Latham Cancels Global Partners' Meeting in New York, Citing Virus Fears
Latham & Watkins is the latest big firm taking steps to head off potential coronavirus infections.
February 28, 2020 at 04:29 PM
3 minute read
Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
Latham & Watkins on Friday became the latest firm to upend plans in reaction to the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus—officially known as COVID-19.
The second-largest U.S. law firm by revenue said it was canceling its global partners meeting, which was set to take place next week in New York. Latham has 2,720 lawyers spread across 29 cities in 14 countries.
"After careful consideration, and with the health and well-being of our colleagues and clients foremost in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel our global partners meeting," said Richard Trobman, the firm's chair and managing partner, in a statement. "While we perceive the risks to be small, safety is our first priority, and we thought this decision was in the best interests of all concerned given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19."
Latham's cancellation of its global partners meetings comes hours after the firm said it was canceling a March 5 client reception at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
"Out of an abundance of caution and after careful consideration for the health and well-being of our clients and colleagues, we have made the decision due to the uncertain conditions surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak," the firm said in the email.
Latham's global footprint includes China, where more than 78,000 people have been infected by the virus, as well as South Korea, Japan and Italy, which have respectively seen at least 600 reported coronavirus cases, according to The New York Times.
Latham is the latest in a long line of law firms who have been canceling events and restricting travel in reaction to a virus that has infected over 80,000 people and killed at least 2,800 people across 56 countries as of Friday afternoon.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has also called off a planned partner retreat, this one in San Antonio. Duane Morris canceled its Asia partners meeting, which was scheduled to take place within the next month. Meanwhile, Norton Rose Fulbright and Baker Botts are excluding Asia-based attorneys from their partner meetings.
Baker McKenzie on Friday announced it had closed its London office after someone at the firm reported feeling unwell after returning from Northern Italy.
Dorsey & Whitney said it has suspended all normal business travel by its lawyers and staff to and from China, starting earlier this month. The firm's managing partner, William Stoeri, previously told The American Lawyer that they've encouraged their China-based personnel—17 attorneys plus staff—to work remotely.
Read More
More Big Law Firms Respond as the Coronavirus Continues to Spread Globally
Coronavirus, Election Jitters Have Law Firm Leaders Pondering a Downturn
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Former Cahill Executive Committee Member, Leveraged Finance Pioneer Dies at 67
To Ease Partner Pay Tensions, Some Law Firms Are Seeking 'Middle Ground' in Transparency
5 minute read
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Paul Weiss, Trailblazer for U.S. Firms in China, to Close Beijing Office
- 2Formal Charges Filed Against Judge Accused of Helping Defendant Escape ICE Detention
- 3Top 10 Predicted Business and Human Rights Issues for 2025
- 4$7.5M in Punitive Damages Awarded in Product Liability Case
- 5Does My Company Really Need a Generative AI Policy?
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
