Wake Up Call: US Growth Powers A&O’s Revenues (Correct)

In today’s column, White & Case said it has to keep defending Russia in a $50 billion lawsuit but will exit the suit as soon as it can; less than one-third of law firms prioritize diversity and inclusion when they staff matters, a survey found; and a Chinese drone maker hired Squire Patton Boggs to lobby Congress.

• Leading off, London firm Allen & Overy’s rapid US growth powered a 10% jump in its global revenues to about 1.94 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) in its fiscal year ending April 30. The firm’s average profit per equity partner rose a modest 3% to just below 2 million pounds. (The Lawyer)
• A&O opened new offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Boston during the year. The firm opened in Los Angeles the previous fiscal year, and it added 27 US partners, including 24 from outside the firm. That investment helped its US revenue grow about 87 million pounds. (Law.com International)
• The firm, which recently froze UK junior lawyer’s pay, warned of challenging conditions ahead as the global economy is hit by high inflation and the demand for the firm’s services slows. (Global Legal Post)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• White & Case wants to drop Russia as a client, but says ethical obligations compel it to continue defending the country against a lawsuit trying to enforce a $50 billion arbitration award. A Russian representative told a Washington federal court he would oppose the firm’s effort to get off the case, which was brought by shareholders of the defunct oil company Yukos. (Reuters)
• “Blacklisted” Chinese drone maker DJI hired Squire Patton Boggs and consulting firm Vogel Group to lobby US Congress members not to back a proposed bill that among other things would bar the government from buying its drones. (Financial Times)
• Most law firms are getting client pressure to do a better job considering diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria when they staff matters. But DEI is a top three priority for staffing matters at only 25% of North American firms and 27% of UK firms. That’s among survey findings in London-headquartered legaltech company BigHand’s latest Legal Resource Management report. (BigHand.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Winston & Strawn brought in health care and life sciences litigator Amy Hooper Kearbey as a partner in Washington. She comes over from the Health and Human Services Department, where she was senior counsel in the inspector general’s counsel office. She earlier spent 14 years at McDermott Will & Emery, including as a partner; Goodwin snagged Covington & Burling life sciences and intellectual property attorney Morag Peberdy in London as a partner; labor and employment firm Willig, Williams & Davidson hired former longtime National Labor Relations Board attorney Michelle “Micky” Devitt as an associate in Philadelphia; Fox Rothschild hired veteran labor and employment litigator Jasmine Anderson as a partner in San Francisco. She arrives from Constangy, where she was partner and co-chair of the diversity education initiative. (FoxRothschild.com)
• Baker McKenzie announced global leaders for tax, antitrust, capital markets, and other practices; Lathrop GPM added McCarter & English IP attorney Tanya D’Souza as counsel in Minneapolis; New York-based firm Warshaw Burstein picked up real estate lawyer Stephen Boonshoft as a partner. He arrives from Robinson Brog; Long Island-based Weiss Zarett Brofman Sonnenklar & Levy promoted commercial litigator Joshua Sussman to partner. (Weisszarett.com)
• Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bank hired attorney Michael O’Connor, former vice president for class action and mass tort solutions at legal services provider Epiq, as senior vice president for settlement services, based in Washington. (WesternAllianceBancorporation.com)

Technology

• A growing number of lawsuits targeting social media companies are using product liability arguments to get around immunity statutes that have long shielded tech companies. (Legaltech News)