October 16, 2008 6:02 PM

Davis Wright Hires 20 Heller Lawyers

Posted by Nate Raymond

Davis Wright & Tremaine announced that it hired 20 former Heller Ehrman lawyers, as attorneys from the now-defunct firm continue to find new homes.

Nineteen of the lawyers are in Heller's Seattle office, with the one other in San Francisco. Of those, 14 are partners. They comprise an array of practice areas, including corporate, litigation, and real estate. The lawyers represent about a third of Heller's Seattle outpost, a spokesman says.

"'Platform' is an overused word but the fact is that Davis Wright offers the best platform for us to serve our clients and build our practices," Brendan Mangan, former managing partner of Heller Ehrman's Seattle office, said in a statement.

Negotiations to hire the group have been on-going for three to four weeks, a spokesman says. Two of counsel and four associates will also join Davis Wright. Susan Duffy, the partner in charge of the firm's Seattle office, said the group "greatly advances our strategy in many areas."

Along with Mangan, other partners joining Davis Wright include Donald Percival, a real estate partner who represents the $30 billion Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation on its real estate portfolio, and Scott McCormack, a corporate partner whose clients include energy service company Avista Corp. Bruce Bjerke, an M&A lawyer, is active in the hospitality sector.

Other Seattle partners are settling in to new firms as well. Cooley Godward Kronish picked up four partners to open a Seattle branch, along with 11 in other cities. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe picked up five partners in Seattle and 22 in other locales, the largest hiring of Heller partners by any firm.

According to The Recorder, a sibling publication of The Am Law Daily, two Seattle partners will soon be practicing at other firms. Todd Glass, head of Heller's energy practice, is joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the paper says, citing anonymous sources. Seattle partner Michael Dotten is moving home to Portland, Ore. to start a mediation and arbitration practice.

Stoel Rives, which is picking up Heller's tiny Alaska outpost, is also expected to hire environmental partner Matthew Cohen and commercial litigator Angela Niemann, a source says.

Other Heller Ehrman refugees continued to find new jobs, with other announcements also coming out as well. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton announced yesterday it hired Kirt Shuldberg into its San Diego corporate practice. Sheppard Mullin says it has hired 11 other partners from Heller this year. And Wilson Sonsini said today that Michael Faber, the former chair of Heller's tax department, will join its New York office.

Davis Wright isn't the only Seattle firm scouting out Heller lawyers. Perkins Coie is in negotiations to hire several Heller lawyers in Madison, Wisconsin, Legal Pad reports.

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