CC San Diego office in doubt as last partner leaves

The last remaining partner at Clifford Chance’s San Diego is departing for Latham & Watkins.

Faye Russell, a former Brobeck Phleger & Harrison partner who joined the magic circle firm two years ago as part of a 17-partner team, will move to Latham & Watkins’ San Diego office. Russell is a corporate lawyer specialising in life sciences.

Her move follows Maria Sendra, the other partner in Clifford Chance’s San Diego branch who left for Baker & McKenzie last week.

Both partners’ exits means that the office will almost certainly now close, leaving Clifford Chance with a presence in Palo Alto. As first revealed in The Lawyer, (10 May) the firm was unlikely to continue to supporting both its Los Angeles and San Diego branches.

However last week, following the announcement that a team of legacy Brobeck partners based in San Francisco were leaving the magic circle firm for Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Clifford Chance appeared to hoping to keep both Palo Alto and San Diego.