Here's a coffee mug slogan: "Dewey LeBoeuf? You bet we do!"

3:54 - that would make a catchy jingle.

catchy theme song!

I prefer the flavorful name of "Lamb Ballantine."

Dewey LeBoeuf sounds like it refers to self-lubricated labia.

4:10 - too funny

I call bullshit - no way the firm registered the name with an outfit like GoDaddy. They would spring for a real host. Someone collected data from a firm bio (like the post said) and is having a spot of fun

This is a really bad joke, so please don't kill me...

Who let the Dewey out!!!! Le Bouf - Bouf - Bouf - Bouf Bouf

(better than the Nixon Peabody song anyways)

4:21 - Just because they released tasteless media referencing themselves doesn't make them any less formidable a law firm -ah - internet company. GoDaddy is totally legit. Probably too legit to quit. Hay hay.

Dewey still exists?

Dewey LeBouf sounds like a drag queen name - and she's FAAAABULOUS!

Dewey LeBoeuf to $190!

WSJ lawblog noted the rumored merger at 4:34 - so at least qua rumor it is real. Nice work ATL.

Dewey LeBoeuf....sexy sexy...when you get that notion...

Dewey LeBoeuf? Yes we do!

Dewey LeBoeuf Lamb should be the combined name of choice

Dewey LeBoeuf Lamb sounds like a bad farm joke

The combined firm would also moved its main office to Paris with "Dewey LeBoeuf Lamb" as its name

The WSJ law blog is running with this story too (sounds like they have some sources with actual knowledge): http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/08/24/leboeuf-lamb-and-dewey-ballantine-in-advanced-merger-talks/

The WSJ law blog is running with this story too (sounds like they have some sources with actual knowledge).

Insert joke about name here.

Dewey is swamped in debt. LeBouef has none. Is LaBouche trading off debt for prestige?

Also, how big are these firms? Is this going to create a Skadden-size behemoth?

Wasn't Sondra, the eldest Cosby daughter, played by Sabrina LaBoeuf? I think that was her last name. I saw her at a DC Shakespeare in the park this summer, Love's Labour's Lost. Some firm took its summers to the show I attended. I could tell by the pre-game acknowledgements, the public drunkenness, and the nudity.

4:45--

If your timing is correct, Lat scooped WSJ (or at least their blog, but we'll count it). Congrats, Lat!

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/08/24/leboeuf-lamb-and-dewey-ballantine-in-advanced-merger-talks/

mmmmmmmm Dewey Lamb

Re 5:43--

I'll have what he's having. Moist and delicious!

I don't think Dewey Lamb would be *that* big. Dewey has about 500 lawyers and LL has around 800. No bigger than say Kirkland.

The big question is will LL's size influence who controls the firm. The combined NYC office will be huge 500+ (even after the inevitable purge).

I work at dewey and there have been hints of a merger for quite some time.

I work at Leboeuf and the first I heard of this was today. But we got an email this evening that an all associates and counsel meeting has been scheduled for noon on Monday.

What do the attys at the two firms in question think of the idea?

We not only got the emergency "all associates and counsel meeting" e-mail tonight, but we then got another e-mail from our executive director with a link to the WSJ article. Nice way of informing the troops, eh... Really not sure how I feel about this yet. Where will our offices be???

LeDewey Boofantine?

Late breaking news . . .

Sources are indicating that a third firm has entered into the negiotiations. Apparently, the new firm will be called Dewey, Peabody, LeBoeuf.

And everyone's a winner!!!

It's going to be an unsettling weekend for LeBoeuf associates. We have to wait until Monday to hear about the damage. Couldn't they have told us yesterday and had a meeting today instead of ruining our weekends? LeSigh.

It is a big merger. Combined firm, using 2007 amlaw numbers, would be tied for Amlaw 12 with Morgan Lewis (gross revenue = $922,000,000). Not too bad.

Dewey Leboeuf swallows Fried Frank?

Do these mergers ever result in layoffs?

Mergers always mean lay offs for admin Staff, (they don't need two Chief Information officers, or Chief Administrative officers, records peopele etc ) Attorneys and paralegals are safe unless partners leave because the cases don't go away...unless this merger is like the first merger attempt Dewey had with Orrick....and all their heavy hitters left.

One thing is certain: this is not a joke.

Is it too late to pick another name?

It will be interesting to see how long it will take for the firms to integrate. Sounds like Monday will be quite the day at both LeBoeuf and Dewey as I believe Dewey is also having an all hands meeting.

Who are these people from LeBoeuf and Dewey who are posting on here? Shame on you. Seriously, fuck you. Keep it to yourselves. It makes you look bad.

Law firm mergers generally come to a vote on Sunday. Saturday is last minute strategory and a final sell to partners.

No way they are having a vote yet. Probably signing a letter of intent.

NYTImes has an article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/business/25legal.html?ref=business

People from these firms had to find out from above the law before their own firm? Then they get to be the bad guy for confirming it AFTER its in the news? Give me a break!

Is LLGM going to keep all their laywers?

Fiftieth!

Also, this merger strikes me as odd. The firms might be well-matched financially, in terms of average PPP, but what is the purpose of it? It doesn't provide the East Coast / West Coast balance that the Orrick deal would have.

