Clifford Chance hit by West Coast defection

Clifford Chance’s West Coast practice has lost its first partner in the region, as an anti-trust and trade regulation lawyer joins Cooley Godward.

Partner Craig Waldman is joining Cooley Godward’s Palo Alto office where he will be based in the anti-trust and trade regulation group. Waldman transferred from Clifford Chance’s New York office in late 2003 to the San Francisco premises, where he was housed in the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution group.

While Clifford Chance has been losing partners in the US, the majority have hailed from New York and to a lesser extent Washington. However Waldman is the first partner to make the leap from the West Coast region.

A spokesman for Clifford Chance, said: "Craig is a fine lawyer and we wish him the very best for the future."