Vice Chairman at Howrey Departs for Dewey & LeBoeuf

Partner defections continue to hurt Howrey LLP, a global law firm with more than 700 lawyers. Henry Bunsow, Howrey’s vice chairman and managing partner of the firm’s Northern California offices, is the latest addition to the growing number of partners leaving the firm. Bunsow served as a partner at Howrey’s San Francisco office and used to be a member of the firm’s executive committee. Bunsow is now a San Francisco-based Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP partner and will focus on handling complex patent cases in various industries such as electronics, integrated circuits, networking, semiconductor manufacturing, software, wireless communications, biotechnology and mechanics. Bunsow is also joined by two other colleagues from Howrey, Denise De Mory and Brian Smith.

Sean Boland, Howrey vice chairman, said that the firm respects the decision of the three former partners. He revealed that Howrey is now under a major restructuring plan to put the firm in a better position this year. “The amount of costs taken out of the firm at all levels—which include leases, partners, associates, and the like leaving the firm—have made the firm much more efficient. It’s done wonders for our cost structure such that we’re going to see some major advantages in 2011. We’re very encouraged by the cost cutting that we’ve done.” Boland admitted that Howrey has been through a lot of challenges over the past years and is now more determined to stabilize its operations across its offices globally. “Like every firm, we’d like to see the recession end. But there are changes in the legal market that are likely permanent. Clients have learned that they have more purchasing power and in some cases are exercising that. We as a firm have to continue operating more efficiently as a result.”