“Look, the reality is that this guy hadn’t been performing for a while, and you know what happens in these situations…” My response was admittedly a bit schoolyard: “An American law firm comes along and doubles their money? That’ll teach ‘em.”
Welcome to the thorny topic of how law firms should conduct themselves when their partners – particularly those with a high profile – head for rival firms. Such departures present firms with tricky territory and even trickier etiquette. A sharp run of departures is the industry equivalent of a tanking share price, capable of destabilising even large law firms if the CVs are good enough. And you can bet the recruiting firms will talk up their triumph.
