Dewey's City employment group jumps ship to Morgan Lewis

A three-lawyer team headed by partner Matthew Howse joined Morgan Lewis this week.

Howse is a former Barlow Lyde & Gilbert partner who joined Dewey legacy firm LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae four years ago prior to the firm’s merger with Dewey Ballantine. He is credited with establishing the US firm’s employment practice in the City.

“The opportunity to join a firm where the employment practice is right at the core was exciting,” said Howse.

Morgan Lewis has been significantly growing its employment team in London, which now features 10 lawyers, in recent months.

Howse’s arrival follows that of Mark Dichter, global chair of Morgan Lewis’s employment practice, who relocated to London last year (16 November 2009).

“We’re looking to replicate our top-tier reputation for employment on this side of the Atlantic,” added Howse.

A spokesman for Dewey said the firm was in “advanced negotiations” with a senior employment lawyer at another firm and expected to be making an announcement imminently.