I work at Dewey, and after the Orrick debacle we were assured by Mort himself that DB was not looking to enter merge talks with anyone else anytime soon. How soon is now? Also, the masses were furious about how they discovered the merger was off - on the blogs. Hmmm, tomorrow should be Leinteresting.

Shia's out! My next awful film will be Transformers II, starring Dewey LeBoeuf!

In response to 50th, it seems to combine LB's deep strength in insurance and energy with DB's capital markets and M&A strengths (the later of which needs some shoring up, but the combined firm might be able to fix that more readily than Dewey could do alone). Neither firm is ideally positioned to succeed solely on the Wall Street "boutique" model that a few other NY-based firms have (think Cravath, Simpson, Cleary) and getting larger and broader probably makes a lot of sense for these firms. It sets them up to compete more effectively with the other really big firms out there and could set the stage for future geographic expansion through both greater financial strength and greater platform appeal. This combination seems a natural when you look closely.

Does anyone know how Dewey and/or LeBoeuf plan on dealing with pending malpractice litigation/claims prior to finalizing the merger???

How concerned should a summer associate be regarding the Dewey-Lebuff merger? What are the chances Dewey-LeBuff trims lawyers and I will be forced to re-interview as a 3l?

Paul Allen,

Do you know how to spell "LeBuff"?

Most deffinitely.

Paul,

So just a lame joke?

Associates from decent schools are worth their weight in platinum in the current market, so my guess is you won't have a problem in that regard. On the other hand, merging the two cultures and infrastructures is going to be very bumpy for at least a year, so fasten your seatbelt if you get on that ride.

No Bill, it isn't.

Thanks for the info Batman.

Paul,

No problem. What are you doing tomorrow? Wanna grab a cup of joe? ;-)

at least a year??? No way - WilmerHale is imploding because of its merger and poor planning/management. Its a bumpy ride - for many years.

More info on WilmerHale imploding, please.

It's officially official: WSJ.com article with the announcement today. Related blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/08/27/introducing-dewey-leboeuf-2/

Some news from the LeBoeuf associates meeting: The combined firm will be named Dewey & LeBoeuf (with an ampersand). The firm will be chaired by Steve Davis (of LeBoeuf) and the definitive agreement signed on Friday calls for partnership votes by the end of September with a closing as early as October 1. The Dewey personnel in DC and London will be moved into the LeBoeuf offices in those cities and LeBoeuf personnel in NY will *probably* move into Dewey's nicer space a few blocks away (although there wil be shuffling around in the shorter term -- but much of that won't happen until 2008.)

Has it been officially announced?

So 2007 Summers from either firm do not have to worry?

Why would you have to worry? The point of merging is to gain marketshare. They become one of the largest firms in the world. Why would they then give it back through firings?

NYLJ Article:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/PubArticleNY.jsp?hubtype=FeaturedContent&id=1188205341933

Bloomberg Article:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=home&sid=aHrQLsN9KMZQ

I wonder who is next? A large DC firm w/out a ticket to the global dance?

I summered at Dewey this past summer. Would anyone know what impact this would have on 2008 first years?

Anonymous - I don't know about the implosion at Wilmer Hale, but I survived it long enough to get it on my resume and go. It is a tough place, completely opposite of what Cutler and Pickering (both of whom I knew) wanted when they built their firm. Their values have been thrown away for market share and greed.

At the meeting, they made a point of telling us that both the incoming class and the just-completed summer class would be notified that they would be given positions at the newly-created firm. So I would say neither group, at either firm, has anything to worry about.

Below is an email I received from Dewey, from where I recently received a call-back offer:

As some of you might have heard by now, Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRea just announced that we have signed a memorandum of
understanding to combine, creating one of the world’s premiere international law firms. The merger is scheduled to become effective on October 1, 2007, subject to approval by the partners of both firms.

We regret that we could not discuss the merger with you during your recent interview, but the merger was not formalized until late last Friday. We hope you will understand that we could not discuss a merger that the two firms had not yet agreed to undertake.

The merger is an enormously exciting opportunity for everyone associated with both firms. The combined firm, to be called Dewey & LeBoeuf, will have more than 1,200 attorneys in 12 countries with revenues approaching $1 billion. We will be the fifth largest law firm in New York and one of the largest firms globally with offices in 26 cities. In terms of “fit,” the two firms are highly compatible. We share similar institutional cultures, values, and visions, including strong commitments to associate
satisfaction, diversity, pro bono legal services, and maintaining a pleasant and professional office atmosphere.

While the merger brings tremendous opportunities, we also understand that you might have unanswered questions. We want to do everything we can to answer those questions so that you feel equipped to decide whether we are the right firm for you. Please feel free to call XXXXX, our Manager of Legal Recruiting, any of the attorneys with whom you met, or me with any questions. We will send you additional information about the merger as it becomes available.

I too summered at Dewey this past summer, and initially this struck me as rather odd, given that we, like the Dewey poster above, were told that the firm was not interested in merger talks. One aspect of this merger that does make a lot of sense to me is LB's strong insurance litigation practice. Dewey's insurance group took a big hit this summer, and this would effectively rebuild that practice for them.

Dewey LeBoeuf buys www.dl.com for $300k