Dewey & LeBoeuf closes three US offices

Dewey & LeBoeuf is to close three of its US offices in a bid to focus its practice on major capital markets.

The firm’s 10-lawyer Jacksonville office will close in December this year, the 22-lawyer Hartford office will close next February and the 16-lawyer Austin office will close in March 2009. Pre-merger the Jacksonville and Hartford offices were LeBoeuf offices while Austin was a Dewey Ballantine outpost.

In a statement the firm said: “As part of its global strategy to expand the firm’s resources in major capital markets throughout the world, Dewey & LeBoeuf will be closing its offices in Jacksonville Florida, Austin Texas and Hartford Connecticut.

“All attorneys in these locations have been asked to remain with Dewey & LeBoeuf and relocate to one of the firm’s other offices. They will have the opportunity to integrate their practices within the firm’s network of over 1,400 lawyers in 13 countries.

“The decision is designed to continue the successful integration of Dewey & LeBoeuf following the October 2007 merger [between Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae].”

As reported in The Lawyer (17 December 2007) firmwide chairman Steve Davis put growth in London at the centre of the firm’s strategy in a bid to position the firm as a transatlantic, rather than US, player.