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Summary: The highly recognized Bancroft litigation team is making the move to join Kirkland & Ellis in Washington D.C.
Leading the way from Bancroft, a Washington D.C.-based appellate litigation boutique, to Kirkland & Ellis is former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement. The 17-lawyer Bancroft team known for their efforts on politically conservative causes will be joining Kirkland October 1.
Clement left his position as a U.S. solicitor general to join King & Spalding. He left the firm to join Bancroft in 2011. The Bancroft team includes founding partner Viet Dinh, a former U.S. attorney general of legal policy.
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Dinh said, “This is a natural combination of Kirkland as the number one global full-service firm and Bancroft as the leader in Supreme Court and appellate litigation – the fit is perfect.” Clement added, “Kirkland has an unrivaled litigation practice, and adding our appellate group will provide a remarkable team for our clients.”
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The move was a surprise to many. Head of Arnold & Porter’s Supreme Court practice Lisa Blatt said, “It was a shock. Nobody was expecting this. This is the biggest shakeup in the Supreme Court bar since Paul left King & Spalding in 2011.”
Bancroft moved into a new office last year in Washington D.C. They are known for snatching up the nation’s best appellate clerks to add to their litigation team. Bancroft was recently named on The National Law Journal’s Boutique Hot List.
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Their recent cases include representing Hobby Lobby in its challenge of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate and representing members of Congress in the fight over campaign finance. They also were involved with the National Football League in its fight to suspend New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for cheating.
Kirkland has been making strides towards strengthening their litigation department, making the addition of Dinh and Clement a great step forward. Kirkland loss a substantial private equity team to London’s Sidley Austin earlier this year. This led them to enforce a greater notice period for departing partners.
Do you think this will be a growing trend for the next few years of smaller boutiques joining the ranks of large law firms? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
To learn more about the Tom Brady cheating scandal, read Appeals Court Reinstates Tom Brady’s Suspension.
Photo: forbes.com
