Piper Paris raid spells the end of DLA-Ginestié tie-up
DLA is poised to ditch its French ally following US merger partner Piper Rudnick’s tie-up with Hogan & Hartson’s Paris office.
The deal to integrate Cariddi Mee Rué with Piper Rudnick will leave DLA’s current French ally Ginestié Paley-Vincent et Associés out in the cold. Ginestié is fiercely independent and has been resistant to attempts to integrate the firm with DLA.
Piper Rudnick’s prospective merger with the UK firm (the two have been in talks since the beginning of 2004 and are understood to be close to announcing a deal) was one of the key reasons behind Cariddi Mee Rué signing up with Piper Rudnick.
Alan Cariddi, the managing partner of Cariddi Mee Rué, told The Lawyer that he met with partners at the US firm and at DLA before agreeing to the deal.
“Piper Rudnick chairman Frank Burch wants our group to spearhead its international growth, and with DLA we believe that the talks are serious enough to be a very attractive prospect. The rapprochement of those two firms would make one of the finest law firms in the world,” commented Cariddi.
Cariddi Mee Rué first linked up with Hogan in 1995. Cariddi said: “Even though Hogan & Hartson is a fine law firm, I felt we weren’t part of the international operation. Much of the expansion is directed from Washington DC and there’s an American tendency to think that one size fits all, whereas the English firms, particularly the magic circle, have been phenomenally successful with their international operations.”
Hogan partner Jeanne Archibald said: “We had talks with them for some time about how Paris fits with our broader European strategy and we had a difference of opinion. We are committed to Paris and the plan is to expand it.”
One partner of the six-partner office, Winston Maxwell, is staying behind at Hogan.
