REGULATORY and IP specialist WilmerHale, which
had until a rebrand in October 2005 been Wilmer
Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, saw minimal top and
bottom line growth during its most recent financial
year.

Firmwide revenue grew by 8.5 per cent in 2005,
from $750.5m (£412.3m) to $815m (£447.8m). PEP was up by 5 per cent, from $870,000 (£478,000) to
$915,000 (£503,000). However, co-managing
partner Bill Lee believes that 2006, a year further on
from the cost of its 2004 merger, will prove to be
stronger all round in its core areas of litigation,
securities enforcement, corporate and IP..

During 2005 WilmerHale continued to invest
nationally and internationally. It launched a West
Coast practice headed by former Weil Gotshal &
Manges partner Curtis Mo focused on emerging
growth companies and clients in the technology, life
sciences and retail sectors. From its two-lawyer
launch it had grown to 22 lawyers by October 2006.

WilmerHale’s biggest clients in 2005 included
financial services provider Fannie Mae, the acquisitive
US conglomerate Danaher and Citibank, for which
WilmerHale handled the multijurisdictional disposal
of its European credit card business last year. UBS,
Boeing and Lufthansa, which the firm advised on its
acquisition of Swiss International Airlines last year,
are also regular clients.

WilmerHale, the result of the merger between
Boston-based Hale and Dorr and Washington DC’s
Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, is currently run from the
US by joint managing partners Bill Perstein (in DC)
and Bill Lee (out of Boston).

The fact that WilmerHale still has two leaders is an
issue it may need to address, although it looks unlikely
that the matter will be resolved in the near future as
both partners were elected for five years, a term that
expires at the end of 2008.

The UK end of WilmerHale last year contributed
£22.3m to the firm’s total revenue.