DLA Piper and Dechert have settled their long-running dispute over the latter's hire of former DLA litigation co-head Neil Gerrard.

A source close to the situation told The Am Law Daily that the parties settled both a UK arbitration and a US litigation related to the move in December.

It is unclear whether the settlement's terms call for any money to change hands. DLA, Dechert, and Gerrard all declined to comment or did not respond when contacted about the status of the dispute.

The skirmish kicked off in April last year when Gerrard (pictured) left DLA to join Dechert's London office as co-head of the firm's global white-collar litigation practice, a move which prompted DLA to initiate arbitration proceedings against its former partner in May.

At issue was whether Gerrard had violated DLA's non-compete policy by failing to serve a period of gardening leave. Having intially informed DLA and his clients that he was leaving the firm on 22 April, Gerrard formally joined Dechert on 23 April – despite DLA requesting a longer notice period that included gardening leave.

The firm now enforces a mandatory three-month period of gardening leave for departing partners, but the policy did not take effect until 1 May, after Gerrard had left for Dechert.

In addition to serving notice of arbitration on Gerrard, DLA had declined to transfer client records for matters Gerrard had been working on to Dechert.

In October Dechert filed a one-page writ of summons against DLA's US and UK operations in a court in Philadelphia, where Dechert is headquartered. Though the filing did not identify the basis for the claim, sources told US publication The Legal Intelligencer that it was related to the dispute over Gerrard's hire.

Gerrard, who had by then been listed as a partner on both firms' websites for several months, was represented in the UK arbitration by Herbert Smith and Mark Howard QC of Brick Court Chambers. DLA was advised by Stephenson Harwood's litigation head John Fordham.

Gerrard's move coincided with the resignation of DLA's regional corporate crime head Jonathan Pickworth, who joined Dechert's London office on 16 April.

Last October Dechert hired another high-profile partner from DLA's London office, trade and government relations head Miriam Gonzalez, who now leads Dechert's EU trade and government affairs practice in the City, while Norton Rose's former litigation head Antony Dutton last week became the latest partner to join Dechert's fast-growing London base.

The Am Law Daily is a US affiliate title of Legal Week.

Related: