June 4, 2007
THE DAILY JOURNAL
By Alexa Hyland
LOS ANGELES – Perkins Coie’s Los Angeles office has added complex commercial litigator Donald Kula to its roster as partner.
Kula left Bingham McCutchen and officially joined Perkins Coie on Tuesday, the same day Bingham announced its acquisition of Alschuler Grossman.
Kula said the merger did not affect his decision to leave Bingham McCutchen and jump to Perkins Coie.
“It was a good opportunity for me,” he said.
Kula said his specialties, ranging from unfair-competition to breach-of-contract matters, fit with Perkins Coie’s traditional areas of practice. His clients include technology firms and start-ups, he said, although he declined to identify any by name.
The combination of Kula’s 17 years of practicing and his complex commercial litigation background made him a good choice for Perkins Coie, said William Emer, managing partner in Los Angeles.
Kula is one of 60 lawyers who came to Bingham McCutchen when the firm acquired Los Angeles’ Riordan & McKinzie in 2003. He also is among several lawyers who have left Bingham McCutchen since the combination.
“I wish him well,” said Richard J. Welch, managing partner in Bingham McCutchen’s Los Angeles office, declining to go into further detail.
Over the past year, Perkins Coie has been increasing its presence in California. In September, the firm moved into a larger San Francisco space and started expanding its emerging companies and intellectual property practices.
With the addition of Kula, the firm is looking to strengthen its numbers in Los Angeles, Emer said.
Seattle-based Perkins Coie houses 36 of its 600 lawyers in Los Angeles.