Husch Blackwell to Train Lawyers for Possible Jobs With Clients

Husch Blackwell is encouraging associates to consider in-house roles with clients rather than only assume an uncertain path to partner.

The firm in June is starting a four-month training program called HB In-House. The goal is to give attorneys an inside view of clients and tools they need to transition to jobs in companies.

“We’ve got people who want to explore other options,” said Joe Glynias , Husch Blackwell’s chair. “We’ve got clients who really would like to be connected with people who are looking for a path into the in-house world.”

HB In-House was several years in the making. Glynias and others at the firm worked with clients to develop and design the curriculum. It will start with about 25 lawyers. After four months of training, lawyers can opt for a temporary assignment at a client’s operation, Glynias said.

The training will accelerate the pace of bringing firm lawyers onto company staffs, said Megan Belcher , a former Husch Blackwell partner who works for Omaha, Nebraska-based grains trader Scoular Co.

“If you acquired talent from this program, it would enable you as an in-house lawyer to move with such greater speed in getting that lawyer on-board,” said Belcher, who will serve as a program faculty member.

Baker McKenzie Adds 11-Partner Corporate Team from Munger Tolles

Baker McKenzie is picking up a 17-lawyer corporate group from Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles, the latest move to expand its deals roster.

Eleven partners are moving to Baker McKenzie, including Jennifer Broder , Kimberly Chi, David Goldman, Michael Greaney, and Tyler Hilton , the firm said. Other additions include Judith Kitano, Kelly Kriebs , David Lee, Brett Rodda , Matthew Schonholz , and Nikole Zoumberakis .

“This is one of the truly elite transactional groups in California,” Leif King , head of Baker McKenzie’s California transactional practice, said in an interview.

The group, which also includes six associates, represents the bulk of Munger Tolles’ corporate team. The California-founded firm has deep ties to Warren Buffett: cofounder Charlie Munger served as the billionaire’s top advisor until Munger’s death last year and partner Ronald Olson acts as de facto legal chief for Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

The team “fits right within” Baker McKenzie’s focus on growing its M&A and private equity practices, said Colin H. Murray , CEO of the firm’s North America region. “We will have one of the largest, if not the largest M&A practices in California” following the hires, he said.

Troutman Pepper, Locke Lord Discuss a New $1.5 Billion Firm

Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders and Locke Lord are discussing a merger that would place the combined firm among the 30 largest by revenue, boosting the operation’s ability to compete with large rivals.

The firms are discussing “a possible combination,” the two firms said in a statement. The merger, if a deal is reached, would create a firm of more than 1,600 lawyers and revenue of more than $1.5 billion.

A merger between Troutman and Locke Lord would make sense, as both have strong corporate, litigation and real estate practices, said Raj M. Nichani, Esq. , an Atlanta-based legal recruiter and president of the RMN Agency. The practices “dovetail nicely,” he said. “The firms really measure up well together.”

Troutman Pepper, which is the product of a merger of Atlanta and Philadelphia firms, would also gain a presence in Texas, where the energy business has been aiding the growth of Big Law offices. Locke Lord has offices in Houston, Dallas and Austin.

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