"Just weeks after announcing its long-awaited L.A. launch, the firm is already reportedly looking to build out a full-service office in Southern California, not merely plant a flag with a few high-profile lateral hires and call it a day. That means more hiring, more practice groups, and even more competition for elite West Coast talent in an already overheated lateral market."
"The move follows the firm's recruitment of longtime Skadden Los Angeles office leader Jason Russell to head up the new operation, a hire that immediately signaled Davis Polk wasn't interested in a modest California debut. And based on Russell's comments to Am Law, the firm's expansion plans extend well beyond litigation. The office "will bolster litigation," Russell said, while adding that it will also be "strong in the entertainment space, life sciences and tech.""
"Firm chair Neil Barr echoed those ambitions, noting that the office's transactional capabilities will continue to grow as well. "You'll see our corporate transactional footprint expand there as well as the sectors that Jason alluded to," Barr said. "We are going to be opportunistic with private equity and (venture capital) work.""
"Barr was candid about one reason behind the expansion: "We concluded that our current office footprint was artificially limiting our ability to attract certain talent." Translation: elite firms increasingly need a California presence if they want access to the full pool of rainmakers and r"
Davis Polk & Wardwell is accelerating its Los Angeles presence shortly after announcing its launch. The firm is reportedly seeking to build a full-service office rather than relying on a limited set of lateral hires. Jason Russell, formerly the leader of the Skadden Los Angeles office, is set to head the new operation and has indicated the office will strengthen litigation while also being strong in entertainment, life sciences, and tech. Neil Barr said the firm’s corporate transactional footprint will expand in Los Angeles and that the firm will be opportunistic with private equity and venture capital work. The expansion is also intended to remove constraints from the firm’s existing office footprint and improve its ability to attract certain talent.
#law-firm-expansion #los-angeles-office #litigation #corporate-transactions #private-equity-and-venture-capital
Read at Above the Law
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