the former mayor with helping the growth and revitalization of Miami Beach.
Source: www.law.com

Constance (Connie) S. Huttner has joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC as the chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group. The patent and intellectual property litigator was previously a partner at Skadden, Arps. At Skadden, Huttner established the firm’s patent litigation practice in 1990. Huttner joins a team of 120 attorneys and patent agents in Buchanan’s IP and IP Litigation groups, yet the firm expects to add more patent litigators over the next weeks. Buchanan has made several other acquisitions over the past two years including seven tax and immigration lawyers in Miami; 55 attorneys and patent professionals from Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis; and three government relations professionals in Washington, D.C.
Source: www.prnewswire.com

Holland & Knight announced this week its plan to increase first-year associate salaries in its South Florida offices to $130,000. Besides implementing raises in FL, the firm is also raising salaries in NY to $160,000 and in Chicago, D.C., and LA to $145,000. This move will likely prompt other firms to boost FL salaries, but two NY-based firms already have pay a starting salary of $160,000. The two firms, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Boies Schiller & Flexner, are reported to pay the same in all of their offices.
Source: www.law.com

Epstein Becker & Green recently acquired hot-shot attorney Joseph P. Klock, Jr. for its Miami office. Klock offers valuable experience in litigation and business law; he also played an important role in the legal controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential elections. He was formerly the head of Miami-based Steel, Hector & Davis, prior to its merger with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP. With over 380 attorneys in 11 offices nationwide, Epstein Becker continues to grow in the Southeast.
Source: www.sev.prnewswire.com

At the beginning of the month, Florida firm Holland & Knight LLP announced the expansion through lateral hiring of its South Florida Securities and M&A practice. Three former shareholders at Akerman Senterfitt, Kara L. MacCullough, Laurie Green and Esther L. Moreno, joined Holland & Knight as partners. MacCullough, formerly the chair of Akerman’s Securities group, and Moreno focus on securities, mergers and acquisitions and international corporate transactions. Green’s expertise comes largely from her experience with the Division of Corporation Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Holland & Knight has one of the largest business groups in the country, with over 380 lawyers in its practice. Firmwide, Holland & Knight has more than 1,150 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices, along with several foreign offices. The firm is one of the top 15 largest firms in the world.
Source: www.lawdragon.com

Lawyers from Hunton & Williams’ Miami office have been making big moves as of late. In early August, two attorneys took new jobs with Greenberg Trauring. Now three additional partners look to be joining Holland & Knight. The five lawyers were part of Hunton & Williams’ health care and corporate practices.
Source: www.law.com

Florida firm Holland & Knight will raise pay for its first-year associates to $120,000 annually. The raise will be effective for Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Amongst Florida firms, only White and Case is known to pay as much as $120,000 at this level.

Cozen O’Connor has opened a new Miami office focusing on commercial litigation and eventually corporate transactional work. The office has been seeded with three former Shook, Hardy, & Bacon partners, and there are plans for an immediate associate addition and more attorneys as needed. Source:www.law.com