April 11, 2013

THE RECORDER

By Julia Love

SAN FRANCISCO – Jones Day has nabbed Fred Alvarez, who led the employment law litigation practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, to help establish its own practice in Silicon Valley.

Alvarez, who served as assistant secretary of labor for the U.S. Department of Labor and commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the 1980s before entering private practice, brings the expertise that growing companies in the Valley need, said Tharan “Greg” Lanier, partner in charge of Jones Day’s Palo Alto office. His credentials will also prove helpful to the firm, which hired its first labor and employment lawyers in the Valley this year, Lanier added.

“We are hiring someone who can build and lead a practice, and that’s what we want him to do,” he said.

In February Jones Day recruited partner Wendy Davis from Cooley, who brings expertise in executive compensation and employee benefits. Alvarez gives clients advice on employment strategy, prevention and compliance and also handles internal investigations. Together, the pair can field many of the labor and employment concerns that companies in the Valley face, Lanier said.

Though the labor and employment practice is a recent addition for Jones Day in Silicon Valley, it is well-developed throughout the firm, said Lawrence DiNardo, who leads the group globally.

“It’s a practice that fits into the overall aims and goals of the firm to serve sophisticated global companies,” DiNardo said. “It’s much more than a service practice, the way they have it in some firms.”

Alvarez was traveling Thursday. In a statement, he said he was pleased to join a “global law firm well-known for its labor and employment practice.”

Jones Day’s employment group has more lawyers and a wider geographic reach than Wilson Sonsini’s, DiNardo said.

“This allows Fred the opportunity to practice on a broader level,” said recruiter Larry Watanabe, who placed Alvarez at Jones Day.

Watanabe, who has moved six employment partners so far this year, said there is a strong demand for the practice among law firms in the state “ and Silicon Valley in particular. The movement is fueled by the needs of Valley companies, he added.

“There are so many small companies that are turning into midsize companies and larger companies that plan to go public,” recruiter Martha Angell said. “But there are not that many employment partners in the Valley.”

Alvarez will start at Jones Day on Monday after 16 years at Wilson Sonsini. He is expected to bring some clients and matters with him from Wilson, but it is unclear whether other lawyers will follow him, Lanier said.

Wilson has a deep employment bench and will not be making any changes in light of Alvarez’s departure, said Courtney Chiang Dorman, a senior vice president at the firm.
“Fred has been a wonderful partner, and we certainly wish him all the best,” she said.