An attorney’s career path often depends on the law firm’s reputation inside and outside the industry. The prestige of a firm often can attract veteran attorneys from other law firms and newer recruits just out of law school.
The San Diego Business Journal ranked the local law firms by the number of lawyers as of March 1.
Dave Geerdes, managing shareholder of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP, No. 10 on The List, said his firm hopes to have a total between 55 to 60 attorney locally this year.
Currently, the local firm has 43 attorneys, a growth of 48 percent from its previous year.
“The firm is growing substantially and will continue to grow,” Geerdes said.
Due to the firm’s tremendous growth, Heller Ehrman signed a new eight-year lease to move into 55,000 square feet of office space in the Plaza La Jolla Village in the Golden Triangle.
“The culture and success of a law firm contributes to the reputation for each attorney,” Geerdes said.
Geerdes said the law firm has a long history and success for litigation practices, which helped attract many lawyers to the firm.
In recent cases, Heller Ehrman represented high-profile national anti-trust cases, including defending Visa U.S.A., Microsoft Corp., Philip Morris Cos., and 3M Co.
– Firms Need Quality Clients
“A firm needs to have a high-quality clientele and reputation to attract law students and other high-quality attorneys to the firm,” Geerdes said.
Geerdes said the firm’s diversification toward the life sciences industry allows its local office to continue to grow despite a slowdown in the economic market.
“We chose San Diego due to its growing presence of life science firms in the area,” he said. “Many biotech companies have products in the pipeline, which is viewed with potential to attract a tremendous amount of investments.”
The firm opened its offices in 1998 with only three shareholders, he said. The firm’s focus was to represent the growing biotech community in San Diego County.
Some of its local clients include Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Remec, PS Group Holdings, and Qualcomm Inc.
In addition to recently opening a San Diego office, Heller Ehrman opened an office in Maryland’s “DNA Alley” in Montgomery County this year, which also specializes in representing the life sciences industry. DNA Alley has more than 270 biotech companies, including the offices of the National Institutes of Health and campuses of Johns Hopkins University.
Besides high-profile cases, Geerdes said pro bono work of a law firm also helped to recruit individuals.
– Firm Committed To Pro Bono Work
Heller Ehrman’s local pro bono commitments include work to the Legal Aid Society, San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program, and Friends of California , Mexico Chapter.
The firm also provides billable hours to its attorneys for their pro bono work, which is rare for many law firms, according to Geerdes.
“(Pro bono) gives meaningful work to our attorneys which allows them to give back to society,” Geerdes said. “All of these activities give a good sense to a good firm with a strong strategic plan.”
Sue Hodges, managing partner with Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, No. 8 on The List, said her firm’s growth is partly attributed to its ability to offer a complete package to clients.
“Our strategy is to marry the intellectual property lawyers with our corporate lawyers to have all the capabilities under one roof,” Hodges said. “That’s the kind of service package our clients would like.”
– Firms Merged Earlier This Year
Pillsbury Winthrop has clients in the Golden Triangle, Carlsbad and Carmel Valley areas. Some of its local clients include Idec Pharmaceuticals, Alliance Pharmaceutical, ResMed and eAssist.
At the beginning of this year, Pillsbury Winthrop was formed as the result of a merger between San Francisco-based Pillsbury Madison & Sutro and New York-based Winthrop Stimson Putnam & Roberts. The firms combined to 850 lawyers and 17 offices worldwide.
Pillsbury Madison has 45 lawyers in 2001, an increase of 22 percent from the previous year in its two San Diego offices.
“The merger has allowed us to expand our presence to the East Coast and abroad,” Hodges said.
She said many attorneys are attracted to a law practice with a global presence and attractive clientele, but many attorneys join the office for various personal reasons.
“Locally, our lawyers are attracted here because of the collegial and informal atmosphere in the office,” Hodges said. “Our lawyers like to work together, which creates a very comfortable work environment.”
