April 7, 2011
THE RECORDER
By Petra Pasternak
SAN FRANCISCO – Dechert has opened a Los Angeles office with four Orrick litigators.
Edwin Woodsome Jr., a former national chair of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s litigation group, William Oxley, Christopher Ruhland and Andrew Wong joined this week, Dechert said today.
“The decision to establish an office in Los Angeles results from our assessment of our clients’ current and potential business interests,” Dechert Chairman Barton Winokur said in a press statement.
Woodsome joined Orrick in 2003 from Howrey. Legal observers say Woodsome, who has represented DHL, Countrywide Financial Corp. and Emirates, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, among other companies, had a sizable book of business before joining management ranks at Orrick. He’s been rebuilding since he got out of management a few years ago, recruiters said.
Natasha Innocenti, a legal recruiter with Major Lindsey Africa, said Dechert has transformed itself from a Philadelphia law firm to a New York-style firm with high profits. “They’ve grown well,” said Innocenti, who was not involved in the deal. “They’ve built up in New York, in D.C., and developed a global strategy.”
Dechert opened an office in San Francisco in 2002 with a focus on real estate. Its lawyers now focus on product liability, IP and antitrust in addition to real estate matters. One year later, the firm relocated Philadelphia partner Frederick Herold to open a Mountain View office, where he is office managing partner. Mountain View lawyers focus on IP and white collar criminal work.
Southern California recruiters at Watanabe Nason brokered the deal.