Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on DLA Piper
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
DLA Piper
- Designation: Verein
- Head Count: 4,036
- Gross Revenues: $2,440,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $605,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,310,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
Today’s DLA Piper is a nearly 4,000 lawyer behemoth but before it was big it was gleams in the eyes of partners in firms that were the pride of Baltimore, Maryland (Piper Marbury) and Yorkshire, England (Broomhead & Neals). They set off on an astonishing two–decade run of combinations and mergers that culminated in a landmark, trans–Atlantic, three–way maneuver in 2005 which put together DLA Piper. Since then, except for the post–Lehman recession, the firm’s appetite for growth has rarely slowed. It is one of the industry’s biggest proponents of lateral hiring, picking up 87 new partners in 2011 (the most of any Am Law 100 firm). And it expanded via merger once again that year, acquiring its Australian ally, DLA Phillips Fox, and boosting its presence in the Asia–Pacific region (DLA Piper is structured as a Swiss verein, in which the U.S. and international arms maintain separate finances; The Am Law 100 survey reflects full global figures).
Not that DLA Piper misses much territory: It has 77 offices in 31 countries, including seven in the Middle East alone. Latin America has been a recent focal point for growth; the firm opened a Miami office in 2011 to serve as a base of operations, followed by the opening of a Mexico City office in early 2012.
As one might expect from a firm that has enough attorneys to populate a small town, DLA has a wide–ranging practice, though M&A work and litigation are particular strengths (indeed, the firm was a finalist in 2010 in The American Lawyer’s Product Liability Litigation Department of the Year competition). It has also been a leader on the pro bono front, placing twenty–fourth of 200 firms on our 2011 Pro Bono Report (the firm’s attorneys averaged more than 82 hours a year of volunteer legal work). DLA rates above–average scores on diversity, as well, finishing fifty–third of 194 firms on the magazine’s 2011 survey (more than 15 percent of U.S.–based lawyers are minorities).
Faring less well is associate satisfaction: DLA placed near the bottom of the pack on The American Lawyer’s 2010 Midlevel Asso?ciates Survey (124th of 137 firms), and saw only a modest improvement in 2011 (ninety–ninth of 126 firms). No doubt contributing to the less–than–stellar morale were the multi–round associate layoffs the firm conducted during the recession. Within DLA’s U.S. offices, 101 junior lawyers were let go in 2009 alone.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 1 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 1 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 2 | no change | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 24 | 2 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 57 | 4 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 99 | 25 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 42 | 28 | Summer programs |
In the News
Bingham Adds IP Partner in Silicon Valley
Julia Love : The Recorder : May 21, 2013
Kirkland Reps S.F.'s Vista on $906M Buy of Software Maker
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : May 20, 2013
Three Deals Add Up to More M&A Work for Kirkland
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : May 20, 2013
Kirkland & Ellis is advising longtime private equity client Vista Equity Partners on its nearly $1 billion purchase of cybersecurity software maker Websense, while fellow private equity firm Landmark Partners is relying on the firm to handle a $425 million secondary acquisition of a legacy energy portfolio owned by HM Capital. Kirkland is also advising the world's largest consulting firm, Accenture, on its $316 million buy of digital marketing startup Acquity Group.
Manatt Investment Fund Lands on 'Silicon Beach'
Amanda Bronstad : The National Law Journal : May 20, 2013
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips has launched a division to counsel clients on business opportunities associated with digital media based in Los Angeles' "Silicon Beach." Moreover, the firm has hired an entrepreneur to run its own venture capital fund, which will invest in emerging technology companies.
Is Stanford Law the New Vortex of Legal Technology?
Tam Harbert : Law Technology News : May 20, 2013
Stanford University is a legendary breeding ground for startups — Silicon Valley giants Google, Yahoo, and Cisco all came out of the Palo Alto, Calif., institution's computer science and engineering departments. Now, Stanford Law School is getting in on the action.
Continental Breakfast: Adam Shutkever, Riverview Law
Chris Johnson : The Am Law Daily : May 19, 2013
American Lawyer chief European correspondent Chris Johnson meets regularly with senior legal sector figures at their favorite breakfast joints to chew over the industry's tastiest talking points. This week, Adam Shutkever, COO of DLA Piper-backed fixed-fee legal services company Riverview Law, discusses the firm's alliance with U.K. law firm DMH Stallard and the company's forthcoming conversion to an Alternative Business Structure.
Edwards Wildman Plans Istanbul Launch
Claire Zillman : The Am Law Daily : May 15, 2013
The firm is opening an office in the Turkish city to cater to clients in the region and to support the practice of private equity partner Ted Cominos, who joined the firm last year.
Personal Notes on Lawyers
: New York Law Journal : May 15, 2013
Brent Lewis has joined the structured finance and securitization practice at Hunton & Williams as of counsel, while Robert Trainor has joined Covington & Burling as senior of counsel in the life sciences practice, and more.
Delaware Supreme Court Denies Attorney Fees Where Firm Worked for Free
Jeff Mordock : Delaware Business Court Insider : May 15, 2013
The Delaware Supreme Court has reversed the Court of Chancery's decision to award $3 million in attorney fees to plaintiffs counsel in a dispute between a commercial real estate investment fund and a property management company, holding there can be no reimbursement of attorney fees to a plaintiff that incurred no expenses because its lawyers had declined to charge a fee in order to avoid any potential malpractice claim.
Manatt Investment Fund Lands on 'Silicon Beach'
Amanda Bronstad : The National Law Journal : May 15, 2013
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips has launched a division to counsel clients on business opportunities associated with digital media based in Los Angeles' "Silicon Beach." Moreover, the firm has hired an entrepreneur to run its own venture capital fund, which will invest in emerging technology companies.
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