Wilmer Cutler's UK revenues jump by a third as tech, arbitration come good

UK Revenues during Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr's first year as a merged firm rocketed by 33.3 per cent to $38m (£20.9) during 2004.

Legacy firms Hale and Dorr and Wilmer Cutler & Pickering together turned over $28.5m (£15.7m) in their final year as independents.

European managing partner Joe Pillman told The Lawyer: "The costs of the merger are considerable, but I'm very pleased. We've seen a modest recovery in the corporate technology market in 2004 and our arbitration practice goes from strength to strength."

Merger costs have been an issue. The firm still has two offices in London in addition to its Oxford outpost. The arbitration practice still sits in the old Wilmer office in the West End, which has mainly been used as meeting space. Clients such as Deutsche Telekom and Lufthansa have been very active in boosting revenues for partner Gary Born's arbitration practice.

In separate news, the firm has postponed the shortening of its unwieldy name following the recent deaths of founding partners Lloyd Cutler and John Pickering.

Both Cutler and Pickering had approved the change of name to Wilmer Hale shortly before they died, but the firm has decided that it would be insensitive to change the name now.

The firm was due to change its name in July. That has now been postponed until late autumn or early winter.