Another Heavy-Hitting Litigator Leaves Akin Gump, But Firm Insists It's Just Fine
By David Bario
April 16, 2009
Is something going on at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld? Wednesday's news that Andrew Rossman the firm's co-head of litigation is jumping ship for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, is just the latest in a long line of departures from the firm that seems to have hit the litigation department especially hard.In July, top white collar defender Michael Madigan left to join Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. In August, past litigation chairman Richard Wyatt defected to Hunton & Williams, taking eight partners with him. And in February, Paul Bessette, who headed Akin Gump's securities litigation group joined Greenberg Traurig.
Not surprisingly, the firm is chalking up the departures to ordinary attrition and insisting its litigation practices are as strong as ever.
"This is what happens at big firms," chairman Bruce MacLean told us Thursday afternoon. MacLean called the Madigan and Wyatt departures "old news," noting that only three partners had left since August. "We wish Andy the best and we'll obviously miss him, but we won't miss a beat," he added.
