Discussion of Firms and Life in SF/SV

[Sidd Finch]

Heller Ehrman has around 660 lawyers while VLG has a little more than 60.

Yikes. That means VLG shrunk by half in the past 2-3 years, if I'm not mistaken.


Sidd(the Atkins Diet for law firms?)Finch


edited to fix tags -- T.S.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
A good source -- i.e., a friend who pays for drinks if I'm willing to listen to him yammer for awhile -- tells me that MoFo is acquiring, or merging with, or just living with for awhile to see if it works out, VLG.

All the usual caveats. Let's not rush out to buy VLG stock on the inside info.

I buy all this VLG stock hoping to get into MoFo on the cheap, and now I've got all this Heller Ehrman paper instead. Thanks, Sidd.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
I buy all this VLG stock hoping to get into MoFo on the cheap, and now I've got all this Heller Ehrman paper instead. Thanks, Sidd.

Maybe you should buy me more (or better) drinks than the schmuck who gave me the tips did. Then I might be a more reliable source.

Or, I might not....

Sidd(coy)Finch

[Sidd Finch]

The latest from Renee:

http://www.law.com/jsp/pubarticleCA....=1061487976028


Salient points:

1. Heller has no really good-looking guys. At least, no one who can replace "that dreamy Tower" in Renee's eyes.

2. VLG bigwigs have advanced denial to the status of an art form, by claiming that this move has little to do with "Darwinian" survival and is really part of the natural evolution of the firm.

3. VLG bigwigs have little sense of irony, given that natural evolution and Darwinian survival are one and the same. ("It's like ra-hay-hayn, on your wedding day!")

4. Anyone who thinks all 60 VLG lawyer will survive for more than six months be smokin' da' ganja an' feelin' IRIE, mon!

[Tyrone Slothrop]

According to my source, Heller Ehrman and VLG approved the merger today, and the two firms will become one on or about October 1. Heller picked up less than 60 lawyers -- it's unclear whether there are more headed elsewhere.

So far, I have not been able to confirm that the firm's new name will be Venture Ehrman Group, or that Barry Levin is changing his first name to Craig.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
According to my source, Heller Ehrman and VLG approved the merger today, and the two firms will become one on or about October 1. Heller picked up less than 60 lawyers -- it's unclear whether there are more headed elsewhere.

So far, I have not been able to confirm that the firm's new name will be Venture Ehrman Group, or that Barry Levin is changing his first name to Craig.

Anybody have them in the pool?

[NotFromHere]

This just in...
Bomb Threat Leads To Moscone Center Evacuation

SAN FRANCISCO, 4:11 p.m. PDT September 10, 2003 - San Francisco police say they are facing a "logistical nightmare" Wednesday afternoon, as they decided to evacuate roughly 11,000 people from Moscone Center due to a bomb threat.
Police spokesman Dewayne Tully said the call concerning the convention center at 747 Howard St., where an OracleWorld trade event is under way through Sept. 11
Howard St. is currently closed to traffic.
He added that initial reports indicate the caller made a somewhat rambling series of comments, alluding to "bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan," as well as "human rights" and "Allah."

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I hear Heller Ehrman is looking to hire 3-5 year laterals in the general and securities litigation groups.

(Keep that stuff coming.)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

According to LawCrossing.com, Morrison Foerster has announced the opening of an office in Shanghai, China, its second in mainland China and fifth in Asia. The office will be headed by a partner from its Tokyo office and a lateral partner from the Shanghai office of Coudert Brothers. One associate is also set to join the Shanghai office upon its opening. The office will mainly work in inbound and outbound investment, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities offerings, construction and infrastructure, telecommunications and IP matters. MoFo has approximately 70 lawyers in the Asian region, spread out in Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Singapore.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

And here's an article from the East Bay Business Times about how hot the IP market is.

[c2ed]

So Grasso resigns today as NYSE Chairman. And put in his place as Interim Chairman is... Larry Sonsini? Apparently he has until 9 pm ET (10 minutes from now) to accept.

C(not quite like counting down to New Years, but it'll do for today)deuced

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by c2ed
So Grasso resigns today as NYSE Chairman. And put in his place as Interim Chairman is... Larry Sonsini? Apparently he has until 9 pm ET (10 minutes from now) to accept.

An exploding offer for a job like that?

Edited to add, duh -- they don't want to open tomorrow without an interim chairman. BB4 has addled my brain. (Jun to Robert about Alison: "she has a freakin' photogenic memory," moments after saying in the diary room, "you have to be smart to succeed in this game." I would love to be an editor on that show.)

[c2ed]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
An exploding offer for a job like that?

Edited to add, duh -- they don't want to open tomorrow without an interim chairman.

Exactly. I'm sure that this has kinda been going on behind the scenes for at least the past few days. Here is the first story about Larry as potential Grand NYSE Poobah.

On a different note, is anyone else thoroughly bored or repulsed by the Schwarzenegger and Bustamante ads?

C("CA ... Better than reality tv" ... a lame state motto, but apropos)deuced

[frodo corleone]

Apparently the job offer to Larry Sonsini is real news, not a hoax: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ge/nyse_grasso

Boaltheads running the exchange... you've got to be kidding.

md(definitely Nasdaq time)jd