Wake Up Call: Unisys Grabs Top Lawyer From Tech Rival Cognizant

In today’s column, a security breach at New Jersey-based McCarter & English cut off lawyers’ access to email and remote work systems; a Tennessee congressman wants a U.S. travel ban on London lawyers working for Russians; two boutiques matched the Cravath standard for associate pay.

• Leading off, technology services and consulting company Unisys Corporation poached a top lawyer from tech services rival Cognizant. Unisys said Cognizant’s senior vice president, global deputy general counsel and chief of staff to the general counsel, Claudius O. Sokenu, will take over as its senior vice president, general counsel and secretary effective May 2. He replaces Gerry Kenney, who’s retiring. Sokenu’s earlier roles include New York-based partner at Shearman & Sterling, Arnold & Porter, Mayer Brown, and senior counsel, enforcement, at the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Unisys.com)
• Newark, New Jersey-based McCarter & English “confirmed” in an internal email that the firm got hit with a security breach that has caused its attorneys to lose access to email and remote work systems. (American Lawyer)
• U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, urged the Biden administration to ban travel to the U.S. by “well-known” U.K. lawyers who have allegedly helped Russian clients efforts to use lawsuits to silence investigative journalists. (Financial Times)
• Insurance recovery boutique Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna and Texas-based litigation boutique Yetter Coleman joined the dozens of firms that have matched the Cravath standard for associate pay. (Above The Law) Associate hiring is cooling off, a report says. (The Recorder)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Baker Donelson’s corporate, business litigation, government relations and real estate practices helped push its gross revenues up 2% to $380.46 million in 2021, despite a 3.7% fall in its headcount, to 592. The Tennessee-based firm’s average profits per equity partner expanded 9.6% to $674,000, according to a report. (Daily Report) U.K. elite firm Linklaters, which entered the U.S. market 50 years ago, is lagging its Magic Circle rivals Freshfields, Allen & Overy, and Clifford Chance in the market. (Law.com International via American Lawyer)
• Barnes & Thornburg said it signed a 13-year lease to move into new offices in Washington’s business district in January 2023. The new offices are 6,000 square feet bigger than its current premises to accommodate its 50% headcount growth in the city in five years. (BTLaw.com)
• Jones Day lost 5.5 million pounds ($7.15 million) in fees when its U.K. online grocery business client went bankrupt. (Roll on Friday)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Willkie Farr & Gallagher hired former White & Case corporate disputes partner Vincent Naveaux as a partner in Brussels, Belgium; Willkie is losing New York private equity partner David Cosgrove to Dechert, which said Cosgrove is joining as a partner in Charlotte, North Carolina; Dechert also brought back former Bank of America Merrill Lynch assistant general counsel Richard Pugh as a real estate finance partner in London. Pugh was a senior associate at the firm earlier in his career before going in-house at financial institutions; Troutman Pepper added Cooley corporate attorneys Geoff Starr and Abe Kwon as partners in Philadelphia in its health sciences department; A 30-year veteran litigator at Weil, Gotshal & Manges became the firm’s first chief wellness officer. (American Lawyer)
• Former Bank of America chief counsel Randy Sparks took a job in New York as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at NBT Bancorp Inc.; London’s Gatwick Airport hired former Capita Plc group legal director Rachel Ford as its new general counsel and company secretary. Ford is a former Linklaters attorney and was recently chief of staff to the CEO of Capita, a professional services firm. She replaces Gatwick’s retiring top lawyer Robert Herga. (GatwickAirport.com)

Legal Education

• Yale Law Women’s latest firm rankings report for 2022 rates Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe tops for diversity as well as “agency & flexibility.” It says Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Sullivan & Cromwell are best for compensation. (Yale.edu)